PRESIDENT Mwanawasa has denounced politicians who have adopted a culture of politicking at the expense of national development.
Mr Mwanawasa said yesterday that political leaders who rarely spoke about issues that would uplift the living standards of the people should stop the practice.
“It is sad that most politicians rarely talk about issues affecting the people and how to revamp the economy.
Zambians should learn from their colleagues in the United States of America who always rally behind an elected government.
“When the elections are over they all rally behind the government and work together.
Here we become primarily preoccupied with the pull him or her down (PHD) syndrome until the next elections.
I want that culture of talking politics day in day out to go and concentrate on development,†he said in Livingstone.
He was addressing MMD cadres and Government officials who welcomed him at Livingstone International Airport.
Mr Mwanawasa pledged to revamp the country’s economy by the end of 2011.
“Government has so far acquired a $39 million loan from the international community to be used for the construction of roads in the country,†he said.
Mr Mwanawasa is in Livingstone accompanied by Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ben Kapita, his counterpart at tourism, Kabinga Pande, MMD national chairman, Michael Mabenga, and some senior Government officials.
And activities in Livingstone’s central business district yesterday came to a standstill when residents, including school children from various primary schools, thronged Livingstone International Airport to grant President Mwanawasa a hero’s welcome.
The atmosphere at the seemingly quite airport was full of activities.
Acknowledging the overwhelming crowd that welcomed him at the airport, President Mwanawasa said he was happy to belong to the MMD and being its leader as well as that of the country.
“I shudder when I think of what could have happened had some other political leaders taken over the reigns of the country after last year’s tripartite elections.
“There was going to be pandemonium in the country had certain political parties been in power today,” he said.
Southern Province MMD chairperson, Daniel Munkombwe, Southern Province Minister, Joseph Mulyata, and former Southern Province Minister, Alice Simango, welcomed the President.
Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa has directed the leadership in the province to forward details of their accounts to his principal private secretary for the disbursement of money to be used in the mobilisation and strengthening of the party.
Daily-Mail
Do Americans always rally behind the elected officials? I don’t think so. The opposition is there not to be cheerleaders of the government but to be referees of the current govt.
Mwanawasa’s holier-than-thou attitude is as irritating as it is empty. He too talks less about national development than he boasts about is political attainments, whose impact on the country’s economy is next to nothing.
Mwanawasa’s economic policies are no different from those Kenneth Kaunda espoused before be nationalised the economy in the 1960s. Myopically, these policies are designed to serve the interests of our former colonial masters in Europe, and have created no room for ordinary Zambians to contribute meaningfully and effectively to the development of the country. Or else how does one explain Mwanawasa’s indifference to the plight of Zambian farmers and of the thousands of school leavers now roaming our streets. As far as I know, Mwanawasa is not Zambia’s economic saviour. Evidence? He thinks that by opening more mines, he will set the country on the path to prosperity. Little does he know that the rebeneficieries of the mines are not Zambians, but foreign capital
How many roads can $39 million do? Those ministers are on the payroll to perform their duties, what are they doing on a tour with seemingly little public purpose? You either serve your party or the govt. You cant be using up public resources to perform political functions. I dont know what work ethic we Zambians have?