Calls for Education Minister Dora Siliya to apologize over her remarks she passed recently have continued heating up with some visually impaired individuals saying the people with disability feel threatened by the MMD government’s stance on the blind.
Recently Ms. Siliya was quoted by the media as saying only a blind person can fail to tell or explain what Government is doing in the country.
She was referring to remarks by Mongu Catholic Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy, suggesting that the people of Western province wanted a change of government due to lack of development in the province.
The latest call comes from the Zambia Federation of Disability Organizations (ZAFOD) which claims that the statement by Ms Siliya is agitating, annoying and discomforting.
Organization Human Rights Manager Wamundila Waliuya said the statement by the Education Minister was demeaning and derogative to the blind.
Mr Waliuya noted that Ms Siliya’s statement has sent a wrong signal to the Zambians saying it meant that the blind do not appreciate development.
[MUVTV ]
This is what M/s RP capitals can only say. I mean dora thinks she smart in this country because one RB said so. SHAME!!!!!!!!!
Oh dear politics of the stomach, when did the word blind become a politically correct (PC) word. The expression of ..”only the blind..” is an well known English metaphor used for centuries. And these people need to see this for what it is and not an attack on their handicap. Please learn not to be used by people with evil motives
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Could this be a question of being oversensitive? I cannot ‘SEE’ the hoopla here (or hear?) ;-)
Just trying to think how many times I’ve heard and even used the expression “ARE YOU BLIND?” concerning issues among sighted colleagues. There’re several others: ARE YOU DEAF? ARE YOU MAD? And if one cares to check, the bible has numerous of them used even by Christ Himself to drive some point home. Let’s be fair to one another!!!!!
Read the context it was put in first then come up with that argument than just complaining other wise it was just saying meaning Bishop Duffy is not seeing the development with his naked eyes.
Or lets remove , deaf – Mad – Blind – Insane – Drunkard – Prostitute – Street Kid from our everyday talk!
The same people she was criticising are insighting this. I thought she had said things on a Sata level of insult to blind people as opposed to using a term of phrase which the owners of the language (the English) still use. She did not say that blind people are buttocks as one politician said about a certain section of the Zambian population.
Zambians can be petty at times…i ve used that word a million times. Am sure she never meant to insult the blind. but most of us here have atleast used that word even once.
This country is full of comedy.surely theres nothing to apologise about here.Lets not be petty please.I may not agree with Dora on many things but on this one i think the blind are overeacting!
#2 You have a very valid point for a change, but then why must you still must think the blind are being “used by people with ill motivez”?
can’t the blind see that this is a non-issue?
I don’t want to be harsh to blind people but I feel they are being stupid and petty on this issue. They just want to politic over nothing. To hell with the complaints now
PK Chishala (blind person and a singer) once sung: Ukumona nali mwene nomba nshasumine..
Was PK Chishala saying blind people see but do not believe and accept what they see, literally?
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like the blind its only HH who cant see development as he has turned a blind eye to any good things govt does. he has put his head in the sand
Zambian amazes me alot, indeed politics of stomach at its highest point! This land needs a serious Dictator to deal with people of low IQ’s who just want to bring this nation down. Be mature zed…………………….
Our Blind colleages should tone down.It is an English idiom to say “Unless you are blind you cannot see this”! Iam not sure if Dola had Mr.Ng’wale in mind.Jesus Chris equally used this common saying several times.PLEASE DORA YOU HAVE NO REASON TO APOLOGISE TO ANYBODY.
When you are in high political office, everything is “political”, every group is always waiting to pounce & jump on the “insensentive remark” bandwagon. I recall one time Obama slipped-up in a lighthearted conversation and used the word “retard”. The outcry for him to apologize was an overkill, every organization came out of the woodwork demanding an apology, you would have thought the man beat someone. When in polital office, your words, actions, body language is under the microscope and any slip is political capital for people with auterior motives. Common folks use these phrases day in day out, its actually quite amussing all the fuss.
I think Dora is getting too fat and obese, she is still cute & I wouldnt mind chatting her up. I am just concerned about health issues that come with obesety. I hope she starts working out or something. Is she on the market? (single)
As much as i dont like Fat Dora i think this issue is being blown out of proportion. This is just a figure of speech. Tapali malice i think mwe!!
What has “miss piggy” done now? heheh. Ok am sure she didn’t mean it in that context
#19.. of course she is still on the shelf. you men grow cold feet when it comes to proposing a more successful woman than yourselves. Its only the president who she can agree to. But most of you men dont stand a chance unless if its hit and run whilest she is in drunken mood.
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No. 23. Watch your language. You have eyes & yet you can’t see what we see in our wives. Foolish!
this hule dora slit ..shud apologise …what kind of a leader is she..?
Lets forgive her, for she does not know what she is saying.
Please, please! Apologise? What for? This is total madness, have they no better issues to fight?
Get away….
the Problem with Dora is that she talks before she thinks ! my advise to those who are close to her, please try to teach her that she must think before she opens her mouth.
This is now beyond logic, it is cheap politics. Find something to hate Dola on not over what she said. I am not a pro Dola but I believe in giving a fool his due.
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any way, i had love to do her
what has dola done come on gays there other things we can fight for not this show ur burms dola you are G
The way some insult Siliya for doing her job on this blog, I feel it is her who should be demanding an apology.
It is really surprising how people want to take advantage of other people’s statements. Serious speaking I really doubt that she had any intention to attck the blind people in her statement. It is clear that she was responding to Bishop Duffy and the people demanding for an apology from her should be realistic. It is not right to ask her to apologies when her statement was clearly being refered to a known individual! Mwe mpofu tekanyeni bane!
#24 senoir citizen
on a borrowed name sorry if I touched your heart maybe what I wrote applies to you forgive me and statement withdrawn. its not good to talk about pipos wives just like its not good to insult pretty siliya
Literally :d:-w
Being blind is a figure of speech and should not be taken literally. Even Jesus Christ often said that they have “eyes but they do not see” there are a lot of blind people who “see” by this i mean they are educated and are able to understand the issues that happen in their country. I have come across a lot of remarkable blind people who ” see” and alot of people who have eyes but do not see!!
Imagine Dora and MMD Chief Bootliker getting together!
Dora attracts a lot of bad comments from Bloggers. Well it’s because of her action and arrogance. Thats why! At least Mulongoti has sobered up a bit. Now it’s Dora and Shikapwasha who got 1 vote / his Vote at State House for MMD presidential Eelctions to replace one Levy Mwanawasa.
It is not about how long a wrong has been acceptable in a society, rather it is about moving to correct the wrong. Ba Bootlicker naba Nkana, people like you and me were called Ni55ers for years, less intelligent, barbaric etc some even justified it using a bible story about a man and his father’s nakedness. Still it was wrong then as it is now and through being open to more social consciousness we moved away from such thoughts. That is all the less abled are asking you to do. Ironically it is okay to say ‘desist from following blindly’ especially to you bootlicker. And I mean well by the way.
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typical dora..am sure she’l just say,no am sorry i dint know what i was saying.damn whore! thats what you also said when you sold Zamtel..quote”i never read the contract”
Times are changing bane. There is now what is termed as political correctness. The world will increasingly demand more from their political figures. With all these NGOs mushrooming everywhere, politicians have to learn to speak correctly otherwise they could easily be an embarrasment to the country in international fora.
No Jealous, Dora is looking good. those lips and eyes..kufwa mo mudala
dora dont think that u and your RB u owned this zambia.apologize to the blind pipo that was a bad example u used.
Our visually challenged compatriots are, in my view, overreacting. Dora just used an idiomatic expression which unfortunately they did not understand. This notwithstanding, the honorable thing for Dora to do is to simply apologize and put out the fire. This is called diplomacy.
Some of our people have limited understanding of the English language. I remember one time when I was nearly beaten up by some hefty gentleman at a club for referring to him as a bloke. He thought bloke was an insult. I had to literally run out of the club for my dear life.
Typical Zambian grade school english! Pasop!
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katalina says:
September 17, 2010 at 12:56 pm
#19.. of course she is still on the shelf. you men grow cold feet when it comes to proposing a more successful woman than yourselves. Its only the president who she can agree to. But most of you men dont stand a chance unless if its hit and run whilest she is in drunken mood.
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