By Dr C Ngoma
This is a quote from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act III, Scene II). Hamlet and his mother, Queen Gertrude are watching a play. In the play, the character of queen is trying very hard to convince that if her husband died she would never marry again because she loves him too much. While watching this, Hamlet asks his mother what he thinks of the play. The mother replies, ‘The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.’
We can easily misunderstand what she means because we do not use the word ‘protest’ today in the same way they did in Wm Shakespeare’s day. What she is talking about is that the character in the play is making too much effort to try to be convincing so that she is coming out as being insincere. In our day, it would be like a person who is trying too hard to convince someone saying ‘Napali a mama ku Chingwere!’ (I swear upon my dead mother buried in Chingwere cemetery!).
This is what I feel is happening in this election campaign period when it comes to the Patriotic Front message. They have gone out all guns blazing to try and convince the Zambian people that all is not so bad but hunky-dory. The pain that the Zambian people may be feeling is not real, it is a phantom pain. Let me explain what a phantom pain is. People whose limbs have been amputated can feel pain in the absent foot. It is a most extraordinary and distressing condition. Sometimes, they even feel an itch but cannot scratch because there is no limb to scratch!
The PF party politicians are telling Zambians that prices are not higher than they have ever been, they are lower if you look with prescription glasses. If the prices are higher, well, it is because they are higher everywhere else in the world. It is Covid 19 ‘stupid.’ What Zambians should be doing is to look at the roads, the fly-over bridges, the roundabouts, the all singing and all dancing ‘state-of-the art hospitals, the schools, the universities, the spanking new houses for service personnel. If bread is expensive, switch to kandolo. What about expensive toilet paper? What do you switch to?
The infrastructure is visible and not invisible. Even visiting former heads of state who had not been to Zambia for ages were impressed. The change of the urban built environment is palpable! But, why isn’t this infrastructure campaigning for them? Is there is something that is drowning the voice so that it cannot be heard? Could it be the sound of grumbling of empty stomachs? Could it be the din of screams from hospital beds where there is no medicines? Could it be the wailing of mourners burying their prematurely dead relatives?
The tired combatants that we heard in 2016 have re-oiled their rusty armour and have been re-conscripted into the Home Guard. Suddenly, the people who were ready to jump on throats and even go to prison for saying what they said for many years are now saying that they were lying to Zambians. It is only now that they are telling the truth when there is no prison for them but just amanone to come.
The message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was credible because people were ready to and did, die for it. If there was a promise of good things in the Roman empire such as a seat in the Senate of Rome if they spread the resurrection news, who would have believed the apostles? A witness who will benefit from his testimony in a court of law cannot be taken seriously. Are the Zambian people going to stomach more apologies in 2026?
The ruling party campaigners are trying too hard to be convincing. They come out as being insincere. Is anyone listening?
The PF party doth protest too much, me thinks.
WISE STORY ,LOOK ALL THE ROADS ITS DEBT WITH NO IDEA AS MR. VISIONLESS DOES ON HOW TP SOLVE THIS USD12B PLUS AND OVER 20B WITH LOCAL DEBT . THE CIVIL SERVANTS ONLY HAD A NORMAL SALARY INCREMENT IN 2011/2012 AFTER PF TAKING OVER AND IN TEN YEARS THESE SALRIES HAVE REMAINED ALMOST THE SAME WHEN THE INFLATION HAS BEEM OVER 2000% SINCE THEN
HENCE THE HIGH DEBTS AND REMAINING WITH LITTLE OR NO AFRER PAY , SO DUE TO ELECTIONS THEY COME UP THE K6M DEBT SWAP, INSTEAD OF INCREASING SALARIES , REALLY SAD , STUIPD AND UNTHINKABLE . ALL CIVIL SERVANTS SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR PF
Alebwelelapo, Under 5 aleshala alenya
MOST CIVIL SERVANTS ARE NOT VOTING FOR THEIR GOVERNMENT
THIS IS A KNOWN FACT FOR THOSE ON THE GROUND AND NOT SITTING IN OFFICES SPROUTING NONSENSE
PF still thinks that Zambians believe everything that their government says. No more! Whatever Edgar China Lungu says, or the Obese Brothers, otherwise known as GBM & CK, the Zambian voters know full well it’s all FANTASY! August 12 and it will all be OVER!
The Hard working Govt since independence. The UINP & MMD govts never did enough, they were BIG Jokers but this REGIME has done wonders. All Zambians are driving cars, living in their own houses, they have build flyover bridges modern road high ways and soon they will build a dual carriage way from from 10 miles to Ndola and another one from Solwezi to Chingola. They want another 5 year term to complete MEGA Projects. Those who are not seeing the Projects should infwitiz children. Civil servants will have a lot of money in their pockets between July and September 2021. What else do people want?
It’s really impressive that Zambians have now started thinking with their minds. The country and land of the mediocre who supprisingly can still listen to people like GBM and CK
Dr. Ngoma, it will be bad business for PF to sit and say twalibomba kale. They have to counter what opposition is saying. Like a medical doctor they have to reassure the patient that all will be well. On the basis of the campaign this far , they have done so well and the opposition like our good doctor are feeling the heat. They seem to be more organised than ever. What you seem to suggest is the even opposition should seat and fold their hands because the people know that they are suffering. Politics is a business and you need to be savvy to win. Advise the opposition to get organised with strategies and not rely on PF failures and sympathy.
These are desperate men with no rules like hungry hyenas
Roads, hospitals, Police stations, bridges, shopping molls, 27, 000 teachers, police recruited, all this speaks for ECL. What more? Well spoke Jesus, ”We have eyes but cannot see; we have ears that cannot hear”.
Money pockets = debt swap. And you believe, but finangwa imwee.
Even your villagers are saying “debt swap” without knowing meaning, just like Dununa Reverse.
Balemipita pamisula again.
@7 Matumbo, if you look closely, the PF is not countering what the opposition are saying. They are ignoring the opposition message in the most. The opposition have charged that the infrastructure has been built at inflated costs in order for PF and their surrogates to pocket the extra. I haven’t heard any rebuttal against that. No PF official has come out to give a breakdown of costs to prove that the Tool-gate, the ambulance, the fire truck, the school, the hospital etc etc did cost that much. This is an area when the silence from PF is deafening.
Charles, listen carefully, “I’ll say this only once” (as in ‘allo, ‘ allo) : Take note of Matumbo’s “Anatomy” lesson. By the way, how much is UPND Ltd paying for these Kyambalesa essays?
Yes, the PF doth protest too much. They levitate the bridges and flip the domes that roast, sweet meats and simmering dripping may serve their lot! They drop silver into the pauper’s pockets and gold into its nobles and working plebiscites! Nay, they doth protest too much, man! haha
To counter what the opposition is saying about the cost of infra structure development would be a waste of time. Some of these opposition leaders are used to under valuing government assets. Be warned if a certain known opposition leader becomes president then the presidential jet will be sold to his friends down south for US$ 1 000 000. After that the government will start hiring the same plane for him for his official trips at exorbitant charges.
@11 Monze Sec School 1st Alumnus
You made my day- kkkkkkkkkk
It’s simply because Zambians want to hear rumours and not read facts from credible news sources like ZNBC, LT, Daily mail Diggers, the mast and nations. Look at the views of the current affairs update. Merely less than a 500. But all you see are people screaming for change. On social media where rumours and unnecessary updates are made everyone is there to see who’s trending fashion-wise and immoral-wise. And congrats UPND has managed to tell the people the lies they like hearing.
You complaining about things going expensive who doesn’t know you people. And big ups for convincing Mr and Mrs poor that things are expensive when in fact you don’t buy cheap things and you call them “Kamwala/nakonde or soweto”. You are the same people benefiting from the roads because its doing those your cherished cheap tires on your vehicles a lot of good.
PF is the best thing that has ever happened to Zambia, after independence. And like it or not, Zambians will again give the PF another mandate for the able president ECL to lead us to another new milestone. Evidence of the good works abounds everywhere you look. Unless the Red is blinding you and ofcourse lying to you. The Reds have sold the country on pay forward basis and will essentially do anything to win, even if it means causing total destruction like our friends in SA.