By Prince Bill M. Kaping’a Political/social analyst
One of the main reasons why our communities and cities remain largely underdeveloped or look like landscapes straight from the Dark Ages, if we may put it more precisely, is that most individuals aspiring for offices of Councilors, Mayors, or Members of Parliament lack ambition and innovation!
Once they achieve their life’s time dream of securing such coveted positions; they immediately become obsessed with amassing wealth – driving fancy cars, turning out in their best outfits, moving into grand mansions, and sending their kids to expensive schools in town, instead of firing in all cylinders initiating developmental projects. Well at least we saw this happening during the last 10 years, we are not yet sure about the current crop of our leaders, only time will tell.
Our leaders can perhaps learn one or two lessons from Gayton McKenzie. According to Wikipedia, McKenzie is a former South African convicted criminal, bank robber, gangster, businessman, motivational speaker, author, and president of the Patriotic Alliance political party.
When he aspired to run for Mayor of the Central Karoo in the Western Cape Province, he pledged that he would not be mayor of people using bucket toilets. He further promised to change the face of the district within the first 100 days of being in office. And thanks to his grandiose dreams, today Central Karoo has literally been turned into a construction site – water-borne toilets are being put in place, and a bakery is fast coming up so that the locals can enjoy fresh bread as opposed to waiting for it to be transported 350km away from Worcester. A tar plant is also being put up to produce materials to fix the potholes and a local swimming pool is being refurbished for people to pass their leisure time. Plans are also afoot to open a personal protective equipment factory. This is intended to create 100 jobs for gogos (women) aged between 50 and 60 who otherwise have to depend on their husbands or children.
What development agenda is your MP implementing in your constituency apart from savouring buffet and whisky at Parliament Motel or cruising around in their impressive SUVs with tinted windows to hide away from the electorates? What about your Mayor or Council Chairman; are you appreciating their presence in such offices? All they seem to be good at is officiating at functions, giving boring winding speeches, and cutting ribbons! Councilors are even worse. The only ‘development’ they seem to understand is buying coffins and chicken during funerals!
How many of these so-called leaders can brag about having initiated Strategic Development Plans aimed at addressing critical issues such as garbage collection, improving water reticulation, lighting up our streets, giving public facilities a facelift, opening up libraries and sports centers, food production, and processing among others. The biggest problem is that we always want to wait for the central government to deliver development when we can partner with the local business, the Church, or NGOs to improve the livelihood of our people.
Always remember……time is fast running out, and the electorates will hold our leaders accountable when the day of reckoning comes!
Very good article from the author . We have an mp sleeping in Meanwood ndeke who has never even visited the electorate after being elected. The community has no social amenities such as public clinic, government schools, police post, no market to sell merchandise are still in colonial era. Get educated from the above and all mps. councillors to perform like Mc Kenzie
Absolutely 100% correct………….
What is more bizarre to the wise is how these same failed former office bearers have suddenly found wisdom to be making noise every week on LT…………..
In developt countries, you go on the news as a former mayor or minister , people first want to see your cv……..what did archive before you start making noise……….
Not in zambia, former MPs and mayor’s who left their communities poorer than before they came in are the loudest……..
LT should lead in this crusade…………
LT should first insist on former MPs , ministers and mayor’s who want publish articles, should also list their archivments while in office………..not how rich they have become, but what work they done for their communities………….
We have people comming on LT as former GRZ who have archived absolutely nothing , infact have impoverished people who voted for them , suddenly sounding very wise…………..
LT……..show us their archivments aswell ….
Fuseke I played with this young man in South Africa on many occasions. Some of your wives even came with me.
Very good article by the author uwamano can learn something from this well written article.
Prince has for once spoken sense, unlike when he puts on rose-tinted glasses when it comes to BMW and the NEW DOOM.
All Zambian Docile Sheeps are like “Well written article”. You have no single clue of what all of you mwankoles here are praising. Imagine this Gangster previoulsy raped your sister or daughter,He robbed your bank where you worked and its closed and you ve no work, he killed your own family during he and his team robbery, How many people did this ex gangster shoot and kill? And this is what you call an article and even you Lusaka Times you really approved such nonsense? Iam in Cape Town now and this barger is still running underground gangs terrorising innocent communities. Fusteke you the writer of this article may rot and your descendants never see heaven, rot in hell please. You cant wish such Evil onto our innocent Zambia. Gangsterism here is South Africa is a traumatising thing…
And you fools(bloggers) are here praising this ***** writer. Do you mutherfachkers understand what gangsterism is? DO you know what these gangsters here in South Africa do for a living? Pls next time dont you dare praise something you dont know or have no single clue about. People dye here every 10min in this country due to Gansterism. UN recently did a survey & found that more people here(SA) die from gansterism more than any war torn country in Africa. Now, what is there to praise honestly? Think of people dying more than in Congo or Sudan, so what can you learn Sudan? Cos this ganster has killed more people than a rebel leader. I hate you all of you who praised this criminal article.