By Economic.Governance
My son, a Zambian like me did his post-secondary school in Penang, Malaysia for about four years. He tells me, whenever he asked his colleagues at school, “What does Malaysia do for you,” he was told, “Here, we don’t ask the country to do anything for us. Instead, we tell the country what we can do for it. That is why we are now competing with advanced countries. We are able to make things for exports within Asia and in the world. We have built our own roads connecting each Asian country together. We hardly borrow from the IMF. We don’t complain about the price of rice because we grow our own.”
In Zambia, while I was doing my research, I asked Indian Zambians, “What is Zambia doing for you?” Almost all of them gave a uniform answer, “We don’t ask the country what it must do for us.” “I have been running a shop which I inherited from my father many years ago and once I retire, I have already trained my son to take over. We have been selling clothes since independence.” It is true. In Lusaka, Indian Zambians own almost all the shops in Kamwala area and other areas. If you find one owned by a black Zambian, chances are that they don’t last for long. It is only a few years ago since they started running hardware shops that sell building materials in competition with Indian Zambians. But sooner rather than later, they are all likely to be wiped out by aggressive and vigorous competition from their Indian compatriots.
Zambia’s industry is largely in the hands of Indian Zambians, making hoes, wheelbarrows, axes, rakes and other basic tools but which are all necessary for performing certain important tasks. I am not even talking about the copper mines but simple industrial activities. Indians, not black Zambians own factories that manufacture soft drinks or beverages other than the established ones made by international organizations like Fanta and coke. Yes, there are a few back Zambians owning soft-drink-making companies but they are few. The chemical industry is not owned by black Zambians but a mixture of Indian, colored and others. Fertilizer is not made and distributed by black Zambians but those that have settled there. Zambia’s horticultural industry is not owned by black Zambians but white or Indian Zambians. Of course there are few black Zambians but look, I am talking about serious business here. Visit all serious horticultural farms in Zambia and come back and have a discussion with me.
Other than Government, the tourist industry is largely owned by non-black Zambians. I am talking about all elements that constitute tourism. Transport does not belong to black Zambians but white, Indian and other Zambians. Recreations aspects and entertainment of tourism as well are not owned by you and me as black Zambians. Then there are hotels and lodges. The real serious hotels and lodges are not owned by you and me but other Zambians. Yes, a few small ones but often lacking quality are owned by you and me. But it is largely a preserve of non-black Zambians.
Generally, serious farming is the preserve of non-black Zambians. I know several black ones including Chilala who are mentioned as serious farmers. I congratulate them and ask them to continue the good work. However, largely, farmers who grow maize, flowers, tobacco, sugar, cotton, feeding stuff for animals, oil seeds and vegetables, all Zambia’s top export agriculture products are not black Zambians. The largest and most serious dairy farming is not done by you and me but out non-black Zambian compatriots.
Black Zambians have lamentably failed to own mining, the chief contributor to the economy. It is surrendered to foreign owners. In Malaysia, Malaysians create and export semi-conductor and electronic products, palm oil, machinery and some equipment. Even if some of these industries are owned by foreign investors, local Malaysians largely own what they export.
It is mainly privately-owned economic activities that blossom into instruments for reducing poverty. Not the Government. At least that is what happens in Asian countries. But here, you read comments from bloggers, opposition parties and other Zambians. There is only one poor guy that they blame: Government or the country. Mr. Zulu said the other day, “Government must reduce the price of mealie meal. We are unable to buy mealie meal these days because it is too expensive. I can hardly feed my children.” We complain of taxation, money is not in circulation, we are hungry, and Zambia is the poorest country.
At individual level, our main success lies in ownership of personal cars imported from Japan and other places. Here, we don’t talk about the country or Government. Some of us have two, three or even five cars in one family. Of course they are earned by our hard work although part of this statement not always true. We are equally successful in owning houses, which is extremely good. But we have failed to replicate these skills to ownership of business or hard and honest work in offices in order to show what we can do for our country. It is true that Government and those governing must lay sufficient ground for us to do business or work effectively and feed our family. But successful countries are a result of individual work habits and how we contribute to the country’s development.
[pullquote]Life cannot simply be about criticizing Government or the country. It must be about what we all can do for the country.[/pullquote]
Zambia is perhaps the only country in Africa where board members of companies and organizations are paid. If members of Parliament are paid in South Africa, it is because the country can afford, not Zambia. It implies, if not paid, Zambians will not attend these meetings. We didn’t have this kind of parasitic behavior when the country had money. It is a paradox that we chose to acquire this dependence behavior when the country is not doing very well. As said earlier in other articles, GDP and trade may be rising but that is not translation into food. It beats common sense that as the cow gets smaller and smaller, and the milk that it produces is getting little and little, we are able to pay board members and parliamentarians.
Lessons from President John F. Kennedy
That is why, John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961, as President of the USA is still remembered today. It is remembered, and many Americans and others outside, including children are inspired by the words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” Experts say these words, “challenged every American to contribute in some way to the public good. In this lesson, students learn about a theme in President Kennedy’s inaugural address, civic action, and consider how it applies to their own lives.”
Life cannot simply be about criticizing Government or the country. It must be about what we all can do for the country. So far, the marks relating to what we can do for the country are not very high. What are high are marks about what the country can do for us. By regional standards, especially compared to Asia, we are not hard workers. We don’t create. We don’t innovate. We simply do basic things for the country. We need to work hard as individuals for the country. We need to be calm and polite. We need to be humble.
Ignorance is our handicap. We have to change the mindset, particularly that of young people. Our school system is a disaster.
Sadly, the typical Zambian response to challenges is: “Boma iyanganepo”. Even small things like cleaning our surroundings… we want the government to do that for us… let alone starting businesses. Every year our colleges, universities, trade schools, etc produce graduates, who end up languishing without jobs on our streets… all joining the chorus of “boma iyanganepo”.
Until we change our mentality and stop the “boma iyanganepo” nonsense, we are not going anywhere as a people.
Nice thought provoking piece.
As Zambians their is a trend doing rounds that by owning real estate or property you can not go wrong but that is always not the case.Even people that are stealing millions are building housing complexes even offshore because they think they are set to live happly ever after and that they will never run broke.
We dont hear zambians establishing value adding companies on our abandant resources like copper,lime stone,emerald, fresh water,sunshine ,mukula timber,iron ore,cheap human capital.
A rethink of what we discussed in bars and what is lent in school and resourcefulness has to be adopted.
How did we manage to create carderism we were determined, so we can do it lets create entrepreneurs.
Yes building a good 3 bedroom house will cost one about 1.5 million. If this is put on rent the maximum one can get, if you are in Chalala, will be K4000. How many years will it take one to recoup their many? In one year the total rentals will be K48 000.
Indians are the worst raceists against black people….they have they own banking circles and supply chain cycles that deliberately exclude blacks…..go to any Indian shop or factory and see how they import their own people to work while bribing top immigration.
Idi amin done Ugandans a faviour by expelling Indians….who had strangled the economy and today as a result of those expulsions Ugandans are masters of their own destiny…..
Yaba…ba spaka naimwe get real…we are talking about what one can contribute to their country and you bring issues of racism?? Author is encouraging us to get organised and compete with these foreigners. Forget politics for now and put ideas on the table, man!! Fuma ku ba sungu uko and come and set up a factory in your motherland!!!
Spaka you are right people ignore this butvits very true!
The author’s assessments are based on emotions rather than facts. First of all, Zambian’s have only been able to determine their own destiny in the last couple of years or so. It was almost impossible to own your own home during the 27 years of UNIP and the few who owned property did so with funds from outside the country. To understand Zambia’s problems, we really need to look at how the country was governed during the colonial era. Don’t forget that Zambia was a colony for over 400 years. We are only 50 years into finding our own feet and to compare our work ethics with countries or people who realized their freedoms way before our time is insane. We need to understand that living under colonialism was worse than any authoritarian rule. Colonialism destroyed our identity and that’s…
…what we need to fix to stand any chance of success or progression.
Not quite so……poland, Croatia , Serbia all just gained their freedom from communist veil less than 30 years ago and are doing better than Zambia ???
The government has a very important role to play in all this. It’s the government’s job to ensure we have peace and stability in the country. Human resources are a critical catalyst for any developing nation but in Zambia, successive governments have seen human development as a threat. Our Schools and Universities have been reduced to recruitment centers for political caders or battlegrounds for political parties with opposing views. We are busy spending billions on infrastructure quick fixes without investing in the most valuable resource, people. The University of Zambia was only functional during the Kaunda era and that’s because Kaunda realised that for the country to survive we needed our own human resources.
We have developed a wrong concept of what wealth is! Everyone rushed to the Copperbelt or Lusaka to be employed. We have left land and wealth in the rural areas. We can churn those raw materials into “gold.”
The only education we need is to travel. Our education is well misplaced to get closer to someone’s safe or someone with a fat pocket and that’s why cadres worship politicians. We need to produce enough for ourselves to be respected. Check the news, it’s all upholding donations than the produce coming out of our efforts, people are making. Banks will easily lend to foreigners than our own people. We just need to travel, stop that education travel and see how countries have the patriotism and pride to believe they can turn their country round.
Very true. We have hordes of people in diaspora who are exposed to developed countries with their technological sophistication yet none have come back to set up industries, they are comfortable picking up after the white man. We equally have graduates here complaining of lack of jobs while resources go to waste or exploited by foreigners. It’s really sad, the brave few with little education are the ones in the forefront of small businesses.
You cannot come back and set up industries when your own government set you up to fail. What happened to Prof Chirwa? Instead of working with the man, he was set up to fail. First, let’s sort out the government bureaucracies and red tape. How easy is it for a Zambian to apply for planning permission to carry out a large project? Even the so-called richest indigenous Zambians depend on government contracts to keep afloat, hence they will do anything to get to state house. Look how long it’s taking Enock Kavindele to get a permit for his rail project? Unless you know some top officials otherwise your project is doomed to failure at the first hurdle due to jealousy.
Did trade kings wait for all that rubbish rhetoric you are boxing your mind in??? You diasporans are uninspiring. You look for all the excuses to justify your stay in these western countries. These Indians have a quarter of your qualifications yet they are running these industries while you exposed and overly qualified Zambians living as fringe citizens in the white man’s land spend all your time giving excuses.
Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country is a quote from US president John F Kennedy who used it in the 60s
Did you read the article?
Actually John F Kennedy stole the quote from his headmaster. He enraged his former classmates by plagiarising the line ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country’, which they had heard ‘time and time again’ in a similar form at school.
No it’s long and boring