By Antonio Mwanza
It is important to differentiate between the government and the ruling party or indeed political parties.
A Government is an institution for ALL the citizens irrespective of their political affiliation.
Government by definition is a people’s institution that sets and administers public policy and exercises executive, political and sovereign power through customs, institutions, and laws within a state.
Government and political parties are two distinctive entities. A Government is answerable to ALL the citizens while a political party is only answerable to its members.
To put it simply, what we have is a Government of the Republic of Zambia and not a Government of individual political parties hence the Government cannot stop its Constitutional and National duties of providing service, security, and relief to its own people just because there is ka by-election in a particular district.
The government cannot stop developmental projects or halt the distribution of relief food to the starving citizens nor can the Government stop providing ambulances and medicines to the sick just because there is ka by-election.
Government programs are national programs intended for all the people; Government programs are not partisan programs; they cannot be reduced nor tied to politics.
The people of Chilubi cannot eat politics. The people of Chilubi want and deserve food, water, shelter, roads, bridges, schools, and social amenities and it is the duty and responsibility of Government to provide these things to them and that is exactly why Government has continued with its programs of providing relief and general services to the people of Chilubi.
The distribution of mealie meal in Chilubi District, for instance, started long before the area Member of Parliament had even passed on and it shall continue long after the by-election has gone.
Chilubi is among the 58 districts, countrywide that are receiving relief food from the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, under the office of the Vice President. This exercise started months ago and it shall continue for as long as the threat of hunger to the affected districts remain.
The provision of relief food and other services to Chilubi cannot be halted just because some well-fed politicians from Kabulonga or New Kasama are competing for votes in the District.
Government cannot neglect the great people of Chilubi, who are facing the threat of starvation as a result of the severe drought they experienced last farming season just because some well-fed and well-off politicians, driving posh VXs or GXs from Lusaka or the Copperbelt are playing Political Sojo in the area. No.
Government has the solemn duty, a legal and moral obligation to take care of its people whether there is an election or not. After all the people of Chilubi cannot starve and die just to satisfy the political ambitions of some fat people from Lusaka and Copperbelt. Ayo Ni MANYENGWE.
Let the politicians continue to campaign as they have always been doing and let Government continue with its work of providing relief and other services for the good people of Chilubi
The author is Cde Antonio M. Mwanza, PF Deputy Media Director
The fact that it’s a party functional defending the deliberately timed interventions nullifies the argument that he is putting up.
Does truth matter to some of our countrymen?
Then why call it PF government??? The problem is politicians think people do not think.
The “PARTE AND ITS GOVT” from the UNIP era runs deep in the psyc of Zambians. It is hard for an average Zambian to distinguish a political Party in Govt and Govt itself. Unfortunately, even the “well-[fed]….fat [Politicians] from Lusaka/copperbelt” are just as brainwashed on this one as a common kaponya on the street.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t! Either way, “well-off….fat people” from Lusaka/CB will use it against you. Right aMwanza? Welcome to Zambian politics of the ‘parteee and its Govt.”
I hope this guy is on the Seer’s hit list. He has lost all the credibility that once endeared me to him yesterday.
If upnd had such characters amongst its ranks formulating strategy, they would probably in power. Antonio may not be my favourite characters, but he is an asset to any political party, where FDD lost, PF gained and upnd missed another opportunity because such young men cannot survive amongst the hardliners in upnd.
He is a total joke
This young man speaks logic and sense. He is even wiser than hh. Kz
Corruption has a worse off effect than mbanje, look at the 180 degrees turn by Antonio.
Indeed why should a low level political functionary defend the government if the two are not interelated. Last year there was a by-election in katuba constituency and as usual the same campaign manager in chilubi conducted a fake ground breaking ceremony of a mini hospital in mungule. He even moved an ambulance from UTH to Mungule. Immediately it was evident that PF had lost the elections the ambulance was shamelessly taken back to UTH. Today the site for the mini hospital where the ground breaking ceremony took place in over grown with grass. PF under the same chitalu Chilufya has continued with the same strategy. Antonio mwanza tone down with your overzealousness. What are You doing in chilubi where you have camped. You even call it ” ka by-election” when it’s a matter of life and…
Death to retain the seat.
Did this man graduate at UNZA? His analysis is too shallow!
Please tell these danderhead upndeads and cohorts.
They are running out’a steam.
They have never participated in a quiet election; it’s innuendos and suspicion and lies and cries.
Damn it!
BA KZ HH IS MORE WISER AND INTELLIGENT THAN YOUR TOP ONE BOSS. 2021 VOTE ON MERIT. HH ALL THE WAY HOPE IS ON THE WAY.
Hmm…aba nabo
This kambwanga also, it is only him who doesn’t know that under PF there is no difference between party and government. Something has gone terribly wrong with the intellect of this boy since he joined PF. He now thinks like the rest.
As for chilubi, everybody except him knows that most if not all the so called government pmprogrammes have only been launched since the by election was declared, in fact since nomination of candidates. Antonio please dont be such a goon to expect us to listen to you.
Please return the ring
If that is the case why do such government programmes only take place in areas where there is a scheduled by election and such programmes only start prior to the announcement of a by election and immediately end when the by election is over. I don’t know if these people think they are always talking to grade ones.