Zambia’s Socialist Party President Fred M’membe has said that it is difficult to discern the purpose of that highly publicised press conference held by President Hakainde Hichilema yesterday at the Statehouse.
In a post on his Facebook page, Dr M’membe said that it is said that if one has nothing serious or important to say it’s better to shut up, adding that as Pythagoras once observed, we should strive to have something important to say before we open our mouths, and quoting Us president Abraham Lincoln said: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
Dr M’membe was quick to that he was not suggesting we remain silent all the time, emphasised that it’s all too easy to speak thoughtlessly.
“I’m not suggesting we remain silent all the time. But it’s all too easy to speak thoughtlessly. That can make you look less intelligent than you are, and you will minimise the chances of it happening if you think carefully before you open your mouth.
The virtues of silence have long been recognised.
“The popular saying “speech is silver but silence is golden” may date back to ancient Egypt. It probably means that in some circumstances the less you say the better it is. Ecclesiastes teaches that there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak.” However, Ecclesiastes doesn’t give guidance as to which situations merit which response. Each situation becomes a judgment call, ” Dr M’membe wrote.
Dr M’membe further said that all what that press conference revealed is that there’s too much rivalry and anger in our politics – the disease of rivalry and vainglory.
“When that dominates our thoughts, we forget our fundamental duty as political leaders – to “do nothing from selfishness or conceit but in humility count others better than ourselves.” As political leaders, we must look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others, ” he concluded
Membe…….. just shut up if you got nothing to say…………
It was so that your grandmother can resurrect
The purpose of that press conference was to talk about Nakachinda and a cow. And also to make the DPP look bad for not dancing to ichilema’s tune.
@Spaka: No need to shut this lunatic up, GRZ is now forming law that will pursue NEwspaper for falsehoods ,so GRZ is from next week tracking all of them and they can be prosecuted. So for you and i now we just fold our arms & watch the system automate itself on them. Hahahahahahahahah! Sounds cruel but HH feels he is been pushed too far and he has. He is abt to unleash his wrath and trust me-no one will remain standing.
To try to sway attention from the Milingo Lungu ticking bomb.
The purpose was for him to massage his balls in front of the nation and rant about how he is perfect and is a victim. Same old stories.
You are an opposing idealist what more could we expect from you meembe? nothing
It hurts me to that I kept reading thinking M’membe is saying something when in fact he is shooting himself. Why not just shut up if you didn’t get anything from the press conference. Those of us that listened to hear the response on the various concerns got something from it. If you are pretending to be dull don’t think we are with you on this one.
Let’s hope HH7 read Fred’s post and took on board his advice…HH7 missed a great opportunity to carry out changes in his cabinet instead talking about former MMD/ PF minister Nakacinda.
Jonathan Mutaware…I support HH and UPND, but what you’re jubilating about is the stifling of free speech. There’s nothing that Mmembe said that would warrant being criminalized. HH is not a king that he should be above criticism. You’re the same people that were complaining when Lungu behaved like a king, and did exactly what you’re now supporting. Let the people speak, as long as they’re not spreading dangerous fake news or libel. No one is above criticism in a democratic State, not even the President. Criticism comes with the presidency. We don’t want another dictatorship.
It appears Membe wants to perpetuate falsehoods. Uyo muyako came out and said what he had to say. Manje gulisani ma newsipepala banu timuoneni! This is not business as usual ma fella imwe. Wina ndipo azalililatu. We shall dispell and dispell wherever and whenever necessary. Let the Prez hold his pressers; some will find value others like you will want to go to tarmac briefings instead.
It wasn’t a state-of-the-nation address. SOTN addresses are done once in 12 months. It is not being stupid to have nothing to say sometimes.
One president was called ” Cabbage” another was called ” Nyama soya” and the other one was called ” Chakolwa” and we also had ” Chimbwi no plan”
I cannot remember what the other two were called?
# SPAKA ……… If you did not see sense in the article by Fred Mmembe then you must be very dull. Its clear from the rear view to say hate is really burning inside you. Chill and take a pause. Mmembe is entitled to comment just like you are glued every day to lusakatimes without taking time off but constantly posting comments. Find something worth while to keep yourself busy everyday. Who are you to tell people to shut up? ……..
THIS CHAPM AND THE PF DIE HARDS
NEED TO S*HUT UP AND TELL THE COUNTRY WHAT THEY PLAN IS
INSTEAD OF POINTLESS RHETORIC
Tikki we are waiting for hh to tell us how he will honour the promises he made. You skidmark
Look who has NEVER kept silent! He even clandestinely and surreptitiously runs a newspaper!
The usual crap swearing disrespect on this forum and comments are so unnecessary. The Great M’meembe is indeed telling you keep quiet if you haven’t got something valuable to say. If you don’t understand don’t comment and call upon people’s grandmother’s is very much a taboo to disrespect elders or the dead. You get it what was the press conference for???
What is happening to Fred M’membe? He writes these weird articles that don’t make sense….….no head or tail!
I see nothing wrong in this article. It’s funny that nowadays people only read your name and assume your comment is insulting to whoever they support. Be logical, healthy criticism is key to change. Time and again I have said, “a system that cannot regulate itself is dead”. This goes to all you staunch supporters of political parties or whatever it is that you support. Embrace self-regulation, question what it is that your leaders truly want. Somebody mentions UPND, and you want to eat them alive, somebody mentions PF and you’re incensed. If you really analyze comments here, by virtue of the article writer’s name, he/she will be castigated/insulted outside measuring the content of their message and its relevance to today or tomorrow, especially tomorrow. Make this platform a source…
Conitnued of knowledge for building one another rather than a garden hose to spray your venom.
Fred M’membe made it very clear during the run-up to the 2021 general elections. In the event of a re-run, he said he was going to go for an encore from the PF just to stop HH getting elected. That’s how irrational he can be.
Bakelenka imwe, you put us in this whole corruption, tribalism, nepotism mess, shame on you, Ballie Chief Marketing Officer is delivering. By election time you will have nothing to talk about apart from lowly deveped platitudes.
Only Time will tell ! Tax evaders want to lecture us on Public service.
Mmembe should never bother opining on HH because no rational person will take Mmembe seriously. Everyone knows that Mmembe harbors deep hatred for HH and there’s no chance in hell that Mmembe’s opinion on HH can ever be objective. Mmembe ruined his chance to be taken seriously vis-a vis HH.
When Meembe hates, he really hates. Remember how he run hatred articles on Chiluba. Remember how he run hatred articles on Lungu. Remeber how he run hatred artcles on RB
M’Membe foesek wena!