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Postponing love: memories of lost time

02 Jun

I miss my wife and girls. I wish I had a far deeper and closer relationship with dad. I wish he was but a few minutes away with mum, both within my reach. These are thoughts and feelings that ransack my mind, reminding me of some relationships I should have handled better. Also poignantly pointing me to the fact that I am away from home and family thus setting me off on a path of loneliness.

My father is still alive but his condition after a couple of strokes means his memory is not at its best. Sometimes, it can be so bad that he won’t recognize me and may even need to be assisted so that he is fully dressed. To cap it all, he is over 500km away with his elder sister. This is an arrangement that has long bothered me but I have not fought it to avert an unnecessary family rift. One side has had to give in and perhaps I have opted for that side, at least for dad’s sake.

But it hurts not to have the relationship I now know I treasure. With a man I have come to respect unreservedly.

This is a man I have grown up calling “daddy”. The man that has provided for me through life, educated me, taught me to drive a car and made sure all of us were catered for to whatever extent he could manage.

These are things I may never have appreciated or understood then but treasure immensely now. They have made me respect the man that quietly struggled to give us the best we could get without as much as showing how much he had on his shoulders.

Today I can not pick the phone and call him. He is not the same man that would send a card on my birthday or before exams to wish me well while I was at University.

When I had that chance, he was just my father and was always there. I knew I would see him walk in at the end of the day, hear that slight cough that announced his presence as he sit quietly, relaxed after a long day of hustling to provide for his household.

I had the chance to build a relationship between father and son from the typical “formal” one to a friend based “daddy-sonny” type. That is a chance I may have lost in this lifetime if nothing changes. A chance lost because I took the presence of someone I love for granted. The man that taught me a lot through his silence, social nature, calm, perseverance and warm heart in spite of his faults. A chance lost because I thought I would always have this man around. With an unclear speech, fading memory and age, what I wish I had back then, it seems I will never have.

Is God mean and unfair?

A part of me wants to think so. Then another part takes me back to the time I still have with dad alive, the time I have had with him in the past and all the good times we have had. All the lessons that have been passed one way or another through observation, word of mouth or whatever form. Then I know life has two sides. I have experienced one and now the other has kicked in.

The truth as well is also that while I had the “good side” of things, I took it for granted while the clock ticked.

Are your parents alive? Do you have a spouse you love? Do you have children? Is your relationship rocky but you are too proud to take the first step to mend it?

There is nothing too big an issue or situation that should stand in the way of enjoying the relationships one is blessed with and fortunate to have. The sun rises and sets. The moon too and all things in life have their cycles. There is a time for everything under the sun. We should remember that all the time and this will be an active reminder for us to value the relationships we have rather than act on the presumption that we will “teach someone a lesson” and by tomorrow, we will make “peace”.

I believe that once we start to look at things in this way, we will change how we handle our relationships and/or differences (perceived or real). We will value our spouse more than that irritating habit we despise and therefore help them beat it through encouragement than criticism. We will show love to our parents when we appreciate what they have done and have gone through to get us where we are. We will value so much that even an additional minute of inquisitive enquiries from those “under 5” kids or the chaos they leave in their trail around the house, will prompt a smile and not a frown of irritation.

We will fall on our knees and instead of cursing or giving in to despair, commit that “unbearable” and rebellious teenager to God. We will pray that they meet God in their confusion and find the right path. If you are in their life to lead them on that path, we will pray that God grants us patience, tolerance and love.

The challenge of calling ourselves Christian is that our standards are so clear and we must know them. Usually we do and perhaps just ignore them or we have an “ignorance bug” that needs to be flushed out.

Our standards are clear in the Scriptures. In Genesis 37:23-28, Joseph was stripped, thrown in a dry cistern and sold off by his brothers because of jealousy. This meant he lost contact with his family, his loved ones and a place called home. Later in Chapter 45, we see that he embraces his brothers as though nothing happened. He got a second chance to enjoy the relationships he valued and they did too for the relationship they took for granted.

In Luke 16:19-31, we also see a case where we despise others on account of class. This is prejudice we also show in many forms. Love we withhold because others are not like us as the rich man is said to have done with Lazarus. A reminder shows here that life indeed has two sides and when the tables turn, the rich man even cries out for Lazarus to help, a person he never held in any high esteem when all was well for him.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we are also shown what love stands for. This is the clearest explanation of what is expected of us in the way we handle our relations. Coupled with this is how Jesus implored us to love as a sign that we are His followers in Matthew 5:22-26, 38-42, 43-48. This call to love and value the relationships we have is a direct challenge for us to view all those around us different from our ordinary manner and desire.

It is time to assess all our relationships, value them and love those in our lives like we have no tomorrow with them.

Don’t create regret simply because you delayed that love. Take a moment to appreciate those you have and when you see them, say I love you and mean it.

Love is always all around us, it remains for you and I to nurture it to fruition and enjoy its fruit.

Go on, love like there is no tomorrow. Start today and delay no more.

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2012 in Family matters

 

Let there be value adding politics!

02 Jun

MMD gets a new leader

The former ruling party, Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD), ushered in its new leadership on May 25th 2012. The preacher cum politician Dr. Nevers Mumba is the new head.

Being a major political party, this development was always bound to invite reactions and comments. Key among these of course would be those from fellow politicians.

Dr. Mumba’s speech spelt out his intentions which chiefly are rebranding the MMD in light of its corruption tag and also to keep the ruling PF in sight so as to entrench checks and balances to avert excesses by government.

Reactions and opinions

What has followed since Dr. Mumba’s ascendancy to the MMD throne demands analysis. One notable reaction is the sharp statement from PF’s Secretary General, Wynter Kabimba. He has taken time to remind Zambians that Nevers is not a factor in politics and cannot be popular enough to challenge or dislodge the ruling party.

I have no issue with these opinions. My contention and concern remains one thing, of what value are such opinions? We can go down memory lane to cite questionable actions or words attributed to our political personalities and not lack in options to pick from. Therein is the biggest challenge our leadership and nation faces. Are we really focusing on the cardinal things that can shape our great country’s future?

Lost confidence and uninspiring leaders

Zambia’s politics have for a long time seen a brand that dwells on personality bashing, public trashing and sometimes shocking jibes at each other. This approach has only led to a deteriorating confidence in the so called leaders and the politics of the day.

Both the ruling party and opposition parties have not inspired in this area. It is rare to get a refreshing presentation from our politicians, breaking down issues of national interest with alternatives or action plans to steer the nation forward.

One only needs to listen to our leaders over the next few weeks, months and soon years to decipher a consistent pattern in their utterances. It is evident that each time they have something public to say, they will be having a go at each other.

I yearn for constructive politics and engagement in this country. When we can see our leaders on one platform, debating and discussing progressive issues. When our civil society can be objective enough not to be partisan in their approach. When the student populace will not be a compromised lot swayed by popular winds, media editorial policies or a few kwacha notes. When professionals, able leaders and ordinary folk alike will be eager to serve the country and not coil away because “politics is a dirty game”.

Dawn of new era or more of the same?

The September 20th elections were characterised by the voice and choice of the people. A cry for change and progress. The dawn of a new era and way of doing things.

Alas, months later, if we do not see things for what they are and demand more from our government and the opposition parties, we are bound to get more of the same.

My expectation has been and remains that we will have a blueprint on where the country is headed. Can we identify key priority areas and align them to public pronouncements and actions from our leaders? Are the policy decisions so far reflecting a coordinated strategy and development agenda? Do we see a viable opposition that offers hope for an alternative government?

Or can we safely say, the last few months have been lost in squabbles, conflicting policy statements and uncertain economic direction? Add on a disjointed, disgruntled and lost opposition followed in tow by a visionless and spineless civil society that has drowned in partisan positions taken before the elections?

For as long as we have a crop of leaders that does not think beyond their interests, egos and pockets, Zambia will be doomed. We need to challenge ourselves as a citizenry, hold our leaders accountable and demand even more than we do if this country is to be turned around.

Time to change is now

I would like to see monthly or even quarterly public sessions with all our leaders articulating not only their vision for the country but also the practical steps being taken daily to make that vision a reality. This is both the opposition and ruling parties for they are the key stakeholders. For instance, we should have by now seen debates and discussions around topical or technical issues in the Draft constitution. We should be having a state of the nation address to update us on where we are going, where we are and what is being done to bridge this gap.

We should at this stage have been seeing, assessing and questioning a shadow government in the opposition that challenges the government into executing policy for national good.

But what do we have instead? The squabbles have continued, name calling and political leaders or groups that are all legal experts. It seems the only thing worth pursuing and adding a voice on now is the tired theme of corruption. Anyone that uses the term and points a finger at the right target gets to be heard everywhere.

Corruption is an evil that must be fought vehemently. But it is not the only thing a nation can pursue. It is not the only matter we can be discussing each day. Let the accused be pursued by the appropriate authorities and caged without all this noise we are becoming accustomed to. It is for this reason that we find ourselves in a dilemma where investigative authorities move in the direction of popular opinion or leaders are perceived to have a verdict in mind as the investigative wings do their work. While at it, the opposition and civil society are also playing along for an appearance in the media with routine and uninspiring statements.

After all the noise, where is the plan?

While all this happens, no comprehensive plan has been laid out by either side on what this country needs and actions taken.

The hospitals remain without drugs. Prisons remain overcrowded. The local currency continues on a yo-yo path. The tax regime still overtaxes the underpaid while the mines mint both on the mineral resource and taxation sides. It all appears to be an uncoordinated journey we are on.

I still hold that one of our biggest failures is the lack of exhaustive planning and disciplined execution.
We are a talking nation and when we have done or set something in motion, we ignore the follow through. We need to track all we do, commit to or plan to do. I will hold this position until I am convinced otherwise.

I will cite two examples for stating this. Firstly, there has been a lot reported and said on the imminent sale of Zambia’s $700m eurobond. This is a progressive initiative that has been in the pipeline for some time now. But the only reference to accompanying plans that I have heard are mere statements along the lines of “infrastructure development”. Not as a detailed plan but stated as a possible use for the money to be realised from the sale.

This is not sufficient and to me poses a corruption threat as there seems to be no concrete plan underpinning the sale. There has to be a blueprint for the money. The sectors, projects and priorities must be explicit to all stakeholders such that when this money comes in, the high impact initiatives will commence. In the absence of this, this may yet be another opportunity to divert resources and in turn leave the country paying debts that have not benefited us.

Secondly, there has been a loud issue on judicial reforms. These are long overdue and necessary. The nation has been gripped with a heated debate and demands for arrests and resignations. Nothing wrong with that if the situation warrants that route.

The concern for me as shared in my recent blog “Of corrupt judges, noise and the bigger picture (http://t.co/lhdBUY4N) is that we are focusing on a narrower aspect of the whole matter.

We need to go beyond three judges, beyond one wing of government and also clean up the framework around all these lapses we know exist at almost all levels of governance. That is why it saddens me when there will be a competition on who shouts the loudest about what happens to be the popular theme at a particular moment.

Reason, objectivity and posterity must prevail over emotions and veiled interests, whatever they may be.

Can we see the light now?

These are but a few pointers of areas that need to improve for our politics to mature and radiate substance. To steer us away from the disgusting politics of patronage to impress the “boss”.

This is a possibility and reality that is not far fetched if the collective mindset is altered.

Politicians, civil society and we the ordinary folk are accountable for this. We must drive the change that will develop this country beyond rhetoric, empty populist slogans and a loosely planned approach to governance.

Only then can we experience and witness politics that add value than diminish it.

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2012 in Opinion

 

The Obama test and our choices

01 Jun

I had a thought provoking chat with my niece a couple of days ago. The discussion touched on Barack Obama’s recent endorsement of gay marriages. It did not end at that though. We took it further to assess ourselves as individuals, religious people and even more so called christians.

Switching roles: If I were Obama.

Pertinent questions were asked as the two of us dissected the issue. Would we have taken a different approach and given another position? Are we better than Obama and stand in the right place to castigate him for his public statement? If either of us were American, would we still vote for him?

The spontaneous discussion and ensuing questions jotted my mind into action. Simply because the Obama position had inevitably polarised opinion on the issue. On one hand, yet again there is no running away from a topical cultural, moral and social dilemma. On the other, it challenges everyone not to be in a rush to simply cane homosexuality but rather to turn the microscope on our lives too.

The world’s #1 citizen

Let me start with Obama. Unlike me or any other ordinary citizen, the US president yields immeasurable influence. Following his public endorsement, we have noted reports that the black community in the US may tone down on their view of homosexuality/gay marriages and perhaps be more receptive. Whether this will happen and is an accurate representation cannot be determined here. What can be concluded and not contested is that Obama is an influential opinion leader. What he says transcends borders, cultures, races and beliefs.

I therefore feel that when it comes to delicate issues of such a nature, tact is of essence. Homosexuality (now also christened as alternative lifestyles) is unnatural across cultures. That is why it has struggled to gain legal or society’s acceptance. Obama should have taken this into consideration before his endorsement.

Different cultures, different rules?

There is also the little matter of cultural uniqueness. America has been known to be one of the most permissive of nations on the earth. It has been a leader albeit negatively on some scores. For this reason, the LGTB movement has garnered strength over the years. So perhaps, the way an African leader and an American one would view homosexuality stands in sharp contrast. Of course with the exception of Joyce Banda (going by recent media reports) and South Africa. That would be one way to understand where Obama is coming from.

Power, pride and money

Then there is the pursuit of power and all its trappings. America is in an election year. There is a lot at stake and Obama stands in the centre of all this activity. He is the answer to some people’s hopes and a stumbling block to others. Either way, each side has an agenda and where dynamics take this route, inevitably money has a part to play. To remain in power and keep the influence, financing has a critical role.

Sadly, all financiers have investor minds one way or the other. Their returns are the ultimate prize. Either they want more money, influence, poverty alleviation or whatever the cause. Money chases money, power and influence. That is the precarious position Obama finds himself in. The White House, security detail, global leadership status and influence are perhaps more important than his personal beliefs and principles. Could that have been the motivation behind the public pronouncement? To earn re-election? Raise campaign funds?

Shifting principles and beliefs?

Beyond the power, pride and influence of money, the question of principles arises. What do we believe in and how strong are those beliefs? Further, one may ask are the beliefs adapted to suit a changing environment or should it be the other way round?

Obama is a professed christian, I would like to believe. If that be the case, it becomes necessary to determine the authority of a christian. The underlying and never changing authority will and must be Jesus Christ and the Bible. The position of authority as outlined in the Bible then must govern one’s choices in all situations. Was the endorsement in line with the Bible’s position?

Society continues to evolve and with this transformation, we have seen a rise in immorality, materialism, corruption and secularism in its many forms. There will always be two sides for as long as the world and we its inhabitants remain imperfect. But the unchanging fact will remain that truth does not change. Truth and its accompanying principles must remain as they are and a fast changing world must adapt to that truth.

From where I sit, Obama’s principles adapted to a changing world and its demands. The price paid for one more term in the White House, on the global stage and to keep the influence. It may just be that in such prominent roles, one does not own themselves and one is no longer in full control of who they are or what they do.

The pertinent question always remains that does wrong change to become right? Was what passed for wrong evolve into right? Has homosexuality taken a turn for good from being abominable?

Seeing beyond Obama

It does not end there though and this is not just about Obama. It is about you and I. Do we adapt our principles every day to suit our changing environment? To be accepted or popular? To avert punishment or harsh consequences? Is it the challenge of being so christian or principled when in church on Sundays or when attending “christian” meetings surrounded by “holy” company but a different picture when we are back in our world?

That is what matters the most beyond what Obama said. We may call ourselves christians, religious or good people or whatever we deem. But like Obama, how many times do we succumb to a popular view for a shot at fame, influence or acceptance? Would we have been any different had we been in his place?

It is easy to castigate him. It is even easier to overlook our own shortcomings. But then we must take time to assess ourselves, root out compromise and strive to be loyal to our beliefs and principles. It is widely held that it is easy to “preach” about something wrong when you are on the other side. But once in that very situation, you change your perception.

That is very true. But then again, is that the way it should be? We must hold onto all-weather principles and history offers such examples that inspire hope. The Abraham Lincoln legacy is one that lives because he stood up against slavery, a popular thing in his time. We have our own forefathers in Africa that lost their lives challenging colonialism because they believed in freedom. Those were not the popular options of their time but principle triumphed over popular sentiment.

Take a look at yourself

What about us? What happens to our principles or beliefs when we gossip? When we feed our excessive insatiable appetites and habits? When we opt for a deal to win business opportunities than drop one more ball of sweat? When we embrace corruption for our gain at the expense of the people? When we fall in the arms of another man or woman in preference to our own? When we are dishonest at work or home to save our skins? Or even when we turn up at church to show face and play the role than genuinely be christian?

Obama is human and this latest episode proves just that. I do hope he has had time to rethink what he said and the lives he may have influenced. But even more importantly, his position left me to challenge myself and where I stand on so many things in my day to day life.

The challenge is to live out my principles and beliefs everyday even when my immediate environment makes it easier to abandon them. That is the cardinal side to President Obama’s chosen stance.

Is any of us able to stand on a pedestal and condemn him? I think not. And the truth of the matter is that this is not condemnation to make ourselves look good. Instead it should be a conscience call that does not beautify wrong by using a different name for it or letting society dictate what the ruling principle(s) must be.

All of us stand shyly condemned when we stand in the mirror and honestly question ourselves. When we stare our real self in the eye and see the many times we compromise or set aside our principles and beliefs for the sake of expediency, influence, pride or whatever reason.

Can any of us say we pass the Obama test when faced with such decisions, whether complex or simple, in our daily lives?

Each one of us knows best.

 
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Posted by on June 1, 2012 in Reflections

 

Church membership: losing the plot

19 May

I attended a funeral service yesterday. These are always sad times that offer reflection on the life left before that inevitable appointment.

This particular funeral bewildered me and was a point of reflection beyond the usual sombre disposition associated with death. The deceased had his “church” service conducted at the cemetery. What is the big deal, you may be asking. Well this was not a criminal or church exile that had no home church being buried. He had been a regular congregant at his local church.

Along the way though, he met the woman that became his wife and they wed in a church different from his own. It may seem this disqualified him from a final procession through the church he had been loyal to up to his demise.

He was Catholic and the wife a member of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ). I am sure all other churches aside from the two mentioned have their own set of rules governing membership and eligibility.

I agonised as I thought about this scenario. Do I need to reflect on my church “loyalty” and membership or end up stranded even though I will have no idea? Or is there something fundamentally wrong with this episode I witnessed?

There is something amiss. Granted every church needs to register its members and for various purposes keep their database. Whether it is for support in critical times, discipleship, activities or financial reasons, this is a necessary undertaking.

Over time I feel and now believe the motivation may have changed. If a member who has made it a point to be a regular at church ends up not being accepted in church for his funeral service, something is not right. There will be several questions posed. Was he aware that his membership status was compromised? Was the church accepting his tithes or time when he volunteered for activities? What spiritual support did he get being a member of the church? I’d find it immoral and unthinkable if he offered himself, his time, resources and the church took this without reluctance. All this only to be dumped in death and accorded a farewell by a Priest at his graveside.

It brings me to the thought on the essence of a church. In the context of this discussion, church refers to denomination and/or community of christians. Not necessarily the global family of Christ’s followers which is a collective entity.

People come together in Christ and make one family. Their unity of purpose and intersection is Christ, a result of their salvation and acceptance into the family of God.

Over the centuries, several denominations have arisen, all differing on various aspects of theology, beliefs and interpretations of the Bible. The climax is the number of churches we see today. From the traditionally old Catholic Church that has existed for as long as some of us can remember, we have several protestant churches, cults and whatever forms denominations have taken.

The Bible clearly highlights that we are all different parts of one body. Therefore, we all play a critical part in this body, commune for our edification and also support others that need us.

That is the ideal. But when membership takes the twist cited in this blog, we have a challenge. A person joins a community to enjoy and be a part of a support system for their growth. Their growth likewise offers opportunity for the entire body to also benefit more people, even those outside the immediate environment.

Therefore, the cardinal thing is one’s spiritual welfare. The core responsibility of a christian is winning souls and turning them to Christ. This primary role matters far much more than church politics or technicalities. As such, when one in our midst passes on having been a member of our church, there should be no technicalities. All that will matter then is a joyful send off of a brother or sister that has come to the end of his/her journey having served their purpose.

Death is the last act and in death status is rendered irrelevant. The only opportunity one has to turn to God is when they are alive. In death, nothing we do can alter the deceased’s spiritual condition. It then becomes so saddening and trivial to make an issue of membership at such a time.

In a case like this one, it is even sadder as it involves a person regular at church. It suggests he was known, a part of the bigger family. How then can an issue of where he wedded matter? In addition, how does the UCZ also state that they cannot hold a service in their church because their member is the wife?

The church as it is today loses opportunities to win people over to Christ. Simply because of inattention to the ultimate mission of christianity and the church.

Several people walk into church every week with a host of issues, in need of comfort, direction, guidance and salvation. I know this well because at several points in my life, I have needed and still yearn for that timely support system to get me through. We all have a void to be filled, usually ultimately by something higher than ourselves. None higher than God.

Today though when we walk into churches, that opportunity to reach out to the seeker is lost. Lost in egoistic preachers obsessed with their eloquence, perhaps materialism disguised as blessings and the only way to see God at work or even sermons bordered fully on national politics. All these have their place but they are not the core. The focus remains Christ and each time one stands in the pulpit, the motivation must be to present the all important message of salvation.

I left that funeral heavily burdened and wondering whether we have our focus in the right place. How does marriage ostracise you in death? How does a church that ought to be family take your time, resources and commitment but deems it unfit to have your funeral within its walls? How does a church recognise your spouse and not you even when they are aware you are married?

As I sauntered away from the cemetery, I wondered what impression was made on a bystander that may have attended that funeral service and knew about the unfortunate politics surrounding that burial. If I were the one on the verge of a decision, I know I’d not be looking at the two churches for a home. What should have been an opportunity to bring people to Christ was wasted on trivia.

All church administrations ought to review their membership criteria and open themselves more to new members especially those silent troubled souls that visit quietly with a view of finding elusive meaning in their lives.

In the end, doctrines, church politics, eligibility rules or biases will not matter. Only one’s status in Christ will matter.

As long as churches do not reflect that in the way they conduct their affairs or manage their members and visitors, a great opportunity to present Christ is lost. Not only for the individual but even those people around that witness this unfortunate situation like I did.

There is a far much bigger cause for the church than pettiness. We must wake up to that reality now.

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2012 in Religion and faith

 

Of corrupt judges, noise and the bigger picture

19 May

Judges suspended, debate spreads

There has been an active debate around the recent suspension of a Supreme Court judge and two High Court judges. The trio, Judge Musonda, Mutuna and Kajimanga, all face a probe into their professional conduct after the Republican President appointed a Tribunal.

Controversy seems to have clouded this action and ensuing arguments mainly on account of the President arriving at that very decision and further the appointment of a High Court judge from Malawi to lead the Tribunal. There have been two schools of thought on the Presidential power exercised in the drama. One side argues the Constitution enpowers him to do so under Article 98 while the counterside argues the matter should have been initiated through the Judicial Complaints Authority.

We as lay-people in this matter await guidance from the legal brains in the country on what the correct position is. I sometimes wonder whether the Zambian law is so complicated that we get varying interpretations from people of the same profession.

Reading between the lines

Further, whether the President exercised powers to the dissatisfaction of others, I believe the problem here is bigger than what the country is currently debating.

The Constitution under Article 98, it seems from my naïve interpretation, does assign powers to the President to appoint a Tribunal if there is suspicion of misbehaviour on the part of the judges. He further can suspend them pending the findings. If this is the case, then the President did what the law of the land allows him to do.

Therein lies my biggest challenge with us as a people. We latch onto a topical issue and pound it based on the popular thought process that has been dangled before us. However, in most cases we come to realise that we expend energies on the symptom and not the ailment.

In this case, my thoughts are similar to the ones shared in my earlier blog “True leaders: A dying or dead breed in Zambia”(http://t.co/xtWpzGQv). We have a systemic challenge first and foremost.

The President acted within his powers or so it appears. These powers are granted and protected by the Constitution. If they are inappropriate, this is because they arise from a defective authority. This deficiency in the separation of powers has exposed the potential conflict that can arise when excessive power is reposed in an office. The Executive and Judiciary are at loggerheads.

Absentee experts

The other notable concern is the position taken (or not taken) by both the Chief Justice and the Law Association of Zambia collectively and their members individually. If there is something that is wrong in the interpretation or application of the law, we draw comfort that these learned experts will provide leadership. This does not seem to be the case as they either are cowed into silence, compromised into agreeing with a position that serves their interests or simply not courageous enough to state things as they ought to be, regardless of popularity.

There is a silent belief that there is more to this issue than is being let on. This too is evident when one notes the clear split in opinion in the legal fraternity. LAZ to me has been a let down on several occasions when they are silent and perhaps comment much later when their view cannot be considered expert opinion. They always come to the party rather late. For instance, I’d be happy to know whether the appointment of a Malawian judge is appropriate (even if it is allowed) and whether it is an expression of a lack of confidence in our own?

An ethically challenged bunch?

Additionally, I sense an ethical dilemma. There are lawyers that have questioned the Presidential actions and application of his Constitutional powers. Yet there also are those that deem everything to be in order. I appreciate that to have a legal case, there must be two parties on either side. However, where truth is involved, ethics must prevail and a position must not be taken simply because one is needed on the other side of the argument. Either the Presidential action was inappropriate or it was not.

But what we have seen is a conflict and poor reflection of our legal colleagues. It may appear, this is more of a power play and egos at the expense of professionalism and ethical judgement. In the end, even we the bystanders remain potently confused as to what is the correct status of things publicly presented.

Judicial corruption and reforms

Away from the argument of constitutional lapses, separation of powers and lame legal experts, we also have the issue of corruption.

It has been said that the suspension of the three (3) judges has been motivated by rampant corruption and misconduct in the Judiciary. One of the issues has been in relation to the case in which one legal team walked out of a court session as an expression of displeasure at a decision arrived at by the sitting judge. Whether walking out of a courtroom is in itself correct, I am not expertly placed to deduce.

My position though here is that corruption where it exists must be fought from the root up. The energy, zeal and determination exhibited in pursuing the three judges is commendable. However, if there is corruption as it is presented, this should not start at the three suspended judges. Let this be a comprehensively planned assault on an ill that has crippled our society at all levels.

If the corruption is as it has been depicted, then it must have permeated to the marrow of the Judicial bone system. As such, all areas need to be covered and a reform plan set in motion. As it is, it becomes easy to pursue a handful of individuals who may appear to be targets of political victimisation and persecution at the hands of visible and invisible foes. Some lawyers, Judicial employees, judges and their partners ought to be checked for a holistic overhaul of the system.

Therefore, there is need for an independent Tribunal with a wider scope and even qualified auditors to determine the scale and impact of this widely publicised corruption. It should not start with three individuals. There have been public pronouncements that this is the beginning of reform in the Judiciary. I hold, in my simple capacity as a Zambian youth, that the reforms have started in the wrong place all together. Hence the conclusion by some sections that this is targeted at specific individuals.

Seeing corruption for what it is

We know the corruption is deeper than three judges. What can one say about the swift decisions, comments and demands made with regard to this suspension case? Is the lightening pace at which things are moving not a wonder?

Yet we have people in Mukobeko, Kamfinsa and all the prisons dotted around the country that have not seen the inside of a courtroom for a decade or longer.

Yet we have children born in prisons and that is the only world they have come to know. Yet we have people that are poor and cannot afford legal representation but are not provided basic legal assistance to determine their cases.

Yet we have multiple adjournments of cases that can be closed quicker, subjecting people to the agony of anxiety and legals costs as they await the next given date. How many times do we read about unnecessary and unjustified adjournment of cases? What about cases of missing case files yet someone still remains to endure the punishment of prison when their case cannot be heard because a file is lost?

What about the filth, diseases and unhealthy sexual practices we are informed about in prisons? Yet no deliberate action is taken to deal with this and the situation is consistently aggravated.

The few cases cited above expose the corruption we ought to be fighting. All this mess and breakdown occurs while our colleagues opt to amass the wealth that comes with their privileged status but there is no corresponding investment in rectifying the breakdown in the country’s justice system. We the ordinary folk do not see the political will or commitment to address this corruption.

When the systems, legal players and institutions are cleaned up, we will be on the path to Judicial reform. This is because the breakdown now goes beyond the three suspended judges and is deep rooted in the courts, administration, among individuals and perhaps in the LAZ as well.

Reforms must be holistic and the Tribunal given refined terms of reference with a wider task than dealing with a drop in the ocean in the pursuit of three individuals.

More action, less talk

The challenge is bigger than it seems in my view. It is for this reason that I become very frustrated and concerned when we go on as a nation debating and dwelling on an issue in a lopsided or partisan way. We do not take time to digest an issue beyond what is presented in the print media or whatever form the news comes in.

In the absence of a holistic approach, we will all just remain gongs that perpetuate societal noise with no improvement or solutions that posterity can benefit from.

Simply because we opt for patronage, wealth and status at the expense of ethics and the decision to do the right thing when called upon.

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2012 in Governance and leadership

 

Being gay in Zambia

17 May

The Gay story again

So the issue of gays and lesbians continues to pop up. It is in the news, print media, on television, private conversations and almost all corners we patronise.

The recent public acknowledgement by Barack Obama has fired it up even more. Recently in Zambia, it took centre stage after the visit by Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General. It was a highly anticipated visit from such a global figure but it ended in noticeable bad taste with his comments bordering on gay rights.

The rich and powerful are speaking up more loudly. Apart from the above two, we had UK’s Cameron tying aid to gay rights. The club is growing and all methods will be used to push this agenda. I remember recently seeing a British comedy “My family”. One of the couple’s sons was just about telling his parents that he was gay. It now seems clear to me that even previously innocent entertainment is a part of a coordinated way of justifying this and providing suggestions on how to explain it.

Africa has not been spared. We have gays and lesbians among us. Someone we know likely knows someone that’s gay. That is the reality smack in the face. It’s here. It’s official. Whether this existed on the continent or has been imported via our full embracing of westernisation is besides the point. It is here.

Pertinent uncomfortable questions and forthright answers

What then is the right position to take? Was Ban Ki Moon off the mark? Was Cameron on song for tying aid to gay rights? Is Obama showing leadership in acknowledging a trend that is fast becoming so strong and can not be ignored? Are gay people justified to cry for their right to be accepted and integrated as normal in society?

Call it bias, prejudice or a conservative narrow minded approach. I hold that there is a distinction between the normal order of things being improved or evolving and the order being distorted. Homosexuality is a distortion of the normal order of things.

God in the picture

I believe in a Supreme God that has created everything and all was beautiful from the start. Along the way, things went wrong and the chaos we see is testimony of that. To have the right perspective of what was good and approved by God, the Creator of all, we must then slide right back to what existed when He started it all.

There was man and when he needed company, there was woman. It may be the most simplistic of views but whoever said the truth is complex? To therefore come and hold a position that being gay is part of someone’s original makeup is absolutely absurd.

It is different when one is born without a limp or with a disability but to be born gay is certainly to suggest God made a mistake. It is equivalent to suggesting Sony intended to make an electronic entertainment gadget but ended up with a shoe. The make up and functions are totally different from the original intention in both cases.

Additionally, God the Creator (not any other) is very explicit and consistent about His position on certain issues. From the pages of the Old Testament to the New, homosexuality is abominable in His eyes. Refer to Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-27. God has never held a position to be sin and alters that later to be acceptable. Even in allowing polygamy or divorce or seeing the filthy lifestyles we choose along the way, He does not in anyway sanction this. Instead He lets our desires and hard hearts lead us since we replace Him with those.

How can we who claim to know or serve God also hold a view in support of homosexuality? The truth demands that things are stated as bluntly as they should be. If we hold a position in support of homosexuality, we are not God’s own. He simply does not know us and we do not serve or know Him. It is as simple as that.

We may therefore then save ourselves from a chronic hypocrisy of calling Him “our God” but endorsing what He loathes. If that is the position taken, let us then also endorse murder, drug addiction, crime, corruption, prostitution and all other societal ills. What makes homosexuality right and all these others wrong and immoral?

The question of authority

It boils down to one’s authority in life. My authority and every christian’s is God. The standards then that are set by Him define what we subscribe to.

If one’s authority is man, then that one’s authority will be the likes of Barack Obama, Ban Ki Moon or the corrupted minds of groups and leaders that have approved of this choice as normal and acceptable in the vain hope that it will be authenticated.

They may have the money,influence and capacity to bulldoze their way on several issues but not the power to alter and dictate what is right or wrong. Or to buy away morality and a sober conscience prepared to stand on the right side of issues.

This is a moral position and the normal stance to be taken in the original scheme of things. A departure from this is a distortion of the original plan. There can be no other way to justify it. No money, influence, lobbying or power must be allowed to dilute morality and subdue the correct position demanded in such a situation.

Rights and freedoms

However, those that have opted for homosexuality do not cease to be human. They are our relatives, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and friends. They have simply made a wrong choice. This does not in any way suggest they be treated lower than animals or be subjected to abuse and be ostracised. They must enjoy their basic human rights and freedoms as citizens of our country, continent and world.

They must at the same time be reminded that all rights and freedoms are granted in conjunction with what is legal. Illegal, socially questionable and objectionable activities or lifestyles do not go together with rights or freedoms.

Take a stand

Homosexuality is not only illegal. It also is a choice that is largely deemed as immoral and unnatural.

There cannot be any plausible argument to support homosexuality, whether biological, psychological or social. It is an inappropriate lifestyle opted for by an individual against the moral dictates of society or spiritual standards rooted in truth.

It therefore follows that only Zambians, Africans or citizens of the world with loose morals and warped perspectives of sexuality, what is right or wrong, will be in support of homosexuality.

It has no place in our society and the people drowning in it deserve our intervention and support. Some of us evidently detest the lifestyle but the solution is not to throw the gay and lesbian “babies” out with the bath water. It is to help those we know are trapped in this illness to see the error, confront it and turn away from it.

As far as this goes, I see no reason why christians, other people of different religious persuasion or anybody in their right frame of mind, should struggle to hold a position on this issue. It is a black and white, land and water position. Either it is right or wrong. It has nothing to do with basic human rights or freedoms. Those have always been guaranteed but only for the right things.

Homosexuality is not one of those and it is my hope that the current Zambian draft Constitution under discussion must explicitly enshrine that this is an unacceptable form and choice of sexuality. In the absence of that, we will open ourselves to ill influences that ultimately will destroy our history, morality, inheritance and collective conscience, all in the name of modernity.

So Obama, Ban Ki Moon and their like can compromise on their values and morals for expediency’s sake or the pursuit of power, ambition or money. But Zambia, Africa and all right thinking individuals must not tag along selling their souls to tastes or habits that even the simplest of animals don’t practise.

We need to stand for what is right and reject such forms of corruption.

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2012 in Trends

 

True leaders: A dying or dead breed in Zambia?

07 May

There is one thing that has consistently bothered me over the years. This is with reference to both Zambia and Africa.

It is the aspect of leadership. As an open minded youth in the 21st century, I set my sights sharply on our crop of leaders, past and present, especially at political level, for lessons, inspiration and hope. Perhaps what I have seen most are the lessons. Arising mainly from omissions and errors in judgement. The inspirational ones seem to be in short supply.

What brings me to such a conclusion?

I note that most of the leaders we have seen grace the stage have ended up tarnished one way or another. Is it that we have opted for chronic failures or humanity has merely played its hand in exposing their failures?

My take is that the root cause is a systemic one. The governance frameworks we have had right from the Constitution accentuate this. Our leaders have been modelled on traditional chiefly rules, with unquestioned power and heavy reliance on patronage. As a result, their inherent weaknesses find fertile ground to come to the fore.

For now, I will set my sights on Zambia.

Enter KK: freedom fighter turned monster

Dr. Kaunda, our beloved founding father, was at the heart of our fight for Independence. This role he played with a generous heart, sacrificing his husbandly and fatherly role for the freedom of the nation.

It is no wonder that for his commitment, strong personality and charisma, he became Prime Minister and then the first President of independent Zambia. This set us on the course of political independence. He likewise provided direction as head in the pursuit for infrastructure development, some of which we still see today.

But then, the system then as we were learning the ropes fed his weaker side. He did not take kindly to being challenged, a threat to his authority. This brought out a side we have all come to know. An authoritarian, brutal and scathing man.

Zambia came to know about detentions, attempted coups, dress downs at press conferences, fear and suspicion of each other on the street, centralised government and a vibrant effective but paranoid intelligence system that even pitted family members against each other.

In the end, Zambia was, in the minds of many, under dictatorship. The economy had gone to its knees with the national treasury haemorrhaging to support a socialist economic system that had outlived its usefulness.

Zambians spoke and he left office in 1991 after the advent of multi party politics. Zambians could not take it any more. He still believed in being “wamuyayaya”(ruling forever) and those around him were afraid to tell him the truth that his end had come.

FTJ: the black Moses

He may not have been the tallest of men. But here came a courageous and charismatic man, unmatched in eloquence and mastery of speech delivery.

He was Zambia’s second president and instrumental in getting the economy through the toughest of times. The extent to which the economy was brought to its knees was dire. Unpopular decisions had to be made to get Zambia back on track.

Some of the developments we enjoy today are undoubtedly fruits of this phase. Economic liberalisation, telecommunications development, transport sector growth, home empowerment, trade and a host of other positive activities.

However, his end yet again brought to light his weaknesses. The system allowed him to get away with poor leadership choices, excesses and lapses that derailed the vision that endeared him and his team to many a Zambian.

In the end, it was a story of a leadership steeped in corruption, flashy lifestyles, misapplied national resources, unpopular choices such as the third term bid and finally stepping off the podium disgraced, isolated too to a large extent.

Levy: the revered State Counsel

Chiluba opted for Levy as his successor following the failed third term bid. Levy had served in the Chiluba government but resigned to protest growing corruption within government.

Levy was not as gifted as his predecessor in terms of eloquence or charisma. But there was no doubt he was one of the most eminent and respected legal minds Zambia had produced. He was called all sorts of derogatory names during and after the campaigns.

As fate would have it, he had state machinery behind him and found his way to become citizen # 1,albeit with the narrowest of victories.

Zambia however came to know a different man. Focused and clear enough to show he knew what he was doing. He followed his legal pedigree and facilitated in taking his predecessor FTJ to court over corruption and abuse of power claims.

The economy showed encouraging signs of stability, a result of shrewd and disciplined monetary and fiscal policy management. He can also be credited for challenging the wanton abuse or poor ethical disposition in the public service. Accountability took centre stage.

There have been claims of some lapses, failures and corruption under his watch. Also one of the issues that to me was the biggest disappointment was the failure to prioritise and deliver the Constitution Zambia needed and continues pursuing in 2012.

However, he never got the chance to finish his full term. Levy unfortunately died in office in 2008 after suffering a stroke. Life had been good to him and he will not be judged harshly. He thus died a hero and his send off was a testimony of this status. He went to dust as a heralded anti-corruption leader.

RB: president for all Zambians?

In death, opportunity presented itself for Levy’s Vice to take over. Rupiah Banda, popularly referred to as RB, became Zambia’s fourth president.

He cast the image of a fatherly (or perhaps grandfatherly) personality. A likeable man if one took politics away.

He rose to the presidency at the right time. Zambia had been doing well economically with the fundamentals strong to support stability. This was consolidated and milestones achieved. The statistics, other measures and expert analyses attested to this.

However, what was an opportunity was not taken by RB and co. Instead, the “playboy” tag stuck as this era had a reputation of waste, grand corruption and a laissez-faire approach to governance.

Times were changing too and the social trends had over time given rise to an enlightened citizenry that demanded real progress. As such the economic statistics meant nothing without jobs, income opportunities or basic services such as health.

That was the downfall of RB and even with the grandest of election campaigns ever seen in Zambia, he only lasted three years in office.

Sata: the populist veteran

Here came a man that had been in politics as long as anyone alive could remember. A decade prior to his ascent to the presidency as the fifth Zambian president, he had been a highly vocal, challenging and visible opposition leader.

It was hard to ignore him and somehow he branded himself as the voice of the voiceless, the underprivileged and downtrodden. The time too was ripe because people knew what they wanted and he seemed to represent that.

And so September 2011 ushered him into office. So much hope for reform, opportunity and new directions was placed on his shoulders, in him. Afterall, he was widely renowned as a man of action.

Same plot, different actors?

What I have seen in all these changes and transitions is more of the same. We almost always have changed leaders but the framework to “supervise” them has remained the same.

This poses the ultimate challenge we see. Leaders’ weaknesses seem to thrive more than the quality that woos all of us. In the end, the hope we have in these leaders when the journey starts is all lost. Lost in corruption, resource misapplication, under-development, authoritarian rule and all undemocratic elements one can imagine.

I have come to believe that God has a place for every leader so they can serve a higher purpose, whether they know it or not.

In Zambia’s case, KK was the man needed to push the fight for independence. FTJ was the man to challenge KK’s failures and usher in a new era of democracy. Levy was an ideal choice to halt the excesses in FTJ’s rule and cultivate a sense of accountability and collective loath of corruption. RB was what Zambia needed to get through the delicate time of an incumbent’s death. Stability through a crisis.

Now we have Sata and the hope is for Zambia to now pursue a path of an action oriented approach to development, a demand for comprehensive planning, results and real progress to go with it.

In all these stages of leadership, what has remained a challenge for Zambia is the governance framework. Our constitution and the structures to supervise our leadership are inherently weak. So much power resides in the presidency. As such, when one is in that powerful office, they do what they want and seemingly get away with it. Constitutional amendments favouring them, abuse of resources with little or no accountability and a host of other failures one can think up.

So we find ourselves changing leaders but dealing with the same challenges of poverty, failed leadership, corruption and poor service delivery in health and education for instance.

Is this a Zambia specific problem?

I think not. We have seen this replicated across the continent. Where self-serving leaders have no sense of service or obligation to the people that put them in office.

I am reminded of the likes of Mobutu, Kamuzu, recently the late Bingu Wa Mutharika or the long serving leaders up north that have now been deposed by popular uprisings. Leaders that want to remain in office with a mistaken belief only they are the saviours of their nations. The likes of Wade in Senegal that had to be forced out through the ballot while a host of others still remain fighting their own people’s demands for reform, change and fresh leadership.

So clearly this is not a Zambian problem. It is an ailment heavily crippling a continent that is so hungry for progress. A dream stifled by a selfish band of leaders that think only of their interests.

Why are we still failing?

We are failing because we let these lapses win. We fail because we the people and citizens allow our leaders to get away with it.

We fail because even we the so called enlightened and educated only pay attention to our personal aspirations, caring less about that malnourished child, pathetic sanitary conditions in the compounds, the army that can not get into school because there is no money or those whose hard earned little money has paid for our university education.

If we that have had this privilege sit back and only think of what’s in front of our noses, what hope is there? None and none for the simple reason that tomorrow if we became leaders, it is not the state of our nation, the challenges of our brothers and sisters that will motivate us. Instead, it is our own aspirations and pursuits that will drive us. If that be the case, the failure we moan about today remains our fate still tomorrow.

This harsh and sad reality is evident in so many spheres. The political arena is but one area only. We see selfishness in the corporate world. In churches sadly. Even civil society fails us as we have come to see in Zambia post September 20 elections. The extremely active, vigilant and vocal civil society took a partisan position, devoid of principle and today find themselves compromised and irrelevant.

What then?

If something bothers you, that is a call to do something about it. That is a call that goes to everyone of us, especially the youth. The next generation.

The time is ripe for fresh leadership, an active youthful crop that shows its quality, maturity and what it has learnt over the decades. A time to embrace the responsibility of preserving the future and delivering progress for posterity.

This is an aspiration, dream, challenge and undertaking that can only become a reality if we confront the man or woman in the mirror.

Staring him or her in the face with just one simple question. An honest question that “will I be any different if put in that leadership role?”. It doesn’t matter if the role is in church, business, politics or the home for that matter. If you will not be any different, nothing will change. If nothing will change, then we must not complain about any failure we face but endure it.

Clearly, leaders that are selfless remain in short supply. Without doubt, we need a new breed that will steer the ship in a different and prosperous direction.

Are the true leaders that the continent needs a dying or dead breed? The answer depends on you and I.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in General

 

MTN BEEG SCANDAL: Telecoms game changer?

01 May

Of competitions, scandals and opportunity

Every business banks on publicity for its sustained customer growth. This is the bedrock for all advertising, Public Relations and effective marketing programs.

However, the challenge is when the publicity is not planned or positive. This is the dilemma MTN Zambia finds itself in. The second largest and fast growing Mobile Service Provider (MSP) has been adversely hit by negative publicity after a scandalous revelation about their last promotion dubbed “Let’s Go BEEG”. The Livingstone winner, it has been reported, was handed the prize with the aid of her male companion, an IT Specialist in MTN’s employ.

The nightmare and repercussions of this will test MTN’s planning as they seek to recover from this damaging story at a time they have pitted themselves strongly against market leaders Airtel.

A call to innovate

Conversely though, the scandal exposes yawning lapses in the sector that also need review.

Key among these is the aspect of innovation in the face of stiff competition. It is almost certain in Zambia that each month the MSP’s will roll out some competition. This is mostly along the lines of “send SMSes or topup! The more you do this, the higher the chances to win”.

This is an acquisition strategy with the intent of driving immediate subscriber numbers. I am of the view though that it is a tired method. It may well be the easiest(perhaps cheapest too) going by the frequency with which our three(3) MSPs use it. There must be other ways that can be employed and bigger more developed markets can provide pointers.

It therefore is imperative for our players in the sector to explore these and find more refreshing, cost effective and innovative ways to stimulate their subscriber and Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) performance. I am sure with the marketing teams in place, this is an avenue that is not beyond the players.

Product range and bundling

Additionally and as an extension on the above, bundling is a cost effective way that also ensures stickiness of customers. If one gets offers or incentives with voice, SMS, data and hardware in one package, they are likely to remain active on the network.

The trend in Zambia for a while has centred more on voice and text only. Even usage on these services is not where it should be.

Zambia can do better. The creativity on product range falls squarely on the MSPs. Government on the hand can coordinate with the players to understand their cost structure so as to facilitate measures to manage these costs better.

Ball watching regulators?

Measures have been announced on how MSP competitions will be closely watched to avert a scandalous recurrence. This is commendable.

The concern and unfortunate bit here is that this is a reactive action. It now is blatantly clear that ZICTA and the ZCPC paid passive attention to MSP activities. It may appear the three players in the market self regulated before this scandal.

The expectation was and should be that a billion kwacha scandal of such proportions could not see the light of day. This is an assumption underpinned on a belief that the regulatory or monitoring stakeholders appreciate the end to end mechanics of the systems used in such competitions. This then would not encourage any dubious plans to be crafted as the case was with the IT Specialist at MTN.

The hope now is that this episode will spur the relevant stakeholders into action, with an aggressive intent to identify and seal any possible loopholes. Similarly, comprehensive and periodic stress tests will be undertaken. This will prompt the telecom companies to equally invest in this aspect and ensure they are not exposed any further.

Tariffs and service

Furthermore, the regulators must now inspire public confidence and show understanding of the MSP pricing structures.

What makes up the tariffs customers are charged? Even more, how are the billing systems set up such that a minute’s call, text or data use is billed for exactly that? It is not unusual in Zambia for customers to complain about being billed noticeably higher than normal after a call. These are not new queries and ZICTA was recently on record stating that they are investigating this.

We await their findings and actions.

Additionally, service performance of the MSPs raises concerns every so often. There have been complaints of dropped calls, unreachable people when their phones are not outside coverage area, erratic internet performance etc.

All the MSPs currently claim to offer 3G services with one ISP going further with 4G. However, what difference this has made for customers remains unclear. Whether internet access becomes cheaper and efficient in real terms is a basis for further debate as it only seems like the 3G, 3.75G or 4G is a mere marketing ploy.

Service must also extend beyond product performance to customer service at frontline or even Call Centre level. Investments must be made in systems that will enhance service delivery.

This does not mean this challenge is only associated with telecom companies. It is an inherent and chronic problem across sectors in Zambia. The MSPs though have the upper hand when it comes to service improvement. The monitoring tools and frameworks are easily available to ensure service teams render exemplary service.

Audit the auditors?

The issue is not only on the part of regulators. Questions need to be asked regarding the credibility of the appointed auditors during such competitions.

The “Let’s Go Beeg” competition was certified or so we are told. If this is accurate, what constituted the certification? Further, does the engagement of auditors entail understanding the end to end process of selecting the winners? Or is this perhaps only certification of the last day of the competition, the prize giving ceremony?

It will be of interest to get the position taken by Grant Thornton, the auditors and ZICA on this matter.

Whichever way it goes and whatever constitutes the auditors’ terms of reference during such events, there is urgent need for keener attention on how competitions are certified.

What next for Telecoms in Zambia?

Zambia has an official population of 13 million plus with a literacy rate of 71%. Yet mobile phone penetration is only 38%. Contrast this with Zimbabwe, with all its recent economic pressures for instance, which has a population of 12.6m, literacy rate at 91% and mobile phone penetration of 60%. Or even Senegal with a 12.9m population with 67% mobile phone penetration.

On a simplistic basis, this shows that with 71% literacy, Zambia has the potential and capacity for its population to use mobile phone services with the right awareness interventions. Coupled with that, there have to be complementing efforts to drive income levels so people can afford the hardware and airtime for usage.

This shows that potentially, there still is a lot for the three MSPs to grow in the market. Statistics though are one thing and incomes play a huge part in harnessing this potential.

At face value, it appears the players in the sector must ingeniously devise ways to penetrate the “un-phoned” urban and rural populations able to utilise mobile phone services. The trends offer a ray of hope. In 2011, reports indicate that out of about 78 mobile payment ventures rolled out globally, half were in Africa. This is one area still at infancy stage in Zambia as is internet usage due to low penetration levels.

The future is Africa

The latest African Development Bank (AfDB) projections are GDP per capita amounts of $5,600 in 2060 from $1,667 as at 2010.

The working age population is expected to triple by 2060 from the 2005 figures. With investment in education, this presents a rise of a demanding middle class.

A simple review of these daunting statistics shows potential for telecoms players in view of current revenue and margin pressures.

More people will be able to use more mobile devices from handsets to dongles. This may as well translate into subscriber growth, airtime sales, data bundle usage and mobile payment services penetration.

MSPs therefore need to plan with a collective mind on this potential. How can subscribers be acquired and retained? How accessible and affordable can devices be? Where can these handsets, laptops or dongles be sourced for more people to get them at lower prices thus reducing setup costs? What is the long term potential and value of strategic partnerships to bridge the device availability/affordability gap? Huawei, Nokia etc are already active on the continent and have courted MSPs. Are these partnerships working?

How flexible and affordable can tariffs be to stimulate revenue through streams like data, airtime, mobile commerce or other services? For instance, as per the AfDB projections, Broadband internet as at 2010 stood at 5.6% of the continental population but is expected to leap to 99.1% in 2060. What does this mean for Zambia?

Lessons from the BEEG scandal

The scandal has brought opportunity to the fore. An opportunity to assess how things are currently done and what should be pursued differently to sustain businesses.

Only when new innovative ways are considered will we see an end to the routine competitions we now see. Instead, sustainable, long term and different methods can be employed.

Likewise, elements such as product and service performance will be paramount differentiators among MSPs.

Who wins in the end? The customer. Meaning the businesses too.

The MTN scandal is a timely wake up call for all players in the telecoms sector and beyond for those willing to learn from it.

 
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Posted by on May 1, 2012 in Telecoms

 

You are poor…..so shut up!

24 Apr

It was hard to believe the young lady was beaming and her face betrayed a genuine smile. A quick scan around the room revealed how miserable her immediate environment was.

She had been glued to the bed for close to two months now. The University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Zambia’s largest referral hospital, had become home. Not the best of places and one had to admire Mwila as she radiated her natural warmth.

Mabvuto was an energetic toddler, enjoying the innocence of childhood. He sprang out of the sack covered pit latrine, rushing to rejoin his friends as they splashed the muddy water after some torrential rains.

The excitement was as bright as an October sunrise. There was no evident thought of concerns that the water could be a medium for disease. This is what they knew and had lived with for as long as they had walked.

Moreover, his mother and a host of other women were a stone throw away and had not raised any objection. Fathers were nowhere in sight this time of day!

As Mabvuto’s mother sauntered to the house with a tray of pounded groundnuts, she stared in the boys’ direction. Her little boy, her sixth at 28 years, was a part of the group in the pool of water. No worries. It was a safe game.

A hostile reality

The picture portrayed in both cases is but a simple reflection of what is out there. The fate of the common man is dire.

I watched with suffocating sadness as the Vice President Dr. Guy Scott visited the Mukobeko Maximum prison recently. His face told the whole story. Those walls hid the gloom, filth and inhuman face of a system that cares less about others.

Yes it is a maximum prison and a place for the condemned. But do they lose their dignity as human beings? Do they cease being human?

Let us step away from the prison. What about the hospitals? The courts of law? The densely populated townships littered with chaos, disease and debilitating poverty. Have all these people ceased being human and deserve less dignity than others?

What has gone wrong?

There clearly is something, fundamentally, that is not as it should.

We see it in overcrowded wards, filthy prisons, delayed court cases and in the compounds. A visit to our villages paints an even bleaker picture after all the further away from civilisation you are, the more irrelevant and less of a factor you are.

My mind battles with whether this is a result of failed planning and execution. Or is it perhaps leadership that neglects the needy? Or is it us a people that laze through our lives expecting all good things such as health, education, infrastructure etc to pop into our world?

It seems to be a mix of all these factors. Hence my challenge is not only with the authorities that aid this deterioration. It also lies squarely on the shoulders of the “common man” that plays a part in not holding leadership accountable and also a chronic failure to properly manage what is built.

How many times do we hear of vandalism of critical installations? How many empty packs of opaque beer do we find in ditches leading to blocked drainages where these exist?

These are but a few examples of a society so desperate for mindset and attitude change. Both for those that lead and the led.

The insignificant commoners

The common man only seems to matter when elections are near. That is the only time all top politicians visit the compounds, the crowded hospital wards and villages with promises to turn things around. Turn them around only if they could be given that vote.

As gullible as poverty and desperation makes one, the common man falls into this promise trap in exchange for opaque beer, pieces of cloth, mealie meal and some kwacha notes which also go into alcohol consumption at most.

Fast forward to elections and the commoner is back in the world of poverty. The 4×4 luxury pick-ups that were a usual sight during campaigns have disappeared. The promising politicians and leaders are a distant feature only seen on television screens or heard on radio.

What is there left to do for the commoner? One after the other, they fall into the routine of apathy, alcohol abuse, thuggery, illiteracy, disease and poverty. If they make it alive to the next campaign, maybe once again they will be the centre of the world, important people.

Is there any hope?

Absolutely. It will be a long journey but who says long means impossible? The cliche is that a thousand miles begins with a step.

Where then can this change start from?

Accountability- Leaders are responsible for everyone. This is a role that bestows privilege and must sober anyone up especially in Africa. They are millions that look to their leaders for a way out of their squalor.

This is one aspect of service that is neglected. Whether it is deliberate or not is speculation. The people that mattered when votes were needed matter less post-elections.

There is need for leadership accountability. The vote is the performance contract between the people and government. This entails that the primary focus for any leader is to remember the poverty, misery, disease and lack they have witnessed on the campaign trail. This must spur them into pursuing what will make a difference in the lives of the masses.

Reviewing service delivery- What governance structures are in place to support deliberate interventions? We must assess current local and central government structures and the checks in place to device user friendly structures that ensure delivery. Further, it is imperative to explore more efficient ways of governance to guarantee timely service delivery.

How do we ever get to the pathetic hygiene levels we see around? Litter everywhere, poor sanitary conditions for a huge population in compounds and an army of uneducated people.

We must get to a level where water borne diseases are not an annual event. We must start dealing with the seemingly small things that characterise our present conditions. Unkempt surroundings, street lights with no lighting, uncollected garbage, the list is endless.

If in these small things we do not strive to do the right thing, can we even begin to think of medicines in hospitals? Children in schools with the right materials and teachers?

To set this in motion, the planning and resourcing perspective needs to be right. This will stimulate the focus required to start driving the change we need to see.

An empowered people- The commoners and downtrodden that wallow in poverty must be an active part. They must realise that their importance is not just a pre-election ingredient. There is need for an urgent wake-up call, a call that will make them believe that they are stakeholders and have a right to demand development.

For as long as this aspect remains an unknown authority, there will be no meaningful change. This is simply because the people that must demand and also drive the change are unaware of what authority they yield.

This is the power to influence change that must be exercised so everyone in leadership remains aware of their role to serve at all times in whatever capacity. Then no leader will be selfish in this noble undertaking, opting instead to serve the best interests of the common man.

Same bed of thorns for all- Why does a man peddling a finger of drugs rot in jail while the owner roams the streets freely? Why do the known and connected citizens spend only an evening in a jail cell at most while you have individuals in Mukubeko that have gone for a decade without their appeal heard in court as Dr. Scott came to learn in Kabwe?

Why do we have patients dumped in UTH with no access to prompt attention yet the prominent get the best attention in record time, even from the farthest land on earth?

There is a place for the rich and powerful at the high table. The poor remain insignificant and even the loudest of voices can not be heard by the privileged. It is true it seems that on Animal farm, there are animals more equal than others. It is there for all to see.

This is the way it is but this is not the way it ought to be. The privileged must be troubled by the poverty, disease and filth the commoners endure. Yes they have worked for their privilege(for some) and must enjoy it. However, should those that have more not also have some to share with the less fortunate?

Even if the lucky and “haves” do not, this is mandatory for any leader. A leader cannot choose whom he serves, works or assists. They are in those roles to reduce this misery and deliver progress to the masses.

Justice not for the lazy- I speak in this way not in support of laziness. Those ready to change their lives and how they think should be the priority, the focus of development.

There are those we see around whose defeatist mindset makes them wallow in self-pity, drowning in daily drunkenness, resorting to thuggery and recklessness. There are some among us unfortunately that just want to sit back and await development. These I do not condone. When opportunity is granted for an education, work or skills training, it is met with complaints or shoddy performance.

Effort should apply to and for those willing to make a difference. The employees in hospitals, public service etc that demand higher and decent pay must be those that exhibit quality in applying themselves. Not the lot that will spend an entire day under a tree but demand higher pay.

This does not in any way mean the lot in Mukobeko for instance must be let loose. They too must pay the dues for the wrong choices made. However, it does mean that those that have appeals to be heard must rightly have them heard. Those that have been incarcerated erroneously must be released from an unfair system that has caged them.

This also means the leaders must access the same medical facilities that we all do. Only then can they be desperate to make a difference rather than end up in a 5-star facility in a foreign land.

It follows then that all have a part to play to bring development to life. The commoners and privileged. The illiterate and educated. The employed and the unemployed.

Only when this collective resolve takes root will we realise our elusive aspiration.

Institutionalised development- To deliver this development, someone must be responsible, it must be tracked and therefore a comprehensive framework must be in place to support this quest.

Development and related initiatives must never be the preserve of the elected elite or a privileged few individuals. There must be institutions with longevity that will remain in place even when individuals change. Only when this is the case will we guarantee a structured approach to development.
This is more sustainable without being underpinned on what the politicians want to pursue. That way too we curb the trend of every successive administration running the risk of throwing everything out on account of it having been driven by their predecessors. A trend that has seen us move backwards or stagnate with every change that befalls us.

Pain of the status quo

Mwila has been on that UTH bed for two months now, having survived an accident. An excited public bus driver had rammed into them after watching the Chipolopolo national team win a game at the Afcon 2012 tournament. She awaits a theatre appointment that on three occasions has been deferred for various reasons.

No electricity at the theatre. A delay in taking blood to the theatre. A much publicised operation on another poor young man that had been allowed privileged access to medical facilities via presidential intervention. Those have been the reasons Mwila has not been operated on.

Mabvuto kicked his ball through the contaminated water, bursting with childhood energy in a game of soccer.

This was the life he was born in and knew. A life of uncollected garbage, ponds of rain water, deadly sanitary conditions, the hopelessness of an absent father swimming in daily drunken stupors or seasonal jobs in the plush residential areas. A hard working mother that made sure they had a meal each day, even if it mostly meant some greens from their backyard garden. At least today, there were some pounded groundnuts to go with it.

Mukobeko and the many other prisons across the country remain overcrowded. Filled with those that have not seen the inside of a courtroom for a decade. Behind bars for being conduits of crime perpetrated by the powerful and well connected perhaps that remain free.

All these realities present evidence of a rotten society, driven by the selfishness and neglect of those blessed and empowered to make a difference. Aided also by the inevitable and unfortunate resignation of the commoners, the less privileged.

Yet it is these downtrodden and commoners that have the power and authority to make a difference. To demand change and development. To hold themselves and their leaders accountable for what we all want to see in our world.

But as long as this remains an unknown force that the commoners do not believe in, the present truth will firm its hold. The harsh truth that the poor must shut up. They have no voice, no place at the high table or clout to influence any meaningful change.

It seems when you do not have the voice, clout or privilege, you deserve what you get and remain mute.

The pain of being a commoner. The agony of being poor with the world expecting you to just shut up and take it.

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2012 in Community

 

Africa’s nightmare of underdevelopment

20 Apr

Zambia is the continent’s top Copper producer and the world’s 7th largest. It also is the world’s second largest producer of Cobalt. It has a substantial amount of Southern Africa’s water

Nigeria is one of the largest oil producers on the continent and globally. It also has huge reserves of natural gas.

Tanzania is the only country in the world that produces the precious stone Tanzanite in the world.

The list is longer and we can go country by country to see what the beautiful continent is endowed with.

What is the common thread?

These countries represent the disturbing picture of a rich continent. Africa has the resources from water to minerals, the weather and population necessary for growth. Further, these resources are not only needed by Africa itself. Even other nations and continents have an appetite for what Africa has to offer.

However, when we assess the countries above and even more others, these are nations grappling with poverty, under-development or no development at all. Corruption, abuse of resources, governance failures and service delivery breakdown are a norm in Africa’s development story.

How can a continent so rich and well endowed with resources be the least developed, drowning in poverty and miserable failure?

None of the nations on our continent is classified as developed. In fact 34 of the African nations are least developed countries. None of the global economic powerhouses is from Africa. Even huge economies such as South Africa are developing nations.

How did we get here or did we move at all?

I have always struggled with the thought of whether other nations started at the same level as Africa and we lagged. Or perhaps, we were never in the race.

For purposes of this article though, that is not the history I want to dwell on. Instead, I would like to analyse some areas I am convinced have contributed to the state we find ourselves in. From there, we can explore what Africa may need to do for a turnaround in order to be the force she potentially is.

I will break my thoughts down to expand on this.

1. Lack of self belief- In the days of old, we had a system of existence that defined our societies. People provided for their homes and communities, none lacked. Every village and community ensured there was enough for everyone and this was pursued with collective energy. This is a model that had the potential to ensure Africa developed itself with its resources, linkages and people. Even with what each community had, they could trade with another that lacked. However, a complete departure from who we were served to derail us.

2. Westernisation, capitalism and bondage- On account of the failure to keep our identity and systems, we exposed ourselves to the influence of the west. The west needed what we had, the same way our communities needed what another had.

What the west took, they added value to and even resold to Africa. While they developed, we lagged and looked on as they used our resources. In the end, as they sold us what we did not have, they must have become richer while we remained in no better state. It became a relationship based on money, wealth accumulation and we realised we did not have what they did. To have it, we wanted to be where they were and borrowing set in for we did not have the money needed. The end result? Debt.

This does not mean all we have from the West is bad. It does however show that we embraced everything and could not integrate these ideas into our own homegrown models. Models that characterised our societies and communities before Africa was taken over.

3. Political will vs “hungry leaders”- we have had a fair share of exemplary leaders that have yearned and worked for a prosperous continent. However, the seed planted has not borne fruit in most left behind after their departure. In most cases we have seen, when these leaders have tasted power, those ideals and aspirations expire.

How many leaders do we all know that start their terms so well only to be hounded out of office? Leaving their economies in tatters, state coffers stripped and their legacies steeped in failure to prosper their people?

How do we explain the cases we have where so many leaders end tenures in corruption, theft and millions of dollars in foreign countries outside Africa? We have had highly educated leaders that have failed the continent. We have had hints of well intentioned leaders that have failed their peoples because of the trappings of power. Just take a look at our history and we will see how littered it is with such examples.

4. A complacent people- Africa is in a mess and I hold that it is a mess we deserve. People get what they deserve in a case like this. We tolerate non-performance from our leaders. We accept mediocrity whether it is from those that lead, service providers or any areas of our lives. As a result, even when we have ushered leaders in office or we have in our individual lives been given responsibility, quality and integrity are not a part of what we do. Posterity bears witness to what we have come to accept as the norm.

How many times do we accept shoddy performance, poor service and let it slide? It is that mindset and attitude that is replicated at national and continental level.

5. Planning to fail- Have we as a continent and people progressed by mistake? Is the development we can point to a result of comprehensively planned frameworks? Or can we attribute this to inherited development?

Africa seems to be stuck in poor planning or a lack of follow-through on what is set. As a result, we have entangled ourselves even more in debt as we keep borrowing or depending on donor support from the West. Without this, it appears we fail to draft any progress or survival plan that works to wean us from this dependence on the West.

An assessment of almost all African countries reveals how adverse our condition is. Where we have resources, we see poverty. Where we had the opportunity for a solid take off, we have lagged so far behind.

Look at Nigeria for instance. With all the oil resources, there is a huge disparity between minimum wages of the population and fuel price per litre. Fuel or oil prices are higher than wages and the recent protests are a reflection of this.

In contrast, when we look at Kuwait, Qatar, Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. This is on a straight line analysis without the debate of population size, other factors etc. This is a reflective condition of how planning (or the lack of it) has spiralled out of control resulting in a failure to let resources provide benefits to the local economy and its people.

Further, Nigeria is a perfect example of where Africa’s ball is dropped. 50% of its 2012 budget is to be spent on the Presidency, pensions and parastatals. The expenditure on power, health and education is lower than debt service. The National Assembly election commission will get a higher allocation than health.

With all this natural wealth, we see that Nigeria has limited refinery capacity thus petroleum products are expensive when refined and exported back into the country from abroad.

How many more African countries do we know that have resources and export to other continents only to import the finished products at high cost?

What is the writing on the wall?

Africa has resources the world needs. The Eurozone is in crisis. America is struggling after the crunch. China has risen to economic prominence and made several inroads in trading with Africa.

All these factors combine to provide opportunities for Africa to rise out of its doldrums. There is a realisation that our future can be so much brighter than the past as developing nations and south to south trade takes root. The challenge now is exploiting what is unfolding for the benefit of the continent.

What needs to happen?

Thought revolution- Africa must start thinking differently. Africa must smell the coffee. The west and our favourite partner China, all are focussed on their development. The natural rule is that they will take care of their own first before any other.

There is no debate about that. Let us look at Bretton Woods institutions and the recent appointment of the World Bank president. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a seasoned and renowned economist, was clearly the better suited and qualified candidate in the race. Alas, what the US of A proposed passed as gospel and Dr. Jim Yong Kim,a physician, is the World Bank head. This is no surprise since the Americans are the largest shareholders in the institution.

Africa can only be as influential as its wealth. For as long as we are in debt or depend on donor funding, we will have no place at such a table. No bargaining power.

This makes a case for Africa to review and refine its development agenda and strategy. It is time for Africa to define her own path, set her own agenda and use her natural wealth for the good of her people. It is time for Africa to think differently.

Anything other than that is a perpetuation of the status quo.

The numbers game- Africa has 54 nations and a total population of over a billion. Even though the pangs of poverty have ravaged the continent, the numbers must now work for Africa. This is a population from which Africa can draw for its labour and skills requirements.

To attain this, education is paramount and health a necessary pursuit. An educated and healthy population with a significant proportion being youth represents a rich pool to drive this aspiration and also defeat the perverse poverty that Africa grapples with.

This will then make the empowerment of our people a reality, thus creating the able mass that the continent needs to stimulate growth and development.

Made in Africa by Africans- We must restore our pride. We must be the drivers of our progress and destiny. To achieve this, we must believe in ourselves, then act on this belief and faith in who we are.

All we have and need can be found in Africa. Ghana imports 70% of its rice at a cost of $500m*. Is there not a country in Africa that can supply this rice?

Madagascar is currently working on an $80m Wind power project to generate 50MW of electricity*. Do we not have countries that can facilitate hydro and alternative energy supply?
We have large oil or mineral producers on the continent. Can we not aim to develop the infrastructure necessary to refine or produce finished petroleum goods and other products for supply within the continent?

We can continue on this trajectory to see the possibilities for Africa within the continent. Opportunities that can fuel growth from within and even produce excess for intercontinental export.

This is surely not as easy as it may sound or seem on paper. Then again, it is not as impossible as it appears today.

It must and has to start somewhere. That somewhere is now.

Value addition- This calls for a comprehensively different approach. We must jealously manage our resources as we offload raw materials. It must not come back to Africa as expensive finished goods when we can add value in Africa.

This calls for deliberate and strict planning coupled with resource allocation for infrastructure development to support this.

Ethiopia is an example of a country undertaking to boost its export capabilities. It now offers incentives such as tax holidays, duty free privileges and a 70/30 financing scheme. The scheme has government financing 70% of start-up costs for companies investing in the export sector. This has led to about 25% growth in exports since 2002*.

Calling the Diaspora- The African Diaspora reportedly has $50bn of savings in western bank accounts gaining negative returns*. Only recently, we heard that Africa’s infrastructure budget is $100bn annually and governments only raise $57bn of this**.

With the knowledge, expertise and labour that Africa has exported outside the continent, can we not mobilise and develop our beloved motherland through these resources seemingly developing foreign lands?

A far fetched aspiration?

In 2011, about half of 78 mobile money ventures launched worldwide came from Africa, spanning more than 20 countries*. This is just one example of the potential Africa represents.

Whichever sectors we analyse from Telecoms, Technology, financial services to trade, the continent stands in a place where development is extremely possible.

Africa must take stock of her untapped resources, wealth and its able population. It then must take steps to address the inherent weaknesses of our ineffective planning, deficient structural frameworks and governance failures. Accountability and capable leadership must be paramount catalyst factors to steer the continent in totally different direction.

That will be the journey that will present the opportunity for Africa to perhaps pay off her debt to the West. Or use the debt or donor aid to invest in sectors that will pay the debt off.

Who knows, one of the notable and proud results could be an African Financial Institution strong enough to finance the continent’s infrastructure development leading to the elusive economic prosperity.

Africa can do it. Africa must do it.

 
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Posted by on April 20, 2012 in Economic

 
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