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NGANDE MWANAJITI On Wednesday

WE live in extremely volatile, interesting, happy and sad times. It requires all global citizens or symbols of human entity, irrespective of race, to take responsibility for their actions. There is a season for everything!

Please put your petty agendas or world outlooks aside. Consider yourself a miracle, when you see another day to exploit and experience what life has to offer. Should you make an investment on a national project or a personal project? These are the types of questions that lead to either good or bad outcomes.

It is in this context that in the last few weeks I have written on the importance of values such as duty, civility, respect for the rule of law. These are important societal values which all human beings, particularly leaders (not schemers), must embrace.

It will be difficult for those who have killed their conscience to embrace such! (Those who have killed their conscience will see you but pretend not to see you, even when you are in the same lift. They will pretend to be your friends and also pretend to support charity, when extremely hostile. Unfortunately, action speaks louder than words!)

On the surface of it, it is no offence to be unreasonable, but it could be costly at a personal as well as at national levels. This time the entire world is seized with a mighty problem which has no known specific answer – Covid-19. (It would be unwise to ignore many other claims of solutions).

Duty demands a response based on fairness, justice and equity. Nobody, but personal and collective responsibility will help the world. It is only duty and responsibility that will settle the frightening global calamities beyond petty, irresponsible and un-responsible behaviours.

My experiences in other jurisdictions - in all the continents of the world, speak to fundamentals of life and living. Yes, we can blame colonialism or discrimination for the “African mess” but neither colonialism nor discrimination can absolve anyone from duty; let alone overall responsibility to self and others in the community. Lawyers call it a duty of care! (Extremely useful).

Zambians in particular talk of going for green pastures abroad (Yet the large part of the Zambian flag is Green, representing our naturally abundant vegetation and the reality of nature). I ask, if and when you go for ever, who will tend the garden?

We saw our Teachers flocking to Botswana and Namibia to render professional services. Those services are not as on demand as was the case then. It was a season! Zambians, basically refused to deal with hardships of living in their own country in preference to what others elsewhere worked hard for or offered as a strategic option/reserve.

Like it or not, the English, the Germans, the French, Americans, Canadians etc, including Australians and the democratic South Africans, worked extremely hard to have the kind of countries

TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

with attractive opportunities. It is or was no accident, but hard work.

Struggle for literally everything! Look at China – even in this global crisis of Covid-19, self preservation, was central and won the day (we can argue about it and there will be neither winner nor loser. It will all be vanity.)

The point is that, Zambians, who are my fellow citizens, must take personal responsibility for where the country is and where the country is going. I do not agree whatsoever that the country has lost direction. That the country has no future is an illusion only amplified by flash and well documented incidents of mismagement. (Take comfort in the fact that the law always catches up with wrong doers.

Do you remember how President Kaunda was wrongly accused of stealing a book and how he had amassed over US7 billion? Do you recall how President Chiluba was wrongly accused of stealing and plundering the economy? Do you recall how President Banda was wrongly called a “very corrupt” leader? Did you see how the infamous Cartel (which pushed RB out of office) led President Sata to his grave? Do you see the

finger pointing at President Edgar Lungu? Where is personal responsibility in all this industry of spreading lies and falsehoods?

Let those who either specialise in throwing stones or tantrums at nothing or those who frown at justice, equity and integrity; get on with their performances, founded on deceit. We all know that such illusions do not add value to Zambia’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

If Zambia had no viable institutions/leaders and if the country had no direction as alleged by other Zambians, we would not have responded to the Cholera outbreak as smoothly as we did. We would have failed to respond appropriately and adequately to the COVID 19 pandemic.

We would not have been able to boast of peace, unity and stability seen since independence, almost 56 years ago!

Last week, President Kenneth Kaunda (whose Cohort we should celebrate and emulate); our founding President, was celebrating his 96th birthday. He is enjoying his investment, which we must nurture.

It was Dr Kaunda and his colleagues in his Party and the Opposition; who put Zambia on the path of the Freedom we are enjoying. We are all agreed that we must build on that progress but some forms of conduct, cheap talk and reckless pedestrian opinions, and conduct are worrisome.

I wonder what would have happened to the character of Zambia, if Alice Lenshina and Adamson Mushala and crew had been allowed to sing their song and play out their drama successfully. In both incidents, danger and serious disruption to peace, was lurking but wisdom by the leadership then, summoned responsibility and triumphed. The examples of Lenshina and Mushala are important examples of personal irresponsibility. Zambia and indeed many other countries, have laws. You can protest, you can argue, you can demonstrate and many other legal things, as long as the laws are followed. Neither Lenshina nor Mushala followed the law.

As far as I know, a rebel neither follows the law no observes order! (I had an opportunity of making and giving out an international statement on the aborted military take-over by a Captain Solo. I said, “The act was not only unconstitutional and undemocratic but illegal. The dastardly act could therefore not receive the support of the human rights movement” which I had the opportunity of leading).

It is these birth pangs of managing democracies or indeed society that must be anchored on personal responsibility.

If we interrogate the practice of our freedoms, you see a clear pattern of both abuse and misunderstanding. In many instances, anarchy, which begins with individuals who abdicate responsibility, confuses dishonourable actions with democracy.

Unless in instances of lack of legitimacy; as was the case in the pre-independence days; an act which offends the law cannot be said to be democratic just because it symbolises dissent, and is traceable to opposition politics.

Among many other duties, personal responsibility demands that we have a holistic understanding of our duties and rights as citizens. This as I have said before is guided by basics of appreciating that all human beings must act towards one another with reason. The government of the Republic of Zambia, for instance is duty bound to ensure the safety of person and property at all times.

The strong position of the criminal law on the high standard of evidence (beyond reasonable doubt) a State must adduce, points to the high standards of performance expected of any government official.

In turn, individuals and citizens in particular, are expected to yield to authority as guided by the dictates of civility. Those holding public office are expected to only act within the four corners of the law, taking into account legal constructions such as (a) Constructive Knowledge (b) Public Policy (c) Reasonableness (d) Duty of Care etc

Of course I would not campaign to support an illegitimate and a brutal regime that promotes extra=judicial killings and impunity. Such a regime or governance system would have no space in modern civic engagement.

I saw President Banda being unfairly heaped with corruption accusations and charges. I saw and experienced how President Mwanawasa was called a cabbage and a dictator by his political adversaries who prayed for his downfall but are now singing praises in his death. Are we embracing hypocrisy? As far as I know, a dead person is very easy to betray.

It is little wonder that the social media is packed with lies and falsehoods, bordering on destruction. Many people believe in these cheap lies/falsehoods and one of the major problems that perpetuate falsehoods has everything to do with the magnetic power of cheating lips, wrapped in lifestyle and unfortunate emotional complexes.

If the excess baggage of cheating lips and irresponsible individuals was effectively resolved, the speed and sting of the falsehoods would be quite blunt. This would allow the nation to move without the irritants of lies.

Taking personal responsibility does not in any way suggest lack of drive or inability to seize adventure/opportunity. It basically means that you must accept that you occupy the space on earth with other human beings who you owe a duty. This demands you to do nothing but embrace responsibility.

Many would want the government to do everything. Very well; but is that reasonable/possible?