(The Monitor Newspaper June 20, 2003)
The political pornography, vanity and
absurdity of this country is bedevilling. It is, hence, not surprising that as
a country we are every day sinking into a bottomless chasm of decay. Political
leaders strut around like in a strip show, and we elate and applaud.
There is no better apologue,
which can capture our bedevilled reality than the 'Emperor's new clothes.'[1]
You see, once upon
a time there lived a vain Emperor whose only worry in life was to dress in
elegant clothes. Word of the Emperor's refined habits spread. Two scoundrels who
had heard of the Emperor's vanity decided to take advantage of it.
"We are
very good tailors and after years of research we have invented an extraordinary
method to weave a cloth so light and fine that it looks invisible. The cloth is
invisible to anyone who is too stupid and incompetent to appreciate its
quality."
The Emperor
listened, and vanity wining, the scoundrels were contracted. The two scoundrels
then pretended to weave the suit. The Emperor thought he had spent his money
quite well: in addition to getting a new extraordinary suit, he would discover
which of his subjects were ignorant and incompetent.
Days later, he
asked his prime minister, to go and see how the work was proceeding.
"Here,
Excellency! Admire the colours, feel the softness," the scoundrels said.
The prime minister tried to see the fabric that was not there. He did not see
anything, but if indeed he did not see anything it meant he was stupid, and
this he could not accept, as he would be discharged from his office. "What
a marvellous fabric," he said.
Well, at some
point, the Emperor had to show his subjects his extraordinary suit. A
ceremonial parade was formed in the town square. Everyone said, loud enough for
the others to hear: "Look at the Emperor's new clothes. They're
beautiful!" They all could not see the clothes, but none was willing to
admit his or her own stupidity. However, a child who had nothing to lose went
up to the carriage. "The Emperor is naked," he said.
Indeed,
the Emperor was naked, and in this godly country the nakedness is pornographic!
The many proliferate so-called leaders are simply au naturel emperors
that have no idea of the core needs of this country. They both weave and wear a
suit that will surely get this country out of the self-inflicted socio-economic
chasm.
Beyond politics, it
must be understood that the emperors' suit is costly. Christopher is dying; the
youth are lost in an abyss of destitution. Yet there are many of us, the media
not excepted, that stand up and hail the emperors. The fact is the emperors'
suit is just misunderstood conceptions like control of corruption. And indeed,
uncovering ludicrous conspiracies about who is power hungry and who is
not. There is no suit!
Just the other day,
a god-fearing Veep, sprang into a ZAF helicopter and went to Mumbwa to
"drum up" support for his party - the MMD. This is a Veep that wears
the suit that can control corruption. It berates me as to what corruption these
fellows keep talking about. I need the Veep to tell me what an act of abusing
public resources for partisan interests, is called.
Corruption is a
state of rot! Electoral corruption as manifested by abuse of public resources
is corruption. And, of course Mr. Veep, the MMD will win the by-elections
simply because as a people, the emperors' new clothes are irresistible.
Surely, what else
can give the Veep the right to use public resources for party politics, other
than the simple fact that none of us want to be that child who said - the
Emperor is naked? Well, could be the MMD pumped in gas into the helicopter.
Zambia shall not be
saved if people cannot construe an act of abuse of public resources for
partisan interests, as an act of corruption.
In any case, given
that within less than a month of ascent to the office of Veep, the Veep is
already behaving in a manner detrimental to Christopher, for the sake of
Christopher, his assertion that he is a reject could be - is a truism.
Behold! In the
scramble to praise the emperors, even chiefs do not want to be left out. A
chief in Mumbwa warned his subjects against supporting the opposition in the
forthcoming by-elections. I wonder if this chief realises that the money being
spent on the by-election inflicted on the poor through desires for political
hegemony, could alleviate some of the problems in his chiefdom. Any way, the
point is, he is not the child that said the emperor is naked. If it were that
he was, he would have said: "as a chieftaincy we are not going to allow
costs incurred through individuals pornographic and absurd behaviours. We will
simply boycott the nonsense, as sir you are politically au naturel!"
Well, the bottom
line is that this one saga makes one realise that no wonder lately chiefs are
hauled before the courts for criminal and other offences. They are just mere
mortals who seek not to look crackbrained in the face of political pornography,
vanity and absurdity.
Any way, never mind
the chief - he was merely exercising his freedom of mis-expression!
Tetamashimba, Liato, Mazoka, Shikapwasha and Mwanawasa better characterise our
reality. But, I will tell the story
beyond the politics of this saga next time.
For now, I seek to
argue that the emperors of Zambia do not deserve a shred of applaud or
newsworthiness. We should as a people seek greater heights of development, and
look beyond the politics and categorically state when the emperors are naked.
It is irresponsible
of a citizenry to trumpet accolades for a leadership that has not created jobs,
that is not changing the state of our health care. A leadership that sees
corruption, only when it suits them. A leadership that still continues to
murder Christopher.
Christopher needs
health care, education, and social security, and not the political pornographic
aspirations and connivance for absolute power.
In the apologue
of the emperor's new clothes, the child was reprimanded by his father.
"Don't talk nonsense," the father said. But the boy's remark, had
been heard by the bystanders, and it was repeated over and over again until
everyone cried:
"The
boy is right! The Emperor is naked! It's true!"
Understood
beyond politics, as a nation we need to assert ourselves. We cannot continue
being irresponsible and allow ourselves to wallow in regressing poverty whilst
the emperors core business is vain illusions of political grandeur. We have nothing to lose, for poverty is a
state of need. And one cannot lose that which one needs.
These emperors are
naked! They are au naturel!
