By AUSTIN KALUBA –
THE ‘critics’ range from bitter single mothers who are no longer in power to little-known clergymen itching to extend their audience from the pulpit to the nation.
Then we have briefcase one-man politicians whose parties are unknown even to their wives.
Together with some publicity-seeking individuals representing themselves, they have all joined the band wagon to attack the President and the Government.
Not that we are against this newly-won democracy. It is just nauseating that our good democrats have only succeeded in creating a circus that has cheapened Zambian opposition politics.
The ‘critics’ are having a jolly good time since there is a platform for their ranting in the foremost tabloid headed by a high priest of half truths and liars who is giving this cabal of arm-chair critics a voice.
Unless Zambians ignore to refer to history, constructive criticism has been there even in the UNIP days that spawned ‘dissidents’ like Elias Chipimo Senior, Robert Selemani Chiluwe and the late Frederick Chiluba not to talk of the church and student leaders.
Constructive criticism is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one. The purpose of constructive criticism is to improve the outcome.
Can we classify the ‘criticism’ we are seeing now as ‘well reasoned’, ‘positive’, ‘friendly’ and ‘meant to improve the outcome. Nay!
Instead, the type of criticism coming from the noble gentlemen and women is personal, combative, petty and vindictive.
Even Voltaire’s famous quote of ‘I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it’ cannot apply to the circus we are seeing concerning opposition or criticism.
We say this regarding what Zambian politics has become. It has become adversarial, a tussle for power and acrimonious.
Consider the latest concern of President Edgar Lungu’s dressing.
Some ‘concerned’ Zambians have deviated from their role of providing checks and balances to the governance process to discuss President Lungu’s dressing.
Isn’t this stooping too low?
However, this is not strange in Zambia where politics has reached its nadir with anyone with an opinion being given a platform to air his views in some tabloids.
What we expect from the opposition is for them to give vigorous and constructive opposition that would take Zambia to the political Canaan that would benefit every citizen.