Sunday, January 24, 2016

Criminality vs Political support

Clive Mutame Siachiyako

It is unacceptable taking political support into senseless actions. Supporting a particular political party should not be done to harm others. Instead, it should be done to convince them see sense in what the party offers. It is important to apply decent steps in marketing a political party one supports. Modernity demands communicative rationality; where through discursive praxis we win others into our political party. People should be made to connect with the values of the party by supporters who bring valuable points on the table.

This is can be the ideal political party support. But what we see in the Zambian political cadres in total criminality camouflaged into political support. Who supports a political party by running a tipper truck into an international airport runway? What kind of support is that? What happened to reasoning it out? What happened to people’s freedom of association and assembly? If someone wants to move into a different direction, they do not want to associate with you, why not let them go and build up things from the gap they left?

Violence may seem a romantic means to ‘discipline’ each other in political corridors. But there is a day of reciprocity. The same cadres will turn into something else once they gain so much ground. They will instil violence on anyone their way. To go by example, in 2013 a consortium of civil society gathered in Bible Gospel Outreach Church in Africa (BIGOCA) in Matero were battered like thieves inside the church? WHY? They were praying against government removal of subsidies on maize meal, agriculture and fuel [Black Friday]. Very arrogant responses were given to those on whom violence was meted. Nobody seemed to care.

In some situations people have been killed during elections or clashes between cadres. This is happening simply because they belong to different parties. What happened to humanistic virtues? Why should political affiliation make us bitter enemies? It is not worthy shedding blood over political divide. We have the right to belong to any party of choice. We have to respect that fact. We cannot force people to associate with us if they do not want. Let them be and we should focus on building political parties into something more sellable.

We are really taking God’s name in vein calling ourselves a Christian nation with such behaviour. What is Christ-like with the level of intolerance we are experiencing from political supporters? Nothing! It is pure mockery to the cross.

People with different views have been butchered many times and nobody seemed to care. Yesterday [January 23, 2016] the international airport in Ndola was exposed to the same style of criminality and nobody seems to care. It was later reported that the police on the Copperbelt said “we thought they were Miles Sampa’s supporters who drove into the airport runway.” Since when did supporters start going onto the runway with ugly machines like a tipper truck? Not even when receiving the President is that allowed to happen.

Historicity evidence shows that criminal elements take advantage of loose arrangements to fix opponents in society. In worse situations they have become ungovernable and take over normal running of society. This can be exemplified by unlawfulness in the acquisition of land in Lusaka. Political supporters have given themselves the Commissioner of Lands powers in some way, selling plots and reselling those that have remained dormant. Shanty and illegal compounds have been legalised by municipalities in favour of cadres’ decision to have compounds created anywhere they see land. No proper planning is done in creating these compounds. The end result is chaotic formation of townships in Lusaka and other places.

Trends of organised criminal groups that have been let loose ruin he societal fabric. It happened in India when the Bollywood, one of the most prolific and profitable film industries in the world; became the target of underground mob. The underground mob had initially helped Bollywood with financing when government refused to finance the industry. Bollywood was cheerful to get such support. Government watched things unfold. Nobody seemed to care.

But after a bloody decade in the 90s, the fabric of the underworld changed. The ruthless and brash gangsters who had replaced the old dons and their ‘work ethics', toned down their activities. Instead of contract killings and extortion, they got involved in the corporate sector, especially real estate. The mob looked at the next target. They needed continuity. The system which thought was doing a favour to them by letting them do things their way to get around life’s hurdles had long term headache to bring sanity to that messy.

The legacy of Communism in Russia also manifested into the famous Red Mafia. The Mafia emerged after Russia switched to a free market economy. The Red Mafia took advantage of that economic freedom and took control of close to 40% of the Russian economy, doing all sorts of things to get what they wanted. Sadly, most of the things they did were crime laden. The Red Mafia earned themselves the name of the “the most fearsome, violent, creative, and well-educated criminal organisations in the world.”

In the beginning nobody cared. Some commentators indicate that some government officials benefited from such actions. But things got out of hand. The group nearly got at anybody in any fashion they wanted even in other counties like USA. The mafia became very difficult to locate and shut down.

Going by what cadres are doing, allowing them to do things the way they want any further may land us into serious chaos. We are making governance institutions very weak. For example, the police are often put in a limbo when cadres unleash their vermin of others. They have to tread between saving their jobs and dealing with the erring cadres sternly. The case of often saving the job and let the violence go on. Cadres have locked up and ushered out civil servants in some situations, and dealing with such cadres has remained a daunting task to law enforcers.

What kind of society are we building really? Where is our sense of reasonability? Even as cadres, we need an iota of reasoning when sent to attack others. Politics of Stone Age are over; we need to apply ourselves differently. We have to use rationality rather than violence of divergent views.

Throwing insults at others opposition our views, stoning them and scorning them will not add value to anyone’s livelihood. Collaborating and learning from them would be cooler than this heinous approach. We need to new mindset in politics. We need a new breed of political supporters. We need maturity, soberness and dignity in our political conduct. We will stand to benefit more by reasoning together. Narrow interests are killing our society.
It is time political parties prepared their supporters to apply themselves in rational reasoning. Prepare them to work hard to win electorates’ hearts during elections. Prepare them to apply themselves differently and make politics more admirable. No party should tolerate and prepare a generation of criminal minds. It will cost the country badly in the long run, if in the short term is seems too romantic to let go. Political party Presidents have to get the grip of things. They should shake off hateful mindsets and try to nurture cadres who fit into a competitive and modern society where communicative rationality is the rule of the thumb. It is time to sober up and end the rot!!

Friday, January 8, 2016

It is dangerous....

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako 
 The phrase “it’s not about how much you earn, but how you use it” makes so much sense to what is going in Zambia concerning hydroelectric supply. It is very dangerous to live as if there is no tomorrow.  It is more dangerous not to identify what is more important from what is important. How on earth did we arrive at having to reach at a point where power supply is almost becoming impossible in the country? From the billions of dollars we have invested in roads, ‘universities,’ stadia, and other things; why did we neglect diversification of power generation?
 In a serious country, some heads should be rolling by now for allowing us arrive at such a limbo. ZESCO have been in existence for ages, why cannot it have alternative energy for heaven’s sake? Does it mean people outside ZESCO corridors are the only ones who see relying on one source of energy to be very precarious? It is furious to see things going asunder in such a manner when we have all sorts of institutions that would have provided projectory plans and implement them to save the country.

Who wants to invest in a country in so much misery? Who wants to waste their money in a country where the cost of doing business is so high because support systems are dying and cannot sustain things? We must be kidding, we must be from a different strange planet where humans bury their heads in sand and pretend all shall be well by the time we plucked off our heads from the sand.

If ZESCO cannot invest in capital projects to increase power supply and diversifying power generation, then it is not worth having in the first place. We are better off forgetting about it and look somewhere else. Talk about money, how much dollars have we gotten via loans, grants and bonds? We would have prioritised things for heaven’s sake than to end in such a chaotic situation. What is the point of having beautiful roads and live in darkness, fail to produce and have all businesses shut down due to non availability of power? We can do better.

Look at the sunshine we have, that is straight forward energy. We have the wind; we can get something from there as well. Human waste from our sewer systems can be another source of energy [bio-energy]. What else do we need for us to bridge this power shortfall? Rains are not going to be normal anytime soon because climatic effects are taking a serious toil of weather patterns. So whether we cry, cut ourselves in pieces in praying for rains, scream on top of our voices in jiving and build national cathedrals in every corner; nothing will happen to bring rains to their old good years when we had it rosy. Times have changed; climate change has distorted so much.

If we don’t think outside the box and use our heads to get around things we will be swum over into darkness and all sectors of the economy will be crippled. Investors will not come to Zambia anymore without power being available. They are coming to invest not a holiday. Without factors of production in place, forget. They will put their money somewhere. Not only investors will shun Zambia, local businesses will die too. The cost of doing business will go up and production will crumble.

First things first, invest in right places to drive the economy to where we can invest in auxiliary sectors. Energy is a major pillar of the economy. Without it, you can very little. It is depressing seeing the level of non futuristic minds in citizens and leaders. In fact these climatic change effects seen today were projected long ago and our dear metrological department and disaster management systems never bothered to utilise international data exchange on climate change or El Niño.

Why did we prepare for what is achievable to prevent the effects’ negativity? We would have invested in alternative energy, away from the unworkable hydro-power. We would have looked at irrigation systems to save the masses from impending hunger due to drought. El Niño is in fact here for another year. It is here for three consecutive years starting with 2015, 2016 and 2017. The effects will come either as floods, no rains or heat waves. That is when the metrological and disaster management departments should have gotten to work when these projections were made. But typical of lazy man’s mindset, we waited and thought something will happen to reverse the effects of El Niño. We are kidding; no miracle or magic will remove El Niño.

It is time we start investing in right places. We need futuristic energy plans that embrace different types of energy. We should stop depending on single sources of life...be it energy or whatever. We are to think outside the box. We need to broaden our horizon. 

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Grace 12 certificate vs. members of parliament

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako 
...“a minimum academic qualification, a grade twelve certificate or its equivalent”...these word are sending fireworks in the air somehow. This can tempt you to laugh at MPs for being 'cry babies'. Prior to this academic qualification requirement for one to stand as MP, [at least] two pieces of documents were approved by parliament. The amendment of the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Act and the introduction of the Zambia Qualifications Framework (ZQF) Act No 13 of 2011, which I believe most of the MPs participated in their establishment into legal documents usable in the land. If some were absent then I don’t know why they didn’t update themselves on the matters of the August House.
 Getting down to my points, the clause on MPs’ minimum academic qualification has options: i) Grade 12 certificate or ii) the equivalence. What could be the equivalence? Under the technical education, vocational and entrepreneurship training (TEVET) Act of 1998 read together with the Amended version of 2005, there is a provision for bridging courses to cover for grade 12 certificate and equivalencing of qualifications. Some of the qualifications that can be equivalenced are trade test certificates.

A quick answer on what a trade test certificate...? It’s a certification given to those assessed in terms of their acquired knowledge, skills and competence in any occupation but they don’t possess a formal qualification. I mean such a competence or skill hasn’t been certified. The technical education, vocational and entrepreneurship training authority (TEVETA) is mandated to carryout trade tests. There are a number of windows within trade test that one can have their skills assessed and get certification and have that qualification placed within the ZQF. TEVETA also currently does the equivalencing although the mandate would be shifting to the ZAQA-Zambia Qualifications Authority (if it has not shifted already). The equivalencing is done within ZQF qualifications descriptors.

Let me explain more what this means and what could amount to it. There are people who have been working in carpentry or metal fabrication workshops with friends or parents and they have mastered the skill of making carpentry or metal fabrication products. There are people also who have been working in tailoring shop helping or as their means of livelihood and they have mastered the art of designing, cutting and tailoring a couple of attires. Others have been working as casuals in construction of all kinds and have acquired unquestionable practical skills to marvel.

The trade testing is done on practical competences or both theoretical and practical. This is dependent on the level of trade test one is sitting for. There are three levels of trade test. Level 3 based on assessing practical skills. Level 2 adds theoretical knowhow of things within a given field, while level combines theory and practical knowhow. Trade test is a recognised qualification on the ZQF. Trade Test level 1 is on ZQF level 3, which is above the Grade 12 certificate. The ZQF has 10  levels from primary certificate [Level 1] to doctorate [Level 10].

Is this internationally comparable? Yes, globally there are national qualification frameworks (NQFs). These provide a number of learning pathways that are both informal, formal, on-the-job training, etc. Within the region, there are regional qualifications frameworks such the SADC qualifications framework to which the ZQF is part of. The SADC portal was to that effect established for regional comparability and qualifications harmonised.


So let the MPs and others scared of the Grade 12 qualification clause better relax and take a sit. If what I am reading in the media is true about some Mps baby-crying over the Grade 12 clause....sorry but I expect MPs to be the last ones to complain because the pieces of legislation I mentioned above passed through their hands in parliament. If they were absent during debates on those legislations or they didn’t get the real implications, then kaya, it’s themselves to blame.