Percy Mwale - Zambia: 2011

An Open Letter To My President

Dear Sir,

Am greatly honoured that I could write this letter to you. Firstly, let me congratulate you on your resilience and tenacity, and wish you longevity. You have really shown that you can’t put a good man down.

Before I get carried away, let me highlight the main purpose I’ve written to you. I know Zambia is endowed with a lot of natural resources. And am also fully away that Zambia is faced with a myriad of challenges. Starting with our governance system, the quality and standard of living of her people, the benefits from our God given mineral deposits, etc. Am compelled to write knowing that you have proved to be driven by a very strong passion to see to it that every man attains a satisfactory standard of living. And that you strongly believe that it’s attainable.

On education, it is my hope that every child at school going age is availed the opportunity to enlist in school regardless of their geographical position and socio-economic status. And also that our education system shall deliberately be structured in such a way that every one attains a skill at the time of leaving secondary school. And that they can venture into self employment as and when they so wish. At the same time, those that want to progress academically shall never be hampered because of lack of adequate tertiary education facilities or out of reach fees. I also want you to consider coming up with a system of ensuring that being either in the formal or informal sectors shall be out of one’s choice and not compulsion. And on teachers, positive motivation in form of better pay, better housing and proper training is all they need to deliver.

Looking at health, you have done it before and I believe you will do it even better this time around. I don’t want to belabour in great detail because you have shown before how our medical institutions can be run effectively and efficiently. Our medical personnel need uniforms, housing, transport, etc. Our health institutions need proper and modern equipment and medical supplies. Need I say more?

On poverty levels, like you said the other day, that it would pain you to see your own children have three meals every day when the majority of Zambians are struggling to even have one simple imbalanced meal in a day. I know your early catholic teachings will be your guiding principles in ensuring that every Zambian shall have access to all basic needs.

Mr. President, our economy does not have a lot to write home about. I know some people have claimed that we are a middle income nation. I believe that that status is simply on paper and not in reality because our people have not experienced any meaningful change in how they live. Following up on this, our nation’s main source of income right now is mining, which is a diminishing resource. I shudder to think and accept one simple reality that these minerals we boast about will one day come to an end. This is why I strongly urge you Mr. President not to listen to some selfish individuals serving their own selfish egos. We need to get the very best out of our copper, gold, cobalt, uranium, manganese, emerald, etc.

Since the demise of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM), our mining towns are a shadow of their past. The mining companies must ‘give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar’. It’s now or never. The government must get enough tax from the mines, miners must be given better salaries and general working conditions, the companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expectations must clearly be defined and not left to mine owners to decide. We are their masters and so we must give them our terms.

The other thing that troubles me a lot is the state of our media. I am just one person among the many that felt injured by the amount of propaganda and hate speech that was disseminated. We are all tax payers and we deserve better. We deserve to be given full information on all issues of public interest. No one individual has the right to choose for us what we must watch, listen to or read, especially in our public media. Mr. President, kindly do us a favour in quickly reforming the media sector by establishing the stalled Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA).

Lastly Mr. President, I look forward to the restoration of dignity in every Zambian regardless of their political or religious affiliation, ethnicity, tribe, language or culture. I look forward to every Zambian uniting for important national activities. I know that very soon, we shall be commemorating Independence Day. I long for that day when PF, MMD, UPND, NAREP, ADD, ZED, FDD, UNIP, HP, NMP, etc shall sit and celebrate together. I hate to think that such important national activities shall be politicized by letting cadres control and run affairs. Make this once again, a land so free and proud.

Let me not go on an on because there is a lot to write about. And I know you are very busy trying to constitute your cabinet which I trust shall be a winning team capable of upsetting tables.

Looking forward to your practical response to my letter. God bless you, your family, our government and our Zambia!

Yours Faithfull Patriot,

Percy Mwale

Percy Mwale - Zambia

Sunday, September 25, 2011

An Open Letter To My President

Friday, September 23, 2011

The New Look Cabinet for H.E. Michael C. Sata 2011

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