Politics of Poverty

With only a few weeks to go till the presidential by elections following the death of our President Levy Mwanawasa I cannot help but feel disheartened, somewhat scared and very disappointed. I am disheartened in the sense that politics, democracy and poverty do not go very well. It is hard to talk about politics and democracy if you are talking to someone who lives off less than a dollar a day or cannot afford to have three meals a day let alone one meal. Since the campaigns began I have seen the government spend millions and millions of Kwacha on campaigns. And this money has been used to bribe people by giving them money, food, beer and piece of materials (sarongs and T-shirt) that will not last or mean anything after this the people will continue being poor and languish in poverty and worse off then before the election period.

Honestly, how can people speak of economic growth in the country when Mealie meal (Maize Meal) prices are as high as K60, 000 (about $20) for a 25 kg bag? Mealie meal is one of the needs as we use it to cook Nshima which is our staple foods. Fuel prices are still very high; we are one of the highest in the region. With high fuel prices our transport is adversely affected. Prices on every thing are getting higher and higher meanwhile salaries have not improved in the past two years. This is a mockery to the Zambian people especially those in the rural Zambia. Those in the ruling party say there is no money but they went out and hired ‘Image Builders’ for campaigns. Ha ha ha ‘what a joke’!Building whose image? Why couldn’t they use the money  for a more profitable cause like build a hospital in Chalimongela, Kalomo (590 KM) from Lusaka, or purchase Medicines for rural Health Clinics in Sinamalima in Sinazongwe and Hospitals. Why couldn’t the money be used to improve the road structures in so many places both along the line of rail and remote rural communities or build schools in places that do not have basic school systems and infrastructure and have to send their children to community schools.

The drama continues as campaigns are still on going more lies are being told to people as fertilizer prices are dropped from K 200,000 per 50 kg to K 50,000. How serious is the current government taking the people they are ruling. That is mockery of the people.Who will subside this and one tends to ask what happened overnight for the prices to dropped barely weeks after they were increased because prices were high.

Clear one can conclude that poverty and politics can not ride on the same boat.Can people not afford to be corrupt when they are lucky to even have one meal a day. Where will the line be drawn? Is there hope for the Zambian people 44 years after independence?