Talk less, listen more, Kabimba tells politicians

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) Secretary General Wynter Kabimba says politicians should talk less and listen more from the people they serve.
Mr Kabimba, who is also Minister of Justice, says it is not always that politicians should have something to say.

“Sometimes it is worthwhile to listen more and talk less. If we have to be honest and indulge more in self-criticism, you will discover that we politicians need this skill more than anyone else,” he said.
Mr Kabimba states this in a posting on his Facebook page.
He said politics has to do more with public service than anything else and it is therefore about listening to people more than anything else.
He said the public does not mean one interest group but a more diverse society and more often of conflicting views.
“A leader must weigh all the conflicting signals or views from the public and make a decision that is needed rather than the one that is wanted,” Mr Kabimba said.
He said listening and decision-making are two sides of the same coin.
Mr Kabimba said even if a leader makes a decision contrary to the advice he or she receives; it does not always mean that they didn’t listen.
He said there are times that politicians have a range of options, and at times conflicting sets of advice from which they may choose what in their view the right decision is.
“I want to assure you that I have been reading as many comments from many of you on this platform [Facebook] as I can, within the time constraints that I have, and I do value the fact that most of your views, even those I may not agree with, are constructive and well-meaning and have an impact on some of the decisions I have to make on a daily basis,” Mr Kabimba said.
And Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba says the ruling party will not be detracted from its vision to develop the country despite continued unwarranted criticism from some opposition political leaders.
He said it is absurd for some opposition political leaders to continue attacking the PF as well as speculating that President Sata is still not in the country when in fact he is.
Mr Kalaba, who is also Patriotic Front (PF) Bahati Member of Parliament, described the attacks on President Sata and the PF by the opposition, as trivial and mere political gimmicks aimed at gaining cheap political popularity.
“Opposition leaders such as Dr Nevers Mumba wanted the President to come back and he has come back but we are very surprised that he is wondering whether the President is in the country.
“We have an opposition which is disoriented. We want to see the opposition which can engage the government on issues affecting the nation, not just mere politicking,” he said.
Mr Kalaba said the opposition should appreciate that the PF government has registered unprecedented development in the few years it has been in power and that the country is being transformed every day because of the various developmental programmes.
“The PF deserves a second term in office because of the success it has scored within the short period it has been in office,” he said.
Mr Kalaba said Zambians should also appreciate that the PF government has committed itself to rehabilitating and constructing new roads, schools and health facilities across the country.
He said Government will continue striving to ensure that meaningful economic development is brought as close to the people as possible.
Mr Kalaba urged Zambians to be wary of some opposition political leaders that are busy attacking the government to gain political mileage.
He said the PF will not be detracted by people bent on distorting its vision of delivering meaningful development to Zambians to suit their personal agenda. ZAMBIA DAILY MAIL