Sat, 27 Jan 2018 10:16:01 +0000
ABUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ALARMING
Dear Editor,
Since the advent of social media, communication has become quick and easier through various media platforms available.
However, I wish to register my displeasure at the levels of abuse of these platforms, especially Whatsap and Facebook.
Fellow Zambians, these platforms are meant to help us communicate quickly and effectively without having to walk distances to where services can be provided as it was before the dawn of technology.
But it is sad that these platforms are being used to send immoral materials such as pictures of nude people and other pornographic stuff which are corrupting the minds of our children. People are so excited about posting and forwarding items and as such don’t care to censor what they post.
Surely, why post embarrassing videos and let them go viral, despite knowing very well that even our daughters and sons will access them?
Instead of using technology to help us progress, it has turned out to be a monster eating the very fibre of our society, contributing to moral decay. Where are we going?
Yes it’s a fast-changing world, but this does not mean throwing away our rich cultural norms which abhor posting pictures or videos which are in bad taste.
Fellow Zambians, remember we are a Christian Nation, so let’s be mindful of what we post on social media – not all that glitters is gold.
Concerned citizen, LUSAKA
——————————————-
Let soldiers do the right thing…
Dear Editor
Your story in DN of Thursday 25 January 2018 “Soldiers Violated Journalist’s Rights” (page 23) and “ZAF officers probed” refers and appears to have received wide coverage in your newspaper, rightly so, because it was your journalist who was involved.
The focus should not just be on the DN journalist, rather on the expected conduct of men and women in uniform when they deal with civilians. Many unknown men and women did receive unfair and unequal brute force from the uniformed forces.
There is a recent widely circulated video of a 16 year old Palestinian girl slapping an Israeli soldier. The same girl previously bit another soldier. What shocked me was the soldier’s response. He did not hit back or even physically threaten the girl. What lessons can our men and women in uniform learn from this? I recently overheard one uniformed woman cautioning: “If you do not obey my orders, I will man-handle you”. This culture of easily and at any given opportunity ‘man-handling’ civilians should really be looked at the same way that corporal punishment has been dealt with in public schools. It has been widely abused.
Our police and army in particular are very well known to unleash brute force on civilians and dress in war-like combat and are very physical and seem to adequately prepare to inflict maximum pain and fear in civilians as they go about their operations. We appreciate the fearsome look, attire and well choreographed tactics but public funds are not meant to train the police and army to use such skills on unarmed, untrained, innocent and harmless civilians. Uniformed men and women should realise that while they may draw comfort that they have used their war-like training skills and maximum brute force on civilians, this is not what will make them stronger, braver, or even earn respect among their peers. We will be more proud of them if they used such against marauding armies and militias that torment our brothers and sisters in borderline districts, more so the DRC border lines. Reckless, rampant and thrilling use of tear gas by the police for instance is not a mark of excellence, rather a mark of great weakness and judgment, if not a mark of poor training.
All in all, our men and women in uniform need to learn from the Israeli forces on how to deal with unarmed civilians. The case of the DN journalist should perhaps be used as a basis to advocate for better training of our uniformed forces on how they ought to intervene/behave when dealing with civilians.
Sincerely , Thula Kaira
—————————————————-
FRA should pay its contractual workers
Editor,
I write to appeal to the Minister of Agriculture Honourable Dora Siliya to compel Food Reserve Agency t have a human face and pay its contractual seasonal workers.
FRA has not paid depot clerks, guards and loaders their November 2017 salaries when government is reported in media to have released colossal sums of money to Food Reserve Agency on several occasions.
With this information, those contractual workers who were engaged to help the agency with various works feel cheated and actually not appreciated for the services they rendered to the agency.
Importantly to note also is that these employees are mainly youths who sought to earn a living by undertaking such tedious jobs.
It is therefore unfair for FRA not to have paid their November salaries when the season has closed.
It is also important that the Ministry in charge puts in place a deliberate policy where such contractual workers are paid immediately the season comes to the end to avoid the inconvenience it brings especially to those deployed in far flying areas.
So, let FRA own up and pay these youths.
Wisdom Muyunda, Chingola
—————————-
Chingola ZESCO must improve
Dear editor
I want to castigate Chingola Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) for its poor service which has profoundly affected residents in areas such as Chabanyama, Twatasha, Maiteneke and SNDP. Others are Tula, part of Chiwempala and Chiwempala Sub Superior.
It is very unfortunate that these areas are always subject of intermittent power supply especially during rainy season whereas other areas such as town to mention but only a few always have stable power supply.
I feel that ZESCO purposely neglects low cost areas due to stereotyping because even with the slightest listening, supply gets interrupted but it does not affect prime areas. That is totally unfair. With the recently increased electricity tariffs, ZESCO is expected to improve in terms of service delivery.
McDonald Mulongoti former Chingola mayor
———————————————-
Capital punishment should stop
Dear Editor,
As I write my heart is in deep pain when I look back to see how we struggle and fought in order to build and put the party in power Patriotic Front. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice in volumes. Alas there is an English phrase which says and I quote, “it take a lot of time to build than to destroy”. Cleaning the town and controlling vending is good but how soldiers behave. I don’t know if that is the way. The other day at Honda opposite ZRA offices Kabwe roundabout, I was in a minibus around 15:46 hrs when a vendor selling car wipers was spotted by the men in uniform. He was caught and brutally beaten to an extent of bashing his head to a stationary Vitz car. It was sad to witness that. I want to remind those who mean well to reconsider that the same vendors voted for the government so let us treat them as human beings. If one commits a crime there is a law . Why not take the offender to police so that he faces the same law he has broken in court. That is the best way I feel than that brutal and corporal punishment we witness. Not everyone can cope with that harsh treatment that they get in their training. No please spare us, we are all Zambians and deserve dignity. Let these soldiers never give room to opposition to win voters as they sympathise with them.
Concerned citizen
