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WHAT VALUES DOES ZAMBIA NEED September 2007 The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has observed that significant strides in improving people’s access to basic needs will not be achieved if important national planning processes, national strategies and society at large leaves behind fundamental guiding values. In a context of a Basket of basic food items such as mealie meal, beans, kapenta, meat, vegetables, etc., that is costing K511,050 for a family of six in Lusaka, the recent increases in the cost of fuel, the current petrol shortages, the intended upward adjustments in electricity tariffs, value based approaches that are founded on humanity dignity and incorporate a spirit of openness, hard work, reliability, a sense of cooperation and duty to others need to be seriously considered to effectively meet the prolonged and major challenge of meeting basic needs for Zambia and Africa as a whole. These values should not only be a one-off consideration but must be a way in which the Zambian society is structured. While it is true to say that Zambia has in recent times made some advances in improving its economy in such areas as agriculture, mining, tourism, etc. It is also true to observe that most households in Zambia are unable to meet basic needs and the majority of the people continue to lead undignified lives. That is why it would be more encouraging to see even greater positive changes reflected at the household level in terms of people’s access to food and other needs related to improved quality of life (e.g., access to sustainable sources of energy, adequate and clean water, etc). In addition, changes in economic fortunes must be left to the judgement of the people who are at the centre of feeling the positive impacts of changes or lack thereof. For example, the JCTR asks, “If we subjected the question of how much the Zambian economy is promoting the meeting of basic needs of people, especially the poor, what would be their response?” It is at that critical centre, which can be referred to as “the ordinary but crucial centre” of the Zambian economy, where the test and true judgment really lies and it is where the nation needs to be open about offering its judgement of progress. Even more important in our human relations targeted at national development and other processes is, for example, a sense of cooperation and duty to others that must feature prominently in actions for national development. In a way -- in conjunction with human dignity -- this is the common denominator to other values mentioned above. A sense of duty to others will mean wage demands that match efforts; employer obligation to meeting just wages. It also implies that tariff -- electricity and of any other kind -- adjustments that will promote the common good, meaning tariff adjustments that will promote the interests of the provider and society at large and not just for a certain section of society. A sense of cooperation and duty to others is also a call to implementing development strategies -- such as set out in the Fifth National Development Plan -- to the letter, without losing the original objectives and purpose as has been witnessed in the past, including being consistent with our pledge to meeting the Millennium Development Goals, etc. Indeed, Zambia needs to promote these values if development of the whole person and every person is going to be realised. In any case, an absence of these values more than anything else disadvantages those without survival means, hurts poor people the most. To promote these values is to promote development. That these values need to be foundational of the Zambian society as the JCTR strongly believes, What will each one of us at various levels (family, community, national) contribute towards making that happen?
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Related Links September 2007 BNB @ K1,534,550 |
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