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CHIPATA, June 11 - Vice-President Nevers Mumba has cautioned the media against using language that could destroy the nation.
Speaking on arrival at Chipata Airport for the 48th Local Government Associations of Zambia (LGAZ) annual conference yesterday, Vice-President Mumba said people who wanted to make contributions to the government should use proper language.
"Zambia today is facing numerous challenges of poverty which are a great concern. This is the right time for Zambians to come together and forget our differences and be able to fight this enemy of the nation," he said. "We can only do that if we learn to put aside our differences which will never end. If we think that Zambia will come to a place where all issues are resolved, then we will start to develop."
Vice-President Mumba said Zambia's development should be the main focus and that differences of opinion would not cease.
"We must always consider Zambia as the primary concern for all of us. I would appeal to all of you that whenever we want to make a contribution to this country, we must learn how to talk to one another," he said. "We are beginning to have a culture of great disrespect for one another, insults, and we are also noticing that even sometimes in the media, the choice of words is probably not building the country. But we have to choose words that will build this nation."
And opening the LGAZ annual conference, Vice-President Mumba said local authorities should be ready to make tough decisions in demolishing illegal settlements and enforce the law.
"Like central government, you must make tough decisions but in those decisions always have in focus the communities that you serve and the circumstances that surround their plight," he said. "The best way to destroy a society is to belittle or ignore regulations."
Vice-President Mumba said disregard for the law in the country had in the past few years made it impossible for local authorities to operate effectively.
"Local governments are a place where we have to make tough decisions," he said.
He said some of the decisions local authorities would take, would make them unpopular but they would ultimately be serving the interests of the people.
Vice-President Mumba said the years of liberalisation saw people resort to streets as means of survival while moving away from designated markets.
He said this posed a great challenge to the local authorities to bring sanity to the country.
"If you realise there is a community that is illegal and you want to raze it and relocate the people; you are the leaders, you are the government interact with the community, communicate with them, educate them, let them know what is about to happen or why it should happen," he said. "You must always propose options as government."
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