WE are perturbed by reports that the Siavonga District commissioner, Lovemore Kanyama has taken issue with the area member of Parliament, Darius Mulunda and threatened to flog the law maker for allegedly contravening covid-19 regulations.
Whether it is true or not that the area MP contravened the COVID-19 regulations, this should not be a beginning of physical fight between the two leaders.
The fight against COVID-19 should be concentrated on eradicating the disease or stopping the spread and not cause of violence.
We feel that this bickering is just a distraction which the two leaders do not need at this junction when they should be working together to sensitise people about the pandemic and how to stop the spread. This is no time to be showing who is strong and weak as the case may be.
The people of Siavonga are looking for help in the form of hand sanitisers and face masks to protect them against the COVID-19 pandemic. The residents are more concerned with stopping the spread of the disease than seeing their leaders fight.
Much as we appreciate Mr Kanyama’s role of whipping the district into obedience, this should not be taken literally. The district commissioner has the area under his thump and it is very easy for him to convince everyone to follow the health guidelines as provided by both the republican President Edgar Lungu and the Ministry of Health.
The rules are clear; social distancing, meaning no crowding in any public places. Hand washing and sanitising whenever possible. This encourages people to sanitise their hands when they are unable to wash in both private and public places.Because sanitisers are now expensive and not affordable to most citisens, this is where leaders alike the district commissioner and the Member of Parliament are supposed to come in and help.
By virtue of their public positions, both leaders are capable of sourcing for sanitisers and masks from the Ministry of Health and other well wishers for onward transmission to the residents.
This is what we expect the two leaders to be expending their energies on; lobbying for material to help their people.
We do not find sense in threats of violence. In our story, the district commissioner has threatened to flog the MP if he were to contravene covid-19 rules.
“I am going to flog and whip the UPND area Member of Parliament, Darius Mulunda for going against Presidential directive on COVID -19, Siavonga District commissioner Lovemore Kanyama has warned.
But the Siavonga MP has dared Mr Kanyama to try, warning that what the District Commissioner was planning was going to land him in big trouble.
“Kanyama is playing with a lion’s tail, let him come and whip me and see what is going to happen to him,” Mr Mulunda warned.
The source of beef between the two leaders arose from reports of Mr Kanyama beating some people who were contravening covid-19 regulations by drinking beer in public. The MP reportedly took issue with the beating and condemned the DC.
We believe that it is about time the two gentlemen started collaborating in their work. They are serving the same area and therefore must find a way of reconciling and working together to advance interest of the residents.
The fight against covid-19 must be concerted and this distraction is totally misplaced.
