20091228
allafrica

THE position of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema on Chinese investment is one which his pact co-leader and partner Michael Sata should emulate.

It is something to be emulated because political leaders must learn to differentiate between what is partisan and what is in national interest whenever they take positions on issues.

The notion that opposition leaders must always disagree with Government is one which must be discouraged if not totally discarded.

There must be issues which all political leaders agree on and one such issue is that investment which benefits the greater good of the society must be supported.

Mr Sata, like his co-leader, must admit that the investment which Chinese firms have poured into the Zambian economy is benefiting the country and there is absolutely no need to rubbish it just for the sake of scoring political points.

What is important is how Zambia, as a country, harnesses the investment to maximise benefits for the local economy and citizens and this can be done in several ways.

One, is ensuring that the investors adhere to the country's labour laws and the if labour laws have weaknesses, then legislative authorities must move to amend and strengthen them so that the workers employed by foreign companies are not disadvantaged.

The other, is ensuring that the tax laws are tailored in a way that all investors make contributions to the central treasury commensurate with the benefits they are deriving from operating in Zambia.

But at the same time, they should not be strangled out of business by excessive tax demands.

The key, really, is that it should not be an issue as to where the investment comes from as long as it is genuine and adds value to the Zambian economy, as Chinese investment is doing.

It should also be realised that since the investment is long term, it does not matter who is in power at a given time since it is for the benefit of the country rather than individuals.

That is why the style of politics that focuses on confrontation and controversy all the time must be condemned because all political parties should be working for the good of the nation.

Hopefully, Mr Hichilema's stance is a realisation that the politics that is practised by Mr Sata is not something that should be emulated all the time on every issue.