The Need for Punctuality

By Michelo Maunga

Recently, I attended a bilateral meeting between Zambian and Namibian delegates. This meeting was scheduled to start at 9. I arrived between 8:40-8:45 am, which by my own standards was late. Nonetheless, I arrived before the start of the proceedings. As I entered the Kenneth Kaunda Wing of the Mulungushi International Conference Centre, I noted the demarcation in the seating plan, with the Namibians and Zambians directly facing each other. Unaware of this separation, I noted that one side of the room was nearly full with the opposing end, practically empty. I made my way to the front of the near empty section and took a seat. It was at this point that my lone fellow Zambian mentioned to me that those looking on at us were the Namibians.

The Zambian delegation would only be full an hour after the meeting was scheduled to start. I was gravely disappointed. I wondered the impression we created in the Namibians.  This meeting was for the purpose of advancing trade between our two countries, a way of uplifting the lives of our respective citizens. How as Zambians could we fail to take such an important event seriously, so much so that we could arrive an hour late, with impunity. It is bilateral relations such as these that will create jobs for my fellow youths; provide incomes for families and provide Government with the revenues we are desperate for. Slowly, my countrymen started trickling in and as they did so, I could hear snickering behind me. Coming late, seemingly, is a joke in Zambia.

Eventually, the meeting kicked off and- despite this display of a lack of seriousness- was relatively productive. Nevertheless, in the aftermath, seated in my office, I could not help but think further as to the scenario I have just described. I wondered could there be a connection between economic prosperity and an issue as basic as showing up on time. I googled Namibia’s GDP per capita and discovered it was $4,865. This qualifies Namibia as a middle income country. Zambia’s GDP per capita meanwhile is reported at a miserable $1,137, placing us comfortably as a low-income country. For those who may not understand, GDP per capita is the total income of a nation divided by its population. It is a measure of the average income a citizen of a country makes per year.

Rows of empty Zambian seats, the disbelief of the Namibians; this will be a difficult picture to erase from my mind, and worse still the embarrassment will continue to haunt me. Though some of my countrymen may see such behavior as a joke, it is emblematic of a deeper problem with regard to our work culture. Unfortunately, we do not take ourselves and by extension the things we do, seriously. Everything is a joke, even things we should in no way be proud of. It is not just at meetings; late coming is rampant across offices all across this country. Until we deal with this as a people, we will continue to be poor; we will continue to beg Westerners for peanuts; we will continue to be a dumping ground for cheap products from other countries and we will continue to be ridiculed by wealthier countries.

As I wrap my article up, I hope my country men will begin to introspect and question the reasons why we engage in certain behaviors. I hope we begin to see the responsibility we each have to create the prosperous country we all aspire to live in. Something as basic as reporting for work or meetings on or well ahead of time, may seem inconsequential but it would not be too much of a stretch to claim that is one of the reasons our neighbors to the South West are wealthier than us. Efforts to grow our economy; create jobs for our young people and improve our people’s living standards, will prove futile if we cannot start by showing up on time.