Tuesday, March 19, 2024

President Sata ready to forfeit his salary increment if opposition MPs do the same

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President Michael Sata
President Michael Sata

Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu says President Michael Sata is ready to forfeit his 10 percent salary increment provided the opposition members of parliament (MPs) followed suit.

Mr Lungu said in an interview yesterday that it was disheartening that some opposition members of parliament were using the salary increment to gain political mileage when some of them were even pushing for an upward adjustment to the recently increased perks.

He wondered why the opposition members of parliament were condemning the President when they offered him the increment through the standing orders committee of Parliament and have even shown willingness to increase their salaries further.

“The President is saying that’s fine, but we have talked to the opposition UPND and MMD and they are saying we are with you and are actually saying it’s not enough, So you go and ask your opposition members of parliament why they are condemning the increment when they gave him that money through the standing orders committee,” he said.

He said the ball was in the courts of the UNPD and MMD to make a decision on whether to withdraw the increment or not, adding that despite their utterances in the media there was consensus on the increment from all members of parliament.

So if they say they don’t want it, we will give it up because they are the ones saying that this is what they use for activities in their constituencies” Mr Lungu said.

103 COMMENTS

  1. 10% is not enough increment at all, why complain? What is wrong is that there is Salary raise for presidents and nurses.
    Nurses went on strike, and patients died, to receive a salary raise, therefore we demand Sata also to go on strike!! Eye-for-an eye!!

    • @nostadamus
      kekekekekk ati Sata should also strike!
      Sata,,, i thought this is a man of action who leads from the front?. Sata please dont threaten forfeit your increament first and challenge others to do the same. Dont give people explanations from mushindo university!!!!

    • The demagoguery behavior of the opposition MPs shows why the Zambian political landscape suffers from credibility deficit.

      Why do people elect such 1diots?

      You just cant have it both ways

    • He has been on strike/leave since he went to state house. His spokesperson is the one who is working. Why does he want any increment?

    • No no no , Sata should lead by example. He should cancel the statutory instrument he signed to authorise the increment then the increment will be declared null and void. He should for once show us that he can lead by example. If does not do this then he is not fit to lead but fit to follow. Why follow his subordinates? This is a golden opportunity he can not afford to miss. To gain political mileage he should also issue a statement declaring a two year wage freeze for politicians as well.

      Sata can make a good leader if he engages the opposition in a positive manner by acting on all sensible suggestions they come up with. The other thing he should do is stop nullifying opposition members ‘ seats on flimsy grounds because people are watching and they judge him and his party harshly.

    • Simple Sata just says let them not give me the 10% salary increment tommorow me and Wynter via ilunda chalo ltd we will do a Ka oil deal 5million dollars. That’s 20000% increment

    • But zoona iwe nzelu ulibe. 10% for millions is lots of money baba. Dont calculate it based on what u get as a civil servant. Besides, sata is a leader and shud show the way by rejecting the increment first and not the other way round.

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  2. If its true some opposition MP’s are condemning President Sata 10% salary increment, while they are NOT condemning or rejecting their increment then these opposition MP’s are playing double standards, being hypocritical and they are not ready to govern the country. politics at play and taking Zambian people for a ride. so sad.

    • And what is preventing your beloved PF Members of Parliament from condemning the same thing and which party do you think actually runs this government?

      Talk about hypocrisy, double standards, and taking Zambians for a ride!!! Apparently PF now has gullible people like you (and the five that have voted you up so far) convinced that the opposition actually make decisions on how much to pay themselves and the President. Still, I guess if people like you believed the one about 90-days there is every reason to suppose would swallow this one too….

    • The president should lead the way and not that rumbling he has embarked on. Doesn’t he have a conscience to see that a salary increment for him in this atmosphere is not politically wise. His actions are making even some otherwise useless politicians to appear sensible. In one breath, he says its not me who increased my salary, and in another, he says I am ready to fore-go my increment if the opposition MPs can fore-go theirs………. foolish to say the least…

    • *****************************************************************
      FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY

      Have you notice how sly and tricky the PF are.

      It seems now that SATA and all the PF Cadres are blaming the opposition MPs for SATA’s salary increase.

      **********************************************************************

    • People, please think! Sata doesn’t need a raise at all, everything is provided for by the state. From sugar for his breakfast to T-bone for his dinner 365 days of the year. I bet he has even forgotten how much sugar costs any more.

    • It’s the opposition who are making nose yet they passed the motion and have received increment as well why did they not say no hypocrites

    • @ 2.5, so-called UNZA GRADUATES WAKE, what Act did the opposition pass – in a House led by the PF – that had to be signed into law by Mr. Sata’s Finance Minister as a Statutory Instrument? Are you telling us that everyone in PF except the President is against the increase?

      The truth is this whole thing was cooked up by Sata himself who instructed Chikwanda to push it through the Standings Orders Committee led by PF.

      Got it? The opposition DOESN’T MAKE DECISIONS on pay increases! This is all PF smoke and mirrors to take advantage of simpletons like you so that Mr. Sata can get away with HIS OWN pay rise!!!

    • Until now, I never ever thought ba President was this insensitive and greedy. Thank God, we are back to the polls in 2016. Voters forget quickly, it is said. This many voters will not forget till afte 2016 polls.

  3. So if your neighbours decide not to go to Church then you are not going as well? Let us make our decisions independently.

    • Opportunists never make a firm stand.They depend on circumstance- it explains why Sata had a different stand in opposition and different stand as president.Its a case of same monkey in different forests.

  4. Childish. No leadership qualities here. Make your own stand, Maiko. What you are saying is tantamount to, “If the opposition MP decide not to belong to PF, I will also decide not to belong to PF.” In other words, “I’ll just resort to copying whatever they do instead of making up my own mind and stand.”

  5. Principles don’t and should never be dependent on what others will do.You should have rejected the increase as a matter of principle and not bcoz its proving to be another “Gabon disaster stadium” moment.

  6. Oh no, is this the president Zambians voted for? Why should the whole president compare himself with an MP? An opposition one for that matter? Mr sata, all the powers are vested in you, you can reject your increment without comparing your self to opposition MPs – please don’t cheapen the office of the Presidency. if you are convinced that MPs should not receive, you can reject theirs as well. If you want, you can let Zambians be the judges, (and let MPs decampaign themselves). Please tamulebutaa iyooo- are leading a nation

    • I hope you are not a typical ZWD blogger cuz your name kinda suggests it(prejudicial).But damn are you spot on with your comment.If they can’t take your thot line,seriously then maybe fyoonse bufi.

  7. Are the PF mps gone keep their increment if the opposition mps forgo the increment ? You are a man of reaction, full of amaloshi.

    • *******************************************************************
      FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY

      Have you notice how sly and tricky the PF are.

      It seems now that SATA and all the PF Cadres are blaming the opposition MPs for SATA’s salary increase.

      **********************************************************************

  8. For once let these politicians sacrifice as they have been asking Zambian people to do.And you Mr president,why put conditions on such an issue?we want to see your patriotism and this is the time to show it.Overall,i am disappointed with the whole political system whether ruling party or opposition.I have once suggested that maybe we are better off with the army at the helm than these selfish politicians.

    • No sir/madam, with your proposal, even the little democracy you are enjoying (blogging), you will not enjoy it. I think we are better off with serious Christians (not gongas). But the only problem is that we don’t support Christians. We’ve have hated them as no man’s business and accuse them falsely.

      The Bible say, ‘when Rigtheous people are in authority, people rejoice’.

    • @Howard, one can be an atheist or agnostic but with propensity to doing what is right. The DPP is supposed to be a Christian, look at his track record. FTJ claimed to be christian see where he landed Zambia. Human nature is complex and to use christianity as basis to elect leaders is not workable and not democratic.

  9. I think we being very unfair to expect mature leadership from this man. The man is just petty just like his blogaz

  10. this is the matuviest president zedians have ever had.a leader must lead by example.it didnt take obama or joicy banda to say that sh1t before reducing their salaries.does he even have advisors?i think he says it best when he says nothing at all.

    • ….A BAD joke of a President. Since the days of late Idi Amin of Uganda, I do not remember reading such rubbish from a Head of State. Sata must be Top Of The Charts currently on the whole planet.

  11. guys let us think critically can the pf please inform us which opp mps were present in the standing orders committee meeting which led to the increment coz such rubish should not even be published ba lt i am getting disgusted by the shallow men at the top a parliamentary committee consists of selected pf and opp mps so let them give us that list coz we all know that there some pro pf opposition mps atase ubupuba

  12. Is this not step father’s 4th salary increase in 2 years? Isn’t this the 1st for the opposition in 2 years? Step papa lead by example and do what is right first, your juniors can follow if the have the brains!

  13. I don’t know who running the country.
    Is it Sata saying this or its the Kitwe “Head Boy”
    UKU KUBUTA!
    Sure HEMCS saying this?
    Five years without a President!

  14. Can someone donate the book ‘Leadership for dummies’ to the president! A leader leads he doesn’t say first you do it then I will!

    • Ukushinda and Umushindo, are two different things, dude… Don’t claim to be what you are not. Flip through the pages and see the difference!

    • By the way, in Namibia you will find the Omatako Mountains – and even Omatako meeting rooms at a prestigious hotel… and yes, it means exactly what you are thinking! No word is sacred enough not to be used for anything we please… Step-by-step is not toilet paper…

    • @Kal

      Sorry to say it but its true that mushindo means anas in lenje,soli lamba,and sara languages . These languages are part of the Tonga language dialects. Tonga stretches from Southern province all the way to Central ,Lusaka and part of Copperbelt.

  15. U demons when did u say a positive thing about Sata and pf.Are u telling the world that these pipo don’t do what is right? U are not objective.Anyway u don’t expect that from these weakered beings. Sata and pf are what JESUS SAYS THEY ARE!

    • @Osmore, your last sentence is actually correct. Yes, the Lord Jesus is very clear about people like Sata and PF who say one thing, and do something else. He calls them Liars, slanders, thieves and false prophets.

  16. Bakateka! Surely u increased Nurses and other health workers by less then 4%. Some of us it was by 0.05%. Imargine by K0.57ngwee & u want 10% with conditions to withdraw it! I now believe the one man of Action we sent to plot one is dead and burried coz the one who is there is not the one. The one we burried used tobe with the poor even with containers to fetch for fuel.

  17. This has kept me wondering whether Opposition MP are indeed Opposition leaders because they have forsaken their duties of help poor Zambia who are strangling to cop with increment of most commodities, but instead they have accepting to increase their salaries and allow poor Zambia to continue suffering.
    Please can they tell us why we should vote for them in 2016, if there aim is to fatten their stomachs.

    • *******************************************************************
      FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY

      Have you notice how sly and tricky the PF are.

      It seems now that SATA and all the PF Cadres are blaming the opposition MPs for SATA’s salary increase.

      **********************************************************************

    • Really, you “keep wondering”? Then get this through your thick head – it’s THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY THAT DECIDES how much to pay itself – if anyone has forsaken Zambia it is PF!!!

      And serious…. increment in price of commodities, who’s responsible for that????

  18. People are paid out of the profits or wealth they create by working and such is the mutual intrest between any company and workers. Salary increacrements are also dupposed to be based on perfomance. Nothing wrong to increase the president’s salary if we reasoning. Leadership does not mean one u must not be paid!

    • Correct, the question is where is the money these brigands are paying themselves coming from? This is from taxation. Government operates differently from a private enterprise which is profit making. With that in mind, any pay increases to civil servants and the brigands at Manda Hill should be related to the gvernments performance. But so far the increases are not justifiable

  19. Double standards indeed, when parliament refused to ratify the Chief Justice Sata appointed her by “force”. When it comes to money he is putting blame on the same parliament to have sanctioned the increment.

    Why did he agree ?

    • *******************************************************************
      FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY

      Have you notice how sly and tricky the PF are.

      It seems now that SATA and all the PF Cadres are blaming the opposition MPs for SATA’s salary increase.

      **********************************************************************

  20. Which busa namwe?Nevers Mumba? let him be delivered first from the demons that have tormented him for too long now. After that the title pastor must be dropped till Jehovah shows him who he is.

  21. MPs deserve the pay rise as some of them have very remote constiencies and it takes a lot money to travel to such places. not only that the poverty which is rampant in Zambia makes MPs spend their on money sometimes to help their people. I don’t think it is the same with the president especially this one who just sits in state house to only appear when swearing in one of his many relatives. He doesn’t deserve it!!!

    • Did you vote Kenya MP or Zambian MP?
      Just when you are there, why not using Singapore as the bench-mark?
      Singapore Prime Minister gets USD 2,200,000 per year. But, Singapore government has also created GNP surplus of just under USD 50 BILLION in the first quarter of this financial year.

    • @Chatsha, if you were widely read you will have ready some time last year when some increment was made to the Kenyan MP’s salary, international media roundly condemned it. The salaries are comparable to some western countries that have a higher GDP than Kenya but oh no the Kenyan MP’s see nothing wrong with getting such colossal sums and yet Kebera slum has no water nor sewerage system to talk about. African politicians for you.

  22. No leadership skills here only a child will talk like this ati show me yours and I ll show you mine yaba cant believe a grown man thinking like this infact now I m begining to believe what the watch dog says about these people

  23. only you guys in civil service are enjoying big time bcoz apart from increments you have access to loans without any collateral us in the private sector its a sad story..lol

  24. And some people still become offended and wonder why many said that Michael Sata is not presidential material????

    Clearly, this man’s presidency is NOT about doing what’s right for Zambia, but about “fixing others” and scoring points for himself. SHAME!!!

  25. i can’t believe these words are coming from a head of state, “if and if only”, crap! is it tit for tat? in all this where is the poor Zambian placed?

  26. Imwe please do other constructive issues, all Government workers have had salary increments, whats the fuss about president and MP salaries? All Civil Servants shut up, you got salary increments. For all of us in the diaspora lets hope we are making and investing enough, and lastly bafikala bonse in the private sector shut up, if you cant comprehend the increments in GRZ – die or join the civil service period

  27. MCS has Mwanawasa and RB to learn from. They just said do not implement the increments and that was the end of the story. Our president should start providing real leadership and not let nature take it’s course. This speaking in the third person should stop because it is always subject to different interpretations e.g. Chikwelete thought he was appointed Lusaka district chairman which turned out to be false; need I go on.

  28. Only in Zambia. ..what happened to leading by example; look at Joyce of Malawi and the French president for examples…we deserve better than than all these greedy clowns opposition included.

  29. Show us leadership ba PF. Sata say no to the increment if you mean well and the rest will be history. But if you need the increment, pocket it and stop hallucinating

  30. Mr President you are at plot 1 and that means that you are a leader of a Nation, Zambia. When you lead you don’t follow that is why you are called a leader. So Mr. president lead, the whole nation is looking up to you to provide leadership. You asked anti corruption commission to ask or consult you before they arrest or interrogate any of your corrupt ministers (Kabimba case as a precedence), the ACC obliged, all the corrupt ministers (Kabimba hinted) in your cabinet will only be questioned about corruption when you are no longer a president of Zambia. That is your leadership decision which you took. So in the same vein your leadership should not depend on opposition MPs’ decision. What kind of a leader are you? I am not asking for too much.

  31. SataN seriously doesnt have credible and intelligent advisors! How can a president respond so indicisevely? Chela who advises SataN on press relations does not have the exprerience and qualifications at that level!

    It is possible that MPs can have their payrise but not the president! Remember that 10% of the president’s pay is a collosal amount of money compared to 10% of MPs’ allowances! We need to look at the absolute amounts not per centages which hide numbers.
    Also why should SataN put a condition relating to opposition MPs only? Why not PF MPs? After all, they are all paid from the public’s tax pot! SataN is truly the cause and master of confusion – he is doing it in his party and he will do it to the whole nation.

  32. Mr Sata for once you are the president , lead by example by refusing this uncalled for increase, remember how you condemned RB for a partry 167000ZMK now your salary has trebled since then. You will be judged by the same standard you used to judge your predecessers.

  33. Come on, it is a statutory instrument signed by Chiki (Cheeky)wanda.
    He can withdraw that by issuing another one.
    Has he not withdrawn many during the last two years of PF in power?

  34. This is a very stup.id condition Sata has put for him to reduce his salary. It means he is not ready to sacrifice for the people he claimed to be fighting for when he promised to run a pro-poor government. How can he place the reduction or refusal of his salary increament on condition that MPs also refuse to take it? Why can’t he be the first one to reject it? Why can’t he lead the way? It means he is very gready and has never ever thought of the poor people. Sata has really been exposed as a cheat and deceitful idio.t. The people of Zambia now know what Sata stands for – to enrich himself and his relatives. Just look at the appointments! Sister-in-law appointed into foreign service without proper qualifications. Zambian Ambassador to Brasil is a former receptionist to Sata.

  35. Sata is funny and he is not behaving like a father of the nation. How can he give conditions and wait for opposition Mps to say yes. What we as a country expect of him is to reverse the salary increase that him and his uncle awarded themselves with the help of his PF Mps in the standing order committee in parliament. And why this time he has accepted advise from parliament-standing order committee( because it involves money) when he had earlier on refused advise from the parliamentary select committee on Chief Justice Chibesakunda

  36. The president only asked opposition MPs to be honest and that he is ready to forego the increment unconditionally.

    • Mr Wa. Have you have of the word called “Collective Resolution.” If I am in a meeting of 20 people and an issue is raised. I alone may be against. However once a resolution is passed, it means I am bound by the decision regardless of my opposing view” It would be immature of me to go out of the meeting and start talking against the other members privately.

      Equally it would be unfair if that decision backfires to blame me.

      The fact that Opposition MPs “where there” when they decision was made does not necessarily mean that they supported the decision. Once the decision was made, it would be immature of them to come out an openly reject the increment – a collective resolution is a collective resolution

      Don’t blame the opposition MPs.

  37. Aba ba mudala ba ni dabwisa. LEAD BY EXAMPLE

    He was in the fore-front condemning Rupiahs team for the same increments. Now it is his turn, he is embracing what he was condemning.

    He should lead by example by refusing to accept. Sacrifice should start with him and not citizens.

    Ati bana nipasa chabe. Some leaders

  38. We Zambians did a good thing to vote for pf and they are paying us with evil.if you repay good with evil,evil will never leave your house.pro 17:13.

  39. Check mate!! That’s my president…i love the way he thinks ahead of these so called opposition. Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone!! Long live ba kateka! There is no chance for any party to win the 2016 elections. Mr. president i was impressed to hear all the development going on in Zambia, each time i call friends and relatives, they say the government is making us proud. But i tend to wonder why most people including most bloggers are always negative when passing comments. One Love Sata! One Love PF, and One love Zambia!! Yeye

  40. This is tantamount to blackmail, and coming from a president, it’s most shameful indeed. This lumpen knows no levels of gutlessness.

  41. SATA please stop being childish. Why did you as head of state authorize the increaments in the first place? Forfeiting your increament should be unconditional, it should talk to your inner being, it should talk to you as head of state with leadership qualities…..but again this is asking too much from Chimbwi No Plan

  42. Guys you have time to waste. State a Zambian president who has rejected a salary increament since 1964. LEAVE Sata alone and mind your own business. Why are your own presidents failing to win elections? I presume they are political raw materials like the copper we export to Europe, Asia and other continents, which our selves regard useless

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