The MMD Presidential candidate aspirant Nason Msoni has charged that Republican President Rupiah Banda does not qualify for gratuity under the current Presidential emolument Act.
Mr. Msoni says it is,therefore, an abuse of legislative powers if parliament goes ahead with the ongoing amendment of the Presidential emoluments Act.
He says dismantling existing laws for the purpose of accommodating individual interests is a dreadful way of enacting laws of the land.
The Presidential aspirant added that the essence of making laws is to protect the common good by disqualifying and barring those who do not qualify for certain privileges.
Mr. Msoni has also urged Members of Parliament not to amend laws in defiance of common sense.
The Bill that seeks to allow a serving head of State access benefits even if they have served less than three years has gone through to the committee stage.
Vice President George Kunda told parliament on Wednesday that the current presidential emoluments amendment Bill is unfair because it does allow a president who has served less than three years in office to access gratuity.
[ QFM ]
Bukabwalala bwekabweka fye awe twatendwa. Knowing our parliament as we do, this bill will pass through overwhelmingly
It is critical that we fight this abuse and shameful illegality with the same enthusiasm, fortitude, resolve and vigour that was applied to fight kafupi’s failed third term bid.
Its time the whole country said enough to impunity by rupiah
From the President it will trickle to Ministers then MP’s then Coucillors. The pandora BOx is Open now, its free for all consuption. Kufilya fya pwalala. Meanwhile us the citizens when you resign in Zambia, you lose out. No Gratuity. Atase ba mambala aba eah.
George Kunda is not a good VP and advisor to the president. He is a wrong leader for our country and such people are a waste of time taking to school. He behaves like a street boy and not a professorial lawyer. No wonder people who have not been to school cannot find any difference with people like GK.Imagine a grade seven drop out saying he can be a better VP than george KUNDA now i agree..
In some countries, if you act as a president you are entitled to all the emoluments that a president who has served two terms is entitled to. Why is it criminal in zambia for a president who has served for more than one year to get gratuity? Mr Banda has served as a president and surely he should get what is due to him.He has been working spending sleepless nights. I don’t think any of us can do that for free.He should get his prorata gratuity.
THIS MAN IS A THIEF, THIS YEAR WE SHALL NOT ALLOW THE MMD TO CONTINUE STEALING OUR MONEY, WE ARE TIRED MR BANDA JUST GO, WE DON´T WANT YOU.
R.B slow down speed kills
Amen mr. Musoni
THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE THIEVES FOR PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT WITH A HARDCORE CRIMINAL AS POLITICAL CONSULTANT.THIS EXPLAINS BEST AS TO WHY SOME OF US BADLY WANT CHANGE.
PABWATO 2011 COME RAIN COME WHAT WEATHER
Mr Msoni, of course you are right, under current laws the President does not qualify for gratuity. It is not rocket science, you can read the law for yourself.
The issue here is whether it is fair for Zambians not to adequately and fairly compensate their President with gratuity or any other form of pension just because no one thought we would experience the unfortunate situation of our President dying in office. The President took the mantle of leading Zambia during a time of crisis in the nation. He took that challenge for the nation without even asking what was in it for him, i.e. did not ask about gratuity.
It is not a question of Pabwato, pa Nkoloko or fa lizoho. This amendment would have been required even if that President had been Sata, Magande, Hichilema, General Miyanda, Ms Nawakwi, or indeed Msoni himself. That is why MPs have supported it to reach Committee Stage. The way to look at this issue is to take off our political glasses and look at the matter objectively as honest citizens.
#4, I salute you for your objective thinking and the good example of what other responsible and civilised nations do.
A country without laws will be always abused by evil lawyers(layers?) like George Kunda. These guys will take advantage of every loop hole in our so called laws to siphon money from the state. Remember how they removed Article 37 abuse office from our laws? Evil will be paid by evil. God is Mighty
Let him end parliament sittings on OCT 1st and have elections on Nov 1st.
There will no laws to change then will there?
# 4, # 8 & # 9. i agree with you. This law is unfair and must be amended to suit the current situation. The pension or gratuity is indeed justifiable? What theft is there? Whether one thinks the president has done something or hasn’t done anything the fact is that he should be entitled to a gratuity, period?
youtube.com/watch?v=f6TyObQmfOk
This is an obvious weakness of HE R Banda.. It has been said that people close to him are not advising him properly and here is one such case. This should not happen at all. Your Excellency, do the work of President and Zambians will honour you and you and your children will live in peace and walk through the streets without fear. You will make more money as a retired and honourable statesman around the world than if you take this cash that is being dangled before your eyes now. Leave the law as it is.
It is inhuman to deny gratuity to RB. Where is humanity among people advocating for such. This is the more reason Africa has dictatorships because all avenues of reason are usually clogged by jealousy and petiness. What if he decides elections will be on 31 december and arranges massive state instruments to mobilize MMD voters during such a wet voting season? Instead, this question is now under parliamentary consideration so that the country will not have a deceptful President in future.
It is clear RB is sure of losing. He will be the poorest Zambian ex-president. Zambians are unfair, RB wanted to make money from traveling allowances, everyone was on him, Now you want even to deny him ka K1billion kwacha? He needs money to keep that careless wife of his…. Give him his gratuity please.
ITS NOT INHUMAN TO DENY RB GRATUITY,IT IS JUST CONSTITUTIONAL. YOU CHANGED ABUSE OF OFFICE CLAUSE TO PROTECT RUPIAH’S THEFTS AND CORRUPTION.NO YOU STILL WANT TO CHANGE THE LAW TO SUIT CORRUPT RUPIAH AGAIN. YOU WILL MANAGE TO DO SO BUT VOTERS WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON.
MICHAEL SATA 2011.
The question is why does the current law demand a three year threshold for a president to qualify for gratuity? Didn’t the law makers know that one becomes president the moment s/he takes oath of office?
I am sure that we all would love to have conditions of service set our way, but the civilised world does not operate like that. Just imagine the chaos if we all had our way… it would better even to do away with any laws.
Every job has its own set conditions of service and the job of president is no exception.
Those of you crying that the law be changed for rupiah to qualify, you need to seriously examine yourselves again.
Are you sure you will not cry foul when PF govt starts to change laws to suit President SATA?
Let’s not waste our time, my friends Deja Vu and the rest. The law shall and will be changed, and with the support of majority MPs including the opposition (including mumbi phiri). The amendment would be in order even if the President was Sata, provided he followed procedures. You speak like this because you know that Chilufya will never be Presido, so tufilile munsenga. Period, LT next topic please.
The timing for this just does not seem right! … You will be amazed by how quickly RB will assent to this! Is this an indication that the MMD camp is just bluffing that RB will win? Do they know for certain that he is on his way out, thus the need for them to quickly ensure that he will at least go away with some gratuity?…
Why are we so petty and partisan? What is wrong with asking for an improvement in conditions of service after your company has recorded good profits? Which one of you would love to go without being renumerated? Why are we not alive to the fact that this problem has arisen because of the demise of a sitting president? Where in the consitution do we see the manner of handling the funeral of a sitting president? Why did we do things that aren’t in the constitution over LPMs funeral? We are living in a dynamic world needing dynamic laws. Please grow up and take a shave msoni and all you who hate RB. We should support this regardless of who is in office.
bafi colour ba MMD
mwaba ama torres
Kunda is seeking for favours from RB. Scratch my back l will scratch yours. Even the change it, it will be changed again by the new Govt immediately. So mr Kunda you are fighting a losing battle.change it and it will be reversed as RB asked to pay back what he was not entitled to. The law should be changed to serve all Zambians not just one thief. How many Zambians have not received their pensions? Today NAPSA is being plundered by the same Kunda &b RB Govt. Even those who have served less than 3 yrs in Govt should now be entitled to a gratuity by the new amendment. RD & Kunda will be fired by the people, so the law should now mean even those dismissed are entitled to the same, period.
This is exactly how Chiluba’s third term bid that failed also started. Mr. President, this is a battle you are not going to win. Even if you do, it will only be for a while. Even your own party doesn’t buy it.
Go ahead and change the law, but what will happen is that MMD will for sure lose these elections and the new govt of Sata will revert to the old and genuine law both on presidential emoluments and abuse of office. Then, what RB and GK are trying to do will automatically be criminal and the same law they are tossing around will catch up with them as follows: 1. RB will be asked to pay back the money with interest 2. Both RB and GK will be arrested for abuse of office and for conniving with the intent of defrauding the Zambian Taxpyer of billions of kwacha. The disbanded task force will be reinstated to vigorously deal with these serious cases of corruption; Zamtel, NAPSA, ECZ etc. It is just a few months before all this come to pass.
Nangu ni bulazo zoona utuma allowance twa travelling twa bulila. Paka nokugwina ifya illegal zoona. Paka uku amenda ka law zoona. Paka ukulya zoona. Eyashani ps zed? Meanwhile utuma services poor zoona.
Those advocating for RB’s gratuity surely have irreversible mental problems, your cognitive domain seems detached from reality. How many gallant civil servants have sadly gone to their graves without receiving pensions, while this money has ended up in plunderers dens. Should the law change to fatten frogs. Atase icalo cesu calipwa