Friday, March 29, 2024

People’s levels of confidence in the PF government dropping at a very rapid pace – Council of Churches

Share

ccz

The Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has observed that people’s levels of confidence in the Patriotic Front government are waning at a very rapid pace.

CCZ General Secretary Suzanne Matale in a statement issued to QFM News has since encouraged government, to reflect seriously on their style of governance, their pronouncements, their priorities and provide the nation with a clear roadmap on where they are taking Zambia.

Reverend Matale says at the moment CCZ is concerned with the way government is handling the affairs of the nation and does not see how the citizens will be enabled to live dignified lives in their own country.

She says CCZ urges the government to come up with policies that will offer direction to the country and instill confidence in the citizens especially as a government which was ushered into power on a platform that people’s lives will improve according to the campaign messages during the run-up to elections in 2011.

Reverend Matale adds that the church leaders affiliated to the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) are sadness and deeply concerned at the prevailing economic, political and social situation affecting the people of Zambia as a result of government’s actions on issues that concern people’s lives.

She points out that the poverty levels have continued to rise due to economic hardships being experienced as a result of policies and pronouncements that government has made since coming into power.

She says government’s decision to remove the subsidies on fuel has resulted in the increase in the price of the commodity by a huge margin, which has culminated in the rise of the cost of goods and services, causing a strain on the majority of the vulnerable population who are already living in abject poverty.

Reverend Matale states that the only people who will benefit from the removal of fuel subsidies are ministers who are guaranteed free fuel, free telephones, free housing, and other free things as they will not feel the impact of the sky rocketing prices of goods and services as a result of government’s action.

She adds that the minimum wage which was imposed on employers last year has become null and void as the value of their increases has been diminished which means that even the few people in employment are back to where they were before the imposition of the minimum wage.

Reverend Matale further states that the anticipated salary increments for all civil servants in September 2013, will be an academic exercise as the buying power would have been greatly eroded by the time they start receiving new salaries.

She the Council of Churches in Zambia believes that government should have come up with a mechanism that would have allowed for fuel to remain affordable by cutting down on taxes and levies on fuel, and other unnecessary government expenditures such as on unwarranted appointments of deputy ministers who are being increased in number without limit.

And Reverend Matale says CCZ is disappointed with the manner the opposition parties are being depleted through enticement with money and good life in the government.

She says it is sad to hear a minister inviting people in the opposition to join the ruling party before ‘the honey dries up’.

She says the Members of Parliament who are crossing over to the ruling party are a let down to the nation and should not be trusted to offer good leadership to the Zambian people as their motive are now known which is money and good life for themselves.

26 COMMENTS

    • Unfortunately that is our problem as Zambians, we give people parties too much time (Or chance as you call it) even when it is clear by the very short time that they have been in power that things will not get better, in fact they are going to be worse. It is clear to all i sundry that dictatorship trends are clear in the PF government and the more time they get it will be difficult to reverse what has been done. We should not be hesitant to fire those elected as the power to govern belongs to the people of Zambia not a political party. With these guys, the longer Zambians take to wake up the worse the situation will be when election time comes. PF are not fit to govern period.

  1. What has changed now that they are in government.. In opposition, they had all sorts of solutions to all that affected the poor and they even called themselves pro-poor govt after winning elections.

    This calls for you the Church to take active role on behalf the poor and take on the govt on all issues affecting the people of Zambia. Don’t just pass media comments and sit back to see what will happen next. Media comments will add no value.

    WAKE UP FROM SLAMBER….

  2. honestly my confidence in this PF has drastically fallen from 100% to 50% in the last two weeks kaya if i will have any next election. am contemplating on joining the tribal friends the tonga bulls in their forward dance in the upnd but my conscious seems not to allow me. please UPND clean this phenomenal belief in us we will give you support… i just dont know how but seemingly thats what stops people from crossing over.

    • What is tribal about UPND, and u can’t see the blatant tribalism in PF….Gosh are u blind? I am not tribal and have since joined UPND and hey it is coser here than in PF…

  3. The ultimate stupidity and hypocrisy in our politics today is that the same opposition parties condemning bye-elections are the first to float a candidate. If they think that the PF is inducing bye-elections why participate in them. It just shows how selfish a human being can be. Some parties even have the audacity to suggest that the President should just dissolve parliament and call for an early general election. What kind of stupid reasoning is this? Do they really think the balance of power will tilt in their favor as disorganized as they are?

  4. Our cry is reaching heaven, soon the Lord God who feeds the birds of the air will hear our cries. We cried for a snake He gave us, so lets cry to Him again asking for forgiveness and be freed from the hand of this greed dictator!! It is well bothers and sisters.

  5. Am begining to wonder how my livelyhood will improve with the ever increasing cost of living, are we trying to be convinced that we were gongad, God whre are you in this? Vote of no confidence looming…..

  6. Come on guys, we have seen changes in Zambia so far: Like the airports which bear new names, increase of fuel and meal meal prices, rapid by-elections, conflicting statements made by the top officials of PF, etc. just to mention a few. And some more others are yet to come. Is this not change we wanted? So don’t complain.

  7. I respect that the CCZ has voiced their concerns. I think they should take it a step further and influence the government to make positive changes on behalf of the people. I am glad I never voted for the PF. I hope that next time we do not bring in a sensational party, instead we should usher in a civilized party that will take us forward. My vote is on Chipimo

  8. KK, (when he had all his brains) once warned us that Sata is not suitable to lead the country, like most uneducated people, he works well under someones leadership.

  9. My support also has reduced from 100% to 35%.I can support UPND but the way they insult bembas iwe mwandi katwishi.Please UPND supporters can u clean yo tribal tag and stoop insulting bembas.People are ready to vote 4 u if u can change.Chabipa saana ba sata balufyanya.ukukwata incompetence ministers nififine.Anyway,I’ll never vote coz i had so much hope Muli ba Sata.I jst think we don’t have good leaders in Zambia.Africa twasebana cine.Can Fr.Bwalya do it ?

    • Its f.ools like you who have put our country in this situation. Who told you that voting for HH is voting for Tongas. By the way what exactly is wrong with tongas? Because HH is not our tribesman you now want to resort to Father Bwalya. What does Father Bwalya know about economics and agriculture? HH’s support base has now grown. Remain with your tribalism and see if that will bring food on your table.

  10. Well,even Chiluba said Sata is not a presidential material.But I had hope in the Man.I thought FTJ was lying.Anyway let us wait and see where we are going.I can’t condem Ba sata in everything.He should be given another 3
    months n c .

  11. Even the Post is losing confidence in the man. Did you see how many photos of HH in today’s edition, though they shyed away from reporting what he said on the radio programme for reasons best known to themselves,

  12. Whilst I appreciate the concerns expressed by Rev. Matala and the Council as a whole, I believe beyond my conviction that the approach leaves much to be desired. Just like many other organisation who have very valid points on many governmetal issues but lack diplomacy.
    The approach matters a lot in the manner one presents concerns, regardless of any cicumstance. Even if one is wrong and by going on top of the anthill to proclaim the shortfalls makes it worse and fall on deaf ears. The point the CCZ was trying to drive by talking through the Media, was not directed to the Government but to symphathisers. I believe the Government would be keen to pick up some few points from the CCZ meeting if it were done through the proper channels and am sure the Government does not operate through…

    • We are supposed to be a democracy . Why should government not be condemned through public fora? Zambia is not Sata’s private home. You’re very primitive.

  13. its not only people in Government who has the monopoly on knowledge or ideas but also the ordinaly Zambians coz they were once ordinaly citizens like all of us.Let us advice them and according to what they promised and not what they have started doing now.They are taking a wrong root if this Government is here to serve the poor zambians.
    its just too soon for them to have forgoten what used to happen in the MMD…they stopped listening from ordinaly pipo……….its not far for PF to think that its only them and no one else has an upright thinking…………and by the way this government is now full of the rejects from MMD what do u expect????????????Let them start listening from ordinaly zambians

  14. Subsidies are not real consumption. Let’s look at the long term gains from scrapping them. It’s better to suffer now and live better in future through this sacrifice. What is important is accountability on the part of government. Let’s start seeing the fruits from the savings being made. Majority of rural dwellers don’t depend on fuel and mealier meal. Why should they subsidise those in urban areas? Come on guys!

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading