The opposition National Movement for Progress (NMP) has called for the re-introduction of the National Planning Division at the Ministry of Finance to enable proper coordination of all sectors of the country’s economy.
NMP president Ng’andu Magande observes that re-introduction of the National Planning Division at the Ministry of Finance will also address the issue of continued adhoc decisions being made under the Patriotic Front (PF) government where Ministers have continued making contradictory statements over an issue.
Mr. Magande who is also former Finance Minister notes that dissolving of the National Planning Division at the Ministry of Finance by the PF government has taken the country twenty years backwards to the lost decades era that was characterized by total confusion due lack of proper policy direction and planning.
Mr. Magande has also expressed sadness that under the PF government the National Planning Division has been allegedly replaced by making of individual decisions by either a Minister or the President without keeping in mind the impact of implementing such decisions can have on the people.
He further adds that he pities the current Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda whom he believes should be going through serious pressure in balancing the national budget due to lack of a National Planning Division at the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Zambia congress of trade union has called for the resignation of finance minister Alexander Chikwanda for causing a budget overrun.
ZCTU general secretary Roy Mwamba says Mr. Chikwanda should not put civil servants under punishment for his mistakes.
Mr. Mwaba has also demanded that government should also remove subsidies on liquor being sold to military personnel instead of fuel and mealie meal.
No national planning division? these old men are thinking they are genius to do all the planning by themselves and yet they are scared to implement SI 32 because of lack of good understanding.
well when you do the Job alone its easy to play on figures and bury the facts. Bufi.
Am so happy with the mess PF are making I’m really so happy with the melie meal prices and now the fuel I’m so excited especially that this is hitting the Copperbelt pipo who made that tribalism vote for PF. Am glad that father Bwalya is hitting them hard mm
There is no link between Development Planning Division and expenditure. If Planning substituted other Divisions, then that would create problems. Expenditure can be higher or lower than estimated, depending on actual demands. Accept to spend on maize export and accept spending on by elections or such essential demands. Calling for resignation of Finance Minister is callous. As if you are proving fraud or corruption. You could also lead by example and set ball rolling. Beer for military is equivalent to milk for schoolchildren. No tax, world over. Now that infrastructure projects have started to succeed, it is electioneering to attack a minister.
Hear hear from another monkey singing from his perch!!!
Well said! Roy Mwaba was buying beer from the barracks for a family function a couple of weeks ago and now wants to sound clever. Magande has been making a lot of noise of late, one wonders what his motivation is. I think he misses being in the corridors of power. Come to think of it, has his man’s party ever held a rally?
Dr. Makasa you’re thinking is extremely backward: what justification can you have for not having a National Planning Committee that would constitute technocrats that understand the nuances of growth, expenditure and management of national resources? You president has NO knowledge of such matters and even the current finance minister has not run the treasury in modern times, he needs a team of well trained economists to help him plan and curry out his duties.
It is not about politicking, it is about planning and executing the said plans. Even in a household you will need a budget .
& have you seen what this spending beyond our means has done to our economy? Inflation is high and with farm subsidies removed maize from other countries will be cheaper meaning farmers will be broke…
Ba Jamrock. You clearly do not understand the whole subsidies issue. And who told you that there is no budget or qualified Technocrats at the Ministry of Finance overseeing the management of our national resources? This is what happens when you believe everything you read on some online papers and from failed politicians who have no clue or a shred of evidence on what they are talking about. The agist comment you just made really shows who is backwards.
Probably a fake or Dr. in entomology no knowledge about basic economics!
@Billy Oneya
He`s not a Doctor… ni ng`a nga, traditional healer naiwe
LIFE IS FROM GOD, PEOPLE OF GOD LOOK UP AND ASK GOD TO HELP US.PRAY FOR THIS NATION.
READ PSALMS 91: 1-16 GOD OUR PROTECTOR
Mr magande you might a have good advice for PF but in the vein its a known fact that you are looking for a job from Sata,, politics of the belly like your big brother munkombwe…
And Mr Roy mwamba whats resgination call for mr chikwanda?? has he failled already? i thought mr chikwanda was the only levelled man sata`s cabinet has
This sounds like a plot to kick out chikwanda and make way for magande..
Anyway thats PF of you, anything stupi.d is possible
DOBO
you sound sober. kudos to you.
mwana,this roy mwaba is a cheat,in this case he is just being used by membe and nchito to set the tempo for chikwanda’s firing.its a calculated move.why calling for chikwanda’s removal instead of the man who has caused the mess.sata with his unbudgeted pronouncements
@Ndobo you are so right. Mutembo and Mmembe must be behind this move. Right now I may even start supporting the so-called Kola foundation to its foot down and challenge Sata on this misplaced call. We all know that Magande had promised that the K14bn would not be paid. Plz pay back the cash you two dunderheads…..
Am so happy with the mess PF are making I’m really so happy with the melie meal prices and now the fuel I’m so excited especially that this is hitting the Copperbelt pipo who made that tribalism vote for PF. Am glad that father Bwalya is hitting them hard
To you Octopus… ‘Ignorance is the night of the mind’ and ‘Once wood, never wise’
Get real, will ya? Spitefulness is not the solution to problems which Zambians will have to face no matter which party they vote for.
nine chale, PF pre election parrot.you are still around.you are ashamed of what the mess this grandfather of yours has brought so you even stopped popping your nose on the blog.
Well come to reality
MATTHEW 22:37 LOVE THE LOR YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,SOUL AND ALL YOUR MIND.
MATHTHEWS 22:39 LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOU LOVE YOUSSELF. GOD IS TEACHING US NOT TO KILL.
We should actually be calling for the dissolution of workers’ unions in Zambia for living at the expense of workers. Mr. Roy Mwaba is more fat than when he entered ZCTU because he and other union leaders of most public service unions have been helping themselves to workers’ contributions without accounting for them.
I totally agree with you.
mr magande you had a planning section what were you planing because we didnt see the implementation
@ bwalya are you a Zambian to ask such a question?
Magande former minister of Finance and Roy Mwaba. All the money from the budget over run can it be accounted for? If Not table this in parliament so that we do have a way forward and let people who can o something legally do so.
Go Sata Go! Burn Zambia to ashes! And Out of the ashes a new Zambia shall be rebuilt! Your Presidency is a lesson to Zambians never to experiment with leadership. The Presidency is not for quarter literates ! How can you have a leader who doesn’t understand what a budget is?
Chimbwi no plan. That is your PF. Useless i.d.i.o.t.s
Things will only work when government workers and every one involved stop thinking about allowances. same civil servants who worked in the MMD are still serving in PF so i don’t see the reason why people can not think and plan just because the national planning division is abolished. does it mean we also abolish the thinking and the brains are ceased. am worried because someone there is happy to see other people suffer and expecting to be put into power in 2016.
Even without abolishing of National planning division the budget problems could have been there at MOF as Sata like running things without consulting right people eg over nominating mps which a civics pupil know the correct number, appointing charle museba etc the list is endless.
Talk of chimbwe no plan. When HH said sata is cnp people said he has insulted sata. HH has been vindicated.
H was very right about the CNP govt.
WE VOTED PF BASED ON TRIBALISM,NOW THE COUNTRY IS PAYING THE CONSEQUENCES.THE COUNTRY IS ON THE VERGE OF ANARCHY AND TOTAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE AND YET THE TRIBES MATE CAN NOT SEE ANY PROBLEM.
What is the function of a budget? I thought it is for planning. Have they retrenched those who were in Planning? No. So i do not see how things will not work out.
Iwe @15,Zambia never voted on tribal lines. It is you language which is getting tribal because your choice was not what many Zambians wanted. People wanted to test power from a different angle. If SATA and PF are LUNATICS the people of Zambia have learnt a lesson and will vote wisely next general election. “UKUPESHA ILUNGU KWENDAMO” .Zambians have come to know the true colours of PF and will think and vote wisely next time…..
Magande, choose Mamon or God. Not today you’re Christian and tomorrow you’re Bahai. You were prasing PF for subsidies last week.