FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa has urged Government to consider institutionalising the office of the First Lady to enable it play a more significant role in national affairs.
Dr Mwanawasa, who is the aspiring mayor of Lusaka, said doing so would help the First Lady enhance the various presidential complementary roles in the discharge of national duties.
She said the First Lady would become efficient because she would have her own budget which would support community programmes and help meet their local and foreign travel expenses.
She was speaking on Sunday evening when she featured on a Muvi Television programme dubbed, The Assignment.
“The First Lady plays a huge advisory function to the President behind the scenes. The office has to be recognised because first ladies have a significant influence on the performance of the president,” Dr Mwanawasa said.
She said the First Lady was the face of the President in public because whatever they did was an extension of the office of the Head of State.
Dr Mwanawasa said this would accord respect to first ladies as opposed to the current situation where when a First Lady donated to social causes she was perceived to be using proceeds of corruption.
Meanwhile, Dr Mwanawasa said if elected Lusaka Mayor, she would expand Lusaka City Council(LCC)’s revenue collection base by depoliticising taxi ranks, bus stations and markets around Lusaka.
She alleged that the local authority had failed to deliver efficient services due to poor collection of revenue which was important to fund operations and pay workers’ salaries.
“There is revenue hemorrhage at LCC because political cadres have sabotaged markets and bus stations which are an important source of income for the local authority,” Dr Mwanawasa said.
Dr Mwanawasa said under her five-year plan, she intends to automate revenue collection to curb corruption and ensure that the council comes up with more recreational facilities to curb hooliganism among youths in townships.
Seems you miss that post, no wonder you are going for executive mayor. You contributed to the death of LPM because of your greed and insatiable appetite for power. Taumwine nomba, nawamba nokukota.
She wants the office to be institutionalized so that she has a second bite at the First Lady’s office as Mrs HICHILEMA II. Kwena mayo uyu nimibifi !
The plans sounds good but to implement it is the biggest problem is. Political cadres Madam will be very difficult to be removed from the bus stations mark my words.
To implement them, is where the problem is.( Fizungu)
You had your chance when you were in plot 1. What can you change now that you did not see as wrong when you had the power in hands? Kubufi kwena mwapena!
She will depoliticize markets because now these are being run by cadres? How? She is standing under UPND, does she think the UPND cadres will leave her alone if she won and became mayor under UPND? Thats why I think an independent candidate like Fisho Mwale or that ZAAA chief would make a better Mayor (what is his name again?). Vote Independent for mayor!
You now agree that revenue collection is very important. Tell your people to stop politicising the revenue collection from membe!!!