Newly appointed Political and Governance Advisor for the Zambia Volunteers Network, a non-profit organisation based in Kitwe, has called on government to stimulate interest in the members of the public to discuss the national budget.
Mr Prince Ndoyi who is also the former ZANASU Vice President bemoaned the lack of interest in the national budget, a document that should be taken seriously by the public as it spells out the direction this newly elected government is taking the nation to.
He said Cabinet Office has failed to attach the deserved importance to the event something he noted is more important than some of the State functions it spends heftily on things that do not benefit every Zambian.
“As youths we want to castigate government t through cabinet office on the manner in which they treat national budget presentations. We note with dismay the substantial degradation of interest for this very important occasion.
“It is sad to say the least to see how Zambians across this country treat this national event, especially cabinet office. They have failed to attach the deserved importance to this event,” he noted
He called upon government through cabinet office to get involved in the days of budget presentations so that people all over the country can begin to take keen interests as opposed to the current scenario where it’s business as usual across the country.
“The national budget is as important as an inauguration, if not more important as it gives a direction as to where the country is going. The culture of treating important things like street soccer matches is a growing evil that must be stopped.”
“ Instead we spend heftily on useless and non beneficial and partisan functions and events, making the budget lose credibility,” Ndoyi said.
He explained that if members of the public followed proceedings of the budget presentation, they would know how much is spent in what area and would help in curbing corruption as it will be easy for the public to spot whether money allocated was used for the intended purpose.
He said the lack of seriousness towards the budget, money will continue to go unaccounted for because people simply do not know anything and would rather wait for the Auditor General’s report after money is lost.
“For instance we spent a huge amount of money on signing amendments at the Heroes Stadium unlike channeling the same energy also into stimulating interest among citizens on real issues like the budget day of presentation,” He noted
Mr Ndoyi pointed out that the scenario causes money to missing because people don’t know anything and government is contributing to this growing trend of financial indiscipline and public resource mismanagement by public officers because of ignorance created deliberately by Cabinet Office
“Even at parliament buildings you will be surprised to see how many people are gathered to pounce on the limited food and drinks, instead of paying attention to where this newly elected government plans to take this country,” Mr Ndoyi said.
How else is Lungu and his PF going to hide the borrowing and stealing of Zambias national resources?
Why do you think the Post, Muvi TV and Komboni radio was closed down??
They have to keep Zambians uneducated and ignorant to enable them to loot and plunder at will.
Copper has only helped a few individuals in Zambia to get rich through corruption and the end users to get what they want, is it a curse or a blessing to Zambia? the poor get poorer as they lose their jobs and get polluted water and lung cancer!!
There we go…..that’s wat they voted for Bros!! For them not to know what is going on – on the ground plus waiting till 2021.T-Shirts, chitenge 1or 2 Pack Shake Shake,done kikikiki!!!
it is very hard to stimulate interest in discussing ma zeros yeka yeka. How can one have motivation to discuss a budget based on hopefull borrowing and increase in taxation of the common man. I would rather watch my favorite tv show house of cards bane.
This government is as unnecessary as a spoiled ballot paper! People will soon realize that they can do WITHOUT this government in their lives. Just as they can feel that way, they can also work to remove it from office by any means available to them A slave has nothing to lose by setting himself free from enslavement!!
You know the starting point? When cities and towns run their own budgets. THAT is the only way you will stimulate interest in the budget. Fo.ols.
Wat about Ladies used to have sex during campaing especially the sontapo prostitutes,now pregnant. Are they included on the National Budget?
You’ve made my day! Though I had a good giggle what you raise is deeper as out there social problems are now arising from the frenzy and euphoria that was experienced and now the chickens have come to roost! I wish our researchers in various social fields could enlighten the public with status data positive or negative recorded on pregnancies, alcohol sales, gains in transportation, food consumption, injuries, thefts, break-ins and much more! @ Polokwane I bet you that clinics around the country must be recording high numbers of pregnancies and courts presiding over cases of responsibility denials!
Is that what had happened to PF Divas /Biatches? Are they now preggy with mini-Chiimbwis?!
On a more serious note, no one is capable of interest in anything other than what impacts them. No one including public media can ever be honest about what that impact is based on the action of others. People do not reunite stimulation they need cold hard facts which are not convenient to those who quite like an ignorant populace. If we cared then it would be reflected in how serious we are about the health, education and social welfare of every child born in to what could be a great nation. Instead we breed apathy as an art form.
People do not require not reunite. Darn spell check!
my opinion is that most Zambians are not as educated as we think. Even the so called NGOs may understand very little about the budget including our own MPs. Ask your MP what 15% allocation towards health against 21% for education means? Ask them how to calculate GDP. Ask them about domestic borrowing, domestic debt, External borrowing, tax bands, differences between income tax and duty and so on. How do you expect them to debate what they do not understand in Parliament? Do we even consider this when we are voting for our MPs? Such debates are for accountants, economists, mathematicians and those that may know figures and not as simple as saying ” janza kumbele or Dununa reserse”. Believe me, some of us commenting do not even know how much was allocated towards our won areas of interest…
Even Mutati himself does not understand the Budget. The expenditures were calculated as %ages of the total expenditure while income was %ages of GDP. WTF!
Mutati claimed that the income would be taxed as follows:
0-3,300 @ 0%
3,300-4,100 @ 25%
4,100-6,200 @ 30%
Over 6,200 @ 37.5%
This is the first time since independence that such a collosal mistake has been made. It should be the incremental slices that are taxed at the higher rate and not the total income. Therefore the correct situation should have been:
First 3,300 @ 0%
Next 800 @ 25%
Next 2,100 @ 30%
Above that @ 37.5%
But in a filaisova culture, such exact detail hurts shallow minds.
What is there to discuss? Lots of irrelevant embroidery, praising of senile plunderer and gaping “black holes”. If anything, this particular budget, like the life of Hon. Mutati, can be remembered only for what is not there and not for its content.
Mr Prince Ndoyi, if you want to “discuss”, here is couple of questions for start:
1. What happened to “sinking fund” and whereabouts of the contents?
2. What are the State financial obligations towards foreign lenders for next 12 months and from where the funds will come?
3. What is total amount lost by State controlled entities and how they will be re-financed?
WHAT ROLE DOES PARLIAMENT PLAY IN APPROVING GOVERNMENT DEBT? ALSO THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BORROW DIRECTLY. THINK WE SHOULD PASS A LOW THAT LIMITS GOVERNMENT BORROWING ONLY THROUGH GOVERNMENT BONDS. THESE JUST AS IS THE CASE WILL BE ISSUED AND ADMINISTERED BY THE CENTRAL BANK ON BEHALF OF THE TREASURY. THIS WILL ALSO ALLOW LOCAL PEOPLE AND BUSINESS PLAYERS TO TAKE PART IN THE INTEREST GAINS THAT ALL THESE FORIEGN LENDERS GAIN FROM OUR INSATIABLE NEED TO BORROW. GOVERNMENT. WE WILL HAVE ONE BORROWING INSTRUMENT (GOVERNMENT BONDS) AND ONE INVESTMENT INSTRUMENT (TREASURY BILLS) AVAILABLE TO GOVERNMENT. NO MORE DIRECT BORROWING. GOVERNMENT BONDS WILL BE IT. THIS ALSO MAKES IT EASIER TO CONTROL INTEREST RATES AND MONEY MARKETS.
.WHEN GRZ NEEDS MONEY THEY WILL ISSUE BONDS THAT ANYONE THAT WANTS TO PURCHASE CAN PURCHASE THERE BY RAISING THE FUNDS. THE TREASURY CAN ALSO ISSUE TREASURY BILLS THAT ANY ONE THAT WANTS TO PURCHASE CAN PURCHASE. DIFFERENCE BEING THAT THE TREASURY BILLS ARE SHORT TERM AND THE CENTRAL BANK CAN ITSELF TAKE PART IN THE PURCHASE OF THESE BILLS AND MAKE MONEY FOR THE GOVERNMENT BY LENDING TO THE GOVERNMENT. LOL SOUNDS FUNNY BUT IT WORKS. BONDS IS SIMPLY GOVERNMENT BORROWING FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THATS IT BY LAW THESE ARE THE ONLY WAYS IN WHICH GOVERNMENT CAN BORROW OR INVEST. ALSO IMPORTANT TO ISSUE A CONSTITUTIONAL CLAUSE THAT EXPRESSLY DECLARES THAT GOVERNMENT DEBT ON THE FACE VALUE OF BONDS AND ANNUAL INTEREST AND THE INTEREST PROMISED ON TREASURY BILLS SHALL AS A CONSTITUTIONAL…
…..THE INTEREST PROMISED ON TREASURY BILLS SHALL AS A CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT BE PAID WITH OUT QUESTION. FAILURE BY GOVERNMENT TO MEET ITS DEBT OBLIGATION SHALL BE CONSIDERED A SERIOUS BREACH OF DUTY OF A SEATING GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT SHALL THEN HAVE THE CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO INDUCE GOVERNMENT TO ACT ELSE THE PRESIDENT AND HIS CABINET SHALL BE FORCED TO RESIGN. A NEW GOVERNMENT SHALL ASSUME ALL THE DEBT AND OBLIGATION OF PREVIOUS REGIMES AND IN NO MORETHAN 3YEARS SHALL BE EXPECTED TO SETTLE OR MAKE SATISFACTORY ARRANGEMENTS WITH LENDERS TO MAINTAIN CREDIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT STANDING AND ITS ABILITY TO BORROW. NO MORE KONGOLE FROM ANYWHERE ELSE BUT BONDS AND TREASURY BILLS. CENTRAL BANK CAN ONLY INVEST IN GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL MUNICIPAL BILLS AND BONDS.
dear @honest you don’t need to be educated to understand a budget, yes it might have many zeros and even appear confusing. However, at the end of the day one should receive a simple document that sets out how much is going to be spent; where its going to come from; the cost of sourcing this money and what taxes directly affect you as a citizen…but they hide behind micro/macro economics so that we don’t see what our staple food will cost, school fees, malasha and transport money…