I don’t like criticising leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties publicly but sometimes there is no option but to state the truth in the hope these leaders will appeal to their inner conscience to do the right thing in leading Zambia.
The decision by President Lungu and his Cabinet to spend K2 million to consult people from 30 districts over leaving the International Criminal Court (ICC) is coming at a time when Brexit and developments from the Trump administration pose uncertainties on the level of support that may be offered to countries like Zambia. Most other countries like Netherlands and Norway have already closed shop in Zambia.
What ought to worry President Lungu must be, how a country like Zambia will sustain provision of free essential drugs such as ARVs IF the Trump administration, for instance, decide to dramatically or decisively reduce funding to the Global Fund or end the PEPFAR programs. In any case, Trump and his colleagues may ask why they should use American taxpayers money in aid to Zambia when we can spend K2m on consultations about leaving the ICC.
If the Trump administration can be discussing the repeal of the Obamacare which will affect its own people, what guarantee is there that they may not abolish PEPFAR or the Millennium Challenge so he can use the money meant to purchase HIV treatment drugs to build the Wall? I am not suggesting its an option on the American table but we must think those routes.
I know this administration is not bothered about money, is not bothered about who gives us any support because the world is not short of vulture funds or lending institutions where we can borrow. Why on earth do you think Ministers like Sikazwe or Mubukwanu would care about how much debt they will leave behind? That would be expecting too much from them. What is disappointing is that we have young politicians like Kelvin Sampa, Kalalwe Mukosa, Honourable Tutwa Ngulube, Vincent Mwale, Bowman Lusambo who seem to be practising the same politics of “I don’t care attitude” so long as the party will adopt them again or the pay check will come. These young leaders, I expected would have played a key role in advising the tired minds like Ministers Sikazwe, Kapata, Luo on government priorities.
This administration is losing foresight by spending K2m on consultations over an issue that does not affect my grandmother in Kasenengwa or my friends at UNZA. I would rather we spent money consulting whether we really need or abolish that Constitutional Court of Zambia which my grandmother may have little knowledge of due to the incompetence it showed during the Presidential Petition than asking her about leaving the ICC which she won’t understand.
The issue of ICC has a direct bearing on Al Bashir and Zuma than it has on anyone of us. I would have understood if President Lungu got the money from Museveni, Mugabe, or Zuma to come spend on these consultations but to spend K2m from our own money for a non issue, I find it hard to understand.
So will anytime Zuma, Museveni, etc say we must leave such and such a body, my President will come spend money to show we doing something to heed to those calls? Why cant President Lungu spend that K2m to address real issues he addressed in his SONA than things they talked about at AU?
If there is a genuine need to get an endorsement of the Zambian people on the issue of the ICC, surely the President is empowered to call for a referendum on any question of such nature. So why didn’t President Lungu and his Cabinet not decided to use the K2m as part funding for the Referendum which we could have combined with the Referendum on the Bill of Rights?
President Lungu, Given Lubinda and the entire Cabinet that decided to spend K2m already have a predetermined outcome but want to legitimise what is already predetermined. Its either they will ask PF members from the branch to Provincial levels to submit in favour of leaving OR it’s possible the President doesn’t want to leave ICC but he has less courage to state this plain fact to his colleagues at that club called AU, so he wants to justify remaining with the report or apathy.
The morality of spending K2 million on a non-issue but expecting donor countries such as America, Britain, EU and other countries to keep providing aid is a wrong mentality African leaders must deal with if our countries are to enjoy the fruits of development. China has nothing to lose by giving Zambia money without thinking much about these issues so long the money ends up again in the Chinese banks.
While my view has been that African leaders must be matched with people like Trump at the helm of these donor countries, the biggest problem is that the net effect of decisions leaders like Trump may make on Africa will have little or zero-effect on African leaders than it would have on ordinary citizens like me. President Lungu or Kagame or Museveni will continue leading their lives unbothered and like nothing ever happened. That’s is what is happening in Palestine where little children are dying because of the Isreali bombings supported by our countries
good observation Isaac…it is mind boggling….indeed
Pf just withdraw from icc at no cost. How much did we spend to join icc? Who did you consult? We ‘ve nothing to gain or lose by withdrawing membership. Lets focus on the game.
So you would rather PF just withdraws Zambia from the ICC like governments of other countries have done?
Go away mwanza
Thanks
BB2014,16
The P-Fools really surprise me; they leave me lost for words; totally speechless. They are thinking about spending that amount of money on useless consultation when there are no drugs in hospitals. Where did these people come from? Voting in Lungu after he had been suspended from LAZ was worst mistake ever. The man ate client’s money with impunity and had no apologies for what he did.
Spending K2million on an issue that doesnt bother anybody but a dictator when patients at UTH are dying because there is not tap water..imagine no water for two weeks!!
The only person worried about ICC is Lungu himself, not the man on the bus to Chawama. Zambians will never go to the ICC. It is only Lungu who may be planning ways of squeezing, torturing and killing innocent Zambians who is afraid of going to the ICC. Only evil doers are afraid of the ICC.
People PF doesn’t have money for this. This money was sourced from interested parties outside the country.
@Lombe:
There you go again – thinking with your AR.SE!
We don’t have any case with the ICC why should we spend all that money on that project which is a non starter? There are so many need areas where that money can go, please Mr President, don’t go ahead. Countries that are advocating or contemplating leaving the ICC have got issues to sort out with them. Let us not follow blindly.
The commission of enquiry on electoral violence and voting patterns was asked by Eddy to submit their findings within 120 days, it’s now 5 months. Any pf cadre will latest info.
Its shocking my brother, with a lot of poverty, unemployment and general deprivation around, our leadership can source colossal amounts of money at lightning speed for a non issue but struggle to raise money to pay retirees, contractors, paying newly recruited teachers and nurses. Its hard to comprehend
Just pull out pf govt, we don’t mind whether we remain icc or not.k2 million should be transferred to the retirees and poor civil servants working without pay. I know you don’t care how your new employees are surviving but am a concerned Zambian and I care although thank God am not a civil servant.
thieves…
I am as shocked as you are Isaac. I can’t understand how a government of a country with such high levels of poverty can prioritise ICC, leaving it or not. What about agriculture inputs that some farmers are still waiting for, what about paying off suppliers, what about paying benefits to people who retired more than 10 years ago, etc???
The ICC is a priority because of Lungu’s plans against Zambians. Expect mass extra-judicial killings of the Mapenzi /Choongwa style going forward. Mugabe got away with it during Gukurahundi. Museveni has been doing this for decades. Lungu is learning from his mentors, including Al Bashir.
What is the role of ICC?
Unlike the International Court of Justice ICJ, which is also based in The Hague but settles legal disputes between states, the ICC ADDRESSES MASS ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY INDIVIDUALS. To avoid prosecution, these national leaders too often ruthlessly threaten, corrupt, or compromise judges and prosecutors at home.
So, the question is: – What is Lungu’s Govt trying to safeguard by bringing this up now?
Whether Edgar Lungu pulls out of ICC or not, it has nothing to do with the poor Zambians. Its Lungu who is panicking for killing innocent Zambians during his tenure of office especially during the last two general elections where Mapenzi and others were shot in cold blood. He knows once he leaves office, those cases will fall on his head.
That’s the real reason. ICC cannot prosecute 14 million Zambians but will prosecute Lungu for what he is doing to Zambians.
Another conduit to defraud innocent citizens wallowing in abject poverty by the PF bandits. We warned you but you did not listen, now you will dance dununa reverse version 2. This leader is the worst that this country has had as far as I can remember. The price of our staple food in beyond reach and all they ever think of is; how are going to make a quick back for ourselves?We have no leadership in this fake government.
Ba Lungu naimwe fimo fintu muleumfwa twapapata. Are you not the same President who told NGOCC that you have better priorities than waste money on a referendum? You certainly sound like a stranger to Zambians right now? Mwatu alukila?
Now UPNDONKEYS don’t get me wrong, I concluded last year that HH can never be better than any bad leader that Zambia has ever had or will ever have. His campaigns last year and 2015 proved that HH will remain worse than any bad leader that I have ever seen. How can a decent leader insult people’s wives by publicly telling them to to deny their husbands their conjugal rights all because he must be president? I will never forget that rally in Chililabombwe last year!
And the donkey fuc.ker even spoke in Bemba! Did anyone tell his wife the same? Is that what xxxxx bull means? To be practised under a donkey HH administration God forbid!
Thought that I should remind Zambians how HH stole all the votes from himself!
Mr Isaac Mwanza surprises me. He says that PF is lacking foresight by spending K2m on ICC Withdrawal Consultations. How can a visionless and Clueless illegitimate Lungu have foresight? This is a Chipante pante illegitimate Lungu govt which does anything to serve its interests. Lungu is focused to establish a ONE MAN PARTY DICTATORSHIP in Zambia and anybody opposed to his objective is an Enemy. That is why Lungu wants to leave ICC, Disband LAZ and ban UPND MPs from Parliament. HH & GBM are being persecuted in Court on various frivolous charges to force them to withdraw the Petition and recognise Lungu as President even though he stole 2016 Election. The UPND Presidential Petition is an obstacle to Lungu illegitimate Rule and that is why that Petition will Never be heard in Lungu’s…
Mr. Lungu do not be stone hearted, please rescind this decision right away, you won’t lose anything but invariably gain something.
We need more voices on issues like this the way you have voiced it out. I wasn’t bothered when Lungu won the past general elections, but his attitude to development has made me really wonder if he is in anyway in touch with what is going on in Zambia.
Isaac Mwanza and many Yali colleagues really disappoint me. Firstly Yali should have been critical enough to the level of pointing it’s members to vote in good leaders. We are knew PF were rapping the law even before the elections last year and we had tested their leadership but what did Yali and Isaac Mwanza do?, they supported Mr. Lungu not handing over power to the speaker – an act against our constitution. In short Yali lacked foresight – you don’t help lawless people get into leadership and start hoping they will do the right thing when they are in office. Or help them get into office and act disappointed at their leadership. Mwanza and our leaders in Yali should know proactiveness is better than being reactive. Yali should have helped people vote wisely by scrutinising those that…
Yali should have helped people vote wisely by scrutinising those that aspired to lead Zambia and thereby guiding the nation. But instead they failed the tribal test and now are acting disappointed. It’s really disgraceful and shameful that Yali Zambia could be found in such a situation.
The PF are also championing Dual citizenship because they want to acquire foreign passports to use to flee Zambia from justice once kicked out of office. It is really sad that these guys are with insane ideas and think that no one else must rule other than themselves. They have trashed our constitution, and it is really folly that we are still keeping the Constitutional Court regardless of the fact that THIS SAME Government is NOT able to implement the decisions of its own Constitutional Court! Why do we have to keep an organ whose decisions are not enforceable?
Lungu is just trying to make sure he will not end up there!!! Our President is joke and nowe he is embarassing us with this infron of the world. We look like *****s!!!