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UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) President Hakainde Hichilema
The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) says it is heart breaking that almost 50 years of independence, the country could still have politicians who lack basic understanding and the urgency for a new constitution which they themselves promised.
In a statement to Qfm news this afternoon party President Hakainde Hichilema has observed that such lack of integrity and honesty by the party in government is what does not inspire his party to urge its youths to participate in national day celebrations.
Mr. Hichilema says like many other citizens, the youths in the country have also been allegedly equally cheated by the Patriotic Front (PF) government on many things.
Mr. Hichilema notes that it was only on Tuesday yesterday, that the hopes of the youths whom he says are the future generations were again allegedly trashed by the PF Members of Parliament who voted against the constitutional motion that would have given clear road map for a people driven constitution.
The UPND leader further notes that this is why his party finds it difficult to celebrate when the youths are still struggling to get into school and are struggling to make ends meet.
The opposition leader has since urged youths in the country to take this time to reflect on the Zambia they want to live in and then see who can deliver that Zambia for them as his party the UPND is the already known answer.
And Mr. Hichilema has reaffirmed his party’s commitment to the provision of quality and affordable education through a well-managed and professional bursary scheme that will not discriminate or be based on who you know once it comes in power.
He says his party is also looking forward to the provision of quality health services, especially reproductive health aimed at adolescents.
The oppositions Forum for Democracy and Development (FFD) says it has stopped its youths from taking part of this year’s Youth Day celebrations due to high levels of poverty.
FDD Spokesperson, Antonio Mwanza, has told QFM News in an interview that another reason why his party has denied its youths to take part in this year’s youth day celebrations is due to the fact that the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has allegedly lamentably failed to address the sufferings of the youths.
Mr. Mwanza says this is why his party decided to direct all its youths not to be part of this year’s celebrations because the ruling PF has also failed to deliver the constitution to the people of Zambia.
And Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) National chairperson Kabinga Pande says youths that have decided to shun today’s youth day celebration have their own reasons for doing so which should be respected.
Mr. Pande says if it is the desire of the youths in the country not to celebrate the youth day, no one should force them saying any democratic country should allow divergent views and decisions from anyone.
He adds that it is definite that the youths have good reasons for not participating in this year’s youth day stressing that MMD being the mother of democracy lets its youths to do as they wish and desire as long as it has no harm.
The opposition Alliance for Better Zambia (ABZ) had also earlier announced that it was not going to participate in this year’s Youth Day commemoration in protest against the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) failure to fulfill its promise on the country’s new constitution.
Republican Vice President Dr Guy Scott has accused the opposition of hiding behind the issue of the constitution in boycotting today’s Youth Day Celebrations when infact they can not organise enough numbers for them to march.
Dr Scott who represented republican president Micheal Sata at the freedom statue during the Youth Day Celebrations today said the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy MMD and United Party for National Development UPND are hiding behind the constitution when they just can’t organise enough youths to much the number of his party’s youths who voluntarily came for the celebrations.
“I was disappointed to see or to not see MMD and UPND, they are saying its got something to do with the constitution but me I strongly suspect that its got more to do with the fact they can’t make the numbers, they can’t produce the numbers compared to the youths who voluntarily come down here to show there support for the PF”. Dr Scott said
He was however pleased to see the first republican ruling United National Independence Party UNIP take part in the celebrations.
“I was pleased to see UNIP putting up a little march here because UNIP was the party under which the young and women of 1964 they fought against colonialism”. He said.
The opposition has boycotted this year’s Youth Day Celebrations citing among other reasons the delayed release of the constitution and high unemployment levels in the country.
Meanwhile, Republican President Micheal Sata has paid tribute to the youths who participated in the struggle for independence of the nation.
Speaking in a speech read on his behalf by republican vice president Dr. Guy Scott, President Sata said Youths played a very important role in the struggle for independence of Zambia hence the need for all well meaning youths in the country to take part in honoring the gallant men and women who sacrificed the lives for the freedom the youths are enjoying today.
He called on the youths in the country to reflect on their obligation to the future and contribution to the development of the country
He pledged government’s commitment to enhancing the mainstreaming of youth programs across all sectors as it is aware of the challenges that they are facing.
He further stressed the importance of empowering the youths so that they can realize their full potential in society.
The president further said it was in this vain that his government has embarked on the implementation of youth empowerment programs such as the construction of universities in all the ten provinces of the country, Implementation of the Industrial Development Center IDC and the provisions of Youth Funds for loans to the youths among other programs.
He urged the youths in the country to remain focused and united as the nation celebrates its golden jubilee later this year.
And speaking at the same event Youth and Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili announced that the long awaited national action plan on youth empowerment and employment will soon be launched.
He said the development process of the plan has already been completed and will soon be launched for implementation by the government.
He also appealed to stakeholders to start mainstreaming youths in all their programs as doing so will help the country achieve greater youth empowerment and integration of in national development.
And speaking earlier, this year’s youth representative Susan Chibwe who is a student at Kalingalinga Youth Resource Centre challenged government to increase funding for the youth empowerment fund so as to allow more youths access the funds to empower themselves.
She also called on government to scale up sexual reproductive health education as ignorance in the reproductive health has led to costly mistakes by youths in the country.
This year’s theme is Zambia at 50: promoting youth mainstreaming for sustainable national development.
MMD National Chairperson Kabinga Pande
Opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy MMD Kasempa constituency member of parliament Kabinga Pande says council workers in his constituency have not been paid their salaries for the past two months.
Mr Pande told journalists in lusaka that the council workers were last paid their salaries in December and have not been paid their dues for January and February.
“Am currently talking to the ministry of local government, January, February salaries have not been paid to council workers in Kasempa so you can imagine what is going on there”. Mr Pande said.
He further bemoaned the lack of developmental projects in his area.
He says developmental programs have stalled in Kasempa since the MMD lost elections in 2011and that nothing has been initiated apart from projects under the Constituency Development Fund CDF since the PF come into office.
He warns that the people of Kasempa will not hesitate to vote the PF out of office in 2016 if they continue to be segregative in the implementation of developmental programs.
And Mr. Pande who is also MMD National Chairperson has observed that government has rushed the implementation of the new education policy which requires teachers to instruct pupils in local languages from grade1to 4.
He said though government has gone ahead and introduced the new policy it seems not ready because of the lack of well trained teachers in local languages.
Mr Pande said government did not widely consult on the issue as can be seen from challenges the policy is encountering such as the lack of competent local language teachers.
He further noted that belonging to a particular tribe does not make a person a competent teacher in that tribe because one needs to be conversant with a tribe to be a good teacher.
“From the way it is, it clearly shows that the government is not ready, you need teachers that are very conversant with the local languages they teach, for example am a Kaonde but I don’t qualify to teach Kaonde so that is the dilemma which we are saying”. He said.
He advised government to discontinue the implementation of the new policy saying his party’s view is that anything that brings conflict or problems among the people should be discontinued.
” We understand the importance of a person understanding their language but it shouldn’t be imposed on them”. He said.
Government has introduced a new education policy which requires teachers to instruct pupils in lower primary in local languages dominant in the area but the policy has hit some set backs in some districts with pupils refusing to be instructed in the local language prescribed in the area because they feel their language is superior to the prescribed language of instruction.
I fully acknowledge and appreciate that today is youth day.
However, it is not out of lack of patriotism that I have supported the stand taken by our UPND youths and their counter parts from other opposition political parties that have chosen to stay away from any sort of celebrations on this day.
We find it totally heart breaking that almost 50 years of independence, we still have politicians who lack basic understanding and urgency for a new constitution which they promised themselves.
This lack of integrity and honesty by our colleagues in government does not inspire us to urge our youths to emulate and participate in national day celebrations.
Like many other citizens, the youths were equally cheated by the PF government on many things.
The large number of our youths that are largely responsible for putting PF in office voted them on the premise that they would urgently deliver a constitution that would guarantee basic fundamental freedoms and human rights that would ensure accountability and good governance.
But just yesterday, the hopes of the youths who are the future generations were again trashed by the PF MPs who voted against our motion that would have given clear road map for a people driven constitution.
Our youths were also cheated on the provision of decent and permanent jobs, and yet our colleagues in the PF have not come back and explain to the youth why the jobs have not been created.
We find it difficult to encourage our youths to celebrate under an environment where we have a President who, while launching a project at the airport, was told that youths were killing each other a few meters from where he was, he decided to ignore and chose to run away.
We find it difficult to celebrate when the youths are still struggling to get into school, and when they are struggling to make ends meet.
Each year we offload more than 150,000 grade twelve school leavers without any glimmer of hope that they will ever live in a country where advancement is limited only by your ability and not lack of opportunities as the case is with Zambia.
Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to the youth when we take over Government.
As UPND, we reaffirm our commitment to the provision of quality and affordable education through a well-managed and professional bursary scheme that will not discriminate or be based on who you know.
We are also looking forward to the provision of quality health services, especially reproductive health aimed at adolescents.
My pledge to create jobs for the youths has not been shelved. I have shared some of the strategies with the current Government but they are not interested. When I write, they respond by calling me names. We are of the view that Government cannot and will never create enough jobs to absorb the youths. The best option is to promote youth entrepreneurs who will in turn create employment for others.
That is the only sustainable way to ensure that jobs will be created. We are importing a lot of things that can be manufactured in Zambia by our youths if we have the right policy mix and adequate venture capital.
We are constructing roads and none of the youth are involved in that road construction, simply because there is no deliberate policy in Government to do contract discrimination to benefit the women and youth that can supply building materials to construction companies.
On this youth day, my message is simple, come 2016, let us work together and ensure that we vote for the UPND that will deliver true economic freedom and opportunities for our youth to thrive.
We voted for a Government that promised jobs to youths but is now employing people that are above retirement age. Let us not make this mistake again, twachula pafula.
Take this time to reflect on the Zambia you want to live in and then see who can deliver that Zambia for you, we already know the answer, UPND.
For now, we can only urge you to be good citizens and refrain from being used for violent behavior and other socially unacceptable vices.
Hakainde Hichilema,
President
___________________________
UPND Information (PI Dept)
Ex-Nkana coach Fewdays Musonda, who spotted Ronald Kampamba and Evans Kangwa, says he is proud of the two strikers.
Musonda captured Kampamba from Kitwe Soccer Academy and Kangwa from Lusaka’s Chilenje Soccer Academy in 2009.
He gave the two youngsters a chance to play for Nkana when the club was in Division One North.
“As a teacher in football you are proud when you produce a great student, I am so proud of the two boys,” Musonda said.
He described Kampamba and Kangwa as great players.
“I am happy that I have produced these two great guys Kampamba and Kangwa,” Musonda said.
The Kalulushi Modern Stars coach is also said to have groomed ex-Zambia international strikers Zeddy Saileti and Maybin Mugaiwa.
“I have done so much about creating top men in the country, if you remember Maybin Mugaiwa, Zeddy Saileti and Aaron Lubunda all these are coming from my school,” Musonda added.
Kampamba emerged top scorer in the 2012 and 2013 FAZ Super League while Kangwa was the top scorer in 2011.
Mr Maxwell Nkole died at his Foxdale Township home in Lusaka in the early hours of this morning after an illness.
Mr Nkole was appointed Chairperson of the Task force on corruption by the late President Levy Mwanawasa in 2005 and served until 2009 when his contract expired under the Rupiah Banda Government.
President Michael Sata then appointed Mr Nkole Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs in October, 2011, the position he held until he was retired in national interest in November 2013.
Mr Nkole is survived by six children and 10 grandchildren.
Civil Society Constitution Coalition has charged that vice president Guy Scott’s remarks on the referendum is a scheme to derail the whole constitution making process.
Civil Society Constitution Coalition Spokesperson Judith Mulenga told QFM News in an interview that Dr. Scott is not being fair to the Zambians by stating that holding a referendum on the constitution will be more costly for government.
Mrs. Mulenga said the civil society understands very well that the government has other priorities that but that these should not be at the expense of holding a referendum on the constitution.
Mrs. Mulenga also wondered how government will ensure that the expanded bill of rights is enshrined in the constitution without a referendum.
She added that government should realize that a referendum is worth holding for any democratic country regardless of its financial implications.
Mrs Mulenga said it is in this regard that civil society organizations will continue to call for the holding of a referendum regardless of government’s position.
File:Youth conducting business at Mwaisen shopping centre in Chingola township
The Movement for Multiparty Democracy stands solidly with the aspirations of all the youth in our Nation.
We are aware of the anxiety and fears of all our young people as they look at the diminishing opportunities in our country. As we seek to celebrate youth day, we are mindful of the many difficulties which confront our youth. The issue of unemployment remains a painful setback to the well being of our youth. The high cost of education has made it difficult for many families to break the grip of poverty. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has continued to threaten the lives of many of our young people.
[pullquote]It has become absolutely clear that march pasts have become the only youth programs in the nation[/pullquote]
It has become absolutely clear that march pasts have become the only youth programs in the nation. The PF government has no road map to pull our youth out of the ditch of despondency.
The New MMD back in government will ensure that compulsory education is introduced for all Zambians in order to eliminate both poverty and ignorance. In order to build a modern progressive society, education must once again become the number one priority.
In the health sector, a lot of our youth have fallen through the cracks of a non working health policy of the PF. Most families cannot afford to take their young to the hospital because of lack of funds. The New MMD back in government will ensure an equitable scheme that allows all Zambians access to medical care.
As we celebrate Youth day, our young are walking the streets with university degrees but without jobs. This is extremely painful for families across the country. Due to a lack of clear economic policy by the PF, investors have either stopped their usual trek to Zambia or they have now with held further investment into our economy. This diminished economic activity continues to subtract from the few jobs on the market.
MMD believes that Zambia has what it takes to provide the necessary goods and services equitably to all Zambians including the youth. The current crisis the nation faces is that of leadership and clarity of vision for the youth.
We call upon all youth to place a demand on government to ensure that youth programmes and benefits are extended to all youth and not PF youth only.
Happy youth day.
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) cadres carry a mock coffin in protest against the continued stay of Wynter Kabimba as the ruling party’s secretary-general in Lusaka yesterday
The defeat of the motion by the Patriotic Front ” compelling government to provide a road map to the constitution making process” confirms to all Zambians that PF has legally and formally refused to give the constitution to the Zambian people as promised.
President Sata has written the final words of the PF tombstone.
This singular act gives Zambians the moral right to force government to deliver the constitution using other assertive democratic means.
We call upon the church, civil society, political parties and all Zambians to rally together to demonstrate that a lying government will never be allowed to take hold in Zambia.
As Parliament rose sine die yesterday, we would like to thank our gallant members of parliament for providing leadership in this national fight. We promise not to disappoint you. We are determined to use all possible means to get our constitution. We are ready to pay any price to achieve our goal.
This is an act of moral failure by President Sata. He promised Zambians a new constitution with a view of deceiving Zambians. Last night, he made a U- turn without any remorse. This singular act, confirms my long held view that morality is the answer to the equitable delivery of goods and services.
The last crusade to get our constitution using “other means necessary” starts today.
Students from institutions of higher learning chanting slogans during the gathering the demand for the release of the draft Zambian constitution
Police in Lusaka have detained about 42 youths from ActionAid who took part in this morning’s Youth Day March past for wearing Tshirts demanding for a new constitution.
ActionAid Executive Director Pamela Chisanga confirmed the development to Journalists this morning.
Ms Chisanga expressed shock that Police could detain innocent young Zambians for demanding a new constitution.
She said the youths from ActionAid were peacefully marching alongside their colleagues from other organisations when they were stopped and taken to Lusaka Central Police.
Ms Chisanga has since demanded for the immediate release of the 42 youths.
Yesterday, Parliament rejected a private members motion urging Government to release a roadmap for the enactment of a new constitution.
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema gestures to the audience during the meeting that was held to demand for the release of the draft Zambian constitution
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says his party feels vindicated that its concerns with regards to the respect of human rights by the PF government have been highlighted by the 2013 US Human Rights report for Zambia.
The 2013 US Human Rights Practices in Zambia has outlined a number of human rights concerns including restriction to the freedom to assemble and several attempts to stifle freedom of speech.
Mr. Hichilema said he is happy that what his party and other opposition political parties had earlier reported to the Commonwealth is now being revealed by the US government.
The UPND leader said the report is a further confirmation that there are no human rights in Zambia and that the rule of law has allegedly broken down under the PF government.
He said from the report it is also clear that the PF government is allegedly brutal and dictatorial.
Meanwhile when contacted for a comment on how government viewed concern of restriction to the freedom to assemble which the US Human Rights Practices in Zambia report has brought out, Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula declined to comment saying he had not yet studied the report which was released two weeks ago.
The Zambia Council for Social Development (ZSCD) has charged that government is wasting time by once again extending the registration for NGOs in the country under the NGO Act No 16 of 2009.
Government has again extended the registration period for NGOs by sixty days effective 4th February to 5th May 2014.
ZCSD Executive Secretary Lewis Mwape told QFM News in an interview that mainstream NGOs in the country will never register under the NGO Act and that government’s extension of the deadline is a sheer waste of time.
Mr. Mwape said it is frustrating that the Patriotic Front (PF) government keeps reneging on the promises they made to the people prior to 2011 tripartite elections.
He said that one of the promises President Michael Sata gave the NGOs was that he was going to repeal the NGO Act No 16 of 2009 and replace it with something appealing to NGOs.
Parliament has rejected by 69 to 42, a motion moved by Mazabuka Central MP Garry Nkombo urging Government to put in place a roadmap for the enactment of a new constitution.
The motion also sought to urge Government to expedite the process of enacting a new constitution considering that the work of the technical committee has been completed and is ready for submission.
The vote had two abstentions
The House was forced to vote manually after electronic voting failed following a technical glitch after a division was called.
The house which started debating the motion at 15:30 only adjourned sine die at 21:27 after Speaker Patrick Matibini read out the results of the vote.
And in winding down debate, mover of the motion, Mr Nkombo said it evident that the PF government cheated the Zambian people when it pledged to enact a new constitution in 90 days.
“Mr Speaker, it is now clear that when the PF Government pledged to enact a new constitution in 90 days, they infact played the Zambian people,” he said.
He reminded MPs that they are the mirror of society and that their conduct in and outside the House should represent the aspirations of the Zambian people.
Meanwhile, Responding on behalf of Government, Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula cautioned stakeholders against taking a partisan position on the issue constitution making.
Dr Simbyakula argued that there is no constitutional crisis in Zambia adding that all stakeholders should approach the issue in a sober and calm manner.
“The technical committee is just about to hand over the report and the draft constitution to the Executive, we are at a cross roads. We must guard this process jealously especially at the stage this has reached, the adoption process is where all the past processes have failed,” Dr Simbyakula said.
