I wish to comment on Vice-President George Kunda’s shameless call for a financial stimulus package financed by Western countries, which appeared in the Times of Zambia of September 15, 2009 under the title “Africa deserves financial stimulus package – Veep.” He made the call during a high-level meeting of Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean (ESA-IO) regions and the European Commission.

The call is an embarrassment to the people of Zambia. It shows that we have actually failed to govern ourselves almost 45 years after independence. Besides, the Honorable Vice-President should know that some leaders in developed economies are being accused by their people of misusing public resources by bailing out failing local companies. One can easily surmise what would happen to such leaders if they decided to bail out mismanaged African economies.

As I have often maintained, donor countries do not have unlimited resources; they have to make do with scarce resources by going through public expenditures line by line, program by program, agency by agency, department by department, and ministry by ministry in order to eliminate unnecessary application of public funds. We need to start doing the same in order to wean our beloved country from its current dependence on donor funding.

In January 2009, the Vice-president was quoted as having defended the bloated Zambian Cabinet as follows: “I believe that our government is of the right size, representative and effective. I know that there have been calls from many sections of society to reduce the size of our Cabinet, but I think it is the right size.”

There is a need for the government to perform existing and planned essential government functions with a smaller number of Cabinet Ministers by abolishing some of the government ministries which do not seem to add any value to the dispensation of public services, and merging some of the ministries which have similar functions.

Civil servants in ministries to be abolished or merged should be encouraged to seek early retirement with full benefits. Professional and skilled civil servants should be re-deployed in the new government ministries, as well as in government agencies.

There is also a need to abolish the positions of Deputy Minister, Provincial Minister, Provincial Permanent Secretary and District Commissioner, as well as reduce the number of Zambia’s foreign embassies by having clusters of countries to be served by single embassies.

To paraphrase Mr. Bill Clinton’s words, there is a need for us to create a government that is smaller, that lives within its means, and that does more with less. Otherwise we will continue to embarrass ourselves by continuing to beg for assistance from wealthy nations.[quote]

And we will continue to be chastised by some officials in donor count­ries who rightly or wrongly believe that Africa lacks compe­tent people to provide sound leadership in commerce, industry and government. The follo­wing words of an unnamed aid official quoted by Timberlake on page 199 of his book entitled Africa in Crisis: The Causes, the Cures of Environ­men­tal Bankruptcy (published by New Society Publishers in 1986) should, therefore, not be surprising: “In a sense, we’re talking about … sending smart white boys in to tell them how to run their countries.”

Clearly, we need leaders who are willing to develop new attitudes, skills and strategies in order to wrestle successfully with the complex and volatile socio-economic conditions of our time. And such leaders should be technocrats, and not clueless figureheads like a good number of those incompetents who are in President Rupiah Banda’s administration who seem to be preoccupied with promoting the interests of the ruling party and its members.

Zambians are fed up of government leaders whose functions seem to be that of whining and bickering day in, day out.

Patriotic Front (PF) Mandevu Member of Parliament (MP), Jean Kapata, has accused the ruling Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) for not preaching democracy and exhibiting the tenets of democracy that the party was founded on.

Mrs Kapata says postponing the holding of the MMD National Convention to somewhere after 2011 is a sign that the party is waving away the principles of democracy.

She says President Rupiah Banda should not be feared but allowed to be challenged now at the MMD convention as opposed to postponing the convention if truly the ruling party is practicing multipartysm.

Mrs. Kapata was speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today.

She said calls by MMD party cadres from districts, provinces and senior National Executive Committee (NEC) members against holding the convention this year are not justified for a party in government that is also ruling.

“President Banda should be subjected to a national convention to see if people want him because waving away to hold a convention this year is stepping away from the principles of democracy. MMD should preach democracy the party was founded on.

“What are they fearing for not holding the convention now when former republican president, Frederick Chiluba and the late Levy Mwanawasa passed through the same process and they were elected. Calls by MMD cadres to postpone the convention are not justified,” she said.

She said former MMD party and republican president, Chiluba and departed the late Mwanawasa were elected at the National Convention and wondered why Mr Banda could not be subjected to national convention where his two predecessors passed through.

Mrs Kapata further accused MMD National Chairman, Michael Mabenga, of making the MMD into a dictatorship by not subjecting its party president, Rupiah Banda, to a democratic process where he can be elected.

Nine MMD Provincial committees have so far endorsed President Banda as the sole party presidential candidate for 2011 polls.

And Mrs Kapata has said former ministers should not be intimidated but allowed to voice out on what is happening in MMD.

She condemned the harassment of former Finance and National Planning Minister and Chilanga MP, Ngandu Magande, and former Defence Minister and Kafulafuta MP, George Mpombo, who are not allowed to speak out what they know about what is transpiring in MMD and its futuristic by certain members of the ruling party.

ZANIS

MMD Lusaka District Chairman, Paul Chihande, has accused Lusaka Mayor, Robert Chikwelete, of politicking when government is determined to implement policies that benefit the Zambian people.

Mr Chihande says the move by government to chase vendors from the streets in Lusaka should be taken seriously and without politicking.

Mr Chihande observed that it was not right for the Mayor, who is also the Father of City, to distance himself the issue of vendors by saying he was not aware that government has removed vendors from the streets.

Speaking in an interview today, Mr Chihande said he is shocked by the Mayor’s utterances.

He reminded Mr Chikwelete against frustrating government’s efforts in ‘Keeping the City clean’.

He said the office of the Mayor should be in the fore front spearheading development, adding that Mr Chikwelete should be alert of developmental projects at all times being implemented by government.

“As MMD Lusaka district, we are surprised that Lusaka Mayor, Mr Chikwelete, is not aware of government ridding of vendors from the streets. It is his office to be alert, co-ordinate and implement government programmes,” Mr Chihande said.[quote]

Mr Chihande has said Lusaka is now clean and people are walking freely following government’s intervention to chase the vendors off the streets.

The MMD District Chairman thanked government and the Lusaka City Council (LCC) for the move, saying it is a step in the right direction to attaining the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on quality sanitation.

Mr Chihande appealed to the vendors to abide by the law governing this country.

He said the LCC and state police should not relent but close in so that the vendors do not return to the streets.

He said people should not blame government for chasing them but they should blame themselves for opting to sell their merchandise leaving the market stands empty instead of utilising them.

Over the weekend, a combined team of government officers, LCC police and state police, swang into action and chased the vendors from the streets.

By yesterday, those vendors who defied government orders were fined while more than 65 traders who were arrested will be taken to a ‘fast track courts’ established at the LCC.

ZANIS

ZAMBIAN Airways, in receivership, owes three banks a total of US$5.9 million (about K28 billion) in secured loans.

And the National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL) has disputed the appointment of a receiver of Zambian Airways’ assets and undertakings.

The defunct airline also owes its employees K3.4 billion in salary arrears.

This is according to the company’s receivership manager Sipho Phiri, in his affidavit in support of summons to stay the default judgement passed in favour of the NACL.

This is in a case where the Lusaka High Court passed the default judgement early this year after Zambian Airways failed to defend itself against legal proceedings commenced by NACL.

The case was scheduled to come up on Monday, September 14, 2009 for inter-parte hearing of the stay of execution, which Judge Prisca Nyambe ordered in June this year.

However, the case could not take off as Ms Justice Nyambe was committed to other official business and adjourned it to October 1, 2009.

Early this year, Ms Justice Nyambe ruled in favour of NACL, which was claiming over US$2 million from Zambian Airways in unremitted passenger service charges, parking fees, ground, navigation and air handling charges.

In his affidavit in support of summons to stay execution of the default judgement, Mr Phiri said the three banks Zambian Airways owes are Investrust Bank (US$1,484,336.18), Intermarket Bank Zambia Limited (US$1,440,620.93), and Development Bank of Zambia (US$3,014,006.68).

Mr Phiri said the employees are owed a total of K3, 408,356,930.50.

He said after the default judgement, Investrust Bank Zambia Plc appointed a Mr Kieran Day of Kenya as receiver over all assets and undertakings belonging to Zambian Airways.

Mr Phiri said this was by reason of a floating charge and debenture to secure the US$1,484,336.18 loan.

“The plaintiffs (NACL) have tried to execute the default judgement when they know that the defendant company (Zambian Airways) is in receivership. They have sought to proceed with the matter against a company in receivership without leave of any court,” Mr Phiri said.[quote]

And Zambian Airways lawyer Ngosa Simachela said since the company is in receivership, as at April 2, 2009, its assets no longer belong to the defunct airline but to the receiver.

Ms Simachela said the sheriffs have since seized Zambian Airways vehicles in execution and reliance on the attachment order, which Ms Justice Nyambe granted to NACL.

“Before the appointment of the receiver, the assets remained in the ownership of Zambian Airways and were freely disposable without reference to secured creditors. The appointment of the receiver completely assigns the company’s property to the creditor…” Ms Simachela said.

She said allowing NACL to execute the judgement will disadvantage Zambian Airways’ secured creditors and favour NACL, which is an unsecured creditor.

But NACL company secretary Elita Mwikisa has disputed the appointment of the receiver, saying the appointment came after the Lusaka High Court had granted her organisation the attachment order over Zambian Airways’ assets.

The order restricted the airline from accessing, interfering with or disposing of any asset included in the order.

Ms Mwikisa said in her affidavit in opposition to inter-parte summons for stay of execution that by the time Ms Simachela was filing her affidavit, she did not have instructions from both Zambian Airways management and the alleged receiver.

“Evidence of appointment of the alleged receiver for Zambian Airways could not be produced before this court as the lawyer who purported to act for the receiver had not filed and indeed did not have in her possession relevant documents relating to the alleged appointment of the receiver,” Ms Mwikisa said.

She said documents attached to Ms Simachela’s affidavit did not prove that the named person (Mr Day) was appointed as receiver.

“The particular goods and chattels of the defendant (Zambian Airways)…were not and are not affected by any subsequent crystallisation of any floating charge in respect of which a receiver was appointed…” she said.

Ms Mwikisa said bailiffs who partially executed the default judgement, by seizing motor vehicles belonging to Zambian Airways, perfected the order of attachment.

{Zambia Daily Mail]

The Patriotic Front /United Party for National Development (PF/UPND) pact says the Kasama Parliamentary by election will provide a litmus test for its popularity.

Meanwhile, the PF/UPND Pact and the ruling MMD will tomorrow announce their candidates for the Kasama Central by election slated for October 15.

Pact Co-spokesperson, Given Lubinda said in an interview in Lusaka today that the Kasama parliamentary by –election will show case the popularity of the pact in the area.

Mr. Lubinda said the pact has worked hard to ensure that it wins the forthcoming by – elections, this time around

He said the pact has learned lessons from the Chitambo by-elections and has checked every threat adding that no stone has been left unturned.

Mr. Lubinda, who is also PF spokesperson, said the pact is certain of victory in the October 15th Kasama by-elections gauging by the amount of support they have received from the people in the constituency.

“The people started campaigning for us in 2007 after, Dr. Chishimba rebelled against the party, so all this time the people has been calling for his resignation and when he resigned it was a relief for us.

” The party is now bubbling with confidence that we will have a sure victory,” He said.

He further said the pact had not yet announced the name of its candidate for the by-elections as it was awaiting its Central Committee verification programme on prospective candidates before a final one can be picked in Kasama.

Mr. Lubinda said the Central committee had gotten all the information on all the 12 candidates willing to be candidates under the PF/UPND pact but had halted in order for them to get verification from the district and provincial committee in Northern Province.

He said the pact wants to be sure of who will represent them in the October 15 by election adding that they want a credible candidate who will give them a sure victory.

He said the leadership in the province has listed all the 12 according to their abilities and will hand over the names to the party secretariat today but will announce tomorrow.

Meanwhile the pact has distanced itself from political parties have started campaigning in Kasama even before the Electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ) declared date of September 17 to October 14.
Mr. Lubinda said his party has hearkened to the set laws and will only start campaigning after the nomination day on Thursday this week.

The Movement for Muilti-Party democracy (MMD) has also announced that they will announce there candidate tomorrow.

This is the second by elections that the recently formed PF/UPND pact will participate the first one was Chitambo which was scooped by the MMD while the pact won the majority of the wards by-elections.

ZANIS