CHIEF Chitimukulu of the Bemba people has urged the electorate in Kasama Central constituency to vote for MMD candidate Burton Mugala.

And the chief has warned he will not entertain political parties promoting tribalism in his chiefdom.

Meanwhile Chief Chitimikulu has taken a swipe at the opposition Patriotic Front (PF) for what he called culture of insults and disrespect for those in authority.

When President Rupiah Banda called on him at his palace yesterday, Chief Chitimukulu called for peaceful campaigns and urged the electorate in Kasama Central to vote for Mr Mugala in the October 15 parliamentary by- election.

“I am just praying that the ruling MMD candidate wins this by-election. Iam blessing your campaign and call on the voters to vote for the MMD candidate,” the chief said.

He said the people of Kasama Central should vote with one heart especially that the Government through President Banda had put up many developmental projects.

He said the people should be careful and avoid following political leaders who had been blindly leading them into the opposition, which had no capacity to offer any development to the country.

Chief Chitimukulu who pledged total support to President Banda’s Government said he would not be forced to support opposition political parties that were not in Government as it was a policy for chiefs to support the Government of the day.[quote]

On tribalism Chief Chitimukulu warned he would not tolerate those promoting the vice in the province because he was chief for all the people regardless of tribe.

He said freedom fighters had fought for freedom of the nation not for one tribe and wondered what those advocating tribalism would achieve at the end of the day.

“As chief, people should know that I represent all the people regardless of tribe and I must warn here that I will not entertain political leaders coming here to bring confusion by encouraging tribal politics which will not take Zambia anywhere,” he said.

And President Banda told the chief that he was happy with the reception from the people of Kasama.

Mr Banda said he was happy that Chief Chitimukulu had condemned tribalism, which was being fanned by some political parties. He was also happy that the chief had denounced violence.

[Times of Zambia]
The president was also happy that the chief’s health had improved since the last time he saw him.

As in last week’s article (Acts 9:1-5), when Paul asked the Lord Jesus, “Who are you, Lord?”, the Lord answered him, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” and the next question was, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” In both instances he called Jesus Christ, Lord. He acknowledged His supreme authority and was ready to be subject to Him. In Luke 6:46, Jesus marveled and said, ”But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

In this article we will dwell on Paul’s second question. We believe it could have two implications. The first is, what do you want me to do immediately and the second could mean, what do you want me to do in life. If you have chosen to be on pursuit to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, then this is the next stage in your life, to know what He wants you to do. This does not mean that you will stop everything until you know the “will of God.” We believe that knowing the “will of God,” starts with simple obedience to what He has already reviewed in His word, such as “love your neighbour as yourself,” “Forgive one another…,” “Be holy…,” “Give and it shall be give…,” “No work, no eat,” and many other simple instructions. Why should God entrust us with ‘bigger’ plans that He has for us, if we cannot obey the day-to-day instructions that He has given us (Luke 16:10).

As Paul lived to hear the Lord answering this question, we must also endeavor to hear the answers to our personal question, “What do you want ME to do?” We have for a long time listened to what we and others want us to do but it’s time to hear from the Lord, of His plans (Jeremiah 11:29). Paul had made up his mind to live for Christ as long as he was on earth (Philippians 1:21) and was concerned about the needs of others (Philippians 1:23-24). This position can only be attained by the knowledge we have of the Lord and so the love of God will compel us to live for others.

We are living in a day and time where it’s all supposed to be about ‘me, myself and I.’ We must repent and come back to the place where we can live for others and in so doing, we do it to the Lord (Matthew 25:44-45).

By Bishop Jeston & Rev Charity Katebe

PRESIDENT Banda has taken a swipe at Kasama Mayor Fidelis Chishoma for suggesting that he (the President) was not welcome in Kasama and Northern Province as a whole.

Mr Banda said Mr Chishoma must have been misquoted when he said President Banda would not be welcomed in Kasama, because as Head of State, he is free to visit any part of Zambia.

“I feel for the mayor because he is always here each time I come to Kasama. But today, he has opted to stay away following his statement that I will not be welcomed. But I wish he was here to see the magnitude of people that have come to welcome me,” Mr Banda said on arrival at Kasama Airport.

Mr Banda wondered why the civic leader had issued such a reckless statement when he knew that people would welcome the President.

Mr Banda jokingly said being Ngoni by tribe, he was free to visit Northern Province because Bembaland was his home.

“The mayor was dreaming because this is my home, and I cannot fear to come, even if he was misquoted in one of the tabloids saying I will not be welcomed,” Mr Banda said.[quote]

Mr Banda also said the tabloid newspaper lied last week when it published a picture showing a traditional leader smearing powder on PF president Michael Sata as a sign of support for the opposition party leader.

Mr Banda said he had contacted the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services to enquire about the traditional leader that was shown in the picture, and he was told that such a traditional leader does not exist.

“You can see how desperate Mr Sata has become,” Mr Banda said.

Earlier, Northern Province Minister John Chinyanta wondered why a civic leader could dare the Head of State in such a manner.

“This is what it means when you have civic leaders that have nothing to do but want to dare the Republican President. I wish he was here to see for himself the number of people that have come to welcome the President,” Mr Chinyanta said.

[ Zambia Daily Mail]

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘… I will bless you … and you will be a blessing to others.'”
(Genesis 12:1-2, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Have you ever worked toward a dream, but felt worn out by the uphill climb? At times like this, you need encouragement–someone to remind you about what it will be like when you get to the finish line. God created us to need each other. You may be facing challenges that you can’t overcome on your own; having a friend to walk with you in love can get you through those times. In the same way, you have something to share with others to help them along their journey. God has blessed your life in times of need, and He loves it when you turn that around and start to bless others. You can encourage others in their dreams and cheer them on as they go. When you believe in people, it gives their faith a boost. Your love and acts of kindness may be just what they needed to push on to victory.

Encourage someone today. Share in the dreams God has given them. As you seek to love and bless others, you will start to notice others encouraging you. Be grateful for the people God has put in your life. Praise Him for the help He supplies when you need it most and for opportunities He gives you to share in the successes of people around you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the people who are there to love and support me. Make me aware of opportunities to bless and encourage others. Help me to reflect Your love in everything I say and do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen”

The Chinese Collume Coal Mine (CCCM) General Manager Cai Yue Zhong has bemoaned that lack of market for thousand tonnes of processed coal he says would be wasted if not purchased.

Mr Zhong told ZANIS in an interview that with the onset of the rains 20 thousands tones of Fines and five thousand tones of Peas and Nuts coal brands would be destroyed if not marketed.

He said in the past one week, customers have been failing to buy coal from the mine resulting in the reduction of coal production.[quote]

He said the mine has had difficulties in selling the Fines as most customers were only interested in buying the type of processed coal that has Peas and Nuts.

“We are worried that with onset of the rains our coal will be wasted after investing so much in its production,” Mr Zhong said.

He appealed to government to assist in convincing Zambian companies that were buying coal from Zimbabwe to start buying from them.

Mr. Zhong said the workers were the most affected with lack of market because their income per month was reduced.

The General Manager noted that at times workers were told to be on break when the market for coal was affected because they could not keep on producing when they can’t sell it.

Maamba Collieries (MCL) Plants Manager Famous Kabwe also confirmed that the problem of market for Fines was also affecting them.

He said most companies such as Larfurge were getting their Fines from Wankie Coal Mine in Zimbabwe.

Mr. Kabwe said few companies in Zambia that were using Fines in their furnaces such as Ndola Lime were also getting it from Zimbabwe.

ZANIS

The 2010 national budget unveiled in a speech delivered to the Zambian National Assembly on October 9, 2009 by the Honorable Minister of Finance and National Planning is not inspiring at all, given the depth of socio-economic woes the country has been facing since the 1970s. It is not possible for our beloved country to make any headway in socio-economic development with such a mild budget, not even by the year 2030 when the MMD government is dreaming of turning Zambia into a middle-income country.

For reasons of brevity, let me comment on a few highlights of the budget.

Inflation and Taxes:

The attainment of single-digit annual inflation (of 8%) is a target that would be appropriate for countries that have already achieved a high level of job creation and socio-economic development. Zambia is clearly not one of such countries.

There is a need to reduce PAYE, VAT and interest rates in order to stimulate both the supply of goods and services and the demand for goods and services and, in the process, bolster job creation and eco­nomic growth. We need to reverse the recurrent emphasis on sta­bili­zing inflation at the expense of job creation and econom­ic growth.

Value-added tax, for example, could have been reduced to 12.5% from 16%. The increase in the PAYE exempt threshold from K700,000 to K800,000 is not adequate; this should have been increased to at least K1,000,000. And the income bands should have been expanded to make them fairer to tax payers as follows:

2010 Income Bands and Tax Rates:

K0 – K800,000 per month 0%

K800,001 — K1,335,000 per month 25%

K1,335,001 — K4,100,000 per month 30%

K4,100,001 and above per month 35%

Proposed Income Bands and Tax Rates:

K0 – K1,000,000 per month 0%

K1,000,001 — K1,435,000 per month 10%

K1,435,001 — K1,970,000 per month 15%

K1,970,001 — K2,370,000 per month 20%

K2,770,001 — K3,170,000 per month 25%

K3,570,001 — K3,970,000 per month 30%

K3,970,001 and above per month 35%

Lower taxes and interest rates could have functioned as an effective economic stimulus that could have spurred economic activity and job creation, as well as create a new class of tax payers. There is really no other obvious way in which a country can jump-start an economically beleaguered economy like ours.

Dependency on Foreign Investors:

There is too much emphasis in the budget on creating opportunities for foreign investment with little or no emphasis on promoting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by Zambians. As the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has maintained, a growing body of empirical evidence supports the widely held view that SMEs are instrumental to socio-economic development. They can, as such, play an important role in improving the socio-economic welfare of a lot of people in a country.

There are many ways in which SMEs can positively contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic well-being of a country’s people, such as the following:

(a) They can create employment opportunities for talented citizens and family members who cannot find jobs in large business establishments;

(b) They can function as a vehicle through which a country’s government can economically empower its people by enabling them to participate actively and directly in their country’s commercial and industrial activities;

(c) They can facilitate the generation of wealth for all sectors of the national economy and thereby reduce existing income disparities;

(d) They can contribute to the improvement of the social and economic welfare of people in their host communities through the provision of various kinds of needed goods and services; and

(e) They can function as the backbone of a country’s economy if they are mainly operated by citizens, as they would be both indigenous and permanent, as Andrew Sardanis has maintained.

Negative Thoughts:

If Zambians “spend lots of their time on negative thoughts,” as the Minister has claimed in his budget speech, it is because over 65% of them cannot find jobs and are eking out a mere living. I cannot imagine people who are wallowing in abject poverty singing empty praises glorifying a government that is incapable of addressing their basic needs.

Henry Kyambalesa