Lusaka Province Minister, Charles Shawa, has called for proper planning and budgeting in view of reduced domestic revenue collection due to the biting global economic recession.

Mr Shawa says the effects of poor domestic revenue collection is being felt by all government ministries through delayed funding to the health sector and other social services.[quote]

Mr Shawa says it is for this reason that concerned technocrats in government ministries and institutions should plan well and put the scarce resources on programmes with potential to yield maximum benefits to the majority of the people in the country.

The Provincial Minister said this during the official launch of the Lusaka Provincial Health Planning meeting for the 2010 – 2012 Medium Term Framework (MTEF).

He told the meeting attended by some members of parliament, hospital executives and cooperating partners among others, that there is need to scale up human resources in the health sector, HIV and AIDS, malaria, TB, nutrition and other public health interventions in order to sustain quality service delivery to the people.

Mr Shawa further noted that there is also need to pay particular attention to strengthening of systems through improved performance as well as improved internal controls for public financial management and accountability.

Mr Shawa added that the key challenge faced recently is the withholding of funds by cooperating partners.

He said it is, therefore, critical that this constraint be taken into account when budgeting by ensuring that first level hospital care is placed under GRZ funding rather than the donor basket.

ZANIS

By Charles  C Ngoma

Your Excellency Sir,

I checked out the State House web site for a link to you but to no avail. I have thus opted for an open letter. Here are words from young Elihu.

1. Chief aim of leadership: The chief aim of leadership is to preserve life in dignity and to protect property in prosperity. Whatever laws and decisions you make, think of how they impact on the least and lowliest including the unborn. When you are gone, individuals should be better off than when you started.

2. The Press: It is obvious that you will not please all men at all times. Avoid endless ‘Punch and Judy’ politics. Concentrate on communicating what you have achieved and intend to achieve. Move the agenda and make the news. A free and independent press is a great asset to democratic leadership. It would be very wise to privatise the national news and television media. I know you are true and sincere; therefore, you have nothing to fear from such a move. This is an age of informed politics and ideas. Young Zambians do not care about tribes, it is the older who have such hang ups.

3. Privatisation: Corruption crept to the highest office in the land and that makes it difficult or even impossible for us to trust our leaders. You have a chance to rebuild confidence in the highest office of the land. Learn from the past privatisation mistakes. A policy of empowerment of Zambians is in place. Here is an opportunity to act. Let every Zambian have an opportunity to buy through the LUSE. You mean well but people have been abused and lost their trust.

4. Approachability: You are the President and no one can take that from you. Open your office to people from all walks of life. Do not surround yourself with so many ‘onion skins’ so that by the time people get to you they have tears in their eyes! It is true that the battle is won by having many advisors, but if the advisors are of your own appointing, know assuredly that their advice is as good as yours. Make use of independent advisors, Non-party cadres.

5. Republican Presidency. Your party presented you to the Zambian people. It is the Zambian people that voted for you; therefore try to separate these roles. You would do well to ban party cadres dancing and grovelling in the dust at your feet on State functions. Party activities should be left to party functions. Don’t think 2011, think, TODAY.

6. Learn from history. Take a leaf from Zambia’s golden age, 1964-1969. Small but efficient cabinet of equals!

God bless our President!

God bless Zambia.

PARLIAMENT yesterday unanimously passed three legal bills with acting leader of Government business Kalombo Mwansa saying the amendments were progressive for the country.

The three bills which came up for second reading and passed without much debate were the Legal Practitioners Bill, Zambia Law Development Commission and the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education Bill.

Dr Mwansa, who said the MPs should support amendments to the bills because they were progressive and not controversial, presented all the three bills.

On the Legal Practitioners Amendment Bill, Dr Mwansa said the Bill sought to give guidelines on people who sought to practice law and how they should be removed from office.

He said under the current law, only University Zambia (UNZA) law graduates were eligible to be admitted for a practicing certificate at the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE).

He said the Bill sought to allow students from other local universities to be admitted at the institute and at the same time allow the president to appoint the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) as a State counsel.

He said while the Legal Practitioners Act allowed ZIALE to admit students from foreign universities, it did not provide for the admission of law graduates from local private universities.

Chairperson of the legal committee Sakwiba Sikota said all witnesses to the committee supported the amendments to the Bill because the current law was contrary to the Constitution because it did not cater for all law graduates in Zambia.

Kalomo Central MP Request Muntanga (UPND) supported the amendment and said there was need for lawyers to be accredited and properly monitored to avoid unscrupulous people from stealing from people.

Presenting the Zambia Law Development Commission Bill, Dr Mwansa said it sought to make it more inclusive and reduce the two-thirds majority to form a quorum for a meeting.

He said the ZIALE Bill also sought to expand the ZIALE council and avoid leakages at the institution.

[Times of Zambia]

The Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM) has urged people championing the impeachment of President Rupiah Banda to find other things to do, like addressing the underdevelopment, poverty and disease problems that the country is facing.

ZDDM National Coordinator, Edwin Sakala, says the country is today rocked with a lot of problems such as high employment levels, poverty and hunger among others that also need the attention of opposition political leaders.

Mr Sakala said the recent impeachment statements by the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) pact will not work adding that many Zambians are well informed about the two leaders who have failed to become presidents of the country through elections.

He noted in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today, that it is disappointing to see most senior political leaders take up on a destructive path as aiming for impeachment of the President when they should be addressing the root causes of the country’s problems.

He added that this is why Mr Michael Sata and Mr Hakainde Hichilema should know that the presidential impeachment and antagonistic politics which they have been propagating will not work to their advantage as many Zambians already know who they are.

Mr Sakala charged that Zambians are likely not to vote for them to become presidents of this country should their impeachment agenda be a success.[quote]

He said his organization believes that even if the impeachment agenda goes through and early election is held, the PF/UPND pact can still not rule the country as evidenced in the past elections.

Mr Sakala further advised the two leaders to cool down and reflect on what is necessary for the country, saying removing President Banda from the Presidency just for the sake power is not a solution to many problems the country is faced with.

He stated that there is need for opposition political leaders in Zambia to embark on issues which will benefit the poor masses.

He further warned that ZDDM will ensure that it challenges the pioneers of the impeachment agenda to make sure that a presidential candidate is filed for a common national purpose through broad based understanding.

ZANIS