A Copperbelt based Philosopher Thomson Chalubemba says the acquittal of former president Fredrick Chiluba give impetus for more people entrusted to run public funds to steal more from the public scoffers.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Ndola yesterday, Mr Chalubemba said the court verdict on Chiluba’s corruption charges lacks credit and denies the Zambian people justice.

Mr Chalubemba said the acquittal will also reduce the donors’ perspective of Zambia’s strong stance in the fight against corruption.

He added that the acquittal of the Dr Chiluba by the local courts also puts the credibility of the Zambian judiciary in question in the eyes of the international community as the case of Dr Chiluba was highly sensitive and was followed by most countries on the globe and international organisations.

He said if the intention was to pardon Dr Chiluba in an effort to promote unity and reconciliation in the country, it should have been done that way instead of freeing him through a questionable acquittal that has now made most people loose confidence in the judicial system.[quote]

And Mr Chalubemba has commended the Task Force on Corruption for appealing against the acquittal of the former president.

He urged government to ensure that the judicially is not interfered with and allowed to work independently so that justice prevails.

He said the fight against corruption should continue and friendship should be put aside in the fight against the scourge for the sake of the country.

He said it was sad that 45 years after independence the country is still walloping in abject poverty.

The senior citizen said leaders should be striving to improve investment in the country, improve road infrastructure, improve sanitation, and the agriculture sector among others instead of promoting adverse vices such as corruption.

Last week former republican president Dr Fredrick Chiluba was cleared of all corruption charges by a Lusaka magistrate court.

But his acquittal has been received with mixed reaction from various sections of society and the Task Force on Corruption has since appealed against the Acquittal.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has says Zambia is committed to implement the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy in an effort to promote communication in rural areas.

President Banda said this is to create a wider impact at all levels of development in both rural and urban communities through the net effect of the ICTs gains.

In a speech read on his behalf, by Communications and Transport Minister Professor Godfrey Lungwangwa, Mr. Banda said government has instituted policy options aimed at achieving rural connectivity in an attempt to fulfill the implementation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the Vision 2030.

He said this during the on-going 4th Annual Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization Conference at Livingstone’s Zambezi Sun Hotel yesterday.

Mr. Banda said government has engaged all stakeholders in designing and implementing solutions that include training and development of ICT training institutions in outlying communities in order to meet people’s demand.

“Connecting rural communities in Africa is urgently required as worldwide developments point towards a society where information out to be available anytime anywhere, with integration of multi-disciplinary solutions for global problems, involving rapid technological development.

” Hence, best practices for the new economic order looking at sustainable rural development in a holistic and innovative perspective in this area are needed in order to fit the demands of our citizens at all levels,” he said.

He implored international delegates and local participants to take advantage of the forum and address bottlenecks in the area of communication connectivity as well as digress on the impact of the global economic crisis in the communication sector.

Mr. Banda observed that Zambia has suffered setbacks in ICT development due to factors that include high illiteracy levels in rural communities; obsolete fixed line infrastructure relative to high cost of replacement; perception of low economic benefits in relation to high cost of investment for private sector; and sparsely populated rural areas and relative too high deployed costs for facilities.

He said there is need to have a strong and sustainable means of communications that would result in the promotion of information and knowledge based society as a basis for creation of wealth.

“ICTs today are more central to the development process more than any other time in history. Without the means of communication, it is practically impossible for the world to be what it is today in terms of politics, commerce and trade, social networking as well as personal well being,” he said.

The president observed that there is not only need to give provide ICT access to people but also to consider giving youths, women and men an opportunity to become drivers of national development.

Meanwhile, Communications and Technology Permanent Secretary, Dominic Sichinga has said that government is aware of the role that ICT continues to play in wealth creation, job creation and poverty reduction.

Mr. Sichinga said government appreciates the great effort that Communication Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization has been doing through interactions in Africa to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban areas and between the rich the poor people.

ZANIS

Communications and Transport Minister, Geoffrey Lungwangwa, says there is need to universalize e-learning to ease learning and increase teachers’ creativity as well as make the learning environment exciting for both teachers and pupils.

Professor Lungwangwa observed that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is transforming the way of doing things all over the world and welcomed the transformation.

The minister said this when he toured Tujatane Tongabezi Trust School in Livingstone yesterday.

He said government was committed to ensuring that ICT was introduced in schools by developing infrastructure in learning institutions.

Prof Lungwangwa said the development of the fibre optic would promote e-learning in rural schools and help narrow the digital divide between urban and rural schools.

The minister, who earlier yesterday donated some computers at Katombora Reformatory, disclosed that government was working towards ensuring a speedy broadband connectivity to ensure cheap communication and to promote e-learning in schools by next.

Prof Lungwangwa observed that e-learning has proved to make learning easier and teachers to become creative, imaginative and increases interaction in class.

“E-learning has made learning very interesting and easy while creating professionalism in the teaching process as well as bridging the digital gap between rural and urban schools,” he said.

He said e-learning would help disadvantaged pupils to overcome learning difficulties and called on the corporate world to help develop infrastructure in schools so as to promote online learning.

Prof Lungwangwa, who is scheduled to open the 4th Annual Commonwealth Telecommunication Forum, whose theme is ‘Rural Connectivity in Africa’, said government will not relent in its efforts to ensure rural schools benefit from e-learning by speeding up the process of infrastructure development.

Meanwhile, Tujatane Tongabezi Trust School ICT teacher, Bond Lichaha, has disclosed that e-learning has been beneficial to both pupils and teachers.

He commended Afri-Connect for providing the e-learning facility at the school and urged other schools to embrace e-learning for quality teaching and learning results.

ZANIS

The Chewa Royal Establishment has maintained its stance of not allowing political attire at this year’s Kulamba Traditional ceremony of the Chewa people in at Mkaika in Eastern Province to be held on September 5, 2009.

And preparations for the ceremony have reached an advanced stage, with Republican President, Rupiah Banda expected to host his Malawian and Mozambican counterparts, Bingu wa Mutharika and Armando Guebuza.

Chewa Royal Establishment spokesperson, Joseph Chikuta, says the establishment would not encourage people at the ceremony to dress in political attire, saying all the people that attend Kulamba are respected equally regardless of their political affiliation.

Mr Chikuta was speaking in an interview with ZANIS at Mkaika headquarters in Katete.

“We are discouraging political dressing because that could fuel some friction between parties as some may boast of popularity with regard to the numbers dressed in their outfit,” he said.

He stated that all the three countries of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique that will attend the ceremony have different political parties , adding that if they were all allowed to dress in their political attire of their choice it would be disastrous.

Mr Chikata said the concept of the ceremony of appreciating Kalonga Gawa Undi would be compromised if people were allowed to show their political affiliation at the arena.

He said the ceremony would not be modernized by modern structures constructed at the arena, adding that the sweetness of the ceremony was as a result of maintaining its originality while attracting people from abroad with its uniqueness.[quote]

Mr Chikuta said a Japanese from Katemula in Japan, who visited the area two weeks ago, bemoaned the loss of culture and tradition in his country but was very impressed with the arrangements.

Mr Chikuta said a lot of companies and well-wishers have responded positively towards the preparations of the traditional ceremony.

“Companies and individuals have supported us financially and materially to make the ceremony a success,” he added.

The Kulamba traditional ceremony is usually held on the last Saturday of the month of August every year, but this year it has been rescheduled for September 5, because all the three invited presidents were committed on August 29, 2009.

“Last year it was rescheduled to September 15,2008 due to the demise of the late President Levy Mwanawasa. It is not that it would be routine to reschedule,” he added.

ZANIS