Ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) youths in Eastern province have joined other parts of the country in indorsing incumbent President, Rupiah Banda as party candidate for 2011presidential elections.

Provincial MMD Youth chairperson, Sam Thole said President Banda was the only candidate in the party who had the interests of the part at heart, adding that he was the only one who could continue with developmental programmes for the country.

Mr. Thole told ZANIS that youths in the region would not tolerate party members who have shown interest to contest the presidency against President Banda at the party convention next year.

He said the cadres have already started mobilizing their colleagues from other parts of the country to ensure President Banda was adopted for 2011.

“Even if every person is allowed to stand at the convention, Mr. Banda is the right man. Most of those who have shown interest to stand for presidency have questionable calibre” he added.

He has since urged other youths who are 18 years old and above to obtain National Registration Cards (NRCs) so that they could qualify to vote in the 2011 general elections.

And one of the youths, James Zulu, said it would be important for President Banda to contest the 2011 elections for him to serve his own term and not just finishing the late President Levy Mwanawasa’s term.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda says it is necessary to develop a responsive and relevant education system that will produce industrious learners capable of meaningfully contributing to the development needs and aspirations of the country.

Mr. Banda said such a curriculum is also necessary for the country’s quest of achieving the status of a middle income and prosperous nation by 2030.

The President said this in a speech read on his behalf by Presidential Affairs Minister Ronald Mukuma during the official opening of the National Curriculum Review Symposium in Lusaka today.

Mr. Banda said the country aspires for sustainable wealth creation and employment generation hence the need for an integrated education curriculum.

He said there must be clear linkages and interconnections in curriculum design from early childhood learning to tertiary level.

The President has further called for a change in the education system and establish effective goals for which learners are educated for.

He added that it is also important to eliminate fragmentation and incoherence in the conceptualization of the country’s curriculum.

Mr. Banda has since urged participants at the symposium to ensure that the meeting serves as a building block for an enduring and holistic curriculum.

And speaking earlier, Education Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa said government will remain committed establishing quality and equitable education at all levels.

Prof Lungwangwa said there is need to critically analyze the current education curriculum in order to achieve quality education.

He said government will also continue to embark on school infrastructure development, continued teacher training and recruitment in order to further enhance the quality of education in the country.

The three-day National Curriculum Review Symposium dubbed “Curriculum for Sustainable Development towards a Middle Income nation by 2030 and beyond” has attracted over one hundred stakeholders from various parts of the country.

ZANIS

Government has advised the media and the general public to desist from drawing conclusions and speculating about who is guilty in the on-going investigations into allegations of theft of billions of Kwacha at the Ministry of Health.

In a press statement released to Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) this afternoon, Chief Government Spokesperson, Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha, said it is imperative that the public do not pass judgment about who was involved and may have benefited from the money or if anyone is being shielded from investigations and subsequent prosecution.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said desisting from speculations and insinuations will be in the interest of fairness and in order not to prejudice the investigations concerning the reports that some officials at the ministry may have pocketed more than K27 billion meant for procurement of goods and services for the ministry.

He reiterated that President Rupiah Banda has ordered that forensic investigations be carried out in the matter and appropriate investigative wings, namely the police, Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) are involved in the investigating the matter.

Lt Gen Shikapwahsa stated that the investigative bodies must be allowed to do their work without external influence, adding that these bodies will determine, after, investigations, who the suspects are or who benefited from the stolen public funds and recommend appropriate action, including prosecution.

The Chief Government spokesperson said it is the wish of government that the three investigative bodies will be allowed to do a professional job and prosecute all who are involved, and assured that government has no intention to subvert the work of the three bodies and no one will be shielded from prosecution whatever their status in the government or the ruling party.

He added that it will not help matters to speculate about the beneficiaries of the stolen funds or that some of the people being investigated may have connections with powerful people and that they were being investigated in order to protect others.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said government appreciates the role the media are playing in sensitizing the public about the dangers of corruption and the thefts that may be taking place in government institutions.

However, Lt Gen Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, stated that government is concerned that some of the media reports are based on rumours and unconfirmed reports which may be designed to politicize the investigations.

He said the information gathered so far suggests that individual officers in the ministry may have been the culprits, adding that it is therefore, highly mischievous to suggest that the government or the ruling party had a hand in the dirty work.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha appealed to those who wish to know the truth about whether the ruling party benefited from the scam should contact the party spokesperson and not engage in publishing insinuations by some of the suspects or their political sympathizers.

ZANIS

GOVERNMENT says it has enhanced the capacity of the Government Printing Department in Lusaka to print various materials, including ballot papers locally.

Works and Supply Minister Mike Mulongoti said the Government Printing Department is well-equipped and ready to print ballot papers for the 2011 tripartite elections.

Speaking during the recording of `Culture Remodelling’, a Ministry of Finance and National Planning programme at the ministry’s headquarters in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mulongoti said the Government Printing Department is prepared to print electoral materials for the 2011 tripartite elections if requested by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

He said his ministry would indicate to ECZ the capacity of the Government Printing Department to do the job locally.

“We are considering printing ballot papers here. We are ready to do it for 2011, if they call on us. All we need to do is building confidence in our own systems,” Mr Mulongoti said.

He said Government Printing Department has got all the necessary equipment for the job and is also able to do colour printing.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda has strongly condemned corrupt activities in government ministries, saying corruption must be fought and defeated, otherwise there is no future for Zambia.

Dr Kaunda was referring to the recent corruption case where a senior civil servant and many other juniors in the Ministry of Health have amassed wealth amounting to over K10 billion illegally.

Dr Kaunda said this at the Lila fundraising Golf Tournament at Lusaka golf club in Lusaka today.

After inaugurating the tournament the former President also teed off the tournament, which has attracted various businessmen in Lusaka who are participating in this fundraising venture.

The tournament, which attracted about 150 participants, is expected to realize about K50 million to assist the vulnerable members of society.

Dr Kaunda, a former active golfer, encouraged other golfers after taking off time from his busy schedule to attend the fundraising golf tournament.

And Lila Golf tournament Chairperson, Jessi Kumar, said this is the biggest charity event this year, adding that the last one was in 2007.

Ms Kumar said the participants have a mandate to finish projects targeted for Dec 2009, hence the need to sponsor the golf tournament.

Lila is an Association of Indian Ladies which looks at humanitarian service to the needy, especially those in remote areas.

ZANIS