“On March 26, the Japanese government offered the Zambian government a loan worth US $274 million for the implementation of the Increased Access to Electricity Services Project to cover five areas in the country”, observes Tina Nanyangwe-Moyo, Coordinator of the JCTR’s Debt, Aid and Trade Programme. “According to the Japanese official, at the signing ceremony” Moyo continues, “Japan had resumed her Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans to Zambia which she relinquished in 1992 due to Zambia’s heavy external debt burden before the attainment of 2005 Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) Completion Point”.

“As an institution that played a key role in the success of the HIPC Completion Point through the Jubilee-Zambia debt cancellation campaign”, Moyo continues, “we urge creditor countries not to take advantage of Zambia’s favourable fiscal space to lend irresponsibly. Just a few weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offered the Government a loan worth US $200 million to boost national reserves. The Japan and IMF loans are just two loans among several loans that the government has signed since the beginning of this year”. Moyo observes that Japan as a member of the Paris Club should show great commitment to the five good practise principles of the Paris Declaration if their ODA flows to Zambia are to yield positive results.

Commenting on the same matter, Privilege Haang’andu, JCTR’s Programme Officer for Debt and Public Resource Monitoring warns that unless Zambia works on a more transparent debt management strategy, it shall perpetually be prey to floating loans from developed countries and the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). “It is crucial”, Haang’andu cautions, “that Government realises that every single loan contraction commits the country’s future taxes to debt servicing at the expense of national development. It is for this reason we have tirelessly implored Government to urgently work on a loan contraction framework that involves parliament in setting annual ceilings of what can be borrowed in a given financial year”.

“Although HIPC is often used as a basis for providing external financial support,” observes Haang’andu, “Zambians have not yet experienced the benefits of HIPC and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) even after bearing the austere conditions of processes. The majority of Zambians still live in poverty despite the gains from the debt write-off”. “Therefore”, concludes Haang’andu, “much as we support external borrowing, responsible financing and borrowing should be at the core of such financial support”.

[Press statement by JCTR]

Dear bloggers,

I have been happily married for 5 years.We have a two kids, one 3 years and the other just born 3weeks ago. I had a difficult pregnancy with my last child. I had to be admitted in hospital for the last two months of my pregnancy.Thank God everything went well and I delivered a bouncy baby girl though premature.

Now, the time I was in hospital I got my young sister to live with us so she could take care of my older child and generally look after the house.

When I came back home I noticed my sister was vomiting alot and spitting alot. I told her to go to the hospital and she came and told me it was just malaria.I wondered how a person can have malaria with no fever.It then clicked to me that she was pregnant. I confronted her and she started crying.I was not prepared for what she then revealed.She said my husband was responsible!I slapped her and said a lot of things to her and chased her from my home.

When my husband came home from work I confronted him and he reacted with anger towards me.He said had it not been for our premature baby he would have chased me from home!

I could not believe  this was happening. I am so hurt.My husband  did appologise later for saying the things he did.But he has neither confirmed nor denied that he made my sister pregnant whilst I was in hospital. My relatives are furious and they want to bring my sister to my house saying he(my husband) is responsible for her now.I am stuck in the middle.Should I leave or stay.What kind of a household will we have with my sister living with us? On the other hand the area and house we stay in is ideal for my prem baby. I do not want to move her around as yet. I am so confused.

Confused mother

A retired Professional designer has called on the NCC to consider upholding the constitutional clause that provides for expelled members of parliament to maintain their parliamentary seats as independents unless they join another political party.

Mr George Daka, who is partially blind now, told ZANIS that when a political party decides to expel a member of parliament, it should not affect such a member’s status in parliament unless he decides to switch to another political party.

He said the clause would help in saving financial and material resources that were spent on by-elections to be used for developmental purposes and programmes.

Mr Daka said though elections were one avenue through which political party cadres make money during the process of electioneering and political party campaigns, the exercise of such resource draining activities should remain predictable and well planned for.

He observed that by-elections should be constitutionally forbidden unless in circumstances where a member of parliament chooses to cross the floor which should also be deliberately made unpopular because there was no way a normal person would agree with a political party values at election time and two or three years later change his mind.

Mr Daka sid political party ideologies must be clear in conviction and practice so that there should be no one behaving like a chameleon at election time and once in parliament elects to behave differently.

He said political party leaders and members should emulate the example of Dr Kenneth Kaunda who has remained with UNIP in both good and bad times because of his belief in the values and convictions on which the party was founded.

He said in many cases, by-elections were caused by what he termed as ‘political opportunists’ who were unprincipled and in search of a parliamentary seat at all cost regardless of what was on the way.

The designer called for principled politicians to take up parliamentary challenges at election time so that government did not waste developmental resources on unplanned for elections before they were due.

Mr Daka said the constitutional provision was a progressive one and should help the country to have clearly planned election times which should help people to compete on a favourable platform.

He further proposed that in an event of the death of a member of parliament, a sending political party should choose one among themselves who should replace a member because the party ideology and beliefs should be the same.

ZANIS/ENDS/CN/CMM/EB.

President Rupiah Banda has urged the newly appointed Ambassadors and High Commissioners to provide leadership to Zambians living abroad.

Mr Banda said many Ambassadors and High Commissioners had failed to work because they allowed disharmony to prevail above their leadership and were recalled.

He said Zambians living abroad looked up to diplomats’ leadership and care just like those back home did to the head of State in times of trouble.

“We expect that you will be the leaders and fathers of those families out there. You should ensure the welfare of those Zambians ahead of your personal interests. Disharmony prevails where there is bad leadership,” he said.

Mr Banda said this at State House yesterday when he swore-in six new Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Inspector-General of Police Francis Kabonde, Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Development, Allan Mbewe and his counterpart at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Lubinda Imasiku.

The appointed diplomats include former Vice-President Nevers Mumba who goes to Canada, former Inspector-General of Police Ephraim Mateyo (Germany) and former Ministry of Finance and National Planning permanent secretary Mbikusita Wamundila Lewanika who is new Ambassador to Japan.

Others are former Minister for Presidential Affairs Cecil Homes (Ghana), former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Sipula Kabanje (Zimbabwe) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs chief of protocol Darius Bubala who is going to Tanzania as High Commissioner.

Mr Banda cautioned the envoys against going to countries they had been sent to for holidays, and neglecting their families and Zambians living there.

“I would like to give free advice to my colleagues going into the foreign service. This is truly from the bottom of my heart. You are going there first and foremost to represent Zambians through the President,” he said.

Mr Banda also warned against selfishness where diplomats’ wives wanted everything for themselves or where Ambassadors thought embassies were theirs and neglected staff and Zambians living in those countries.

He said although Government expected families to enjoy their spouses’ diplomatic service, they should not run parallel embassies or missions.

Mr Banda said when Government officials visited foreign missions, the first thing they did was to ask about the welfare of Zambians living there and what they said about their diplomats.

“I am not encouraging them (Zambians abroad) to be disobedient or insolent towards you because they, too, can be dealt with if they do not give respect to diplomats,” he said.

Mr Banda said discipline in the way diplomats spent public funds and kept property at embassies was cardinal.

He said money used by embassies belonged to Zambians who needed it for other important things, but it was sent for use abroad on the realisation that embassies were important.

“I ask you to please look after the property and make sure that you become the envy of embassies from other countries,” he said.

Mr Banda said as their appointing authority, he did not think he had made a mistake to send them to work abroad.

The President also cautioned diplomats against abandoning their families as a result of enjoyment when they got to their missions.

“I have been Ambassador before and I know this. Many Ambassadors and High Commissioners have been recalled because when they get out there, they abandon their families and enjoy themselves,” he said.

Mr Banda said there was a lot of excitement among some of the diplomats who felt they were cut off from Zambia upon arrival at embassies and thought nobody would know what they were doing.

President Banda said diplomats should bear in mind that wherever they went, ‘walls have ears’.

Mr Banda said the diplomats’ worst enemy was to always get in touch with people home for idle talk, including politics.

“If you fall prey to that, sooner than later, you will come back and you will be very frustrated. Whoever will be misusing facilities and playing politics on phone will find himself or herself in problems,” he said.

Mr Banda said diplomats went to represent all Zambians and should not accept divisive advice, adding that they would be judged by the amount of work they put in for the benefit of Zambians.

And the President said some of the diplomats who had been replaced had complained.

Mr Banda said he should not be blamed for recalling them because some of them had just been rejected by the countries they worked in, while others had worked their full terms.

Government has charged that former Deputy Minister and MMD MP for Nchanga constituency, Richard Kazala, has exhibited the worst type of ignorance on how government operates.

Chief government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha , further charged the former minister does not understand how government operates in the use of tax money and implementation of economic policies.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services, said the government uses the same taxes to develop infrastructure such as schools, bridges, roads and salaries among many government programmes.

He said this in a statement released to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka yesterday.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said since winning the last year’s Presidential elections, President Rupiah Banda has been magnanimous and not shield away from informing the public the challenges his administration is facing.

He said this can be seen in the way the president outlined them in the speech to parliament and at the official opening of the Third Session of the Tenth National Assembly and has continued to do so whenever this needs to do so.

The Chief Government Spokesperson was reacting to sentiments by Mr Kazala in  yesterday’s Post Newspaper that quoted him. Mr Kazala told the Post Newspaper that Zambians do not have any hope in President Rupiah Banda and the only hope for them is to wait for 2011 in order to change the government.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha reiterated government’s commitment including Zambians of good will in the national search for solutions to the impact of that the global financial crisis has had on the economy.

He stressed that president Banda as a listening and accommodative leader as evident by his call for a National Indaba to held on the 4th and 5th of april,2009 in Lusaka that will accord Zambians from all walks of life an opportunity to offer solutions on how to solve problems the country is facing.

He further stressed that the Banda’s administration is concerned about the effects of the economic crisis on employment and the general well being of the people.

The Chief Government Spokesperson noted that it is unfair to judge president Banda by the policies and programmes of the late President Mwanawasa especially under the current conditions.

Lt Gen Shikapwahsa advised Mr Kazala that if he does not see what the government was doing which was appreciated by people who understand the economic conditions, he should not tell lies that people have no confidence in the economic management of the government of President Banda.

He said government has acted firmly and effectively to ensure that there is enough maize and that prices are reasonable and affordable and blamed unscrupulous milling companies for hoarding maize and selling it above recommended prices.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha said there were a lot of programs that government was undertaking which are part of the diversification from copper mining, including the establishment of economic multi-facility zones, investments in new manufacturing activities and agricultural programs..

The chief Government sporksperson reminded Mr Kazala that the fact that mining companies have been shaken due to fall in prices demands government channels some of its resources to other areas such as tourism and agriculture, which have potential job creating factors.

He said as a former minister, Mr Kazala should know better that it is not government’s policy to nationalise mining and that government has no capacity to take over or run them, adding that government was seriously looking for investors to partner with in these ventures.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha advised Mr Kazala not to be scared of disciplinary action against him by the MMD if he means well in his criticism of the government which his own party helped form.

He further refuted allegations that media was his only channel to criticise his leaders or offer suggestions, saying he could use other channels like the office of the district commissioner or the provincial minister in Ndola.

He said Mr Kazala was being malicious to claim that President Banda had abandoned his electorate and left them ignorant of the problems this country is facing, adding that Mr Kazala cannot be ignorant of the government interventions in mining to save jobs, agriculture to produce food security, tourism and other industries to create jobs and procurement of maize to ensure that the staple food is available at affordable prices.

Lt Gen Shikapwasha reminded Mr Kazala that President Banda has been to many areas that need his urgent attention such as Luanshya, where the closure of the mine has caused untold misery to the people.

ZANIS/ENDS/JT/EB

The Zambia National Tourist Board (ZTB) has expressed disappointment with the appearance of the tourist capital Livingstone, saying it does not exhibit the status bestowed on it as the tourist capital of the nation.

ZTB Chairman, Errol Hickey, said concerted efforts were needed from residents and the local authority to give Livingstone a facelift since the city was dirty and most of its infrastructure was in urgent need of rehabilitation.

Mr Hickey said this during a program on Zambezi FM radio in Livingstone today.

And the ZTB Chairman said not much could be done to market Zambia as a tourism destination this year because of the limited resources allocated for marketing activities.

He said next to agriculture, tourism was among the top three sectors that government depended on, but this was sometimes not reflected in terms of support given to the sector.

Mr Hickey called on government to address challenges that made the cost of business in the country to be high if investment opportunities were to be fully exploited.

ZANIS/ENDS/AMM/EB