The Committee of Citizens has advised the opposition in Zambia not make political capital out of the current global economic meltdown as it has affected not only Zambia but the whole World.

Organization Executive Director Gregory Chifire has said the opposition should instead work closely with the government in finding lasting solutions to the effects of the global crisis.

Mr. Chifire charged, in a press statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka Saturday, that government should not be blamed for the recent job losses being experienced in the mining sector, general increase in commodity prices and the depreciation of the kwacha among other problems.

He explained that job losses in the mines and the depreciation of the Kwacha were due to the fall in metal prices on the world market adding that this has affected the country because copper is a major Forex Earner for Zambia and not the government of President Rupiah Banda.

The Director further condemned the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) for continued increase in mealie meal prices.

Mr. Chifire accused MAZ of not being sincere in the way it is handling mealie meal prices in the country.

He noted that despite the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) off loading maize on the market at a reasonable price, some mealiers have continued to effect high prices on the commodity.

He disclosed that his organization is aware of the cartel by the mealers to frustrate government’s effort of delivering to the people.

He further pointed out that demonstrations against government over mealie meal prices should not be entertained by well meaning Zambians.

ZANIS/MM/ENDS/MM

Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU ) President Mr. Hikaumba, has said government has increased its expenditure through commissions like the Task Force and the NCC . He said that these commissions can easily be done away with to enable the country have a good cash flow to benefit more Zambians.

Mr Mr. Hikaumba has urged government to reduce expenditure and increase production to enable workers to be less affected by the world economic clampdown.

Mr Hikaumba has also challenged Union leaders to dialogue with government to look at the global economic slown down critically.

Mr. Hikaumba said during 2009 commodity prices will increase there by disadvantaging majority of civil servants and ordinary Zambians.

He said only good salaries for public workers will help cushion the effects of the clumpdown.

He suggested that government should consider salary increment regardless of the economic crisis which has affected the country.

The ZCTU President said government would want to give all sorts of excuses because of global financial crisis but however said this development calls for critical thinking.

Meanwhile, the Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) has called on government to narrow the gap between the highly and lowly paid workers by coming up with a deliberate policy on the poverty datum – line.

This is according to the resolutions of the just ended biannual conference of CSAWUZ held in Livingstone.

The civil servants have also called on government to immediately open negotiations with the union for the 2009 improved salaries and conditions of service.

The government has further been urged to conclude the negotiations before the expiry of the existing agreement.

They public workers were of the view that government should also clear all outstanding arrears for the existing housing allowances and other personal emoluments such as leave travel and settling-in allowances.

The civil servants in their resolutions also urged government to expeditiously resolve the outstanding 2003 housing allowance issue as per provision of the memorandum of understanding signed with the union.

This year’s annual conference was officially opened by Secretary to Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja.
ZANIS/ENDS/FM/MM.

Adolescents who claim they are “madly in love” might not be too far off the mark: a new study suggests that they show almost manic behaviors.

Serge Brand of the Psychiatric University Clinics in Basel, Switzerland, and his colleagues surveyed 113 teenagers at around 17 years of age, asking them to complete questionnaires about their conduct and mood and to keep a log of their sleep patterns. Of those, 65 indicated they had recently fallen in love and experienced intense romantic emotions.

The lovestruck teenagers showed many behaviors resembling “hypomania” a less intense form of mania. For example, they required about an hour less sleep each night than teens who didn’t have a sweetheart. They were also more likely to report acting compulsively, with 60% saying they spent too much money compared with fewer than 30% of teenagers who were not in love.

Moreover, the lovestruck teens were more than twice as likely to say they had lots of ideas and creative energy. Worryingly, they were also more likely to say they drove fast and took risks on the road.

“We were able to demonstrate that adolescents in early-stage intense romantic love did not differ from patients during a hypomanic stage,” say the researchers. This leads them to conclude that intense romantic love in teenagers is a “psychopathologically prominent stage”.

They add that psychiatrists should take this information into account when assessing adolescent patients who are having trouble sleeping and are showing other behavioural changes.

The symptoms of hypomania overlap with those of mania, which is diagnosed as bipolar disorder when accompanied by periods of depression.

Journal reference: Journal of Adolescent Health

Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata has welcomed the Government’s decision to cut down on its expenditure and suggested that it goes a step further by doing away with some top public service positions.

Mr Sata said in Lusaka yesterday during a Press briefing that the Government should continue finding ways of reducing expenditure to mitigate the effects of the current global financial crisis.

As one of the options, he said, the Government should start trimming down the number of ministers, deputy ministers and permanent secretaries as a measure to reduce the cost of Government operations.

He urged President Banda to consider reducing his Cabinet to cut on expenditure.

Mr Sata said that what the Government should be doing now was to find solutions to problems facing the country and stop blaming everything on external factors like the financial crisis.

He called on the media to be proactive and fight for the majority of Zambians threatened by poverty.

“I am urging President Banda to start reducing the number of ministers, deputy ministers and permanent secretaries in ministries where there are two people doing one job,” he said.

On the National Constitutional Conference (NCC), Mr Sata maintained that it should be suspended.

He said Government could still save some money from the NCC if it focused on thorny issues in the Constitution and made necessary amendments like what his party did in 2005 when it presented a proposed bill to Parliament on the 50 per cent-plus one vote.

Commenting on job losses in the mining sector, Mr Sata said the Government should strengthen the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) so that it could properly scrutinise investors as they came to Zambia.

Mr Sata said mining companies should not give the global economic recession as an excuse for not to paying mineral taxes and urged the Government to ensure that the revenue realised was invested in the improvement of the lives of people.

On Food Reserve Agency (FRA)’s engagement of three South African firms to supply non-genetically modified white maize, Mr Sata wondered when the three companies bid for the contracts.

He said awarding of the contracts should be advertised especially that one of the three companies was not from South Africa but was run by locals.

Gen Shikapwasha said the Government was of the view that concerted efforts and dialogue were needed to resolve various problems affecting the nation.

Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said the Government was encouraged by any suggestions from various people including Mr Sata.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha said President Banda and the Cabinet were considering several measures of cutting down on the cost of Government operations but the proposal to reduce on the number of ministers and top civil servants had not been among them.

“President Banda and his Cabinet are looking at several measures. But we welcome all the suggestions from citizens, including Mr Sata,” he said.

“I am personally encouraged by the suggestions from Mr Sata because after all, we are all Zambians,” he said.

He said the president would at an appropriate time announce whatever measures would be adopted to mitigate the current economic situation.

Times of Zambia

A youth activist in Kafue estates has called on young women to dress decently.

Speaking to ZANIS in an interview, Holy Savior Youth Coordinator Sandra Namuchana said it is shameful to see young women walking around in short skirts popularly known as ‘Hey mamas’ exposing their thighs for everyone to see. She said young women should know that such parts of the body should not be exposed any how.

Mrs. Namuchana also condemned young people who say that even their parents used to dress like that when they were their age. She said times have changed and young women today should not try to compare with the old times.

Mrs. Namuchana said in the old days there was no HIV/AIDS and people might have been ignorant about protecting one’s dignity but now that young people are being sensitized from all corners, they should know better than going about in indecent clothes.

Mrs. Namuchana said if young women continue dressing like this, the fight against HIV/AIDS will not be an easy because young men are being tempted every day and this forces those with weak minds to start sleeping around thereby contracting HIV/AIDS.

Mrs. Namuchana also said that Zambia was a Christian Nation and people should learn to live like children of God. She said this should remind people that bodies are God’s temple hence they should be looked after in a way that will make God happy.

And one concerned parent, Mrs. Patricia Sichivula attributed the indecent dressing to the strong influence that the western world is having in the country. She said young people are copying everything they see on TV thinking it is normal.

She advised that this should not be the case because Zambians should know that the country has a culture of respect and young women should not let the western world distort this.

Mrs. Sichivula there are many decent fashionable clothes young women can wear and look beautiful instead of showing thighs and tummies for the whole world to see. She expressed worry to see how worse this problem is getting because it seems a lot of people are now even used to seeing parts of a woman’s body that are not supposed to be seen outside.

By Chilo Phiri

Since the inception of independence, Zambian political leaders have taunted the youth as ‘the future leaders of the country’. While this may be true, no successive government has promoted this belief. The youth in Zambia keep being sidelined in the political arena. This is evidenced by the appointment of veteran politicians in ministerial jobs, political administrative offices, ambassadorial postings, and generally, senior party positions.

The youth are relegated to slogan chanting and individual promoters of those with a bit of political clout. I beg to ask, are the youth themselves to blame, or are our elderly politicians plain selfish and somewhat scared of the intelligence and vibrancy of the youth? Any nation’s future lies in the youth. And if a country wants to be great, the role of the youth in the political dispensation must be elevated. I believe structures can be implemented which support the political development and participation of the youth.

Different interest groups in Zambia have advocated for increased participation of women in politics and political decision-making, but has anybody voiced out the same for the youth. During the First Republic, the slogan was the youth are the future leaders of Zambia. This is Forty Four (44) years later, and the future still eludes the youth. The appointment of Vernon J. Mwaanga or even Daniel Munkombwe for instance, is a step into the political past of the country. I cannot overlook their contribution to politics in Zambia, but their time is not now.

The world has moved far beyond their insight and in the current climate, new ideas from young and fresh political leaders are what will drive the country forward. An even bigger retrogressive appointment is when an individual is picked from the blues to become the country’s’ second in command. Quite frankly, what political role did Mr. Rupiah Banda play from the time he lost the Munali Parliamentary election to the time of his Veep appointment? Did he remain connected with the development of politics in the country, was he abreast with economic changes taking place worldwide, and is he the right man to lead Zambia in this global financial and economic crisis? Does he inspire confidence in our people? Can this man provide the leadership when the country and world are a stone throw away from a depression?

The challenges that we face as a country have a lot to do with who we elect into political offices. Do we have the right mix of people leading us? This idea of selfish politics will always confine this God-gifted country into the depths of political garbage. Forty Four (44) years after independence Zambia cannot even host a minor African sporting event like the All-Africa games. Isn’t this a shame to other countries that a country that has never seen a civil war can be so much out of sorts? It is so depressing to think that we as a country can never seem to make reasonable progress in the way we tackle minor issues affecting our country.

This reminds me of the article I read about Baby M, honestly, a hospital like UTH cannot afford a power generator? Where do the resources go? Does anyone ever think of investing heavily in this important sector? I guess not, because if and when they get sick, they are flown to foreign countries where facilities are world class. But the ordinary citizen, you and I, are left to linger and die in Zambia.

The youth of this great country need to stand up and be counted. If this country is to be great, the youth need to realize that they are the only hope that country has. If the burden of poverty and hopelessness has to be lifted off our children’s futures, now is the time for the youth to do for their country, what the country has not done for them.

The mantle is in your hands. We need to change the way politics are played in our country. The politics of patronage and poverty are a thing of the 20th Century. We need action-oriented people with the interest of this country at heart. Tired political leadership is not the answer to our problems