By Wesley Ngwenya

It has always bothered me why ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, the vice president, police chiefs, air force chiefs, army chiefs, and other government officials go to the airport to wave their hands as the presidents gets on the plane to head somewhere. Every time the president leaves town government literally comes to a standstill for a couple of hours because every head of something heads to the airport. Is this really necessary or it is part of the job descriptions for these people?

Every time I personally drive to the airport I spend about K40,000 on gas in a small Toyota car. I wonder how much money is spent each time the president jets in or jets out at Lusaka International Airport. For arguments sake, lets say only about a hundred people, on average, go to welcome or say bye to the president and each of these “important” people drive their huge Toyota SUVs consuming about K80,000 worth of gas. That is K8 million spent on gas alone.

For some, K8 million may not seem to be a lot of money but this is money that could easily be saved and channeled to more deserving causes such as fire services, or ambulance services. Gas is not the only thing wasted when the president is escorted. There is probably cell phone usage and hundreds of government hours wasted. There are literally more than a hundred police men and women who parade the streets from Plot One to Lusaka International Airport several hours before the presidential motorcade drives by. That’s a lot of idle time for a poor country like ours.

Instead of all these ministers and government officials going to the airport to be part of the presidential cheerleading team I suggest that each time the president is leaving or coming–let them have mini-brainstorming sessions. It’s okay you can send one or two ministers to carry the president’s luggage but the rest of you need to be locked up in a meeting to brainstorm on real national issues. If you have never been in a brainstorming session please don’t worry just bring a pen and paper or your laptop. Brainstorm on how to revamp agriculture and use cost effective but efficient methods. Brainstorm about how you want to bring unemployment rate to maybe 30%. You do not have to admit this but, consider some of the opposition parties’ ideas and if you think they are brilliant then implement them. You will unlikely hear Sata or HH say, “hey wait a minute that was my idea, stop!” Instead they will work with you.

By the time the president comes back from Neverland, you would have come up not only with exciting proposals on these important issues but you would also have come up with implementation strategies. This, I hope, would excite the president and issue a decree that no more escorts to the airport.

Honestly, our leaders reduce themselves to be bootlickers to the appointing authority. If they know their job descriptions and capabilities vey well they do not have to parade the airport just to be recognized. During my years in the United States I really don’t remember seeing Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfield, Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice parading to shake hands before George Bush boarded Air Force One. Although Bush would probably have loved it but there were better things to do. Can our leaders too find better things to do instead of being on the cheerleading team of the president?

By Mingeli Palata

Not that I want to talk about the much acclaimed Obama inauguration seeing as most of the media has gotten the better of that story but just I want to say it was amusing to have my grand mother who isn’t really concerned with any form of politics glued to TV- she couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of the man on everyone’s lips. I have read all of his books and can really go on talking about the man or the joke that Joe Biden passed on the Supreme Court justice but this article is really about effective government. I mentioned Obama because news has it that he has introduced a new code of ethics for government officials in the capitol, I found that quite interesting and so I pondered to see how that move can apply to the local situation.

I find it funny that politicians in today’s Zambia view ministerial or political appointments as a reward for service or loyalty rendered to the President. And true to the word we saw how various politicians agitated over RB’s appointments. Yes political appointments for many today are but a conveyer belt to riches or a door opener to lots of opportunities. When you are appointed as a minister or an army chief its a chance for you to get some loot, loot loot the poor Zambian coffers. Shame!

I looked up the word minister and I found that it had interesting synonyms, some of which include servant. I would like to stop there. If we go by government for the people, by the people and of the people, we can arrive to a conclusion that ministers or government officials including the President are there to work for us- the people. Yet the contrary is true of today’s politics. Government officials are more of the upper class than our servants, they look  towards their interests other than our own.

Allow me to propose the following points which, in my view will help make our government run more effectively. For starters I have always told people that our government is the biggest government and if simple business theorem is anything to go by, the government should be closed- its too costly, we cant break even as a country. I think its time we considered a small government. Decentralize governance and reduce the number of ministries. They are too many and some of them can qualify as ministry departments, come on guys!

We need to deal with government work from a pragmatic point of view; yes we need to change our perceptions to suit the true meaning of service. Hence all vying for government posts should bear in mind that their job is to serve and they owe it to the people. That said I would like to add that government ministers should be chosen from outside parliament so as to ensure that only the best brains are recruited for national duty. Hiring ministers outside parliament will also ensure that MP’s concentrate on making laws and policies that take our country forward. This will improve checks and balances thereby breeding a more effective and efficient government.

Maybe all this might happen when we come up with a code of ethics for public servants unlike allowing a situation were people pursue selfish interests other than national interests. Maybe then we can have a government that believes in its own people and invests in its people than think that somehow some investor from Malaysia is the one that will redeem this country’s economic downturn. Maybe then we will have a government that will bail out Zambian Airways, so that we can move to and fro with ease and resuscitate Nitrogen chemicals so that our farmers can have their fertilizers.  Maybe we can have a government that is smart enough to takeover the mines now so that when the price of copper rises, they can channel the money towards alternative sources of energy such as biofuel and invest in sustainable agriculture. Maybe some day!

The United States (US) government says it will continue advising and assisting Zambia in the fight against HIV/AIDS in order to reduce the prevalence rate of the pandemic in the country.

US Ambassador to Zambia, Donald Booth, said his government was committed to the HIV/AIDS fight and has in this regard provided more than half a billion dollars to Zambia through the US Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS relief .

Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Mkushi District Commissioner (DC), Mwila Kunda during his familiarization tour of Central Province yesterday, Mr. Booth said he was very impressed with the strategies put up by the Zambian government in its quest to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The Ambassador, who was accompanied by USAID Director, Mellissa Williams and other US embassy officials, said in the few months that he has been in the country, he has noticed with great amusement the partnership that exists between government, NGOs and the church in the fight against the pandemic.

He said he was impressed that Zambia, through the support of his government and other collaborating partners, has made tremendous strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

He added that he was deeply moved and inspired by those who, regardless of their HIV positive status, have come aboard and made contributions of different sorts to the HIV/AIDS fight.

Mr. Booth however said the fight against the scourge should not be left to the government alone but that every responsible citizen should participate in the fight in order for the country to emerge victorious in the war.

The Ambassador took time to inspect some USAID funded projects being undertaken in the area interacted with both the local community and his fellow nationals in the Mkushi framing block.

He observed that real Zambia lied in the rural communities hence his stay in the country would be incomplete if he did not tour the rural communities and interact with them.

He also observed that the spread of HIV/AIDS was quit rampant in rural areas hence the reason why USAID prioritized and strengthened its outreach projects in such areas.

Mr. Booth further applauded his fellow nationals for the contribution they were making towards the economic development of Zambia.

He said his country has enjoyed good relations with Zambia and that the two shall continue working as partners in development, even amidst the global economic challenges.

Mr. Booth also made a stop over at Tusekelemo Medical Centre run by the Mkushi White Farmers Association.

And speaking earlier, Mkushi District Hospital Director Rosemary Mwanza said the HIV prevalence rates have drastically dropped in the area following the consistent outreached programmes done by the hospital in conjunction with USAID funded projects such as CHAMP and Africare.

Mr. Mwanza said CHAMP and Africare have contributed immensely to the reduction of the spread of HIV in the area.

She said with the help of the two NGOs, remote areas such as Mboroma Ching’ombe and Chembe have been reached, adding that a lot of HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns as well as Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services have been tackled.

She added that the response among the people in the remotest areas of the district was overwhelming unlike those in the townships.

She said in places such as Mboroma, the hospital has recorded few or no cases of HIV positive people.

However, Dr. Mwanza noted that VCT was more prominent among the female community unlike their male counterparts.

She said the ignorance among the male community in the district regarding HIV/AIDS issues still remained a challenge and threatened the mitigation of the scourge in the area.

She said women actively participated in HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns thereby contributing to the HIV/AIDS fight more than men.

And Dr.Mwanza said the major constraint that the hospital was currently facing was lack of qualified staff at rural health posts.

She said both the hospital and the rural health posts were understaffed due to lack of accommodation for health staff in the area.

She charged that lack of accommodation, coupled with high rentals demoralized heath workers and as a result they left the district for greener pastures.

Dr. Mwanza observed that the plight was even worse for those in the health posts because accommodation was limited and was not conducive enough for them.

She said a qualified nurse sent to a rural health posts definitely had an option between living in a grass thatched house with no electricity and working at a private clinic in urban areas.

She therefore appealed to government to consider constructing decent accommodation for health staff in order to boost their moral.

Dr. Mwanza said this will motivate the health workers as well as enable them to operate efficiently.

Meanwhile, Mkushi District Commissioner Mwila Kunda commended the US Ambassador to Zambia for visiting the district.

Mr. Kunda said the Ambassador’s visit was a clear indication that the US government cared about the plight of the rural community in Zambia.

He said the visit was especially important to the Ambassador as it would give him an understanding of how the donation which the US government was making to Zambia in the fight against AIDS was being spent.

He added that such visitations enabled the rural community, especially people infected with the virus to know who was supporting them.

Mr. Kunda expressed gratitude to the US government for helping reduce the HIV prevalence rate in the district as earlier indicated by Dr. Mwanza.

He hoped that the US government would continue helping Zambia even after changing government.

ZANIS/CK/MK/KSH/ENDS.

The Executive Committee of the National Constitutional Conference-NCC- has rejected recommendations that a convicted former head of state forfeits his gratuity.

The committee decided to strike out Article 137 5C after a heated debate on Thursday morning.

The NCC members with opposing views only toned down when Justice Permanent Secretary, Getrude Imbwae intervened with a legal interpretation.

Ms Imbwae explained that accrued rights of any individual can not be taken away unconstitutionally.

She said the relevant criminal laws would fully deal with erring individuals without necessary attaching their accrued rights such as gratuity and pension.

Earlier, NCC commissioners Vincent Mwale, Edwin Sakala, Daniel Munkombwe, Richard Kapita and others opposed the provisions of Article 137 5C.

On the Other hand, Commissioners Mukondo Lungu,, Reverend David Masupa, Pastor Peter Mulenga and Mwiya Limata supported the forfeiture of gratuity.

[ZNBC]

By Philos Zambianos ([email protected])

Corruption: Noun

– Lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain

– Inducement (as of a public official) by improper means (as bribery) to violate duty (as by committing a felony)

I must admit that I did not quite expect the controversy that erupted from my earlier article here on corruption and morality. As I read the comments on it, I was amused, intrigued and irritated. The people that irritated me are the ones who did not bother to fully read and understand my article in context. In this group are those who claim (among other things) that I am corrupt, I encourage corruption or have succumbed to it, not to mention the censorship freaks.

All the people who argued against the thesis of the article did not address its central argument of morality application in the context of force. It is important to be fully conscious of this foundational issue if you are to argue intelligently. I would like the naysayers to state what is logically wrong with the principle that when another person uses force against you, the obligation to follow the normal rules of morality is no longer applicable with respect to that specific situation. In other words, how can you talk about morality when the conditions for “normal morality” (i.e. absence of force) no longer exist?

If Angola sends troops to invade Zambia, would it make sense for us to sit and be butchered because it is supposedly immoral to send our fighter planes to bomb our neighbour (with the loss of innocent lives)? Imagine if that was the logic used during the time of Hitler, Mussolini and the Japanese. In times of peace, it would obviously be immoral and wrong to bomb Angola. So the idea that corruption is wrong, no matter what the circumstances, is obviously senseless (and rather silly) when you understand it from the angle of force.

Just south of our border, we have a tinpot despot called Robert Gabriel Mugabe who has turned Zimbabwe into a personal chiefdom where he rules supreme. The SADC and African Union leadership has failed miserably to sort him out but they keep claiming that “African problems need African solutions”. What stupidity! The situation there no longer falls under the normal rules of morality because Mugabe does not respect human rights and is using force against his own people.

So I find it ludicrous that Morgan Tsvangirai, Thabo Mbeki and other hopeless African leaders keep advocating going back to the negotiation table to talk endlessly while people are starving and dying everyday. What nonsense! Mugabe needs to be overthrown by all means necessary including (but not limited to) nationwide street protests, full-blown economic sanctions, expulsion from SADC and AU, invasion by other countries or covert assassination plot funded by the American CIA and British MI6.

I know a certain person that bought a piece of land for farming but could not obtain title deeds to the land for over ten years (this is not an exaggeration). More than half of that period was during Levy Mwanawasa’s tenure by the way. Their file kept getting lost or the person who was signing the papers was attending a workshop or there was a funeral for some director, etc. This person steadfastly refused to pay any bribes and they paid dearly for it because during that period, they could not develop the land for fear that it could get repossessed anytime since it was legally not theirs. They suffered many economic hardships as the money they had earmarked for their farming projects ended up being used for living expenses. They even ended up selling some of their property just to get by.

The idea that I am succumbing to corruption when I am being held to ransom just does not make sense. I reiterate that when force is used against you, it no longer makes sense to talk about morality. I had a Nigerian Christian friend who had to bribe people in his country just to get a visa to go study in England. He would not have got it any other way no matter what he did.

I am amused at how naïve people can get when they talk about how we can easily eradicate corruption in Zambia. They fail to realise that the whole corruption thing is an “ecosystem” to borrow a word from one of the comments on my earlier article. Firstly, the police are corrupt so how do they even arrest offenders? The courts are full of underpaid overworked people. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is also staffed by people that can be bought. As we learnt from the era of former president Frederick Chiluba, Ministers and even presidents can be totally corrupt. How do you kill an entire ecosystem like that? By praying and confessing to God? Give me a massive fat break!

One question I wish everyone to ponder is whether paying someone at the passport office to get a passport in one day is wrong. Think about it. How long should it take to produce a passport? There is nothing complicated about it. It is just a bunch of papers, ink and plastic put together by a machine. So why should it take a week or a month to get a passport? Did you know that it takes less time to produce a brand new Mercedes Benz S-Class car with thousands of complex parts than it takes to produce a Zambian passport?

The truth is that the officers at the passport office (registration card office, road traffic, lands department, etc.) deliberately slow down things so that people get frustrated and offer to pay them to fast forward the process. Even if there is an express service, it is still useless if it takes days. So if I pay some clerk K300,000 and get my new passport in one day (which is actually the “normal” time it should have taken in the first place), is that really corruption?