CIVIC and political groups have differed over President Mwanawasa’s proposal for a national convention to discuss the constitution-making process.The Oasis Forum described the President’s call as a step in the right direction but the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) says the constitution- making process be confined to either the Government or Oasis Forum- proposed roadmaps, irrespective of the costs involved.

Oasis Forum new chairperson, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president, Elijah Banda, said in an interview yesterday that the move was welcome although they needed time to study the matter before making a comprehensive statement.

“We will soon sit with the new LAZ Council to study the President’s pronouncement in line with what has been the position of the Oasis Forum on the matter,” Mr Banda said.

But FODEP executive director, Elijah Ruvuta, suggested it was better to go ahead with one of the established roadmaps as long as the weeks over which the process was supposed to take ran concurrently.

The Oasis Forum has suggested in its roadmap that the constitution-making process should be carried over a period of about 71 weeks while Government has proposed 87 weeks.

Mr Ruvuta said FODEP was sceptical about what would be achieved through a constitutional convention especially that there was almost nothing significant, which came from the last national convention.

“What did we achieve from the last convention.

Government is using costs as a concern for using the established roadmaps.

But what is the loss in investing in something broad. Moreover, how is the convention going to be managed because during the last one, a number of things were not properly handled,” Mr Ruvuta said.

Mr Ruvuta said since Government had agreed to enact the new constitution through a Constituent Assembly, it should not worry about the costs that would be incurred because it was a worthy investment.

And United Party for National Development (UPND) spokesperson, Charles Kakoma said the President’s stance was in line with UPND’s consistent calls for dialogue.

“The purpose of the indaba should be to reach consensus in studying various issues involved in the constitution-making process like the road map, which we need to discuss and agree on,” Mr Kakoma said.

He, however, said President Mwanawasa should not use the convention as a replacement for the Constituent Assembly.

“Instead the indaba should be used as a forum to discuss important issues like the mode of selecting people to be on the Constituent Assembly because this is what people wanted when making their submissions,” he said.

But Patriotic Front president, Michael Sata, said although the Oasis Forum’s roadmap was just a proposal, he would prefer a referendum on any roadmap because it was a quicker way of enacting a constitution.

Mr Sata who was speaking on Face the Media programme on Radio Phoenix, said a national convention might just be a waste of time and resources because many had been proposed over the last five years but nothing significant had come out of them.

He said a referendum should be used as a guide in enacting a new constitution because it was a quicker formula to bringing in an acceptable document to allow the people to govern themselves.

Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Council vice chairperson, Joyce Macmillan, said there was need for a good constitution because everything in the country rested on it.

She said issues like the fight against corruption, job security and independence of institutions like the judiciary, were all dependent on a good constitution.

The government  plans to raise mineral royalties and corporate taxes in June after renegotiating agreements signed with foreign mining companies,  Finance Minister Ng’andu Magande said on Wednesday.

Magande told Reuters the government had informed foreign copper and cobalt mining companies it intended to raise mineral royalty tax to three percent from 0.6 percent and corporate tax to 30 percent from 25 percent.

The government was currently working out detailed proposals and would start renegotiating agreements in order to raise corporate and mineral royalty taxes, he said.

“We would like to start renegotiating the development agreements to raise tax in June and complete the exercise the same month. There are only five items we are looking at,” Magande added.

Magande said foreign firms which purchased copper mines starting from 2000 had been awarded tax breaks to enable them to stabilise their operations at a time of low prices.

“The tax breaks were only for the stability period and now they should all start paying the same taxes. The new mines are already paying 30 percent corporate tax and three (percent) mineral royalty tax,” Magande said.

He said the government would renegotiate with 10 foreign mining firms that had received tax incentives so that they could contribute more funds to the Treasury.

PRESIDENT Mwanawasa says it is difficult for Government to reasonably improve conditions of service for its workers because some of the unionised employees aren involved in thefts and abuse of public resources.

“How can we improve workers’ conditions when money is being stolen and abused by your (trade union) members and workers are ever going on strike? It takes two to tangle and so both Government and the workers must be prudent in handling public resources,” he said.

Mr Mwanawasa said this in Lusaka yesterday during Labour Day celebrations.

He said this year’s theme contained important milestones, which were necessary ingredients in realising desired industrial harmony in the country.

Mr Mwanawasa said the milestones were healthy because they promoted a safe working environment and increased productivity.

“It is essential that as we commemorate this important day, we reflect seriously on our achievements with regard to promoting and sustaining workers’ rights and decent work through social dialogue.

“All these can be enhanced through measures and mechanisms that we have taken and established which are at our disposal as social partners,” he said.

Mr Mwanawasa said Government was committed to accelerating the realisation of this year’s Labour Day theme through the inclusion of a chapter on employment and labour in the Fifth National Development Plan and the implementation of the country’s decent work programme in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Mr Mwanawasa said social dialogue was an important means of sharing and exchanging ideas to resolve problems on the labour market.

He said Government had institutionalised social dialogue through the ratification of convention 144, of 1976, which had been domesticated through the Industrial and Labour Relations Act Cap 269 of the Laws of Zambia.

Mr Mwanawasa said through this Act, Government was obliged to meet its social partners not less than twice a year to exchange views on labour matters, human resource development and issues that included legislation, policies and programmes.

He said regular labour inspections should be complemented by educational awareness campaigns with regard to the provisions of the Employment Act, the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment Act and the Factories Act.

He said promoting and sustaining workers’ rights required concerted efforts by stakeholders.

Mr Mwanawasa said workers should be educated on the provisions of the labour laws so that they could claim their rights.

He said government on its part would endeavour to maintain a sound industrial relations climate for conducting business.

The President said under the decent work programme for Zambia which Government in collaboration with ILO was developing, greater employment opportunities would be created and adequate social protection provided.

He also said workers’ rights would be respected while meaningful social dialogue among social partners would be guaranteed.

“Having taken these measures, Government will concentrate on facilitating the creation of more jobs to absorb school leavers and graduates into gainful employment.

To create more opportunities for decent employment, Government has introduced a number of intervention measures in the FNDP,” he said.

Mr Mwanawasa said with regard to social protection, Government had already started implementing social security reforms to ensure harmonisation of fragmented schemes in the country and to improve the coverage and delivery of services.

The President has since instructed the Minister of Labour and Social Security Ronald Mukuma to finalise the social security policy, which would also carter for workers in the informal sector.

“In this regard, the informal sector operators and individual players in the economy may contribute to the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA),” he said.

Mr Mwanawasa also said child labour should be tackled through a multi-dimensional approach involving various stakeholders.

The President also appealed to members of Parliament to consult their electorate before making laws.

And President Mwanawasa took a swipe at some employers who did not have representation at the celebrations.

“Some of these employers invited me when they were opening their companies, but now they don’t want to see me.

Let them not call me for any event if they are not prepared to dance with their employees.

“While we are happy that they are making money and that there is a level of industrial peace, we are not happy that they are not giving us support,” he said.

Copperbelt Province Minister Mwansa Mbulakulima has disclosed that Parliament has approved a budgetary provision of more than K28 billion to Copperbelt Province.

Making the disclosure during a meeting he hosted for Provincial Members of Parliament and District Commissioners today, Mr Mbulakulima said that K28,233,855,177 had been approved by Parliament.

Mr Mbulakulima explained that K8,787,515,415 out of the allocated amount would be spent on poverty reduction programmes.

He said most of the funds would be used on ongoing programmes such as the rehabilitation and expansion of education and health facilities in the province.

He further said the other programmes to benefit from the funds were, the land resettlement infrastructure, water and sanitation and many other Copperbelt support
programmes.

The Minister explained that the meeting was aimed at finding ways on how best all
stakeholders could work together as a team and bring development to the province.

He said that the meeting needed to address issues concerning the Youth Development
Fund on the Copperbelt Province, Developmental Projects as well as working relations among the office of the Provincial Minister, the District Commissioners and all Copperbelt MPs.

And in a vote of thanks, Kantanshi MP, Yamfwa Mukanga urged the minister to ensure
that the money allocated to the province was shared equally.

He said as concerned stakeholders they needed to be discussing developmental issues
and to establish how the money would be used.

Mr Mukanga assured that Copperbelt MPs were ready to work as a team.

ZANIS

Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) in Eastern Province has elected Eastern Province Minister, Lameck Mangani as its Provincial Chairperson.

Mr Mangani who is also Chipata Central Member of Parliament was elected at the
Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting held in Chipata last night, witnessed
by MMD National Secretary Katele Kalumba and National Organising Party Secretary
Frank Bowa.

He takes over from Mrs. Helen Tembo who was recently appointed by President Levy
Mwanawasa to serve as Deputy Consular General in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). 

Mr Mangani beat four other contesting candidates to emerge winner.

He managed to poll a total of 10 votes out of 18 votes cast by PEC members who were
legible to vote, while his closest rival, who is the current Vice Provincial Chairperson, Major Francis Kamanga polled four votes.

Other contestants were Johabbie Mtonga and Rueben Banda who got one and three votes
respectively.

Meanwhile, Mr Mangani disclosed that the party was geared for the Kapoche constituency by-election in Petauke district.

The Kapoche seat fell vacant after Forum for Development and Democracy (FDD)
candidate Charles Banda successfully petitioned the September 28, 2006 tripartite
elections in the Lusaka High Court.

Mr Banda has since been nominated by his party to contest the seat while the ruling
MMD was yet to adopt a candidate for the by-election.

Former Community Development and Social Services Deputy Minister, Nicholas Banda,
was the area Member of Parliament after the September 2006 Tripartite election.

The filing in of nominations for the Kapoche seat would take place on May 15, 2007
while the election date had been set for June 5 this year.

ZANIS

Police in Kafue have recovered K369 million cash sealed in a safe box which was stolen from a hardware shop in the early hours of yesterday.

Police deputy commissioner and commanding officer for Lusaka province Wazakaza Ng’uni confirmed the recovery of the money in a telephone interview with ZANIS in
Kafue.

Mr Ng’uni also disclosed that police have since apprehended three suspects in connection with the theft of the money.

The trio have since been remanded in custody and will appear in court soon.

The Lusaka province police chief said the money was stolen yesterday between 02.00
and 03.00  hours from Rako Hardware shop where thieves broke in using giant cutters
to gain entry.

He said the money was recovered in Zambia compound later in Kafue after police were
informed of the theft and immediately launched a manhunt to track down the culprits.

Mr. Ng’uni said the money which was in a safebox was found in a house in Kafue’s
Zambia compound intact and unopened where the thieves apparently put it for safe
keeping.

He said a Kafue woman and two Lusaka men have since been apprehended in connection
with the theft and investigations have continued.

Mr  Ng’uni also said two taxi cars have been detained by police which were used by the thieves and are parked at Kafue police station.
ZANIS