The Post Editorial Pages
February 5, 1996Warning! This newspaper is banned in Zambia!
Warning! This newspaper is banned in Zambia!
By Jane Mayger
Much as I hate to add to the vast and repetitive column inches already devoted to the old FTJ birth place controversy, there is no way I can avoid it. How can I ignore the outrageous comment from the Times in last Tuesday's opinion on Dr. Fisher's revelations that Chibambo hospital did exist prior to 1944, and seriously believe it was going to be a straight forward and unbiased commentary on the dismal affair. Yes, I thought, how sensible - the people of Zambia should be able to choose freely and fairly between Kaunda and Chiluba in an election. Who cares where they or their parents were born? Propaganda Yes, I thought, the whole - "search for the truth" show had been a shocking piece of propaganda and, to quote the Times, "journalists incompetence - the President's staff? What have the President's staff got to do with it, they're publicity men not journalists. Surely the great and the good of the Times know the difference between the two. You'd hope so, wouldn't you. And here comes the funny bit, "The level of journalistic inquiry was at best cursory and worst very low and since State House was the initiator of the exercise it should have ensured a higher degree of journalistic diligence." Diligence Rarely have I come across such an unconvincing piece of double speak. I think someone ought to explain to the worthy organ that it, as a newspaper, is the organisation responsible for diligence when it comes to revealing the truth. That's what 'free press' means. A 'free press' just for the record, isn't press which repeats blindly everything the President's PR men tell it. A free press checks the facts for itself. So, according to the Times, the poor President was betrayed by the shoddy workmanship of his staff; not his own ability to come clean, but his staff's ineptitude when it comes to telling lies. Journalism And, apparently, State House should hire some new, clever excuse makers before "journalism is disgraced further." You have to admire the cheek of the piece really, but they really should try andcome up with a more convincing argument. Otherwise the public will be left in no doubt about exactly who is bringing journalism into disgrace in this country.
The prophet Elijah lived under a government such as ours in which were there was no justice, no regard for individual human rights; a government whose philosophy and actions was defined by worship of the baals. The bible notes that Ahab who was King in Elijah's time was completely sold out to the devil whom he kept happy with his injustices and shedding of innocent blood. Elijah, believing that he was the only good man left, was so spiritually demo-ralised that he went out into the wilderness and told his God "I have had enough; take away my life". But God told Elijah to get his act together again for he was not alone, there were 7,000 men (not counting women) who were not worshippers of baal, SAP, Political violence, men of integrity who cared for the poor upheld justice etc. Zambia being a Christian nation founded on the clear directives in the bible, it came to me that with a government that appears to have been taken over by the prophets of the baals, it is necessary for the Elijahs to know who the other 7,000 men and women are who have never bowed to baal nor kissed him: Knowledge of each other will give them strength and fresh resolve to continue their fight in whatever they are. Kamikaze journalists such as Godfrey Malama and Arthur Simuchoba not be allowed to wilt and die in despair in the belief that nobody has taken note of their courage as reflected in their suicide editorials. Arthur Simuchoba's tribulations bring to my mind the courage of that young financial controller Kapikila Chama who refused to have his audit report tendered as false evidence against an innocent man so that he could be tried for a crime he did not commit. The fact that Kapikila Chama is my nephew, the son of my own elder sister which may give some credibility to the theory on which the Monarch was based i.e. integrity, honour etc is in the genes, does not detract from the courageous stand which this young man took. Judges Mumba, Chibesakunda, Lengalenga and magistrate Cha-watama and Musonko should know that their efforts at discharging their duties within the rule of law and principles of justice are a strong argument for women to take over government in order to restore sanity and common sense to the country driven to the brink of insanity by the leadership of Miyanda, Sata, Penza, Mushota, Chawinga etc. The Drug Enforcement commission is the only agency which ZCEA deemed fit for their ordinary Heroes Award in cognisance of the temptations, tribulations that are inherent in the job of these dedicated patriots. Even in the Police Force and inspite of honourable Stalin Sampa and Francis Ndhlovu there are men and women whose professionalism and dedication to duty is an inspiration to those of us who come in contact with these simple officers in their day to day duties. It is a tragedy that a professional officer like Silas Ngangula finds himself part of a high command in which his experience and common sense cannot be utilised for the good of the police service. In moments of gloom such as that experienced by Elijah brought about by the phyocrisy of the Alliance For Concerned Catholics, it is possible to lighten one's soul by thinking about the sacrifice and work of those nameless and faceless individuals at Kasisi Mission. Here is the Christ at work in remembrance of his own immortal words, "whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers...that you do unto me". The Kasisi example to us that we are required to be our "brothers keepers" can be contrasted with this MMD government's callous and irresponsible attitude towards the victims of their actions. I could not believe my ears and eyes when I saw an advertisement on television from a government committee calling itself Kapiri Mposhi Disaster Committee. This committee was set up as a public relations exercise in the aftermath of the looting destruction, beatings and killings by soldiers in a number of villages in the Kapiri Mposhi area. At that time in another heartless gimmick the government announced that the villagers were going to be compensated for loss of life and property. A figure of K15 million was mooted. That money and assistance has not been forthcoming. It is for this reason that this paper has had the audacity to appeal to Zambians to keep up responsibility for government misconduct and lies in that tragic affair. The public should not respond to this appeal to bail out Ben Mwila. In this year's budget Ben Mwila acquired for himself K47 billion as compared to K16 billion for health. This money as I have already pointed out does not appear to benefit our boys as for example one of the reasons for the Kapiri disaster was lengthy abandonment of the boys without food, pay etc. It is part of the K47 billion which should be used to compensate in full the villagers. The Committee has absolutely no moral or legal right to appeal to the public for assistance on this issue. Whatever help the public may have sent is best sent to institutions like Kasisi, for the alleviation of the sufferings of victims of natural disasters. The Kapiri villagers should be redressed with immediate effect by the ministry of defence. And by the way, should I take it that this area has no MP's. It is the only explanation for the silence in the House over the matter. I cannot accept that an MP would keep quiet over such an issue for political gain. A point of order should be raised on my behalf by Miyanda on this issue. Talking of redress for the poor and needy and the victims of the prophets of the baals brings me back to Christina Kunda, Christine Munalula, Laura Miti, Patricia Chibonga, Vizzy Zulu, Felix Mwasuka who spend their time at prisons, police stations courts administering to the needs of their brothers and sisters. And in view of the truism "physician heal yourself". ...may I be given permission to add yours truly to the above list.
Editorial
It is rather strange that a political party five years in government would still fail to come of age. President Chiluba and the MMD continue to humiliate themselves more towards the end of their term than its beginning. And rather than mature the government is behaving like cretin. The quality of decision making is becoming more and more deplorable. At a time like this its hard to see how a 'democratic' government can sanction unapproved expenditure of K150 million for party work, manipulate information outflow and call, without adequate notice, a referendum on such an important matter--the Constitution. The programme President Chiluba is releasing is for all intents and purposes partisan. The use of MMD loyalists in the name of civil servants, Eva Jhala and Johnson is a mere dressing. It is, therefore, questionable why the government and not MMD should fund the programme. It is also unclear why this could not have been part of the government's budget and passed through parliament for public endorsement. Why should the President snatch the funding from his 'slush fund' which is certainly not meant for such expenditure? And where did he get the money from, anyway? A referendum is a people's consultative forum. Voters in a referendum are always the people in general without regard to affiliation. For this reason MMD cannot work out a referendum like it is its private party agenda without making it public. There are a lot of issues that beg answers over this matter. From the start government has been manipulative on the question of adopting the constitution by popular will. This is abuse of a system and its people. Zambians want to vote in a referendum because there is a serious national issue requiring their endorsement. If this has got to be done they need to do it in the most transparent manner. There is definitely a problem of honesty with our men in government. Governance by lies like we said before, has become the style and fashion of MMD rule. But unless the government opens up to truth Zambians have no obligation believing them on anything in future.
There is certainly nothing wrong in MMD drawing up a programme of consultation with the people on such important matters. Consultation in itself has never been bad. What is bad is its absence. It is therefore not fair to condemn the government for doing what is right. MMD is further justified to hold the referendum question close to its chest. If previous experiences are a pointer the referendum could easily lose its purpose by having political parties and other opportunists using the occasion to offer distortions and do mere cheap politicking. By keeping the referendum date to itself until the right time, MMD was doing honour to the public and the event. The public would at least only vote for what is there not what political zealots are distorting to exploit selfish ends. Where the money comes from is neither here nor there. The President has not said anywhere that he is funding MMD, he is funding a national programme with wider implications on close to eight million people. The government should in fact be commended for listening to the people and giving them what they demand. The referendum has always been the demand of the public. Give credit where it is due.
Dear Sir I write to lodge a complaint over Great Kalu's intention to quit the national squad as reported in The Post of January 2, 1996. Firstly, I for one was not disp-apointed by his performance during the RSA '96 because that was a group failure (soccer) and as such no body expected him to play all the numbers to lead the team to victory. For the first time I am making my opinion public. I urge the people of Zambia and the President in particular to ensure that before Kalu retruns to Mexico, they must make sure they comfort the skipper and make him understand and leave us with a positive stand. It's my sincere hope that Kalu will not make a decision in his own interest but in the interest of the nation. Kalu you're Zambian, please don't go. Lead us to the World Cup. Soccer fan
Dear Sir I write in response to your editorial of 2/02/96, in which you complained in part of being prosecuted by a "corrupt judiciary". In the same issue of the paper you carried several reports in which you and others attacked Ronald Penza for castigating the judiciary. Surely there is only one judicial system in Zambia. If it is corrupt in your eyes why shouldn't it be corrupt or is it inept in Penza's eyes? If you are trying to say that government is going to manipulate the case against you by corrupting the judicial system why didn't they do so in the case of the Public Order Act and the public pay dispute? I personally feel that you are contributing to the loss of confidence in our judicial system by accussing it of being corr-upt. This is a clear case of double standards on your part. One time you say the judicial system is good for overriding government excesses but when a case comes up against you the same system becomes corrupt. Let us believe in our judicial system even when one is standing trial. We all know that the truth can never been suppressed, that is if you are innocent. F. Kasolo.
By Gilbert Mudenda
It seems the Minister of Finance is now the popular guy in town. His 1996 budget has been hailed as the most beautiful thing that ever hit Zambia. ZACCI were quick to endorse the budget as being the most favourable. In fact, they were surprised that most of their suggestions were incorporated in the minister's presentation. Other important social groups have neither expressed joy nor displeasure. The trade union movement have not yet passed their judgement. They may still be studying the budget. My suspicion is that the silent majority are not sure that the minister meant what he said. It is a realistic reaction especially from those who have suffered a severe decline in their well being in the past four years. For they may still deem the caution that one must be wary of Greeks even when they bear gifts to be true. One of such groups is the National Farmers Union. The farming community in the country has suffered greatly at the hands of the government which does not seem to care much for their fate. On record, is the destruction of the marketing system for agricultural inputs and produce; the messing up of agricultural credit institutions; and the introduction of promissory notes which together with high interest rates put a lot of farmers out of business. In their latest publication, the National Farmers Union made it very clear that they would urge their members to vote only for those candidates who commit themselves to supporting the cause of the farmers in a very meaningful way. This might have prompted the minister to make a gesture to the farming interests, which in the country, is one of the large pressure groups. Some farmers have alleged that the removal of duty on productive equipment did not include tractors, irrigation equipment or pumps! If this is true, then there is serious cause for concern. My personal concern, about the 1996 budget is not about what was promised but rather what remained unsaid. This relates to the mechanisms which would ensure that growth in investment, be it mining, agriculture, or tourism, is actually realised. This concern is about the amount of money targeted at building an institutional capacity and resources for project financing institutions in the country. For example, how much of the ASIP money will go to farmers as opposed to the amount which will be spent on officials in the name of the farming community. How will the Rural Investment Fund benefit the poor peasant farmer in some remote area of the country; and how will the money in this facility be disbursed. We can still remember the constituency funds which did not reach many constituencies as well as the huge amounts which were promised to youths but which might have ended in the pockets of very adult men. For a long time, we have heard so much about venture capital funds being around the corner. I am sincerely getting bored of hearing of this prospect which never materialises. I feel that this is the area of development financing where market forces are ill suited. I can not imagine a hard nosed businessperson or a commercial bank, for that matter, putting aside huge amounts of money in long term capital project when there is easy and fast money to be had from treasury bills and government bonds. Ignoring this brutal reality will not do. There is a world different between the calculations aimed at making a quick profit and those aimed at stimulating long term development projects. I have often wondered how this simple fact seems to escape the attention of both the government and the donors. I am reluctantly being drawn to the cynical conclusion that those who talk so loudly about development and development assistance for Zambia do not really mean what they say. The simple truth is that this country will not develop if there is no conscious effort put into stimulating growth in the economy. Too much money has been spent on training overly qualified staff, on computers which do the least work, and on workshops whose proceedings are neither published nor minted.A A lot more money is being spent on cars which merely go round Zambia carrying bureaucrats to meet other bureaucrats from other government departments or from the donor community. It is really shameful and a scandal that huge amounts of money from taxpayers, both here and abroad, are spent in this manner. I think, this is the money which should legitimately be targeted at subsidizing growth in the economy. The cost of one Landcruiser could equip an irrigation facility which could easily cover ten hectares; the cost of one computer could start a viable poultry enterprise; and a couple of workshops in Siavonga could fully stock a ranching operation. My hope for 1996 is that Zambians will begin to see these gifts from the donors as lost opportunities for Zambia's prospects for growth and development. So when you next see a landcruiser cruising past you, see it as lost opportunity for an irrigation facility. Similarly, when you next see a room full of idle computers, count the number of chicken runs which could have supported a large number of households that now go to hungry. And if you happen to meet a drunken party of workshop participants in Siavonga, Livingstone or Lilayi lodge, ponder how many cattle have been lost from prospective ranchers. However, if you are unfortunate enough to know to calculate present value, for your sanity's sake, I implore you not to do it.
By Munachonga H Chipew
There is no doubt that this year's budget has been exceptional in many ways compared to the previous ones. Whether this was done under stimuli of an election fever is beside the point because in democracy such behaviour is the norm. Assuming that the budget does not veer off course adversely and that it is improved upon in the year 1997 and 1998 real growth will start to be discerned in the economy. What must be borne in mind is the fact that the devastation of the past four years will take time to rectify. It is easy to destroy, and anybody can do it, but it takes genius, persistence and determination to go around the problem and solve it. In the market economy where players can walk in and out at will depending on their perception of inherent benefits, the ones that enters first and skims milk as it were creates a competitive edge. In this regard, while the local industry was busy collapsing due to obnoxious fiscal policies of the past (stabilisation) of important macro economic factors such as interest rates, inflation and exchange rates should have been carried out concurrently with measures such as the ones introduced in the 1996 budget) the foreign competitors set foot, penetrated the market and are effectively controlling it. This competitive edge by foreign players will certainly take time to rival. The 1996 budget, though highly acclaimed to be good, has left out most important factors. The first one is that of labour. It does not matter how much recapitalisation companies will make in terms of the acquisition of new equipment and the like, real growth will be difficult to achieve for as long as the human labour that will be expected to handle the equipment responsibly lives below poverty datum line. In this connection, the 1996 budget failed to spell out workable strategies of broadening the tax base so that if the tax band was increased to K100, 000 tax free pay, the government would still generate sufficient funds from other sources hitherto not captured. Indeed, there is no shortage of money in this country for achieving a well reasoned and managed economic plan. What with the raking in of five hundred and fifty billion kwacha in tax by Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) last year! Supposing only fifty billion of that money was invested in constructing modern beautiful markets with nice spacious stalls to trade from by registered marketeers, wouldn't ZRA have raked in five hundred and fifty trillion kwacha? What is really absent in the nation is not the money but the personnel to manage the resources effectively and judiciously to induce economic development. There is really no need to wait for the Israelites to come and do this for us. The second one is that zero rating of productive machinery should have been applied across the board. Zero rating of only agricultural and mining machinery is discriminatory and smacks of lack of comprehensive understanding of the composition of industry on a macro level in the country by budget planners. In planning and managing a macro economy, it is imperative that thorough research is undertaken to understand issues by budget personnel rather than just depending on hearsay and stimuli from the most vocal group. However, since the budget is still being debated in parliament, it is important that a corrigendum is issued to zero rate all productive machinery to ensure that reinvestment into the economy is achieved across the board.
By Liberal Progressive Front
Growth means more money in people's pockets and improved quality of life. We think Mr Penza is barking up the wrong tree to achieve in real economic terms. Her is why; * In his 1994 budget speech, Penza said "in 1993 the government tackled and beat inflation. Our goal in 1994 is to promote growth with stability" * Failed: in fact 1993 Gross Domestic Product growth increased by 7.5 per cent. Our 1994 figures show show a decline in GDP of 5.1 per cent (Penza says 3.4 per cent). * In his 1995 budget speech Penza said "...there is stability, economic recovery is well underway, and Zambiais on the threshold of sustained growth output, income and employment" * Against 1995 GDP growth was negative 3.8 per cent and now we are really beginning to feel feel it. There are more of us Zambians to share this cake. * In his 1996 budget speech, Penza said "over the last four years we have laid a solid foundation upon which to build Zambia's future". Another beautiful speech about how well the MMD has done over the last four years. Penzamust get some credit for finally addressing the loud cries of some sectors especially by not penalising them with so much tax. * But how sweet is sweet? LPF notes that Penza has economised on the truth in many areas. This looks like a budget designed to sabotage the party who takes over from the MMD in the 1996 general election. These are some of the LPF concerns: * The 1996 budget relies heavily on donor funding which is not yet committed. The figure of 850 million dollars of external support which Penza claims to have got the C.G meeting is now doen to K421.6 billion. We observe that some of the 1995 external commitments are only coming into Zambia. Zambia's stock of external debt has increased to US$6.3 billion from US$6.2 billion stated in last year's budget. This is disturbing since only last month the newspapers gave the impression that Penza had landed US$1.3 billion IMF. * Government expenditure has not been reduced or devolved and civil service reforms required to deliver better services have not been completed despite the K10 billion allocated for that purpose last year. Is implementation realistic this year? * The LPF is disturbed by the distortions to budget allocations approved by parliament. The capital budget in 1995 was affected badly for the fourth year in a row. This is the only money which gets down to the grassroot to improve infrastructure. We realise that "some things are not predictable" but 19955 expenditure was completely distorted by bad management of the afffairs of the country. Penza has not conviced us that thiw year will be different. * The immediate problems of ZCCM's viability cannot be solved by a letter of understanding over Konkola. * There is still no full commitment to ASIP. The programme was projected to begin in 1995 with a GRZ contribution of $4 million dollars. Penza has only released K5.0 billion a year late. ASIP still has no interaction level with farmers as originally planned. It is unlikely to achieve much without this direct partnership. ASIP is meant to aachieve as twice as much with half the money. * Much of the 1995 expenditure will be carried over to 1996. Many suppliers and contractors have not been paid, Nikuv Computers is one example. The allocation to the Elections Office was only K4 billion for registration of voters in 1995. Nikuv's tender was US$18.7 million. The extra money will almost certainly come off the cabinet budget; another school, clinic, road and bridge chopped off the list. A 50 per cent in the minimum taxable income has already been eaten away by the 45 per cent inflation and devaluation of the kwacha since last year. In fact workers are worse off. * The LPF observes that 26 years ago the tax allowance for an average family was equivalent of K4.8 million today. LPF observes that the minimum livable wage as proposed by unions is K135,000. * There are no anti-inflationary measures for income tax payers and tax bands are still very broad. Few businesses are liquid enough to take advantage of the tax cuts. * Few businesses will register for VAT because of the paper work involved. Only large-scale farmers will register for VAT for the same reason. * If small-scale farmers ran their budgets like Penza their pots and blankets would have been grabbed a long time ago. The LPF urges Penza and his fellow ministers to stop strutting around the world and concentrate on the management of the government machinery to deliver goods and services to the people. * The LPF would like to see a complete restructuring of the budget to get substantial resources both human and material, down to the grassroots. LPF believes it is the workers, small-scale farmers who have been hit hardest by withdrawal of subsidies and it is them who respond quickest to simple services. * Government needs to spend big money repairing roads and bridges to facilitate transport, support self-help school projects with roofing sheets and door frame, provide clean water and sanitation for better health, improve access to information to all, beef up security at community level and share responsibility and power with ordinary people at local level. It is only through this type of commitment that our country will open up to sustainable growth.
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