Mpombo gives advice on pact presidency

After a week of mud slinging within the PF/UPND pact, I am encouraged by mature statements from Nawakwi, Sata, Hichilema and Mpombo over the weekend. I am no fan of Mpombo but his words make sense.

“In life, it is important sometimes to make short term sacrifices for long term gains. Leadership comes from God, and God will ensure that what He has prepared comes to bear. They should remove selfishness and humble themselves by knowing their true status,” he said.

On the decision by the PF to leave Chilanga for UPND, although they beat all the political parties in the area during the 2008 presidential elections, Mpombo described the decision by the PF central committee as magnanimous and mature.

He said he hoped the spirit they had demonstrated in Chilanga would manifest into strong unity of purpose.

Mpombo said it would be important for the PF to UPND to seat immediately and chat the way forward regarding the presidency.

The leaders of the pact should realise that they are carrying hopes of many Zambians on their shoulders. While we accept that there will be differences between the two parties, we expect these to be resolved in a mature manner without running to the POST to denounce each other.

The PANEL.

Proliferation of political parties

In the last couple of months the country has witnessed a number of new political parties being formed. We have had parties fronted by Elias Chipimo, Charles Milupi and more recently Peter Magande. There are already more than 10 existing opposition parties with the leading parties being PF (Sata), UPND (Hakainde) and UNIP. While we recognise the right of every Zambian to aspire to lead our beautiful country, a dose of reality is also necessary. Other than PF, none of the other parties stand a chance of unseating the ruling MMD. Data from past elections prove this.

2002 Presidential Elections: MMD 28.69%, UPND 26.76%, FDD 12.96%.

2006 Presidential Elections: MMD 43%, PF 29.4%, UPND 25.3%.

2008 Presidential Elections: MMD 40%, PF 38.1%, UPND 19.7%.

The data set clearly shows that forming more political parties will just increase the chances of the MMD retaining power as the opposition votes will simply be split. This is the reason why a number of us were excited by the possibility of the PF/UPND PACT fielding a single candidate in the next presidential elections. This presented the best chance to rid the country of the discredited MMD government. Unfortunately the PACT seems to be crumbling in the last few days and we are once again heading for an election where the opposition are fighting each other.

Milupi, Chipomo and Magande need to put personal interests second and help revitalise the PACT. This is what the majority of Zambians want. They do not need more one-man parties. Let us be clear, Magande has no political following. The man even struggled to win the Chilanga seat. Chipimo is a political novice while Milupi thinks his success in leading the public account committee (PAC) in the National Assembly is proof that he can win the next elections.

I am not a fan of Sata but at the moment he presents the best chance of changing the course of the country. Lets all do everything in our power to help him win the elections next year. I have suggested in the past that HH could be Sata’s Vice President to enable him gain some experience of being in government with the view of running for President in 2016.

I also appeal to PF and UPND to stop the public squabbling, concentrate cementing the PACT and start drawing a strategy for next elections. The MMD have already started their campaign with a series of adverts on ZXNBC and You tube!

The PANEL

Auditor General’s report: Where are the voices?

Former President FTJ Chiluba once said Zambians are docile. This is because when we witness an outrage we jump up and down for a few days and then forget it ever happened. The only exception to this, ironically, was Chiluba’s 3^rd Term bid which faced sustained opposition until he gave up.

Every year the Office of the Auditor General produces a report outlining how public funds are being spent by government and quasi government institutions. Each year we read about clear cases of abuse of public resources and yet nothing seems to be done to punish these plunderers.

After the release of the latest report, the Minister of Finance was quoted as saying GRZ needs time to study this report before taking any action. I am sorry but some of these incidents are obvious and do not need further investigation. Any half competent judge or jury would recognise the abuse of public funds.

To demonstrate this fact I will highlight the example of a contract awarded by National Airports Corporation (NACL) to supply and install a generator at Lusaka international Airport.

On 3rd April 2008 NACL awarded a tender for the supply, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of 800 KVA Three Phase 50Hz 1500 RPM Standby Generator Set at Lusaka International Airport to Sulmach Limited at a contract price of K1,410,000,000 with a delivery period of twenty (20) weeks. Works commenced on 14th May 2008 and were scheduled to be completed by 15th October 2008. A total of K1,142,003,600 (inclusive of an advance payment of K846,000,000) representing 80% of the contract price had been paid to the contractor as of August 2009 leaving a balance of K267,996,400 outstanding. The following were observed:

In April 2009, the contractor could not proceed with the civil works due to liquidity problems. In this regard, an advance payment of K30,000,000 was made to the contractor despite the earlier advance payment having been made contrary to the conditions of the contract that required certification of completed works before payment could be made.

The building under construction in which the Generator set would be housed did not meet some of the technical specifications outlined in the signed contract. For instance the contractor did not make a provision for a generator plinth contrary to the technical specifications provided by the employer in the contract

A physical verification of the civil works carried out in August 2009, revealed that construction works had stalled and the contractor was not on site.

Consequently, the generator set which had been supplied twelve months earlier in September 2008 had not been installed.

The facts of this case speak for themselves. NACL clearly awarded this contract to a company incapable for completing the task and had liquidity problems. K1,142,003,600 of public money has been pocketed by a private company without fulfilling its obligations in full under the contract. The NACL board or the Minister should sack the person(s) who made decision to award the contract and advance funds to the contractor.

The report is full of similar clear cut examples of abuse.

There is no point in having an Office of the Auditor General if parliament and government agencies do not take note and act on its findings. What is the point of carrying out these costly audits if the plunders are not punished?

The Panel.

What is corruption?

According to the OECD, the most commonly used definition of corruption is “the abuse of public office for private gain”.

Transparency International amplifies this definition further by differentiating between "according to rule" corruption and "against the rule" corruption. When a bribe is paid to receive preferential treatment for something that the bribe receiver is required to do by law, constitute the former. The latter is the case when a bribe paid to obtain services the bribe receiver is prohibited from providing.

Armed with these definitions, it is very easy to understand why corruption has become endemic in our society. A trip to the Ministry of Lands or ZRA offices would uncover the required evidence. There are generally two kinds of corruption prevalent in Zambia. The low level corruption where one pays a small amount of money (or uses a personal connection) to expedite a process (e.g. get a form signed) and then there is the high level corruption where perhaps a Minister uses his position to make sure that the road leading to his Guest House is repaired.

The high level corruption is sometimes difficult to detect and requires law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations to gather the evidence and take the culprits to court. However, low level corruption is everywhere! It is a way of life. If you go to the “Public Enquiries” window at the Ministry of Lands you are likely to be told to “come tomorrow”. But if you know a friend of a friend you’re ushered straight into an office and your papers are looked at. This is pattern is being repeated everyday at most public offices across the republic. Someone once told me “you can’t feed your family on patriotism”. So faced with the “come tomorrow” syndrome most of us simply take the easy route and find a way of getting the public officers to expedite the process. This is undoubtedly unhelpful in the fight against corruption but the system looks so rotten that it is difficult to see a way out.

Then there is public procurement. In an internet age, it should be easy for public procurement officers to have a pretty good idea how much goods sourced from outside Zambia should cost. It is shocking to discover how the growing industry of “supplying to the government” is basically ripping off Zambian tax payers. Goods and services that should cost hundreds of pounds suddenly cost thousands. There even examples of second hand goods (refurbished) being supplied when the original tender required brand new goods. Where are the checks and balances?

The PANEL.

Visit to Zambia

In my last posting I promised to provide regular updates on my trip home. However due to a tight schedule and unreliable internet connectivity (more on this later) this was not possible. Below are some highlights.

First impression: Lusaka International Airport

The airport has not changed since I first used it in 1994. A few cosmetic changes here and there but no major improvements. I heard rumours that there are plans to build a new international terminal near the ZASTI site but no official information on this. Last time I was home it took longer to clear immigration as a Zambian than as a foreigner and this has not changed. There were more officers serving SADCC, PTA, foreigners and VIPs than common Zambians.

A major positive development was that one is no longer harassed by officers from ZRA! I went through the nothing to declare channel and no one questioned this or attempted to inspect my personal effects.

First impression of Lusaka

Lusaka has changed beyond recognition in my opinion. There are construction projects everywhere. I believe credit is due to one FTJ for opening our eyes and planting a belief in our minds that home ownership is an attainable goal. Major re-development of Manda Hill and a number of big companies seem to have taken up permanent residence in the Show Grounds (Zain being one of them).

Roads in Lusaka

The Airport Road is probably the best road in Lusaka (apparently because it is regularly used by RB). Other roads in most upcoming residential areas require attention. I was visiting a friend in New Kasama (off Leopards Hill Road) and the road is in a semi-decent state up to George Kunda’s Gate (I am not kidding)! Beyond his gate one needs a 4X4.

Generally speaking roads in all new areas (except PHI developments) are in a bad state despite people having paid service charges.

The Copperbelt

I visited Kitwe, Kalulushi, Mufurila, Luanshya and Ndola. Compared to Lusaka, the Copperbelt is basically dead. The roads are in such a bad state that a trip from Kitwe to Kalulushi now requires a major diversion via the KMB, Industrial Area and St. Anthony compound. This is all because the direct route (Coca Cola, Twibukishe) is in a bad state. Luanshya looked like a town waiting for something to happen.

Ndola seemd to have a bit of life but the industrial area is still looking deserted.

Politics

I was on the Copperbelt when the recent bye-elections were taking place. Copperbelt and Lusaka are PF strongholds and the MMD have no chance in these two provinces. A major MMD rally in Ndola was poorly attended despite ferrying cadres from all over the Copperbelt.

Rumours on the ground are that RB has given up on the Copperbelt and Lusaka. He is concentrating on North Western and Western. RB is hoping to win these two by completing the Mutanda to Chavuma and the Road to Kalabo (or is it Sesheke) before the elections next year. Soundings from N. Western are that this will be a major factor. If RB manages to complete the road (and he has three contractors in place) then the PF-UPND pact should expect major losses in this province.

PF-UPND pact

There seems to be some infighting in the pact. The POST led on this for a number of days. However, people on the ground believe these differences will be sorted out. A number of observers believe Sata will be the Pact’s candidate with HH as the VP. Sata is still a very popular figure.

Internet connectivity

I stayed at two different places that boasted of “free Wi-Fi”. What they did not say was that the speed is poor and the link is up and down like a yo-yo. Most ISPs have a bad reputation and people have taken to using their Smart Phones to access the internet.

Street Kids

The street kids of 5yrs ago are now teenagers and they are now having children among themselves. There are SOS Children Villages in Lusaka and I saw one along the Kitwe – Ndola road.

Cost of living

The cost of living is generally very high and sometimes I wonder how people survive! I went into Spar Supermarket and a few bits and bobs cost more than ZK500 000! This was not even half a trolley. A bag of 25 Kg Breakfast Mealie Meal is close to ZK50 000!

Final thought

During my visit it was clear in mind mind that there is Lusaka and then the rest of the country. I do not know about Livingstone, Kasama, Solwezi, and the other major centres but the Copperbelt can do with an injection of life. Lusaka is thriving but it is individuals not the government. People are investing in new residential and commercial buildings but the government is slow in the infrastructure development.

The "bole hole" class has clearly emerged. These are people who have potential to influence the GRZ but have given up. Instead of pushing Lusaka Water and Sewerage provide services they simply invest in Septic tanks and a bole hole. Soon they will give up on Zesco and generate there own electricity. One wonders what the taxes ZRA collects everyday are being used for. To fight bye-elections?

The PANEL.

Home sweet home!

I will be visiting Zambia next week for a couple of weeks. This will be my first in almost 5 years.

The plan at the moment is to provide a running commentary during my stay on how the country has progressed (or not). If technology fails me then I will provide a summary on my return.

One of the impressions I have gathered is that the country is experiencing an age of prosperity. “People are doing fine”. I would be interested exploring the range of activities powering the economic engine but also how the common man at the bottom of the pile is fairing. Looking at the latest food basket statistics, my guess is that the common man and woman are struggling to make ends meet.

What of the UPND-PF Pact? Is it as strong as we are made to believe here in the Diaspora or the MMD will still scoop the next elections?

Are the printed and broadcast news outlets still as poor as their internet offerings?

What is the current state of the basic infrastructure (schools, hospitals, roads) up and down the country?

We have heard about the Chinese invasion. How is this affecting commerce and industry?

Finally a topic closer to heart at the moment is energy security. I would be following up on the GRZ policy on renewable energy sources and feed in tariffs (FiT) regime.

I do not intend to undertake detailed studies but gather snippets of information by observing and talking to folks on my travels.

Keep an eye on the blog and wish me luck!

The Panel

NOBODY asked donors to help Zambia

NOBODY asked donors to help Zambia, President Rupiah Banda charged yesterday.

Answering questions from journalists at Lusaka International Airport upon arrival from Namibia, President Banda said donors must not blackmail the country.

President Banda said donors chose for themselves to assist Zambia in the road and health sectors.

“So they should not use that as blackmail against our countries. One day when you have grown enough and you are leaders of this country, you will know how it feels that a diplomat comes from another country, instead of coming here and appreciate the hospitality which the Zambian government and the Zambian people give him, he is busy trying to threaten us.

We are an independent state. We are very grateful for whatever help they give us but we will not be turned into their puppets.”

The President was reacting to the story that broke last week that the Global fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria was suspending $300Million worth of support. We all know that there are/were serious issues surrounding the abuse of funds at the Ministry of Health and a number of cases are before the courts. The president should have offered a more dignified response by reporting what government is actually doing to combat such corrupt practises. There is no point in disguising the facts.

As a Zambian living in one of the European donor countries, I am mindful of the sacrifices being asked of taxpayers in these countries. At a time when the UK government has announced cuts to public spending of about 25% across government departments and increased VAT and some other taxes, there is need for countries in receipt of aid to demonstrate accountability and transparency. People in Europe are not making these sacrifices for Zambian politicians and civil servants to line their own pockets.

A number of Zambians in the Diaspora remit funds back home to meet a variety of purposes. Sometimes the funds are tied to specific projects. E.g. one can send funds to pay for school fees or rentals for a relative. At other times, funds are sent with no strings attached. For funds that are marked for specific use, the recipient is surely under obligation (by virtue of accepting to receive the funds) to ensure that the money is actually used for the intended purpose. If this is not done, the sender has a right to be ask why the instructions have not been carried out and demand the return of the money or impose some other sanction (e.g. stop sending further funds). The donor community have taken a similar stance which is wholly understandable.

A couple of months ago, the POST newspaper run an editorial entitled “A nation in hopelessness”. At the time I thought the piece was way over the top. Here is a paragraph from the article.

We all know that our country has been going through many difficulties. We have suffered, from a critical failure of leadership. The people that we have put in office to show the way and lead us to the realisation of our full potential have failed us. People who should be working for the common good have chosen to work for their personal and family aggrandizement. This irresponsibility has condemned a lot of our people to a perpetual state of hopelessness. This is what happens when leaders abdicate their responsibility to lead and allow the country to drift.

I was not a big fun of the late Levy Mwanawasa but at least he seemed to understand the anger people felt towards the plunderers. Yes the pursuit of the plunderers had its own problems and some of them are still walking the street of Lusaka and London but the man showed a lot of leadership in this area. Mr. Banda on the other hand does not seem to share Levy’s vision. Under his watch, the cancer of corruption seems to have returned with a vengeance. Perhaps we are indeed a nation in hopelessness!

We call upon the President to issue a statement to clarify his reported comments and stress the fact that his government will continue fighting corruption and protect donor funds from potential plunderers.

The PANEL

National Blackout

I have just been informed that the ZESCO Electricity grid has gone down once again and there is a national blackout.

Power Engineers out there would be quick to realise the seriousness of the situation. Perhaps the government should privatise ZESCO while they still have the appetite.

I also think it time we started looking at implementing a Smart Grid for region.

The PANEL.

Counting the cost of the African World Cup

Last week millions of Africans sat in front of TVs watching the opening ceremony of the World cup in South Africa. Many of us thought we would never see this global event take place on our continent in our life time but thanks to the FIFA policy of rotation this become a possibility. I must say South Africa has done us proud! Many people thought the facilities will not be ready and I am told FIFA had a plan to move the event to the USA just in case the “Africans failed to deliver the event”.

BUT (there is always one) as I sat down listening to the constant noise from the Vuvuzelas I could not stop thinking about the cost of the putting up such a spectacle. A quick search on Google revealed costs between $2.5 and $4 Billion. The South African Government had projected that the World cup will have a gross impact of about $12 Billion with approximately 600 000 jobs being created by the tournament. However the number of World cup tourists has been hit by the recession and it is doubtful if the projected financial benefits will be realised.

So what is the benefit of spending huge public funds on an event that may not bring about positive financial returns? Lets be clear that South Africa does not have a savings account with $5 Billion waiting to be spent on the a major event. SA like many other African countries has some of its citizens living below the poverty datum line with no access to clean water, housing, education and health. So why spend this amount on an event that will last for a month when there are more pressing social/economic issues? I do not have an answer! However the answer could lie in what is known as “the feel good factor”. Same reason the UK government spent millions on the Millennium Dome when they knew very well that it did not make financial sense or the city of Montreal facing financial ruin after the 1976 Olympic games. So what is this “feel good factor”? The MacMillan dictionary defines it as “the feeling that people have when things such as the economy are going well”. I guess politicians hope that the feel good factor will ignite the economy and stir people into identifying opportunities. Unfortunately past experience does not seem to support this.

So it seems like we just have to sit back and enjoy the games while listening to the ever present Vuvuzelas. Forget about the cost and legacy. Enjoy a pint of Castle while at it!

The PANEL.

Difficult questions for the UPND/PF Pact

There are some worrying questions emanating from the appearance of Mr. Hichilema on Radio Phoenix and reported in the POST. The main issue that threatens the existence of the pact revolves around leadership. Who is going to be the Presidential candidate for the pact or are they going to field two candidates? In a recent blog we asked the pact to resolve this issue as a matter of urgency. Below are some interesting extracts from HH’s appearance on the radio programme.

Asked about who would head the alliance in 2011, Hichilema answered: “That question has been asked several times. We said that the Pact is here to stay and we reiterate that. The Pact is here because the people of Zambia wanted it. The political map of Zambia has been pretty drawn. People are fatigued with divisions, that’s what the Pact is here to resolve. To unite the people to take out the divisions that have been too obvious. This pact is being structured on that basis of unity of purpose. Ethnicity should never divide us. We must organise this pact, learn the lessons of the past.”

He said people in the Pact were not fools and they understood what MMD wanted.

“Why are they driving us to give them a candidate? When they are squabbling whether it’s Ng’andu Magande, whether it’s George Mpombo, whether it’s Rupiah Banda and whether MMD will have a convention.

A caller from Ndola, a Mr Mizhi who described himself as Hichilema’s traditional cousin asked if he was ready to serve under Sata.

“I want you to tell me the truth from the bottom of your heart. The pact that you have entered in with Mr Sata the writings are on the wall no doubt about this. It is Mr Sata who is going to be adopted as a presidential candidate from that pact. Now badala, again I repeat tell me the truth from the bottom of your heart. Are you ready to serve under Mr Michael Chilufya Sata?” Mizhi asked.

But Hichilema maintained that the Pact had not decided on the candidate yet.

“…That Mr Sata will be adopted candidate, that’s not true, absolutely not true. If you say it’s Hakainde, that is not true also because we have not decided and we have explained this several times. What we are saying is not really basically …if you like to dodge the questions, there is no dodging the questions. We have set a process, we have set a procedure,” Hichilema said.

I fully understand that this is a very delicate and difficult issue to resolve. However, the pact is now carrying hopes of many Zambians at home and abroad who see this as a credible opportunity to rid themselves of the corrupt MMD regime. We therefore urge the leadership of the UPND and PF to bang their heads together and come to a workable solution. It is said that a chain is as strong as its weakest link. As long as the leadership of the pact is not resolved it will be weakest block in the pact and enemies are going to be hammering on this until a fracture occurs. Many progressive Zambians do not want this to happen. Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema please resolve this matter before it is too late!.

The PANEL

Court sentences Fred Mmembe to Four Months with Hard Labour

Post Editor-in-Chief Fred Mmembe has been sentenced to four months imprisonment with hard labour after being found guilty of contempt of court together with the Post Newspapers by a Lusaka magistrate court.

Mr M’membe has also been sentenced to four months simple imprisonment on behalf of the Post Newspapers, after Magistrate David Simusamba set free Post Human Resources Director Rueben Phiri was standing in for the Newspaper.

The contempt case arose from an article authored by US-based Zambian law Professor Muna Ndulo titled: ‘The Chansa Kabwela case: A Comedy of Errors’, and published in the paper on August 27, 2009.

I am not a legal expert but the sentence seems harsh. However, we have to understand that the original case only came to the courts after intervention of the President (remember he termed the pictures pornography).

I hope sanity will prevail and Fred will be released on bail pending an appeal and that the courts will be left to deal with this case independent of the politicians.

The PANEL.

Honour among thieves

More than a week after being convicted by the courts, Katele Kalumba is still National Secretary of the rulling MMD. Yesterday we had Mike Mulogoti pleading for people to feel sorry for Katele and this morning Michael Mabenga is saying the National Executive Committee of the MMD will soon meet to decided whether the disgraced MP should step down from his position or not.

THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the MMD will determine whether national secretary Katele Kalumba should resign from his position or not, party national chairperson Michael Mabenga has said. Speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, Mr Mabenga said the issue of whether Dr Kalumba should resign from his position or not would only be determined by NEC and advised outsiders to desist from commenting on the matter that was purely internal.

“This is a NEC matter and I don’t know how many times I am going to talk about it. The NEC will soon meet and it will be discussed, it’s only NEC that can determine such a matter,” Mr Mabenga said.

I sense that the MMD do not realise how angry people are with the plunderers. As a party they seem to take a very sympathetic view of thieves. The current Chairman (Michael Mabenga) was recommended for prosecution after the high court found that he had abused Constituency Development Funds (CDFs) and yet the MMD found him to be the best person to be Chairman. And now the most senior officer of the party is a convicted criminal and the MMD needs to hold a meeting to determine his fate. Surely Katele should resign on his accord failure to which strong messages should be sent to him in private or public to make it very clear that the MMD do not want him to continue holding the position of National Secretary. He should also be encouraged to resign his seat as MP so that the people for Chiengi are given a chance to vote for an MP not tainted by scandal.

The PANEL

Court shows leniency to plunderers

The POST and the Times are carrying the story involving the conviction of former finance officers in President Chiluba’s government.

“LUSAKA High Court Deputy Director of Operations Edward Musona yesterday sentenced MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba and three others to five years imprisonment for corruption.Musona, sitting as a magistrate, handed Kalumba a five-year sentence with hard labour after being found guilty on one count of corrupt practices by a public officer.He sentenced former finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda to five years simple imprisonment on five out of the nine corruption charges while Access Financial Services Limited (AFSL) directors Aaron Chungu and Faustin Kabwe were also jailed for five years each with hard labour.Magistrate Musona also sentenced former Ministry of Finance chief economist Bede Mpande, former finance ministry director of budget Boniface Nonde, former secretary to the treasury Professor Benjamin Mweene to five years imprisonment with hard labour but suspended for 24 months.”

While I welcome the success scored by the Task Force on Corruption in this case, I am rather disappointed by the leniency showed by the court to this bunch of selfish and unpatriotic Zambians. Lets be clear about one thing. As a result of actions by these plunderers, our schools went without teachers and desks, our hospitals had no drugs and doctors, communities were deprived of clean running water and other essentials of life. Funds that could have been used to uplift the living standards of our people were diverted for personal use. It is therefore rather disappointing that the court found that the stiffest sentence it could slap on these people is 5 years. They will probably be out tomorrow after launching an appeal. Look at Regina Chiluba. A convicted plunderer still enjoying her freedom and fruits of her theft!

The lawyer for Katele did not seem to realise how angry the people of Zambia are with the actions of his client by offering this rather pathetic plea.

“In mitigation Kalumba’s lawyer, Vincent Malambo, said Kalumba and his colleagues in the dock were not criminals but men to whom the country owed a debt for their contribution in addressing the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) completion point issue. Malambo said Kalumba was also a politician carrying the hopes and aspirations of thousands of his people in Chiengi and he was a man with health complications. Malambo said Kalumba was a consultant of international repute. Malambo said sending Kalumba and his friends to prison would be like imposing a death sentence on them. In passing sentence, magistrate Musona said no one could doubt the love that Kalumba had for Zambia and he had served the people in various portfolios. He said Kalumba was a sitting parliamentarian who served the country very well up to the commencement of the investigations.”

As a country we need to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to send a very clear message to all that theft of public resources will not be tolerated. The courts need to come hard on anyone convicted of this offence by imposing long custodial sentences. I know our prisons are full but surely there is always room for plunderers.

Now that Katele Kalumba has been convicted, I would expect the 'honourable' MP to resign from Parliament and as Secretary of the ruling Party.

The PANEL.

"It’s how we end that matters" by Martin Kalungu-Banda

I had an opportunity to review a brilliantly written book about the late President Levy Mwanawasa by Amos Malupenga last year. My only criticism of the text was that it was rather one sided except for the comments by Akashambatwa Lewanika.

Another book on Mwanawasa has been released authored by Martin Kalungu-Banda. I have not had a chance to read the book yet but below is a summary of Martin's Motivation for writing this book..


As we search for the right leadership, some of the questions that we have to grapple with include: How can you tell which person is likely to provide quality leadership? Can academic credentials alone prove suitability for leadership? Is the ability to speak eloquently a sign of leadership capacity? To what extent does a person’s external appearance or presentation help to show what kind of leader he or she would make? How can we pierce through the façade of a person in order to know who they truly are and what leadership they are capable of providing?The passing on of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, Zambia’s third President, on 19 August 2008 reignited these and other similar reflections in many people’s minds. Thinking about President Mwanawasa led me to ponder on his leadership. I couldn’t find a better way of sharing these reflections than by writing down some of the stories that capture a side of his leadership that rarely came through in his public appearances. I am also convinced that we do teach one another as we share our stories. The ones in this book show how I saw him relate to other people and myself, and I hope that these tales will give an insight into the source of President Mwanawasa’s leadership style that he displayed in the seven years he led the Zambian nation. I use the term ‘source’ to refer to that deep-seated intention from which one’s values and actions spring. Otto Scharmer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management says we can trace our life source by finding answers to these two questions: What is my ‘highest self, the self that transcends pettiness and signifies [my] best future possibility?’ and what is my purpose – what am I here on earth to do?The first question implies that I have so much potential that I can choose to be better than I am now – I can definitely choose to rise above being small-minded and I can create a vision in my head of the best that I can be. The second question reminds me that I am unique and must surely have a special role or roles that suit me best, and I can try to find them.


If have read the book, please let us know your views.

The PANEL

Time to resolve PF/UPND Pact leadership

The results of the last two bye-elections in Milanzi and Mufumbwe have clearly demonstrated why the opposition need to approach the 2011 general elections with a little be more creativity.

Had PF fielded a candidate in Mufumbwe, the ruling MMD would have carried the day. By the same token, the opposition would have won the contest in Milanzi had they rallied behind a single candidate. UNIP basically spoiled the race for PF. Perhaps it is time to welcome UNIP in the pact and ensure that the MMD fights a united front all the time.

I have always supported the pact and agreed to the decision to kick the leadership issue into the long grass when the alliance was announced. However, the time has now come for the leadership of the pact to be ironed out. In particular, the pact needs to resolve who its presidential candidate is going to be in the next general election. Time is running out and the constant rumours that RB is going to go for an early election makes this issue even more pressing. My personal opinion is that Sata should lead the pact for now and stand against RB as he is best placed to win the election. HH should then serve in Sata’s cabinet to gain some valuable government experience with the view to lead the pact after Sata retires. I am not a fan of Sata but sometimes one has swallow personal pride and principles for the good of the country.

The PANEL

The Day the Immigrants Left (the UK)

From time to time I take a break from focusing on Zambian issues and look at other topical matters. This week the BBC programme “The Day the Immigrants Left” has caught my eye.

As the general election looms in the UK, immigration is turning out to be a key battle ground with the current government being seen as operating an open door policy. The recession has not helped matters and most indigenous people blame the immigrants for taking “British jobs” meant for British people (a phrase made popular by the current Prime Minister).

This hard hitting programme on BBC One last night set out to test the theory that immigrants are taking jobs that British people could do and want to do. If you missed the programme catch it on the BBC iPlayer.

The results of the programme proved what I have always suspected. The UK is bringing up a generation of people who are work shy and want to sit all day at home watching TV or playing Play Station 3. Yes there are problems with the current immigration policy but the evidence from the programme was that employers would struggle to fill positions in certain sectors if the boarders were shut completely. Solution? Make it difficult for people work can work draw benefit payments from the state. Benefits should be used to cover unforeseen circumstances and not as a lifestyle. The programme featured a 26 year old lad who has not worked for 5 years. What has he been doing? Well, he seemed to spend a lot of time a room (his bedroom) ) that looked like a DVD rental store. Only difference is that the store is funded by the taxpayer the chap happens to be the proprietor and sole customer!

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Farcical constitution making process

People of the British Isles always call for a public inquiry when something goes wrong in Her Majesty’s government or after a major incident. The reason for this now familiar call is that lessons need to be learnt from past events so that in future better decisions could be made. Sometimes these inquiries cost the taxpayer a lot of money (E.g. the Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Northern Ireland is costing the taxpayer more than £200Million!) but they are worth every penny if they serve their purpose i.e. learn the lessons.


The Zambian society has also developed its own system for learning lessons. Commissions of inquiry headed by eminent members of society or judicial officials are normally set up by the President to look at specific issues of great public interest. For instance there have been a number of Commissions to look at the constitution making process (Mungomba, Mwanakatwe, Mvunga). However, even after expanding public resources and time, politicians always seem to ignore the findings of the commissions. One therefore asks why we bother with these expensive committees other than for window dressing purposes or quenching public anger.

The Mungomba Commission spent a lot of time and money going around the country and the globe gathering evidence from the people of Zambia and other interested parties on what should underpin a future constitution for the Republic. When the late President set up the commission, he gave them the solemn responsibility to produce a document that will stand the test of time and a change of government. With this primary objective in mind, the commission produced a draft constitution that was widely accepted as reflecting the wishes of the people.


Unfortunately, the MMD government set about unpicking the document soon after the handover ceremony. They did not like anything in the document that provided a level political playing field. Even the great Mwanawasa had to be dragged kicking and screaming to set up a Constitution Assembly as a mode of scrutinising the draft constitution. He had favoured using the MMD controlled National Assembly. Even after reluctantly setting up the Constitution Assembly, the MMD made sure that this body was not as envisaged by the Mugomba Commission which led to the largest opposition party boycotting it.


Despite the initial teething problems and the absurd allowances being paid to delegates, the NCC (as it is known) has gone about its work diligently and a great deal of professionalism. However, it has lost some shine on two important issues. The first one concerns the famous 50 plus 1 clause in the draft constitution that called for the winning candidate in a presidential election to achieve at least 51% of the votes cast. The MMD do not like this provision because they know it is likely to produce a victory for the opposition. They have therefore made sure the clause is not adopted and has to be put to a referendum. The other worrying development is the well known MMD trick of personalising the Constitution. MMD delegates are now pushing for a clause that requires Presidential Candidates to have a minimum qualification of a Bachelor’s Degree. This is a blatant attempt to stop Mr. Sata from contesting the next Presidential election. We seem not to have learned from the 1996 constitution that targeted KK by inserting a very narrow citizenship clause. It is very clear by these examples that the MMD’s objective is to produce a document that will ensure they remain in power and do not care about the integrity of the constitution itself. We seem not to have learned the lessons from past mistakes.

If the PF-UPND pact wins the election next year, I will not be surprised if they set up another Constitution Commission to produce a constitution “that will stand the test of time” i.e. one that will ensure that the pact remains in power!

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Chipolopolo boys’ poor display at CAN

I am sure I was among millions of Zambians that watched the Chipolopolo boys’ latest outing against the Lions of Cameroon last night. Having heard about Cameroon’s defeat against Gabon, I felt confident enough to invite a Cameroonian family to come and watch the game with us. I firmly believed this was our chance to avenge the 5-1 humiliation at the last CAN.

To be fair to the boys, they started well and scored a good goal in the 8th minute. The Lions were clearly in disarray defensive wise and we should have taken advantage of the ageing Rigobert Song to score another goal to secure the victory.

At the half time break, the Zambians clearly had the upper hand but as always we showed our true colours in the second half. The gun powder (or whatever is used these days) in the copper bullets” was suddenly replaced with water. A series of defensive errors eventually lead to another defeat.

After the game I arrived at the conclusion that GRZ should stop wasting taxpayers’ dollars on the Zambian National Soccer Team. I think the time has come for us to accept that we are now a spent force in football and it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify spending huge amounts of hard earned cash on these fruitless outings. Think of how many desks, mosquito nets the money spent on this tournament would have purchased.

If FAZ wants to continue attending the tournament they should fund it from their own resources. The Zambian taxpayer should be spared this unnecessary expense and we should concentrate on other pressing issues.

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