A new dawn?

It is almost a month since the Micheal Sata led PF swept the MMD from power. I am one of the people who firmly believed that the MMD would do everything and anything to make sure they returned power. There were even pronouncements from the MMD leadership that “Sata will never rule this country”. In the end no rigging or RB branded lollipops were enough to stop PF winning the election.

This change of government is comparable to the 1991 revolution when KK was defeated after 27 years at State House. Zambians had high hopes and believed in a new era of democracy, accountability and rule of law. Their hopes were soon dashed by the corrupt and scandal ridden MMD rule.

There is now an urgent need to thoroughly investigate corruption and abuse of public resources under the MMD. This should be done openly and objectively. Lessons have been learned from the Chiluba plunder cases which should expedite this process. It should be relatively easy to find out where the MMD found the huge resources to bankroll their campaign. This is not a witch hunt but for the country to move forward lessons need to be learned from past mistakes.

We wish Mr. Sata well and hope that he will deliver.

The PANEL

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