Politics in Zambia is lucrative - Mususu
Politics in Zambia is lucrative - MususuBy Speedwell Mupuchi and Bright Mukwasa
Saturday February 10, 2007 [02:00]
EVANGELICAL Fellowship of Zambia executive director Bishop Paul Mususu has said politics in Zambia is lucrative. And Bishop Mususu has supported proposals by members of parliament to review their conditions of service on condition that it was to enhance service delivery to Zambians.
And information minister Vernon Mwaanga who shunned discussion of the matter reiterated government would only consider conditions of members of parliament after dealing with general conditions for civil servants. Discussing proposals by members of parliament for improved conditions of service at Inter Continental Hotel on Thursday evening, Bishop Mususu said even the clergy abandon their calling for politics because that was where "bread and butter lie". "For me I would like to underscore that explanations given (over the demands) are very valid but are they problems for today? I think they were the same problems when Dr Guy Scott was there. Probably he did not raise the questions because he was on the right side of the coin," he said.
Bishop Mususu said conditions were generally bad for all citizens and needed reviewing, not only focusing on isolated items. "Leaders should lead by example. They should be the last," Bishop Mususu said. "Backbenchers and ministers' salary disparity is not fair, but I don't know that with the agenda we are putting on the table we are solving the problem."
Patriotic Front Lusaka Central member of parliament Dr Guy Scott said a voluntary parliament would only breed corruption. "We want to see more money going into the constituency," he said.
Dr Scott said Parliament has not debated conditions of service for its members but debated payment of pensions and casualisation "not of parliament" but on the mines. "There was also a very embarrassing point of order raised on the K3 trillion which has been stolen and not one word on terms and conditions for MPs," Dr Scott said. "That's just pocheza m'mazulo (evening talk) by some people. We want the tools to do the job. Even bishops have cars and have people working for them, they don't just go in the wilderness wearing patapata."
Chifunabuli PF member of parliament Ernest Mwansa said he wants to see government allocate K1 billion to each constituency for real time development. He said the current K60 million could not do anything. "Personally, I wouldn't want a car but would want government buy vehicles for constituencies, maintained by government and I only use it to visit the constituency and leave for the next MP," he said. "But now, I get a loan to buy a vehicle, use my vehicle for five years to do government work in the constituency and by the time I leave parliament it's a wreck. It's not fair for me to subsidise government work."
posted by MrK @ 10:52 PM
1 Comments:
" Chifunabuli PF member of parliament Ernest Mwansa said he wants to see government allocate K1 billion to each constituency for real time development. "
Excellent, excellent point, although I have suggested four times that much for every 30,000 people, which still only would be 1/3 of collected revenues.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home