Governance: Debt and Wages
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23403Kapita to pursue politicians owing FRA
By Bivan Saluseki
Sunday March 04, 2007 [02:00]
AGRICULTURE minister Ben Kapita has said he would soon start pursuing politicians that owe the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and the Cooperative Bank. Kapita said in Parliament that members of parliament were the majority in terms of debtors of the Cooperative Bank which government was working towards re-opening including FRA.
"They have asked me to help them collect the money. I am coming to chase you. I want the Cooperative Bank to put the house in order. I want them to chase the politicians so that they pay and pay the last ngwee," he said.
Kapita said the current government was not a talking box and it wanted to deliver its promises. "We don't want to be doing things haphazardly," said Kapita. This was after Mapatizya UPND member of parliament Ackson Sejani asked the Ministry of Agriculture when the bank would be re-opened.
And Machungwa said the current floods were unprecedented and Zambia had not yet comprehended the magnitude of problems. Machungwa said agriculture had been decimated by floods and from the Yellow Book, resources allocated for floods were not enough.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23404
Pay decent wages, Hichilema urges govt
By Nomusa Michelo
Sunday March 04, 2007 [02:00]
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has called on government pay public service workers decently to help reduce pilfering of public resources. And Hichilema said there was need to adequately fund the investigative wings of government such as the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) and the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate cases of corruption.
In an interview, Hichilema said there was need to remunerate public service workers so that they did not feel the need to supplement their income through corrupt means. "This is why it is important for public service workers to be paid decently so that this corruption should not be an additional source of income," he said. "We also need to make sure the Anti-Corruption Commission is funded properly so that it doesn't have to wait for a newspaper to raise these things. These investigations should be done as an every day thing."
Hichilema said corruption was a huge cost to the economy, which should be dealt with in a holistic manner. "For instance the issue of the K36 billion. We were told that we would be given the names of the people involved but up to now we are still waiting. Who are they?" he asked. "And now it is at the Ministry of Lands, but we know that there are many other places where these things are happening. Corruption is huge cost, a cost that is paid by the people of Zambia."
Hichilema said the Ministry of Lands if handled properly could be a substantial source of revenue for the government. "People at the Ministry of Lands have been giving themselves free land and they go and sell it for huge profits, which could be going to the national treasury," said Hichilema. "Instead it is being leeched through corruption. We need this money to accrue to the national treasury."
Labels: DEBT, FRA, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, UPND
posted by MrK @ 4:07 AM
2 Comments:
Hichilema should start learning from sata and start availing hes skills to the people more often than not, at his level if sata can talk we expect a video blog from him surely, and why not.
What bothers me about the UPND/UDA, is that they don't seem to have anything like the PF's political machine on the ground.
I would agree that he should learn from Sata, however, is Zambia's political scene big enough for 2 large opposition parties? Or are they bound to lose against the MMD?
I think they should find a way to create a united opposition.
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