LETTERS - Leadership; Land; Mininum Wage; Nurses; City Planning
Selfish leadersBy MBK
Friday March 09, 2007 [02:00]
Fellow country men and women, we may have all along been docile but it is now time to stand up and fight this selfishness. How on earth can a poor country afford to spend billions to build castles for its past presidents, when thousands and thousands of our people are homeless? Money to build castles is suddenly there when the President has always been claiming the government has no money. What greed!
Surprising enough, no civic leader, no church leader, no opposition leader, not even the vibrant UNZASU has seen anything wrong. Zambia has never had leaders but only rulers. If we had, the country would not be sacrificed the way it is being sacrificed.
I love the state of Israel, they don’t just give prime ministership on silver platas, unless you have sacrificed for the country. Country men and women, even docility has a limit, time to oppose this greed is now. If we don’t, posterity will not forgive us.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23592
Minimum wage
By L.M.K Esq, Lusaka
Friday March 09, 2007 [02:00]
I truly support Aeneas Chuma’s comments on the minimum wage and the food basket.
There is true mathematics in this: According to the Central Statistical Office (CSO) food basket as at February 2007 stood at K713,507 for a familiy of six per month. Other needs = K1,160,448 per month. Now, K713,507= Food per month for six people. Basic needs = K446,941 per month for six people.
Therefore, if the minimum wage as it is now is K268,000 what labour laws do they talk about?
What can someone buy from this change? It’s true they should review these labour laws they think they have successfully imposed because as at now no one is benefiting.
If we had people like Chuma who would stand and speak for the people who sees the true suffering of Zambian and K268,000 as babaric minimum wage, we would have been liberated. This to me must be a debate for all Zambains to freely participate in on both national radio and television. When is a Zambian going to enjoy true independence and freedom? Thanks to Aeneas Chuma.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23593
Nurses' conduct
By Concerned citizen
Friday March 09, 2007 [02:00]
I want to say something about rude nurses. These professinals are basically there to give medical care to the sick. But what happened to my family in Monze on 31st December 2006 was so sad.
On this day, we lost our mother around midnight but instead of showing sympathy and respect, this particular young nurse displayed only rudeness and roughness as we mourned and waited for someone to certify our mother dead. We had to wait until 05:30 hours when a clinical officer (who apparently had been sleeping in one of the offices) came and attended to us.
Honestly, did it have to take so long to certify someone dead? Where is the professionalism?
Why did we have to suffer arrogance by this nurse who seemed to have been forced to join this profession? Do they ever teach them in training school anything about courtesy?
Shame on all these peaple who are messing up the profession of nursing!
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=23595
City planning
By Duke
Friday March 09, 2007 [02:00]
I read the story of ugly buildings in Lusaka and other places in our country with a feeling of anger, all because of luck of capable leadership in the council. These buildings have been allowed to come up because the council has failed to monitor their constructions or there is no building engineer at the council. This raises questions as whether our architects or the so-called construction association do see these buildings come up and can’t do anything.
This situation is not in Lusaka alone but also in many parts of our country. In Kitwe the council is allowing ugly buildings to come up. They have allowed the so-called investors to mess up the former Provident House with makeshift shops. They have failed to find someone to develop the area where Astra Cinema used to be. That place needs a design that will add beauty to the city. For instance, the council can come up with a design of how they want that place developed and whoever buys that place must build according to that design, period!
The other problem that is there is the issue of political cadres who take it upon themselves to be ministry of lands. How dare they go round giving out plots as if they have the authority to do so! And the leaders have allowed it because they have done nothing to stop the rot. Look at Mulenga compound in Kitwe, from nowhere plots were given and everyone is building despite the presidential order to stop. That place is a disaster in waiting because of the way the whole thing has come up, including the materials being used in constructing the same houses.
Can we have a leadership that can give direction to this rot and not look for votes but rather put an end to this already out-of-control situation?
Labels: GOVERNANCE, LAND, LETTERS
posted by MrK @ 10:00 PM
2 Comments:
"Honestly, did it have to take so long to certify someone dead? Where is the professionalism?"
unfortunately we only see the real world when our loved ones are the victims of the system, In zambia Doctors , nurses and and other allied health professionals are beggers and dont get any respect from anyone, the poor nurse am sure worked 12 hours looking after hundred patients i.e, bathing them, feeding and dispensing medications to them and answering all the questions and quarrels arising from family members
all this and she recieves her pay 500,000 KWACHA on the 50th day of the month when there elections otherwise the norm is after three months and thats when ZANACO is at its best..
shes tired and probably suffering from TB herself because of the daily contact in a room with no windows,
expecting signs miracles and wonders from her is ....
WHEN HEALTH WORKERS DEMAND BETTER WORKING ENVIROMENT AND CONDITIONS SUPPORT THEM!
I completely agree. I have often suggested that there are far better ways of employing frontline workers.
If 1/3 to half of national revenues were directly paid to local government (and payments and expenditures were monitored), then payment, hiring, etc. of nurses, doctors, police officers, firemen, etc., would be a local government issue, as it should be.
As it is now, they everything seems to go through the ministry in Lusaka. This also means that there is political interference with the ordinary workings of day to day government.
There are already plans for decentralization, but those are going nowhere, until BUDGETS are decentralized as well.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home