Maravi

LETTERS - Employment Standards, Cement, Politicians

Mwanawasa's defence of Kansanshi management
By Jenkins Chisoni,Glasgow
Monday July 16, 2007 [04:00]

Why appoint ministers to government ministries if the President can manage to perform every task that comes up? That is window-dressing. A strike is declared by workers at Kansanshi Mine and before we hear anything from the Minister of Labour and possibly with the support of the Minister of Mines, what do we get? The Head of State blackmailing workers of Kansanshi Mine whom he accuses of blackmailing management the provider of their jobs.

The President's protection of Kansanshi Mine management in this incident is really enviable and I wish he had the same commitment to the delivery of a people's constitution.

MUZ president Rayford Mbulu is right to ask polititians to listen to both sides of a dispute before commenting on labour matters. The right polititian to address the matter in fact is the Minister of Labour who is supposed to be conversant with what is involved in labour disputes and collective agreements and not the Head of State even if he is a State Counsel.

Amazingly, the President has not said anything about the coal miners of Southern Province who work without protective clothing and particularly without boots in a Chinese-managed coal mine. I take it that the President is happy because the workers there have not gone on strike in protection of the goose that lays the golden egg.
I count myself very lucky that I worked as a miner when labour laws and the minister in charge of labour and mines were respected. Mr President be fair to your people. Capital is not more important than labour.

We want investment yes but slavery No.





http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=29016

Dr Fundanga's views on cement shortage
By Cibwa Camazakala,Monze
Sunday July 15, 2007 [04:00]

I would like to comment on what our Bank of Zambia Governor Dr Caleb Fundanga said on the shortage of cement in Zambia (Cement shortage good for economy - Fundanga - Business Post, Tuesday July 03, 2007).

I am not surprised that people who are very educated can lack wisdom because it has happened so many times in the past.

We have heard of Dr so and so taking trunks to be filled with money at Bank of Zambia and another Dr so and so taking money from the National Assembly.
Now we hear a Dr Caleb Fundanga telling us that cement shortage is good for our economy.

I cannot understand how this man does not realise that the bulk of our cement is being exported and pardon me for using the word ‘our’, because nothing seem to belong to us anymore.

He wants the country to believe that it is because of growth that there is a shortage of cement. Can you show us where these great manufacturing structures that have consumed the cement are? We know of course that some high level government officials have a sweet deal with some foreigners at the expense of the Zambian people and real growth.

Fundanga said "I am personally happy with what is happening in the construction sector although some people are not happy with this." Happy that people are unable to finish building on schedule due to the shortage of cement? If what you say is true, you should have advised Mwanawasa long before this situation to invest in this sector and stop the exploitation.

You say that “What is happening now is exactly how a free economy like Zambia works." No! What is happening now is exactly how a corrupt economy like Zambia works.

You talk of a cement black market in Zambia, are you the only visitor to Jerusalem?
I forgot you are not suffering like the rest of us.
The cement black market is already here, when did you last visit the market?
You are one of those people who have stayed too long in their job such that they cannot see when things are going wrong. In fact when they do go wrong, you say it is a good thing.

If the inflation is in double digits from last year when it was in single digits, it means the economy is doing badly.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=29059

Dr Fundanga's comment on cement shortage
By Lytone Kanowa,LUSAKA
Monday July 16, 2007 [04:00]

Though I did not read Dr Fundanga’s comments that appeared in The Post news paper of 3 July 2007 regarding the shortage of cement on the Zambian market, I feel obliged to say something regarding the same. I am contributing to the comments from Cibwa Camazakala of Mazabuka on the subject that appeared in yesterday’s edition of The Post. How, honestly does the senior citizen say the shortage of cement on the market is good for the economy?

This just goes to show that we are not good planners. If we can have such high-profiled citizens of Zambia all smiles after being woken up in the middle of the night only to be told the country has run out of cement, then we are heading for economic slavery. The rest of the world is planning ahead of such eventualities and Zambia does not seem to do so.

Only those who indeed plunder national resources would not feel the difference when the price of essential commodities escalate. In fact this is somehow the measure of how much is illegally going into their coffers.

I wonder why cement from Zimbabwe, with over 3700 per cent of inflation, is cheaper on the Zambian market that our ‘own’ local products and we have in the recent past been proud of a single-digit inflation rate.

Can authorities be seen to have the plight of Zambians at heart and take appropriate action when citizens are being exploited? How can authorities rejoice at the situation where the official price of essential commodities is half of the market price? This is ridiculous!




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=29060

Consistent with inconsistencies
By Muyoyeta Simasiku
Monday July 16, 2007 [04:00]

It's become very difficult to know what our politicians' principles or values are or what they really stand for. Today they condemn their fellow politician and his/her policies, and yet tomorrow they will embrace the very person they were criticising just the other day without even giving an explanation as to what has happened over night.

When you look at it nothing has changed in the person they were criticising so as to warrant a shift in paradigm - their policies and actions remain the same.

And this is done with their heads held high without any sense of shame. As The Post editorial aptly put it the other day, their lives have been consistent with inconsistencies. And its not just one of them, its almost all of them. It’s hard to know what side of politics our politicians belong to – they were lefts yesterday, centre today and right wings tomorrow.

Really our politicians’ main preoccupation is just to temporarily feathers their political nests.

They would do anything even if it meant risking their own reputation just to achieve their selfish political desires I don’t know why they never learn even when records show that those who try to assume power by selfish means just end up falling hard on their back.

It’s actually annoying to think these are the guys who hold the decision power about the destiny and future of our country. And one wonders why our country cannot progress.
Even those that we used to hold in high esteem are now an embarrassment. Our President is busy trying to antagonise and demean the civil society, and yet he is forgetting that he is going to need them when he leaves office soon.

He is doing this at a public rally where his old political menace is smiling at him, instead of condemning him, all in the name of ‘reconciliation’ – one of the most abused English words by Zambian politicians. We are also told one of the former VPs has also reconciled with our President.

Can someone please tell me the meaning of ‘reconciliation’? Another opposition politician just condemns everybody, criticises anything and comments on everything, even the things he does not understand very well.
Can someone please tell him to shut up at times? In my opinion there's only one top politician who's been the same throughout since he left the MMD. I just hope I don't eat my words soon.

Really as citizens we should demand from our politicians values and practices that are characterised by high integrity and lives that are consistent with consistencies. Consistency is very important - I think that even a politician with bad policies is much better than one with good policies but is a flip-flopper!

Labels: CEMENT, INTEGRITY, MINERS

posted by MrK @ 10:30 AM