Maravi

IT'S NOT A LAUGHING MATTER

IT'S NOT A LAUGHING MATTER
By Brighton Phiri
Wednesday October 17, 2007 [04:00]

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa yesterday said his threats that those daring his government over the NCC risked being arrested for treason were not a laughable matter because they are backed by the law. Addressing the press at State House, President Mwanawasa said Lusaka Catholic Diocese Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu’s statement that he laughed at his threats was unfortunate because this was not a laughing matter. He said Archbishop Mpundu’s little knowledge of the law was dangerous to himself and the nation.

“I was saying that you can’t challenge the law under my government. You can’t make government’s work impossible because doing that is an offence. This law has always been there for 44 years and nobody asked questions. Today after 44 years, when I say it is an offence then it becomes a laughable matter,” President Mwanawasa said. “I feel very sorry for this country if leaders are going to be raising objection on personality and purely on personal vendetta of the man in power. I am President of this country and I expect that if His Grace the Bishop does not know the law, I have always told him that he can contact me and I will teach him. But he is saying it’s a laughable matter. The law is there and it is not a laughable matter. Knowing a bit of the law is dangerous so when he says I am laughing at President Mwanawasa, he is laughing because he is knows too little of the law. That knowledge becomes dangerous for his own and for the sake of the nation.”

President asked Archbishop Mpundu to read the Penal Code, Section 45 (Cap 87) which states that a person who prepares and procures by unlawful means any alteration of the law or the policies of the government was guilty of treason felony and shall be reliable for prison for 20 years.

“I was merely relying on that Section of the Penal Code. I have heard some politicians in this country saying that they will set up parallel government. We have heard some civil society and political parties saying they will stay away from the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) and that they will undermine government,” President Mwanawasa said. “I said that some of these things they are doing are defeating our policy. I said their actions are bordering on treason. I remember before I became a politician, I was a well known lawyer…now since I am President, I don’t know the law…even members of the clothe can laugh at me.”

And President Mwanawasa disclosed that the Cabinet would soon meet to decide whether the Task Force established to fight against corruption could continue with its operations or its duties transferred to established law enforcement agencies.

President Mwanawasa said he did not anticipate that the Task Force would take over six years to conclude all the cases of corruption.
“Some of the cases are not even half way through…there is need to take stock. But this does not mean that is the end of the fight against corruption,” he said. “It is important that we have to reach a stage where public leaders know that they can be prosecuted if they abused public resources.”

President Mwanawasa disclosed that government had declined an offer to send its troops to Somalia because the situation in that country was too dangerous.

“We were asked to contribute troops to Somalia, but we declined because we felt the situation was terrible. Let them sort themselves out,” he said.

Asked whether there was change of government’s policy regarding its relationship with the Western countries in view of increased dealings with the Chinese government, President Mwanawasa said there was no policy that regulated its dealings with co-operating partners.

“ Since independence we have not said we shall not deal with the Chinese. Chinese built the Tazara railway. And there has been no departure in stopping getting aid or grants from the West. We get more funding from the West than any other region. Yes I agree, of late we have been receiving more co-operation from the Chinese government, but that is not bad,” President Mwanawasa said. “We have been asking the countries of the world to help us build a stadium and no nobody responded. The West were contacted and they did not come with any offer. The Chinese were contacted and they agreed to give us a grant. I do not know whether we should not have agreed to such an offer. I do not want MMD to lose an election because we don’t want to deal with the Chinese. I want MMD to win an election by accepting offers of development. We are extremely careful that when we receive this aid it does not come with strings attached.”

He wondered why the West did not want African countries to deal with China when their countries were flooded with Chinese products.

On the fuel shortages, President Mwanawasa said there was no excuse he could give on behalf of government.

“We had received an offer from a bank and it was prepared to finance the purchase of one ship of crude oil but the persons who were responsible declined to deal with that bank and they wanted the tender board of Zambia to advertise the tenders for people to import oil to Zambia,” he said. “The result is that they never did anything about it until the last minute; after 14 days the last stock of oil was finished. When I asked Energy PS what is happening, they said we cannot deal with this man because the tenders have not been advertised. I told them this is not your money, which you are using, so I told them to get out of State House and get things done and asked them to accept the offer from this bank.”

And President Mwanawasa disclosed that he would ask MMD national executive committee to allow him indicate his preferred successor.

“I have given instructions to MMD national secretary to include an item on our next agenda of next NEC meeting for me to report on this issue. I want the NEC members to indicate to me what criteria they want to see in my successor,” President Mwanawasa said. “I feel, I must be consulted and have my own preference. The NEC is not under any obligation to accept my preference, but the public will decide whether the President was wrong to decide on the qualities of his successor. I have intentions to disclose what type of qualities are required by those who want to be President so that those who aspire should know where they belong and should not aspire if they do not fit in my preferences.”

Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa announced that the Copperbelt University would re-open on October 28, 2007.

He said investigations had revealed that student indiscipline was at the centre of disturbances that led to the closure of the university.
He said the students totally disregarded the institution’s rules and regulations and took the law into their own hands by engaging in demonstrations that disturb public peace and destroy property acquired at great cost to the taxpayer.

President Mwanawasa mentioned the various infrastructure developments at Copperbelt University (CBU) and said students, as direct beneficiaries, should be the first to create a conducive atmosphere to allow for more development.
“The reports from the Ministry of Education are satisfactory for the university to re-open. Government has accepted the proposal by the Copperbelt University to re-open the institution on 28th October 2007,” President Mwanawasa said.

He directed authorities to put measures to bring about sustainable stability at the university including requiring students to sign statements of commitment to abide by the rules and regulations of the institution all the time.

President Mwanawasa said it had been brought to his attention that the nine students who had been suspended for the rest of the academic year had threatened to continue distabilising their colleagues and to insist upon their re-admission unconditionally.
“My advice is that they will be making their case bad. There is provision in the students’ rules to lodge an appeal to a higher body,” President Mwanawasa said.

“If students’ demonstrations have been falling like confetti (small pieces of colored paper or dried flowers thrown over people at festive occasions) on a wedding ceremony, I want the students to understand that that ceremony is over. We are anxious that the money which the public is investing in higher education should produce returns which should be of benefit to this nation.”
And President Mwanawasa announced that the National College for Management and Development Studies in Kabwe has been turned into a third public university, after the University of Zambia and CBU.
“I am happy to inform the nation that the former National College for Management and Development Studies is now Mulungushi University. The Minister of Education is issuing the necessary statutory instruments which will dissolve the council of the college and declare the National College for Management and Development Studies a university,” President Mwanawasa said.

President Mwanawasa said Mulungushi University would operate on self- financing basis and that Konkola Copper Mines had agreed to partner in the development of the university.

President Mwanawasa also said government’s intention was to build 125 new primary schools, 88 new high schools and 12 technical high schools in five years.

He said government was encouraging the private sector to set up private schools only on condition that they should provide quality education and the fees charged should be commensurate with the quality, infrastructure standard of boarding and lodging.
And President Mwanawasa said as a result of government efforts to stabilise the economy, the country had recorded the lowest rate of inflation in years.

He said Zambia’s positive economic development could be seen on the roads. He said the increase in vehicles was testimony that the economy was on the move.

President Mwanawasa said Zambia’s economy was likely to grow further because of growing interest from the investor community.
“This is why new mining explorations have intensified, new mines have been opened and old mines have been made more productive through improved recapitalisation. New industries outside mining are being established. After many years of economic decline, I believe the time for real light in the tunnel to appear has come,” President Mwanawasa said.

He said while he was happy and proud of the achievements the country had made, his government would be last to fail to recognise the severe poverty challenges that Zambians continued to face in their lives.

He encouraged those that continued to face hard challenges of poverty and deprivation not to lose hope.

President Mwanawasa challenged Zambians to take advantage of opportunities created to address their poverty situations.
“With the macroeconomic environment having improved, one of my key priorities of moving forward is to encourage further expansion of our economy by attracting as much investment in the country as possible because it is the only sustainable source of employment and poverty reduction,” President Mwanawasa said.

He said he was looking anxious for the return of the years when employers would queue to employ graduates.

He also challenged employees to take their work seriously, diligently and honestly.

“We can make all efforts to entice investments in Zambia but if the Zambian worker creates an impression to the outside world that they are unreliable, dishonest, and unproductive, then unfortunately jobs will not stay here long because investors will shun the country,” he warned.

President Mwanawasa reminded labour unions that it was within their rights to defend their members against ill-treatment although it was in everybody’s right to protect employers from employees who threaten the future of companies through vices like thefts of company property and incompetence.

On reshuffles, President Mwanawasa fired Central Province minister Sydney Chisanga and replaced him with Serenje MMD member of parliament Adamson Banda.

He moved Ministry of Works and Supply deputy minister Benny Tetamashimba to the Ministry of Local Government in the same capacity. He appointed Sikoongo MMD member of parliament Mundia Ndalamei to replace Tetamashimba.

Firday Malwa, who was energy deputy minister was moved to the Office of the Vice-President in the same capacity.

Mufumbwe MMD member of parliament Misheck Bonshe was appointed deputy minister in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
President Mwanawasa also appointed Senanga MMD member of parliament Clement Sinyinda as deputy minister in the Ministry of Education. He replaced Lucy Changwe who has been moved to the Ministry of Science Technology and Vocational Training as deputy minister.

President Mwanawasa appointed Chama North MMD member of parliament Todd Chilembo as deputy minister in charge of tourism and natural resources, filling the vacancy left after he elevated Michael Kaingu as tourism minister recently.

Feira MMD member of parliament Charles Shawa was moved from Lusaka Province where he was provincial minister to the Eastern Province in the same capacity.

The new Lusaka Province minister is Lameck Mangani.
President Mwanawasa also moved his special assistant for press and public relations John Musukuma to become his special assistant for political affairs while Marvis Muyunda was moved to take over Musukuma’s previous portfolio.

At permanent secretaries level, President Mwanawasa relieved Richard Chizyuka at Ministry of Agricultutre and replaced him with Dr Isaac Phiri, a dean at the University of Zambia.

President Mwanawasa moved energy permanent secretary Dr Buleti Nsemukila to Ministry of Science Technology and Vocational Training and replaced him with Peter Mumba who was at Ministry of Home Affairs.

President Mwanawasa moved Susan Sikaneta from Lusaka Province to Ministry of Home Affairs in the same capacity.
The new Lusaka Province permanent secretary is former Lusaka district commissioner Elijah Chisanga.

President Mwanawasa also confirmed Likolo Ndalamei as deputy secretary to the Cabinet.

He appointed Matondo Monde Yeta as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Women in Development, appointed M.D. Lisati as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence to replace Joel Chitafu who he has retired.

President Mwanawasa moved Northern Province permanent secretary Joel Ngo to the Ministry of Local Government and Housing as permanent secretary.

President Mwanawasa also has appointed Clement Siame as acting permanent secretary for Luapula Province. He retired North Western Province permanent secretary Richard Salivaji and replaced him with Jeston Mulando. He has also appointed Glynwell Ng’uni as Lusaka Division Commanding Officer.

Labels: MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 3:27 AM