Mususu questions Holmes' appointment
Mususu questions Holmes' appointmentBy Noel Sichalwe and Lambwe Kachali
Thursday February 14, 2008 [03:00]
EVANGELICAL Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) executive director Bishop Paul Mususu yesterday questioned President Mwanawasa's decision to appoint Cecil Holmes as presidential affairs minister to take care of the MMD interests while drawing a salary from public coffers.
And Kabwata member of parliament Given Lubinda has said President Levy Mwanawasa has given a wrong job description to Holmes, saying no cabinet minister is allowed to be paid tax payer's money for carrying out party programmes.
Bishop Mususu was commenting on President Mwanawasa's job description he prescribed for Holmes during the swear-in-ceremony on Monday.
President Mwanawasa told Holmes to take care of the interest of the party from province, constituency, district and ward levels because he (Mwanawasa) was too busy concentrating on Zambia's economic emancipation programmes with no time to concentrate on the MMD as party president.
Bishop Mususu said there was no need for President Mwanawasa to assign Holmes with the responsibilities of looking after the party affairs when the MMD had structures under national secretary Katele Kalumba.
He said Kalumba's sole responsibility was to ensure that the party was well organised and running smoothly.
"That is why Chiluba introduced a position of minister without portfolio to oversee the issues relating to party matters," Bishop Mususu said.
He said it would not be in the interest of the nation for Holmes to draw a salary from taxpayers' money for looking after the interest of MMD.
"I don't think it is right to use taxpayers’ money to pay somebody doing party affairs," he said. "We want to see MMD doing its work and somebody who is not a Cabinet minister to run the affairs of the party and leave Cecil Holmes to run government affairs as presidential affairs minister."
Bishop Mususu said there should be a separation of responsibilities between that of the government and the political party in power.
"If the MMD is broke, they shouldn't be depending on money we pay as taxpayers’ to run its party," he said.
President Mwanawasa on Monday told Holmes to build him and not destroy him.
"I bring you to State House to come and assist me, not to come and destroy me. I am extremely overworked and this maybe to some extent because I have had no Cabinet minister for presidential affairs to take care of some of the responsibilities.
As a President, I happen to be a Republican president and as well as party president. So when you talk about presidential affairs, it is all about what I do. I haven't devoted much time to the affairs of the party because most of the time I felt that I should work towards the emancipation of our people from economic doldrums.
I have no doubt whatsoever that you will assist me in this regard. That you will look at the party at the province, district and even at the constituency level, ward and branch. I would like to be fully informed so much that even if I am not there, I have to be in charge."
President Mwanawasa also said Holmes' job would involve assisting on issues regarding the Republican Presidency where he would be working with the minister and deputy minister of finance.
And debating the 2008 budget on Tuesday, Lubinda said the law was clear that no government official should be paid tax payers’ money over party activities.
Lubinda said Holmes would be abusing the office if he goes ahead as directed by President Mwanawasa to be organising MMD at provincial, constituency, district, ward and branch levels.
Lubinda said it was shameful that Holmes accepted a job whose main responsibilities were not clearly known both by himself and the Zambian people.
Lubinda said President Mwanawasa should be mindful to the fact that unnecessary ministerial positions were a waste of national resources.
He advised the Vice-President Banda to clarify Holmes’ job description before executing of his duties.
“We cannot have a cabinet minister responsible for organising MMD party programmes. This is a serious abuse of public office and tax payer's money. It is total nonsense and unacceptable. Tax payers’ money should not be spent on such a minister.
This is a shameful development on the party of MMD as a party and the government as a whole,” Lubinda said.
Lubinda advised Holmes, who was also in parliament not to use public resources on MMD's programmes.
He said Holmes as a cabinet minister should concentrate on national affairs.
Lubinda further said the 2008 budget was for the rich, saying it was against the middle income class, lower and the poor in society.
He said the K100, 000 threshold would have negative impact on the people’s lives as the poor would be forced to pay K83 billion to offset the increment.
Lubinda said it was not understandable that the 2008 budget raised tax for the middle income earners instead of the higher income earners.
On the Value Added Tax (VAT), Lubinda said it was disgusting that finance minister Ng’andu Magande failed to heed to the majority view for a universal reduction.
He said opposition members of parliament proposed that there be tax increment on non-essential commodities such as tobacco, cigarettes, alcohol, perfume, artificial hair among others, to which Lubinda said Magande disagreed.
“Mr Speaker, I told Magande and his government in this House that people who smoke are burning money and should not be given tax rebase, instead let them be heavily taxed so that, that money can go and help poor people in society,î he said.
Lubinda said the country was facing problems because of MMD's arrogance, saying the opposition had been pushing hard to make the budget pro-poor.
“To be an effective opposition you must give guidance to the sitting government all the time. MMD should not expect praises from the opposition because doing so will definitely weaken our responsibilities of maintaining checks and balances.
I wonder why some people in the opposition are saying that criticising President Mwanawasa is criticising the God. This is a clear indication that such politicians have lost focus,” said Lubinda.
Labels: BISHOP MUSUSU
posted by MrK @ 3:58 AM
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