Maravi

Ministers holding Rupiah to ransom over hefty salaries

Ministers holding Rupiah to ransom over hefty salaries
By Noel Sichalwe
Wednesday August 06, 2008 [12:46]

FORMER Republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele has said ministers are holding Vice-President Banda at ransom to award themselves hefty salaries in the absence of President Mwanawasa. In an interview, Kavindele said considering the poverty levels and the plight of the people in the present economic climate, it would be obscene to award a selected group of people astronomical amounts of money.

He said at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) and other hospitals, babies were dying as a result of failure by generators due to the increased load shedding.

He said it was unjustified to award salary increment of over 300 per cent to only a few people.

Kavindele said when the salaries and benefits were about K 5 million, ministers and other members of parliament used to get about K500 million gratuity.

He said if the new salaries and benefits would be implemented, the beneficiaries would receive gratuity ranging between K2.5 billion to K5 billion over a period of five years.

"The ministers and their deputies are supposed to be fully aware of the constraints of the treasury and to decide to award themselves such hefty salaries and other benefits at the expense of the majority is unacceptable," he said.

"It is wrong for politicians to compare themselves with chief executives of companies who earn more. Government service is not for gratification but for service to the people."

Kavindele said the high salary of the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) governor started in the 1980s when a Canadian national Jack Bussiers was seconded to BoZ as governor and that he was paid at their salary scale.

He said the World Bank later paid another BoZ governor Jacob Mwanza although he was a Zambian.

Kavindele said President Mwanawasa could not have agreed to the payment of hefty salary increments for ministers and members of parliament.

"I have known President Mwanawasa since we were teenagers during our school days and there is no way he would have agreed paying these hefty emoluments.

Even if he chaired the meeting or was in the meeting as they are saying where these increments were discussed, he wouldn't have allowed them.

If they were discussed in March as they are saying, why were they not taken to Parliament since the session was still sitting," he said. "What is happening now is that the Vice-President is virtually held to ransom by the ministers.

They are holding the Vice-President to ransom because they know too well that he may need them to push an agenda."

Kavindele also doubted the authority that Vice-President Banda would use to take the emoluments Bill to Parliament. According to the delegation of the functions of the President that the Vice-President is exercising, they are limited to certain duties.


The document reads, "Until my return to Zambia or until this authority is otherwise revoked by me, to discharge all the functions and exercise all the powers of President under and in accordance with all laws applicable hereto save the power to dissolve Parliament or to reconstitute offices or to make any appointments or to revoke any appointment made by me."

He said Vice-President might not therefore, have the power to take the emolument Bill to Parliament using delegated authority by President Mwanawasa.

Kavindele further said when he was elected Chingola member of parliament under the UNIP government, he refused to receive any salary or emoluments for the first five years because he regarded politics as a service to the people.

He said he could not receive a salary from public coffers even at the persuasion of then president Dr Kenneth Kaunda.

Kavindele said the benefits and salaries for ministers and members of parliament were not debated in Parliament because the parliamentary standing orders did not allow them to debate their benefits.

"So, it is almost clear that when these things are taken to Parliament, they would be approved," he said. "Ministers are already paid responsibility allowance which is part of the job they do.

But when it comes to the Attorney General, High Court and Supreme Court judges whose work is even visible, they do not get responsibility allowance.

They are paid less than state advocates in terms of non-practice allowance and yet ministers and deputies delegate their work. No minister or Vice-President can single handedly handle a file but with judges, they work on the file from the start to the end single handedly.

When you look at judges, they don't even practice after retiring or seek employment elsewhere. This is the reason why for example former

Chief Justice Mathew Ngulube cannot practice by virtue of the fact that he held a very high office. Therefore, the judges should be the only ones to receive responsibility allowance."

Kavindele proposed the need to set up a Remuneration Commission to comprise people from outside government like himself, professionals, eminent citizens, businessmen and the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) to determine emoluments for senior government leaders and members of parliament.

"This is because the public service is not for self service," he said. He said it was possible that the future government would rescind the decision to award ministers and members of parliament high salaries just like the MMD introduced State Leaders Retirement Benefits repeal Bill in 1992 because it was an improperly obtained piece of legislation.

Kavindele said with the repeal Bill, former UNIP leaders were all required to pay back to the state what they got while in government.

He hoped that in future, there would be a similar Act under the title, 'Obscene Plunder of Public Resources Act' because there was no justification that people who were well off could be given vehicles, which they could buy after five years at a give away price.

"I recall very well that when the State Leaders Bill was passed, Mr Justin Mukando who was minister of agriculture was driving to Serenje in a vehicle which he had just bought from government. This vehicle was taken from him at the roadblock," said Kavindele.

Labels: CABINET, CORRUPTION, ENOCH KAVINDELE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 4:54 PM