Maravi

Parliament passes Mines Act

Parliament passes Mines Act
Written by Ernest Chanda
Friday, March 27, 2009 4:15:23 PM

PARLIAMENT on Thursday passed an amendment to the Mines and Minerals Development Act that seeks to open up investment in industrial minerals to foreigners.

According to the 2008 Mines and Minerals Development Act, mining rights for industrial minerals were only to be granted to Zambian citizens and companies of Zambian citizens.

The Mines and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill passed through to committee stage after extensive debate at second reading.

And debating the same motion, Siavonga UPND member of parliament Douglas Siakalima accused government of taking everything away from Zambians.

"I'm extremely petrified, extremely horrified that this government is pulling everything away from Zambians. If their only purpose is to make citizens labourers then I don't know the intention of government. Why is it that it is a Zambian who has to bend all the time?" Siakalima asked.

"Two days ago you removed the windfall tax and now you are giving away the rights of Zambians to invest in minerals. Why is it that it is only in Africa where we have to bend? We bended the other time when Africans were sold as slaves. Who were selling slaves, is it not our chiefs? And that is how colonialism came in. They went with our minerals and now upon realising that we still have some minerals these people are coming back. And we are again bending. I think Africa is the only confused continent."

And Kasama Central Patriotic Front (PF) member of parliament Saviour Chishimba said it would be irresponsible for this generation to fail to work for the next generation.

"It would be irresponsible for this generation to fail to work for the next generation. In Zambia one does not need to pay for information. Information is available on the street. The people of Zambia have facts that this government is amending a law to accommodate one individual who is coming to manufacture cement. I would not be surprised to see that after this Bill is amended we start receiving friends of ministers as investors in the mines. Whatever we do today should not just benefit us, it should not just benefit Chishimba. If I benefit today, what has that got to benefit the country?" asked Chishimba.

"It is very clear that the MMD have horrendously failed, they have run out of ideas. That's how far their capacity can take them. It is a sign that the statecraft should be taken over by a new leadership with new ideas. This country can't afford to hide in procedures that can't work."

Labels: DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, FDI, MINES AND MINERALS ACT, NEOCOLONIALISM, NEOLIBERALISM, PARLIAMENT

posted by MrK @ 4:17 PM