Rupiah’s govt is stubborn, has no regard for Zambians – Sata

Rupiah’s govt is stubborn, has no regard for Zambians – Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba and George Chellah
Sunday, May 31, 2009 4:18:57 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday charged that President Rupiah Banda and his government are stubborn and have no regard for the Zambian people. And former Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Fackson Shamenda said it would be insensitive for members of parliament to get their mid-term gratuities.

In an interview, Sata said it was irresponsible for finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane to insist that the government would go ahead and pay for the mobile clinics if evaluation reports indicate that the facilities would benefit and add value to the Zambian society.

He said the suspension of support by the donors to the Ministry of Health over alleged corruption should raise concern in the government. Sata said President Banda and his government should realise that the donors were against both corruption and the procurement of mobile hospitals.

"This government is not spending money on the people, it is stealing, because if somebody says 'we are reviewing', but for him to say 'we are going to pay' means they will go ahead because they have already received commission. Government is not spending money [on the people]. Rupiah Banda doesn't care how many are going to die," Sata said. "Government should have been concerned with the donors' action, but they are not."

Sata said no matter how much people speak against mobile hospitals and gratuities for members of parliament, President Banda's stubborn government would not listen.

"You are dealing with a stubborn government. On the salaries we even mounted rallies, but did Rupiah Banda listen?" he asked.

On Dr Musokotwane's statement that members of parliament would get their mid-term gratuities since it was an entitlement, Sata said President Banda should be the one to blame for increasing the salaries for constitutional office holders and senior government officials.

He said the biggest beneficiary would be President Banda because despite only serving for a few months as President, he would also assume the money late president Levy Mwanawasa would have received.

"The gratuity would have been minimal if Rupiah Banda had not increased the salaries. Now his gratuity will be K8 billion. MMD has 82 members of parliament plus my 16 rebels, the number comes up to 98. So they are preparing for Chitambo," said Sata.

However, Sata said there was nothing he could do about the matter because it was an entitlement for members of parliament to receive gratuity.

And Shamenda said it would be insensitive for members of parliament to get their mid-term gratuities.

"I think leaders are not being sensitive to the plight of the majority of the citizens. Even in a house if there is little food, the father should be the last person to eat so that the children can eat and you sacrifice. You can't go get a T-bone and eat yourself leaving your children hungry," Shamenda said.

"So what I am trying to say is that some people have died without getting gratuity. They have not been paid their housing allowances. It is their right and they have got to go on strike in order to be paid but why should it be very easy for the leaders?"

He said the leaders should be able to sacrifice.

"It's the leaders who are supposed to sacrifice. I think they should be able to say that 'no instead of giving it to us why don't you give to the ordinary persons' because already those who are in leadership they can manage within the resources, which they have at the moment. They can afford to work," Shamenda said.

"It's an entitlement but at the moment, why don't they suspend it until after the other ordinary persons have been paid? There is no harm. The leaders should be the first ones to say why don't we show goodwill.

"I don't think it's right time for the leaders, it will definitely be very insensitive to do that. It will be a good thing to forgo those things eventually they will get it. They can't just turn a blind eye that will be selfish on the part of the leaders."

On mobile hospitals, Shamenda said the idea was not practicable.

"If they are trying to sustain the other areas, this is one of the areas, which they can even forget about. I don't think they will be that naïve to go ahead and do that...it's not a priority and it should be shelved. If anything not necessarily to be shelved but to be abandoned," Shamenda said.

"As everybody has said, I don't think our road infrastructure is good enough. It will be a very costly thing to venture into. When there is an outcry, it's not only the people in government who have the prerogative of understanding or the knowledge of what is happening. I think when people say that, that's what democracy is all about they should be able to listen."

Shamenda said donors would not be happy if the government went ahead to procure mobile hospitals.

"The donors may not be impressed, they will think we have got our priorities upside down. The maintenance of infrastructure is far much easier than maintaining of those mobile vehicles because the roads are not there, there will be spare parts required," said Shamenda.

"People are saying it will be expensive, we could find ourselves in some very serious scandals, human beings, being what they are and it's very vulnerable to abuse, so let's not tempt people," said Shamenda.