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Donor funding doesn’t threaten Zambia’s sovereignty – Ngondo

Donor funding doesn’t threaten Zambia’s sovereignty – Ngondo
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Mon 12 July 2010, 03:20 CAT

ALL Peoples Congress (APC) president Ken Ngondo has said donor funding to Zambia does not in any way threaten the country’s sovereignty.

Commenting on President Rupiah Banda’s recent attacks on donors, Ngondo said President Banda’s statement on donors was very unfortunate.

“He President Banda must be aware of the history of this country, how UNIP government with Dr Kenneth Kaunda tried to castigate the donors and eventually he lost government in 1991. The donors are very important, especially with HIV and AIDS. The funds that we are getting, we are having lots of people that are benefitting from that aspect,” Ngondo said in an interview. “There are areas like the Ministry of Health, they need the donor funding. We cannot manage to sustain our people under these diseases, which are there now. I think it is a very unfortunate statement.”

He said it was sad that while the Road Development Agency (RDA) had not accounted for colossal amounts of money, many roads such as the Chipata-Lundazi road were in a deplorable state.

“I have just come from Lundazi, and the road is in a terrible state but we hear K3 billion has not been accounted for. This is sad because the road to Lundazi is very vital for business people. There is a lot of trade going on in Lundazi, Chama up to Northern Province. We need that Chipata-Lundazi road done urgently,” he said. “They promised they would start the works on the 1st July but they haven’t. They are just halfway there at Lumezi, and the other way, it’s terrible.”

He said it was regrettable that after many years of independence, there were still roads that were in a terrible state.

“The people don’t want jobs from the government. The people want to be respected and they can only be respected if the road infrastructure is done. Secondly, you have seen the bumper crop that I have had this year, this is not a joke. There are two things in this world: you must have shelter, you must have food security, and I am adding value to food security. People come here. They are poor, I am giving them maize,” Ngondo said.

He also praised briefcase business companies for buying maize from farmers.
“I told you last time that I praise the business companies. If there were no briefcase companies, our people were going to starve. Whether they are buying the maize at 30 pin per 50kg bag or K35,000, K45,000, it’s a good idea because these people have got commitments. They have hospital bills, they have children who are going to school, they need money,” Ngondo said.

He said the reduction of the fertiliser allocation under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) from eight to four bags had also reduced the farmers’ production.
Ngondo also said the farmers were annoyed because FRA had not yet opened the market and the maize price was not being increased.

“Prices have gone up for almost everything, fuel, clothes, fertiliser itself but when it comes to pegging the price for buying the produce, soya beans, beans, rice, maize they are not increasing. I think we are not serious with the peasant farmers, and I think it’s high time the government of the day started looking at the farmer,” said Ngondo.

Labels: APC, DONORS, KEN NGONDO

posted by MrK @ 3:47 AM