It’s not possible for Zambia to sustain itself without donor support - CSPR

It’s not possible for Zambia to sustain itself without donor support - CSPR
By Moses Kuwema
Sun 05 Sep. 2010, 04:30 CAT

IT is not possible for Zambia to sustain itself without the support of donors especially on poverty reduction programmes because the donors’ contribution to the budget has been on the upswing since 2006, Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) executive director Patrick Mucheleka has observed.

Reacting to President Rupiah Banda’s attacks on donors and Zambians who are demanding an appeal against Lusaka High Court judge Evans Hamaundu’s decision to throw out an application by the state to register the London judgment against former president Fredrick Chiluba, Mucheleka said there was heavy financing from external sources such that if the donors were to pull out, everything would collapse.

“The 2010 budget for instance of 16.7 trillion almost 19 per cent of that is actually funded by the cooperating partners either in form of grants or loans. The bulk of that money is actually what is used for frontline poverty reduction programmes under what is referred to as poverty reduction budget support where the donors through what they call joint assistance strategy for Zambia, put their resources together and the government identifies the sectors where these resources go,” he said.

Mucheleka said most these funds are used in the health sector, agriculture, education and infrastructure development, adding that Zambia would not go anywhere if donors pulled out.

Mucheleka said the government alone does not generate sufficient domestic resources which could be used as a fallback in case the donors were to withhold the funding.

“So you can imagine what would happen if the donors were to say ‘ok fine, because you are asking us to pack our bags and go therefore we are withholding our support', I can assure you everything would collapse.

And even these projects that are being shown around which the government has actually been boasting about by saying your money and your government at work, most of these projects actually have a very strong donor fund involvement such that if today they were to pull out I can assure you it will be a disaster,” Mucheleka said.

“Much as we appreciate and acknowledge the importance of maintaining sovereignty, I don’t think there is anything wrong with the donors or even Zambians trying to ask the government to be held accountable and transparent in the way things are done because if anything, the government should even be concerned that the donors are raising these issues.”

Mucheleka said donors could help the country in the attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which Zambia had ascribed to because only a period of five years was remaining.

Mucheleka said what even made sad reading was that there was evidence through the government itself under the Auditor General’s report on how funds had been either misapplied or misappropriated but nothing had been done to the culprits.

“What people have been saying is that you must be seen to be taking action against all those culprits that have been cited in the Auditor General’s report both on the road sector and the 2008 Auditor General’s report so that you bring back the confidence. People must see you to be taking action and it does not help to be defensive and start deviating people’s attention from addressing real issues. You want to be coming out fuming or questioning whoever has questioned you!

The real issue is, what are you doing to restore the confidence in the system by way of ensuring that anyone who has been cited for misapplication of funds is taken to book? The donors, just like Zambians, are justified and this is what we have been saying as CSPR, we need to have an informed society, which has access to information,” he said.

Mucheleka said threats would not do in addressing the challenges facing the country such as high poverty levels.

He said there were established diplomatic channels that could be used in ironing out any perceived differences that might exist.
“If anything, statesmanship is all about the manner in which you respond to these issues, the way you handle issues.

Even if you say you will send everyone packing, don’t you know that you have your own diplomats serving in the countries where the people you are telling to pack and go come from?” he asked.
Mucheleka advised the government and President Banda to refrain from attacking people that were helping the country.