Maravi

People’s patience is being overstretched - CSPR

People’s patience is being overstretched - CSPR
By Moses Kuwema
Mon 29 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT

ZAMBIANS will not sit and watch forever as the gap between the poor and the rich widens, says the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR).

In an interview yesterday, CSPR executive director Patrick Mucheleka said the people’s patience was being overstretched and they could one day rise to free themselves from poverty using unorthodox means if the problems remain unresolved.

“The poor are being confined to perpetual poverty while the gap between the poor and rich keeps on widening. People will come out to say enough is enough. When people are determined to free themselves from the yoke of poverty they can do it without any problems,” Mucheleka said.

“Ultimately supreme power lies with the people so you are better off listening now than later. We might have a situation like the one in Niger Delta Nigeria. We don’t want to get to that situation.”

He said the poor and uninspiring leadership was the cause of these disparities because the current leaders lacked the political will to create opportunities for people.

Mucheleka said leaders were only interested in protecting their personal narrow political interests.
He said the government leaders had never given the country the statistics of poverty reduction levels but they only talked about inflation.

“We are not asking government to give us wealth, but to create an enabling environment. It does not help to be in the comfort zone because when you are surrounded by poor people you will always be scared. Your conscience will never be clear,” Mucheleka said.

And Caritas Kasama coordinator Fr Nicholas Kaliminwa said the national cake was not being shared equally.

Fr Kaliminwa said the imbalance might result in quarrels among the people.

“Government should listen and spend the budget on what has been budgeted for. But if money is not spent for its intended purpose then you have a problem,” Fr Kaliminwa said.

Fr Kaliminwa said leaders should also listen to the chiefs and clergymen because they interacted with the ordinary people in the communities daily.

Labels: CSPR, NEOLIBERALISM, NICHOLAS KALIMINWA, PATRICK MUCHELEKA, POVERTY

posted by MrK @ 9:49 PM