Maravi

Magande questions Rupiah’s projects

Magande questions Rupiah’s projects
By Patson Chilemba
Thu 02 June 2011, 04:01 CAT

RUPIAH Banda's announcements to launch projects without disclosing the source of funding is tantamount to money laundering, says Ng'andu Magande.

Commenting on the K300 billion Lusaka urban road rehabilitation works President Banda launched and his promise to provide free solar geysers to people in Mandevu last Saturday, Magande, who is president for National Movement for Progress said people were wondering how President Banda was launching projects without disclosing the source of the funding.

“You know, we have a very strong Anti-Money Laundering Act in Zambia. To me this looks like some money laundering. Somebody somewhere is cleaning the money which he has gotten not by straight means,” said Magande, a former finance minister, who has held the portfolio the longest in the country.

“And when it is the head of state who is telling you that, then you become fearful because already there are elections this year. And the indicators are that the MMD is going to lose. So he is just going to leave the country in a lot of mess.”

Magande said even if President Banda claimed that his friends were funding the projects, he wondered what favours those friends were getting in return.

“And you don't have a head of state or a minister of finance or permanent secretary, public officers who has special friends. Once you are in a position like that, all the citizens, the 13 million Zambians become your relatives, they become your friends,” Magande said.

“But to tell us, 'don't worry, I know how to get the money', did you really hear Kaunda tell the citizens 'the money I am using to put a tarmac from here to Chipata is from my head because I am very clever'. But who is saying he is dull anyway.”

Magande said the actions by President Banda amounted to a lot of very poor governance, saying Zambians should continue to demand accountability from him.

“We can't just keep quiet when someone is saying 'now I am going to give you free solar panels the whole country'. I mean there could be about six to eight millions Zambians with houses and you are saying you have found a source of eight million solar panels to give to everybody free, how?” Magande asked.

“There is no country that discovers money like that. Even if you discover oil you have to sell the oil, you have to get people employed, and to declare the income. But you can't have a head of state saying 'I have discovered money somewhere and I will give all of you solar panels'. Is it even practical?”

Magande questioned President Banda's priorities, saying the people of Mandevu had not said that they lacked warm water to bath.

“He is not dealing with people's problems. The people there are not employed. There are people who can't send their children to school. So the important things are to create an environment where people make their own money,” he said.

Magande decried the abuse of public institutions to aid President Banda's campaigns.

“But even Zesco, are they sure they have worked out their numbers that once they put electricity in my house at K21,000, the other K600,000 is going to be recovered? Do the people have the means to pay them every month towards the balance? And by the way, it means once they put that electricity then every month there will be a consumption figure,” Magande said.

“I have to pay for using the electricity. Do I even have the capacity to pay? This is a public institution getting involved in a programme which the citizens themselves are questioning? Where are they getting these monies? If Zesco has the money why did they have to go and borrow US$400 million which my grandchildren will have to pay in future?

They could have used their money to put up that expenditure.”
Magande said load shedding in most residential areas was the order of the day, and yet Zesco was being used to finance free geysers to people.

“They are so crazy about exporting everything, even exporting our maize, we don't know why they are exporting at very low prices, exporting copper, the foreign currency isn't coming,” Magande said.

“Perhaps they are also exporting our electricity. This is the money that we are now being told there are Good Samaritan giving us free solar panels. Disclosure is very important.”

Magande assured President Banda and his colleagues that the wrong things they were doing would be probed by a new government.

“There will be a new government by the end of this year, and people want to know 'how did you manage this?' When did those friends become friends?” Magande asked. “Why didn't he put his good ideas on paper so that we can all read them and analyse them and understand them?”

Magande said it was not fair to Zambians to allow President Banda to run down the country, adding that the business community was complaining that there was no liquidity on the market.

“Nobody seems to explain what has happened, and everybody else owes money to everybody and that is not obviously the best way to run a country like 'Zambia Incorporated' which belongs to so many people, every citizen,” said Magande.

“I presume if we go at this rate we might end up failing to pay for some of the things that we are getting into, and obviously that sounds like being unable to meet your financial obligations and in accountancy that's what they call bankruptcy.”

Labels: CORRUPTION, INFRASTRUCTURE, NG'ANDU MAGANDE, ROADS, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 9:21 PM