Masuku headman urges inclusion of rural people in national activities
By Ben Mbangu in Choma and Steve Mwiinga in Siavonga
Tue 11 June 2013, 14:00 CAT

A TRADITIONAL leader in Masuku area of Choma district has appealed to the government to consider engaging people from rural communities in national activities such as elections in order to empower them.

Headman Simalimbu noted with dismay that teachers were the main beneficiaries of such programmes when they had salaries.

The headman made the appeal when PF Choma district political secretary Bernadette Hamweembaand Southern Province PF youth information and publicity secretary visited the area to sensitise the public on the removal of maize and fuel subsidies.

He said based on the PF campaign promise of more money in people 's pockets, one way of empowering them in communities would be to make them participate in heavily funded programmesto enable them realise something unlike the current scenario on the ground where only teachers benefit.

Headman Simalimbu said people in villages were living in abject poverty hence such interventions would help to alleviate the many challenges they faced and eventually would improve their living standards.

"Government should not forget that educated people who can do jobs that are being heaped on already burdened teachers are also found in communities," he said.

The headman cited activities like malaria control programme, national census and elections as one of the major programmespeople in communities should be accorded an opportunity to make money to enable them afford fertilisers and other social amenities.

And in supporting the removal of subsidies, headman Simalimbi said the move would reduce the cost the country was incurring in evacuating prominent people abroad for medical treatment because drugs and equipments required would be found in hospitals.

"It would be disappointing for people in communities to see politicians continue going abroad for medication and education when subsidies have been removed to improve the condition and services of the current health facilities as well as school infrastructure," he said.