By Henry Sinyangwe
Tue 13 Aug. 2013, 14:01 CAT
EDITH Nawakwi says President Michael Sata is surrounded by wrong ministers who are giving him wrong advice. And Nawakwi, who is Forum for Democracy and Development leader, says the labour sector is in a mess.
Nawakwi said ministers like Fackson Shamenda were failing to provide answers to various issues concerning national development.
"These people are not advising our head of state properly because they are too emotional. So if you tell people that Edith is being emotional, so what? The likes of Shamenda like to stereotype women and tears are only associated with women; I am not crying. So really I think my brother should reflect," she said.
Nawakwi said the nation needed to be assured that the economy was on the right course rather than the ministers' emotional responses whenever they were criticised.
"And on the fact that do people have secure jobs? Do people have security of tenure? That is the role of a Minister of Labour and Social Security, and he addressed none of those. Instead, in their usual style, he took the emotional position. Being a Christian, he should go back and read the book of Proverbs. When someone is telling you something, listen to the words, don't look at who is talking about it," she said.
Nawakwi said she expected Shamenda to concentrate on answering the discussion on the flouting of labour regulations by immigrants on the pretext that they are investors.
"When you use word like 'frustrated', frustrated with what? I honestly want to contribute to my country in a manner which people can see as being of value, and if someone is as emotional as Shamenda, they actually mislead the government. We want to get responses from the minister responsible as honorable Chikwanda has rightly responded.
Shamenda is ignoring his portfolio; the labour sector is in a mess. He should address that," she said. Nawakwi challenged the government to state when it would clean up the UNZA payroll.
"However, we have raised specific points. If we are doing fine, why is there no insulin in the clinics? We raised issues about the university, why haven't we responded as to when government will clean up the payroll at the university. We raised issues about these Chinese and other nationals who are selling vegetables on the streets and the market," Nawakwi said.
She said some of the ministers had no direction.
"Some of these ministers have no direction because people like Shamenda. I raised very critical issues which he should address. Why do we have foreigners selling vegetables at the markets, Tuesday Market?" she asked.
Last week, Shamenda dismissed as mischievous allegations by Nawakwi that the country was headed for a K5 billion budgetary deficit by the end of the year.
Shamenda said the allegation was symptomatic of a frustrated and failed politician who wanted to use lies to gain cheap political mileage.
"Ms Nawakwi once served as Minister of Finance under the MMD government when corruption and general mismanagement of the country's economy thrived, which this government is now working hard to reverse," stated Shamenda.
"She should, therefore, not pretend to have answers to the management of the country's economy now which she failed to provide then."
Nawakwi had challenged finance minister Chikwanda to shed light on expenditure concerns from local and the international communities.
Labels: EDITH NAWAKWI, FACKSON SHAMENDA, MICHAEL SATA
posted by MrK @ 4:06 PM
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