(LUSAKATIMES) Delay to deliver farming inputs is a sign of lack of political will- CSPR
Time Posted: November 28, 2013 9:29 am
The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) says the delay to deliver the 2013/2014 farming inputs in some areas by government shows lack of political will.
CSPR Information and Communications officer Diana Ngula told Qfm News that it is unfortunate and sad to note that many farmers have not yet received their farming inputs.
Ms Ngula said there is need for the ministry of agriculture to hear the cries of the farmers in rural areas who have not yet received the inputs.
She said that the delay in delivering farming inputs especially to rural areas is worrying as it poses a threat to household food security.
Meanwhile the chiefdoms of Chitungulu and Mwanya in the valley areas of Lundazi district have been severely hit by hunger with villagers surviving on wild fruits and raw mangoes.
Chief Chitungulu has expressed worry about the delayed farming inputs under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to the valley area.
The traditional leader appealed to government to immediately send farming inputs for the 2013 to 2014 farming season before the area is completely cut-off from the district due to poor roads.
Chief Chitungulu told Lundazi District Commissioner Janet Mvula who was visiting chiefs palaces over the weekend to inspect government funded projects, that his subjects were surviving on wild fruits and raw mangoes due to hunger that has rocked the area.
Chief Chitungulu mentioned Nthumbe, Zokwe, Chutwa, Lumimba, Mbuzi, Kataba, Matizi and Chitungulu as most affected villages that require immediate relief food.
In response Lundazi District Commissioner Janet Mvula told Chief Chitungulu that government was aware about perpetual hunger situation in the three chiefdoms of Chitungulu,Mwanya and Kazermbe due to the wild animals that destroy crops and draught experienced in the last farming season.
The DC f6urther informed Chief Chitungulu that her Office has since written to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit in Chipata to urgently send relief food to the three affected chiefdoms before the rainy season gains momentum as the area is prone to being cut-off from the rest of the district.
Labels: CSPR, DIANA NGULA, FISP
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TIZ calls for action on Auditor General's reports
By Ernest Chanda
Thu 14 Feb. 2013, 15:20 CAT
TRANSPARENCY International Zambia says findings of financial irregularities in the Auditor General's reports have become a ritual because there is no follow up action. And CSPR says the government should formulate a law that will empower the Auditor General's office to summon, question and prosecute controlling officers who authorise misuse of public funds.
Meanwhile, ActionAid Zambia country representative Pamela Chisanga says it is possible for the country to fund its national budget by 90 per cent, going by the revenue collections indicated in the 2011 Auditor General's report.
Giving an analysis on the 2011 Auditor General's Report which has also revealed continued financial irregularities, TIZ executive director Goodwell Lungu advised the government to enforce punitive action on culprits.
"We believe as TIZ that the findings of the Auditor General's report have merely been reduced to academic exercise and mere traditional ritual because year-in, year-out, there is no tangible action that inspire public confidence in the management of public resource," Lungu said in a statement.
"There is therefore need for the PF government to expedite the implementation of the Access to Information Bill that will empower the public to be able to hold public officials accountable during implementation of the budget and not wait to be presented with such ever-worrying public funds losses."
He stated that the Auditor General's report was such an important document that it could not be left without any action.
Lungu stated that if government was not taking any action on culprits, the public would have no confidence in such a report.
"The revelation of the current (2011) Auditor General's report, yet again, involuntarily attracts attention and concerns from all taxpayers by the manner in which public resources are being put to waste by those mandated to put in place stop-gap measures that would minimise if not completely prevent further wastage of national resources," he stated.
"As Transparency International Zambia, we find it rather unbearable that misappropriation of public funds stands at alarming levels of over K1 billion in 2011 … and in 2009 it stood at K3.9billion. On unaccounted for revenue, it is shocking that the figure keeps on growing and now stands at a whopping K530 billion as compared to K1.7 billion in 2010 while it stood at K1.3 billion in 2009. This demonstrates that our revenue systems are breaking down and permitting such huge losses that must be effectively prevented almost immediately."
Lungu stated that it was sad that excess expenditure stood at a massive K456 billion in 2011 as compared to a staggering K87 billion in 2009.
He stated that it was further disturbing to note failure to follow procurement procedures, resulting in an increased wastage of K4 billion in 2011 compared to K2.5 billion in 2010 and K1 billion in 2009.
"It is also disheartening to note that the government continued procurement of air or no delivery of goods and services even after paying huge sums of public funds. In the report we note that in 2011 undelivered materials were paid for a sum of K2 billion compared to K646 million in 2010 and K345 million in 2009," stated Lungu.
"This demonstrates that there is a growing trend in some government agencies to pay for goods and services that are not delivered. We feel as TIZ that such incidences can easily be brought to a stop if law enforcement agencies rounded up and arrested all perpetuators of such schemes most of whom we believe still work for the public sector. The PF success in the fight against corruption will be determined by the amount of effort and measures they put in place to curb such wastages."
And Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) programmes manager Isabel Mukelabai said it was not good that irregularities in the report should just end at being highlighted.
"It is thus imperative for government to demonstrate to the Zambian people prudence in managing public funds entrusted to them by sealing all loopholes that allow for ministries, provinces and all spending agencies to abuse public resources," said Mukelabai in giving the institution's analysis of the Auditor General's report.
"This must be followed by stern action and prosecution of those found to have abused public funds to recover these much needed resources. There is also need to have a law in place that will enable the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), parliament and law enforcement agencies summon, question and prosecute the controlling officers that had authorised the abuse of these resources irrespective of whether they have moved or not."
And Chisanga said Zambia could fund a large part of its budget from local resources.
"In the Auditor General's report we note that despite having collected excess revenue in 2011 amounting to close to K11 trillion (KR11 billion) the report indicate that there were downward revisions to this tax revenue totaling K2.2 trillion (KR2.2 billion) without any explanation, without any documentation as is required by financial regulation number 133," said Chisanga. "This also points to the fact that Zambia is capable of financing at least 90 per cent of the budget from domestic resources, even from the current tax regime."
According to the 2011 Auditor General's report, government incurred an excess expenditure of over KR456 million (K456 billion).
The report further revealed a misappropriation of funds amounting to over KR1 billion (K1 trillion).
Labels: AUDITOR GENERAL, CSPR, GOODWELL LUNGU, TIZ
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COMMENT - The Windfall Tax should immediately be re-introduced. It is the only way the state can collect taxes on the mines that are of any significance. And violation of tax obligations by mining companies should be harshy punished. No more messing around.
New rule on mine tax overdue - CSPR
By Gift Chanda
Tue 30 Oct. 2012, 14:50 CAT
THE Civil Society for Poverty Reduction says mining investors should not be unsettled by the new rule compelling them to start paying tax before recouping all their investment.
In his 2013 budget, finance minister Alexander Chikwanda cut the applicable capital allowance in the mining sector from 100 per cent to 25 per cent.
The chamber of mines, which represents foreign mining firms, said the new rule would discourage investment in new projects as mine operators would have to start paying tax before recouping all their investment.
But CSPR advocacy and policy dialogue programme officer, Sydney Mwansa said the new rule had been long overdue.
"Capital allowance in the mining sector was pegged at 100 per cent at the time of the global economic crisis to help the mines survive through that crisis and that crisis passed way a long time ago," he said.
"I think it is time those things which were put in place to help the mines survive the 2008 crisis are reversed so that the sector begins to benefit even the ordinary people."
And Mwansa said the government should have reintroduced the windfall tax to help lift the burden on a few employed people paying personal income tax (Pay-As-You-Earn).
"After analysis and reflections this year, where we tried to look at other possibilities of the government raising more revenues, we still arrive at the same position and this position is that we should have reintroduced the windfall tax years ago," he said.
"We still feel windfall tax is the best option as copper prices are currently still high. We feel that the windfall tax as a matter of agency be reintroduced. This is in view of other taxes which are not performing as much as they should; and this is the variable profit tax."
Investors who were irked by the doubling of royalties the government charges mining companies from three percent to six per cent in the 2012 budget are now more unsettled by the new rule compelling them to start paying tax before recouping all their investment.
Capital allowance is the reduction in the amount of corporation tax payable, offered as an incentive for investment in large-scale projects (that increase a country's production capacity and stock of capital). A certain percentage of the capital assets cost is allowed as capital allowance during the accounting period in which it was purchased. This amount is greater than the depreciation charge on the asset during that period.
Labels: ALEXANDER CHIKWANDA, CSPR, MINING, SYDNEY MWANSA, TAXATION, WINDFALL TAX
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Govt's focus on reducing poverty, timely - CSPR
By Henry Sinyangwe
Sun 28 Oct. 2012, 13:50 CAT
CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction board chairperson Partner Siabutuba says the government's announcement that it will in the next four years work on reducing poverty is a well-meaning and timely decision.
Commenting on chiefs and traditional affairs minister Professor Nkandu Luo's statement last week that the Patriotic Front will in its remaining four years work on reducing poverty levels as well as uplifting the living standards of the people when she addressed a royal council meeting in Macha chiefdom in Choma, Siabutuba said poverty remained a big challenge in the country which needed concerted efforts to fight it.
Prof Luo said her party had an obligation to deliver development to the Zambians as it promised them during the campaign period, adding that poverty levels still remain high in the country hence the need for the government to quickly address the situation as part of its fulfilment of the campaign promises.
"We take the minister's declaration as very serious and very important. It is based on the fact that Southern Province, despite its potential, seems to have been lagging behind on the number of developmental aspects," Siabutuba said.
He advised the opposition to offer solutions as opposed to just criticising the policies of the government.
"Can we put aside political differences and help government to perform. While the politicians are proud of taking their political opinions, they should also say how they are going to help government deliver," said Siabutuba.
"There is need for the reduction of poverty and see how we can support one another for the development of this country."
Labels: CSPR, NKANDU LUO, POVERTY
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ZFE head is rotten, says Shamenda
By Darious Kapembwa, Edwin Mbulo and Gift Chanda
Fri 13 July 2012, 14:01 CAT
LABOUR minister Fackson Shamenda says the executive of the Zambia Federation of Employers is "rotten" following their rejection of the new minimum wage announced on Wednesday. But CSPR says many employers may not adhere to the new minimum wage because of high taxes they have to pay to the government.
Meanwhile, Livingstone Tourism Association chairperson Kingsley Lilamono says many tour operators will have difficulties adjusting to the increased minimum wage.
During a health and safety exhibition at Hotel Edinburgh in Kitwe yesterday, Shamenda said the government's decision to increase the minimum wage was in its quest to improve the welfare of citizens.
He was reacting to ZFE president Alfred Masupha's statement that the proposed minimum wage for domestic workers and shopkeepers to K522,000 and K1.1 million respectively per month was absurd.
"The PF government is an inclusive government, we want to take decisions in the interest of all stakeholders. But the Zambia Federation of Employers, we want to improve the lives of vulnerable workers and you say it's absurd? We increase workers salaries from K250,000 to K522,000, you complain? What kind of selfishness is that? This country has a lot of selfish characters.
Next time we have the tripartite consultative labour council, you let this person Masupha come with his payslip. Let us see if he gets K520,000," Shamenda said amidst murmurs of approval from the audience. "Not everyone, but some people in the federation are very selfish.
The head of the federation is rotten, to say the least. I am forced to say all this because of the behaviour of this man. Why can't some people be like President Sata, a man of humility, a man who is considerate and a man who has a heart for the poor?"
Meanwhile, Shamenda has asked those who work in precarious environments to refuse to go for work without protective clothing.
"I appeal to all these workers, do not accept to work without any protective clothing. You will be protected," he said.
Shamenda, however, urged the Zambian workers to improve their attitude towards work.
"If you work for a Chinese company, you wake up at 04:00 hours but when you work in government, you wake up at 08:00 hours," said Shamenda.
And Lilamono said he feared for people's jobs in the tourism sector as a result of the new minimum wage.
"I see a lot of employers laying off some of the staff due to the inability to pay the required wages. Already Livingstone is affected by low tourist arrivals which stand at 40 per cent. My appeal and if it is possible, the government should allow the tourism sector to contract some workers below the minimum wage as long as they are on contracts," he said.
Lilamono, however, commended President Sata for unbundling the foreign affairs and tourism ministry, saying LTA had raised concerns when this was set up after the PF assumed office.
And commenting on the revised minimum wage, the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction expressed concern that the upward adjustment of the minimum wage may not be followed by most formal workers, who are also employers, because most of their salaries are not in line with the prevailing economic indicators.
CSPR explained that the majority of formal employees earning above K2 million, some of them who also employ domestic workers, are still being overtaxed.
"The current PAYE threshold that exempts formal workers earning K2 million and below from paying is commendable. Our concern, nevertheless, is the high percentages of the different PAYE tax the majority formal employees earning above K2 million incur," stated CSPR yesterday.
Labels: CSPR, FACKSON SHAMENDA, MINIMUM WAGE, ZFE
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CSPR urges political will in fight against poverty, unemployment
By Ernest Chanda
Sun 04 Mar. 2012, 11:58 CAT
CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction says President Michael Sata should provide political will in the fight against poverty and unemployment. Commenting on President Sata's acknowledgement that poverty and unemployment were injustices to humanity, CSPR board chairman Partner Siabutuba urged the head of state to provide solutions.
"We would like to commend the President for publicly identifying poverty as one of the evils. We have been waiting for such statements coming in from the head of state, to try and key in statistics identifying poverty as one of the challenges bringing human dignity to its lowest level. With that realisation, we want to encourage the President to make sure that Zambia devises effective mechanisms and programmes that should be supported by effective policies to ensure that we can reduce poverty," he said yesterday in an interview.
"Poverty and unemployment are a source of a lot of other problems such as HIV and AIDS. So, can the President now saturate that realisation with action? This should be backed by effective government policy and a lot of political will. Technocrats have designed a lot documents on fighting poverty and unemployment. But what was lacking is political will to fight these things."
Siabutuba said the government should also give incentives to local investors who in turn would create jobs for the people.
Speaking at the World Day of Prayer at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka on Friday, President Sata said where there was poverty and unemployment, people were bound to get tempted.
"Now when you have unemployment and poverty, that's the greatest injustice and we cannot fight corruption without fighting the offshoot of corruption," said President Sata.
"In America, Europe unemployment is a campaign issue. Unfortunately in Africa poverty is a campaign issue."
Labels: CSPR, MICHAEL SATA, POVERTY, UNEMPLOYMENT
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CSOs seek more transparency on use of public resources
By Gift Chanda
Wed 14 Sep. 2011, 13:59 CAT
THREE Civil Society Organisations have challenged the next government to imp-rove transparency and accountability in utilisation of public resources.
During dissemination of budget execution and service delivery barometer report for July to December 2010 on Monday, the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR), Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) and the Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), noted with concern the continued misappropriation of public resources.
CSPR acting executive director Mwila Mulumbi said there was need to heighten levels of transparency in public funds utilisation.
"Based on the six scores, the July-December 2010 Barometer rated government poorly on its management and execution of poverty reduction funds. The government was given a score of 35 per cent, a mere four per cent increase from the January to June 2010 barometer, which scored 31 per cent," she said.
"The report shows that while there was notable improvement in allocations and budget releases to poverty reduction programmes in the period under review, irregularities still appeared in critical areas of the PPPs, hampering actual effect on poverty reduction."
Mulumbi said the report further revealed a poor score of 39 per cent on the government's performance in relation to transparency and accountability in the utilisation of public resources.
And Transparency International Zambia executive director Goodwell Lungu observed that the fight against corruption in the country currently had been limited to mare rhetoric with no actions.
Lungu said there was need for government officials to start publishing the disbursements for public scrutiny to allow transparency.
And SACCORD executive director Lee Habasonda said there was need to promote communities' voices in the budget preparation and execution.
Labels: CSO, CSPR, TRANSPARANCY
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MMD is taking advantage of the poor - CSPR
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sun 08 May 2011, 04:01 CAT
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda’s government is taking advantage of the poor in rural areas by promising things they have failed to provide in the last 20 years of MMD’s rule, says Partner Siabutuba.
Siabutuba, who is Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) board chairman, said in an interview that MMD should stop capitalising on the suffering of the majority Zambians which it inflicted on them by making failed and empty promises of development.
Siabutuba said this year called for serious reflection for Zambians on the need to install a proper management that will govern the affairs and resources of the country.
“To a great extent MMD has taken advantage of the poor by going to rural areas and promising things, the same things that they have failed to provide in the 20 years that they have been in power,” Siabutuba said.
He said the government should instead apologise to Zambians for the poverty and suffering that it subjected them to for a long time.
He observed that President Banda was going round to initiate and promise various projects in a bid to woo votes from the poor majority, an act he described as desperate.
“I think that’s an act of desperation. What we need is a proper management in place to govern the affairs of this country,” Siabutuba said.
“We have talked about the need for this government to get serious with the fight against corruption. It has not listened. Zambians continue to be denied of their natural resources. This government has failed to heed the wishes of Zambians on the constitution, the removal of the abuse of office, the acquittal of plunderers and the procurement of mobile hospitals . This government has also failed to re-introduce the windfall tax. All these things have fallen on deaf ears.”
Siabutuba urged Zambians not to just take whatever promises they were given but to judge politicians on their experience.
Last week, chief Chisunka said people in Luapula Province are not seeing the developmental achievements President Banda’s government claims to be delivering.
In an interview, chief Chisunka said people were just hearing about the development but had not seen it. He said there was too much unemployment in places like Mansa.
“When they bring development people should be employed. Right now there is nothing. It is just some private investors who are operating what we may term illegal mines. Let them government put one mining plant here in Luapula. There are many precious metals like Manganese but people are not processing anything because of lack of electricity,” said chief Chisunka.
Labels: CSPR, MINING, MMD, PARTNER SIABUTUBA, POVERTY
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COMMENT - A success for whom?
‘FNDP was a success’
By Joseph Mwenda and Mutale Kapekele
Tue 08 Feb. 2011, 04:01 CAT
WORLD Bank Zambia country manager Dr Kapil Kapoor says the Fifth National Development Plan was a success as evidenced by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which he said was higher than estimated.
And the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) says the success of the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) will be dependent on
sufficient domestic resources and
political will.
In an interview following the launch of the SNDP, Dr Kapoor said it was important for the government and the private sector to coordinate their efforts in ensuring that the SNDP was implemented.
“I do not agree that the FNDP failed. I do not think so. I think the plan actually worked well. As the finance minister said, I think Zambia’s economic performance during the Fifth National Development Plan has actually been quite good. The economy has grown by about six per cent every year,” Dr Kapoor said.
“I think the challenge going ahead is making sure that the SNDP plan is actually implemented. I think the challenge also is to try and increase growth to about seven per cent every year and make sure that the people of Zambia benefit in that growth.”
And CSPR executive director Patrick Mucheleka warned that the SNDP would not achieve its goals and aspirations unless the government strengthened its implementing departments and systems.
Mucheleka said the success of the SNDP was dependant on sufficient domestic resources and political will.
“There was a lot of misappropriation of funds as well as irregularities in the systems and structures during the implementation period of the FNDP,” Mucheleka said. “The weakness in the FNDP was inadequate funding to key sectors of the implementation process.”
Mucheleka said unless implementing institutions were strengthened, the country would not be able to achieve the goals and aspirations of the SNDP.
He said although the FNDP was a good plan on paper, it was disappointing that its programs failed to reduce poverty which now stands at 64 per cent.
Mucheleka said for the SNDP to succeed, it should ‘talk’ to the budget expenditure framework and the vision 2030.
The government says the focus of the SNDP, whose theme is ‘Sustained Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction’, would be on deliberate interventions that would promote the creation of decent jobs and skills development particularly for young people.
Labels: CSPR, FNDP, KAPIL KAPOOR, World Bank
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MMD is to blame for poverty levels - CSPR
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sat 05 Feb. 2011, 04:00 CAT
CSPR says Zambians should not forget that MMD is to blame for the high poverty levels the country is experiencing as they choose leaders this year.
Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) chairman Partner Siabutuba warned in an interview that Zambians should not buy the MMD’s failed manifesto ahead of this year’s general elections as it had greatly contributed to the country’s underdevelopment.
He said the MMD had a tendency to make economic adjustments when the country drew to elections for its advantage.
“As CSPR we are concerned about the high poverty levels. Given that people have experienced poverty for a long time now they must seriously reflect on the 20 years rule of MMD. MMD has introduced a number of programmes in the name of reducing poverty like the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), youth empowerment fund policy,” Siabutuba said.
“We have seen initiatives like the national development plans, the Fifth National Development Plan for instance and many others which have all been a mess. We have had a lot of money put in all the initiatives but very little has come out.”
Siabutuba said the MMD’s manifesto was merely policies on a piece of paper, which were used as a ticket for misapplication of funds.
He said many policies that had been embarked on with so much vigor had seen little or no meaningful implementation.
“Zambians must demand for better and new ideas. Don’t let political parties sell you ideas that are old and have failed. What the country needs right now is new workable ideas in the agriculture sector, new strategies of marketing products, a proper road network, decent employment for all,” he said.
Siabutuba said the MMD must refrain from asking for a fresh mandate from Zambians during its campaigns because it had enough time to prove its worth.
He said in the event that the MMD remained in power, it needed to give Zambians a good reason as to why it should be entrusted to run the country’s affairs after having lamentably failed.
“Zambians should demand for a clear explanation from President Banda’s government about the much talked about economic improvement which was not benefiting the majority Zambians. Economic improvement that has so much been talked about does not reflect what is happening on the ground. Diseases like malnutrition are still recorded at most health cares in both rural and urban areas,” he said.
“Their policies have failed to improve the livelihood of Zambians. They have had all the time to adopt and work on new strategies that will have to reduce poverty levels in the country. But it seems like it lacks both the political will and a vision for this country. Even in their campaigns it is clear that they have nothing new to offer to this country.”
He said there was nothing new and inspiring in the MMD’s political statements.
Siabutuba called on the electorate to critically analyse all the parties’ manifestos for new policies and ideas that would further the country’s national and economic development.
Labels: CSPR, MMD, NEOLIBERALISM, PARTNER SIABUTUBA, POVERTY
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Govt is perpetuating poverty - CSPR
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sun 23 Jan. 2011, 04:00 CAT
A CIVIL society organisation says the government is perpetuating poverty among majority Zambians by failing to secure the workers’ well being.
Civil Society for Poverty Reduction’s remarks come in the wake of the government’s announcement of the new minimum wage for an average worker pegged at K419,000 from K268,000.
CSPR board chairperson Partner Siabutuba said the new minimum salaries would accelerate the existing high poverty levels the country was experiencing.
“The increment is far from making sense because there are very clear yardsticks that government would have used to determine what an adequate salary for a Zambian would be. Say the basic basket requires that an average family of six should have about K2.3 million a month to meet all its needs,” Siabutuba said in an interview.
“Now when you compare it to K419,000, it is far from making sense.”
Siabutuba said it was disheartening to see the government glorifying the increment because there was nothing to be proud about.
“As CSPR we are saddened because we are trying to fight poverty in order to elevate the economic status of the majority Zambians living in poverty, but this government is trying to frustrate this,” he said. “It is clear the current wages cannot meet the daily basic needs and services for workers thereby pushing people into poverty.”
Siabutuba challenged the government to raise the minimum wage to at least the taxation threshold, which currently stands at K1 million.
“This is why we are even questioning the quality of Chinese and other foreign investors in the country because they are taking advantage of weak laws set by the government. One even wonders whose interest they are serving,” he said.
Siabutuba argued that the number of jobs provided by the investors did not matter but the quality.
“At the end of the day foreign investment is not working for Zambians but the nations where investors are coming from and a few leaders in MMD. The salaries of Zambians in sectors that are the highest employers of the majority currently do not even meet the taxation threshold. You wonder how this government thinks it will raise enough revenue after having scrapped the windfall tax,” he said.
Siabutuba warned that Zambia risked remaining a perpetual beggar if the lack of proper economic management was allowed to continue.
Labels: CSPR, MMD, NEOLIBERALISM, PARTNER SIABUTUBA, POVERTY
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CSPR launches budget execution barometer
By Sututu Katundu
Fri 03 Dec. 2010, 04:00 CAT
A CIVIL society organisation yesterday launched the national budget execution barometer, which seeks to measure the government’s performance in overall implementation of the national document.
Civil Society for Poverty Reduction executive director Patrick Mucheleka said the barometer would respond to the country’s poor performance by rating and tracking the government on service delivery and budget execution in specific critical areas.
Mucheleka said the barometer would also look at how budget allocations affected people’s livelihoods at community and national levels.
“It measures and rates government in terms of timeliness in releasing funds, adequacy, participatory in the bedrock of indicators that are used to calculate the barometer,” Mucheleka said.
The indicators include the citizens’ participation and civic engagement in developing processes which focus on issues of promoting participatory budgeting by linking state obligations with citizen entitlements thus promoting community voices in the decision-making process.
The second theme is pro-poor resource management execution and management which focuses on the prioritisation of resources to key development areas such as health, education, water and sanitation, social protection, agriculture and infrastructure, execution of these resources as well as ring-fencing of pro-poor development allocations.
The third theme is transparency and accountability which focuses on mechanisms being used to ring-fence pro-poor resources, accountability of these resources and the mechanisms used by the local and national government structures to explain and justify its decisions, policies and programmes.
The other indicators focus on basic service delivery and management, equity and human development.
CSPR said the government should place more emphasis on poverty reduction programmes through increased allocations in the national budget to expedite economic production and the rural people’s partcipation.
It said the government needed to conceptualise human development as a series of investments to increase capacity, to promote a more equitable and inclusive society and to catalyse accelerated, broad-based economic growth.
CSPR proposed the scaling up of investment in rural development programmes with priority placed on rural infrastructure development, small scale farmers and micro business.
CSPR advised the government to stimulate equity initiatives within various ministries and improve on priority setting and targeting resources to identified priorities.
The organisation said the government should strengthen public participation in the budgetary process by deliberately creating spaces for civil society participation.
CSPR said fiscal policies also needed to address equitable redistribution of resources and investment in high pay-back areas.
Labels: CSPR, EITI, MINING, PATRICK MUCHELEKA, TRANSPARANCY
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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
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CSPR urges FRA to find alternative maize storage
By George Zulu
Wed 24 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
CSPR has urged the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to swiftly find alternative maize storage facilities across the country before this year’s crop goes to waste.
In an interview, Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) vice-chairperson Partner Siabutuba said FRA would face challenges in maintaining the bumper harvest recorded from the 2009/2010 farming season if it did not consider finding alternative storage facilities.
Siabutuba said with the onset of the rainy season, it was clear that the widely talked about maize bumper harvest would go to waste because a lot of maize in most areas of the country was not covered.
“This is the confusion FRA finds itself in; we are boasting about the bumper harvest but we have failed to manage it. The rain has started and I am sure that in some places it has already been socked. Let them find alternative storage rather than letting the maize go to waste,” Siabutuba said.
Labels: CSPR, FRA, MAIZE, PARTNER SIABUTUBA, SILOS, STORAGE
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Bumper harvest might go to waste, warns CSPR
By Kabanda Chulu
Sun 31 Oct. 2010, 04:01 CAT
THE Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has warned that the maize bumper harvest might go to waste due to the government’s lack of focus. And Agriculture Commodities Task Force chairman Max Mulondiwa has challenged the government to
channel some of the resources being spent on the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to the construction of storage facilities in all large farming blocks.The government has spent over K1.2 trillion on maize crop which resulted in producing 2.8 million metric tonnes of maize, but only 767,000 metric tonnes has so far been purchased by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
Initially, the government allocated K435 billion for the FISP, which is mainly centred on maize cultivation and K100 billion to the FRA but more recently, a K700 billion loan was acquired to enable the FRA buy more maize.
In an interview, Mucheleka said the agriculture sector required much more than spending trillions of kwacha on a single crop through the FISP that is normally used as a campaign gimmick.
“Investing in agriculture requires addressing structural rigidities such as feeder roads, storage sheds, extension services, rural electrification and irrigation infrastructure and this way we can attract the private sector so that FRA remains with its role of buying national strategic reserves,” Mucheleka said.
“This bumper harvest is good but it will go to waste since rains might fall anytime Tarpaulins have not been delivered in many areas and once the rains start feeder roads will become impassable, so government should understand that agriculture is more than just maize.”
He said many Zambians were finding it difficult to accept the positive economic indicators which do not link to issues obtaining on the ground.
“Government needs to think thoroughly on how to link economic indicators to social sectors because even with the bumper harvest, the livelihoods of farmers have not improved; they are still below the poverty line. For example, the four bags given under FISP covers a hectare to produce (6-7 tonnes) which is transformed into 120 x 50kg bags and when you multiply by K65,000, you get about K7.8 million,” said Mucheleka.
“Thus government should seriously identify high valued crops that should be included in the FISP because forcing farmers to grow maize is not good since on aggregate levels it is not profitable to grow maize especially that it is seasonal and little money is realised despite producing the crop at a higher cost.”
And Mulondiwa said the government should stop relying on food sheds that were built by SIDA many years ago.
“Sometimes government does not want to play its role correctly and it seems this bumper harvest has caught them unaware. The biggest challenge they have is to build big storage sheds in all large farming blocks and not rely on what was left by SIDA,” said Mulondiwa. “Government must improve on storage facilities because it does not make sense to keep on transferring maize from the farming areas to Lusaka.”
Labels: CSPR, FISP, MAIZE, MAX MULONDIWA, PATRICK MUCHELEKA
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Execution of 2011 budget faces challenges – CSPR
By George Zulu in Monze
Thu 14 Oct. 2010, 04:00 CAT
CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) vice chairperson Partner Siabutuba has said the execution of the 2011 national budget faces a lot of challenges because there is
no political will in the fight against corruption and abuse of public funds.
In an interview, Siabutuba said it would be difficult for the government to implement and execute the 2011 budget without
putting in place the mechanism to fight abuse of public funds and corruption.
“From the face value it gives a good budget for any economically oriented country in terms of figures. However, the challenge will remain obvious especially that donors have decided to reduce their commitment,” he said. “In other words donors have decided to pull out because they are frustrated, they are not respected by the current leadership.”
Siabutuba said Zambia had for a long time now been experiencing abuse of both locally organised and donors’ funded resources without any government commitment to fight the vice.
“History is a big lesson enough for us because we have seen a lot of abuse of locally organised resources; we have seen a lot of abuse on donor contributed funds, so it doesn’t matter whether it is a K20.5 trillion budget, there should be financial discipline among government officials,” he said.
Siabutuba said levels of abuse of public funds as presented annually by the Auditor General was another area government had failed to address, adding that it was a source of concern and a challenge to the implementation of next year’s budget.
“Money is still abused and this still remains a thorn which government needs to address. Government needs to look at how they will ensure that tax-payers money does not find itself into irresponsible hands. This remains a thorn into the national developmental processes, so even if it is a good budget and we don’t address the issues of corruption and the issue of abuse of public funds, then we are not going anywhere,” he said.
Siabutuba said the donors’ reduction of their budgetary contribution to Zambia was enough warning that the trend could continue down the line in the process of implementing the national budget.
“You have also seen that the British government has moved its visa office to Pretoria, if you want to acquire your visa. How can that be done? So for me these are issues which are pointing directly to poor and pathetic government donor relations in terms of budgetary implementation and execution,” he said.
“Donors might continue pulling out because they are frustrated. We have not been accountable, we have been irresponsible in the way we have been managing their funds, we have been irresponsible in the manner we have been responding to their demands for accountability. Donors have been asking government to present accountability in the manner we have been using their funds but we respond by asking them to pack their bags and go. Those are the answers donors are not going to entertain, they may not respond directly but actions speak louder than words and we are beginning to see those things.”
Siabutuba said it was time government apologised to donors for their past mistakes because President Rupiah Banda and his government had committed serious economic crimes by abusing donor funds.
Labels: 2011 BUDGET, CSPR, PARTNER SIABUTUBA
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COMMENT - The non-payment of taxes by people in the informal sector is NOT the problem. The problem is the non-taxation of $2.5 billion in profits made in the mining sector every year. That is where the money is, and that is also the money that is fleeing the country into foreing bank accounts. At least people in the informal sector spend everything they have in Zambia. Even if it is on imported manufactured goods as well as locally grown food.
CSPR observes govt inertia in implementing taxes
By Kabanda Chulu in Kitwe
Tue 05 Oct. 2010, 04:00 CAT
CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction
(CSPR) executive director Patrick Mucheleka yesterday observed that the government is reluctant to impose taxes and implement them with the necessary political will to attain revenue targets under its (government’s) fiscal policy.Commenting on
the admission by parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga that the country’s revenue base has been declining, Mucheleka said there were many ways in which the Zambian government could create revenue other than focusing on the formal sector.
“The latest Central Statistical Office (CSO) Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS) report states that 83 per cent of Zambians who work in the informal economy, 56 per cent of which is based in the urban areas, pay no taxes at all, and the government is seemingly reluctant to impose taxes and implement them with the requisite political will to attain revenue targets under the Government’s fiscal policy,” he said.
He noted that the administration of VAT had weakened, a development that could largely be attributed to inefficient and incomprehensive ways of VAT collection.
“Many basic measures to ensure maximisation of monies collected through VAT are not adhered to by many commercial entities and there is no notable commitment to enforce them. For example, cash registers; there is still a large section of business going on with no record of sale because of the lack of such simple measures. This affects how much money can be collected by ZRA,” Mucheleka said.
“In addition, Zambia has much potential wealth in the area of gemstone mining, though the sector has remained unregulated. There is need for government to put in place measures that will promote domestic gemstone miners and ensure that reasonable revenue is raised from the mining of gemstones.”
He suggested that the government create more jobs and opportunities through incentives for value addition in all sectors for exportation if it wished to continue collecting revenue from people.
“One of the immediate opportunities will be to create enterprises to add value to agricultural produce. For instance, Zambia can take a leaf from other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa who produce drinks from locally grown fruits such as mangoes and pineapples. Such initiatives can have multiplier effects in Zambia by creating employment in rural areas and adding value to excess produce that will otherwise go to waste. In the current arrangement, there is more incentive to defraud or evade tax,” warned Mucheleka.
On Sunday, Mwaanga addressed a budget sensitisation workshop for parliamentarians in view of this Friday’s proposed budget announcement by finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane.
Labels: CORRUPTION, CSPR, PATRICK MUCHELEKA, TAXATION, VERNON MWAANGA
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Rupiah’s speech to Parliament lacked inspiration - CSPR
By George Zulu in Choma
Mon 27 Sep. 2010, 04:00 CAT
CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) vice chairperson Partner Siabutuba has said President Rupiah Banda’s speech to Parliament lacks inspiration to Zambians regarding poverty reduction.
In an interview, Siabutuba said President Banda’s speech was not good enough to meet the expectations of Zambians because he failed to address critical issues.
“As civil society, we expected the President to deal with issues on how Zambia is going to move forward in reducing poverty, especially that we are now concluding on the Fifth National Development Plan and embarking on the Sixth National Development Plan,” Siabutuba said.
“These are the issues we expected the President to elaborate very clearly. How we are prepared as a country in terms of financial resources, especially that he has asked donors to pack their bags and go. We were eagerly waiting for his comments on donors because you know that a few weeks ago, he said that donors should pack their bags and go, and yet in Parliament he appeals for donor support to be able to have Zambia realise its vision.
“His statement doesn’t tie well with the Secretary to the Treasury’s position that Zambia will require about K75 trillion for the 2011-2012 national budgets and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.”
Siabutuba said the MMD and President Banda needed to realise that the country could not attain the desired level of development without the support of cooperating partners whom the President recently asked to pack their bags and leave.
He said the civil society throughout the nation expected President Banda to apologise and retract his scathing remarks on donors who were concerned about the high levels of abuse of public funds by the government.
“We expected President Banda to say sorry for urging cooperating partners to pack their bags and go. It is a big contradiction for the President to be able to say donors should support us and at the same time he says they should pack their bags and go. These technocrats are projecting K75 trillion. Where is that kind of money going to come from if the President and his government are frustrating donors?” asked Siabutuba.
“We expected the President this time around to have withdrawn that statement he made, nothing else apart from withdrawing because we need donors for national development. I can assure you that even the Sixth National Development Plan will be a pipedream. We shall not realise, we have not achieved much in the Fifth National Development Plan. Therefore, it is now or never that we should actually ask those donors who are not here to pack their bags and come to Zambia; not the other way round.”
Recently, President Banda asked donors to pack their bags and leave if they were not happy instead of poking their noses into the country’s business. However, President Banda last week said the country could not attain its vision of being a middle income country by 2030 without the support of cooperating partners.
Labels: CSPR, PARTNER SIABUTUBA, RUPIAH BANDA, SIXTH NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
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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.
Labels: CSPR, EVANS HAMAUNDU, PATRICK MUCHELEKA, RUPIAH BANDA
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CSPR condemns Mulongoti’s attacks on donors
By George Zulu in Monze
Tue 17 Aug. 2010, 04:01 CAT
CIVIL Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) has described Mike Mulongoti’s statement against donors and NGOs as very irresponsible especially that much of the developmental activities in the nation are donor funded.
In an interview on Saturday, CSPR vice chairperson Partner Siabutuba said it
was unfortunate for works and supply minister Mulongoti to suggest that donors were in the habit of withholding funds because they wanted a regime change whenever developing countries neared elections.
Siabutuba said CSPR found the statement very difficult and provocative because donors only wanted their monies to be used prudently and not misappropriated.
“Has Mulongoti forgotten about what happened in the Ministry of Health
where donor funds were allegedly stolen, misappropriated by government officers
and when donors withhold funding will they be accused of agitating for a regime change?” Siabutuba asked.
“This government should be very serious than accusing donors and NGOs who speak against graft in government institutions especially theft of donor and public funds.”
He asked the government to explain why the donors should not talk about abuse of funds, money meant to benefit the poor Zambians.
Siabutuba said Mulongoti should have apologized to the donors for having accused them of supporting regime.
He said it seemed to be very difficult for the MMD government to accept that donors had a responsibility to demand accountability and transparency in the manner their funds were utilized.
“The major issue is that the people of Zambia have for a long time now been preparing for elections whether a regime change or not, the people of Zambia know what to do next year,” said Siabutuba.
“The problem with MMD leaders is that they are jittery about the current situation in the country so they will throw all their missiles in all directions. It is very wrong and we find it to be difficult for government to claim that NGOs and donors were enemies of government.”
Recently, Mulongoti accused donors of pushing for regime change by withholding funds whenever developing countries like Zambia were about to hold elections.
Mulongoti, who featured on Mazabuka Radio’s live wire programme, also said non-governmental organisations (NGOs), apart from donors, were enemies of the government.
Labels: CSPR, DONORS, MIKE MULONGOTI, PARTNER SIABUTUBA
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