Chikwanda justifies donor aid conditions
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Wed 28 Aug. 2013, 14:01 CAT
FOREIGN donors tying good governance conditions to aid are merely endorsing moral benchmarks the PF regime has set for itself, says finance minister Alexander Chikwanda.
Last Thursday, justice minister Wynter Kabimba said the PF government would not accept aid tied to conditions relating to governance as long as it remains in power.
During a farewell dinner for Indian High Commissioner to Zambia, Ashok Kumar, Kabimba warned foreign diplomats who tended to blackmail the government with assistance to keep their aid.
"Aid is being tied to the question of how we govern ourselves as a country," said Kabimba, who is PF secretary general.
"Those that think that they can use aid to govern our country, they can keep their aid because I do not see the correlation between the two. We would like to have allies that relate with us with mutual respect."
But in a statement issued yesterday, Chikwanda stated that good governance was cardinal as bad governance infringed rights of ordinary Zambians and was prone to resource misdirection through corruption and priority misallocation.
He stated that the international community had endorsed Zambia's internal track record of peace and harmony and irrevocable commitment to upholding human rights and basic tenets of good governance.
Chikwanda stated that failure by the government to observe good governance would be unacceptable.
"When external donors invoke adherence to good governance in their aid packages, they are merely endorsing the moral benchmarks which we have set for ourselves," he stated in a statement issued by Ministry of Finance public relations officer Chileshe Kandeta.
"Donor countries have responsibilities and are accountable to their taxpayers, who do not want to see their hard-earned money directed to support countries that perpetrate infringements of human rights. For Zambians, good governance is cardinal because bad governance infringes their rights and is prone to resource misdirection through corruption and priority misallocation. That is unacceptable."
Chikwanda stated that the PF regime was genuinely committed to upholding good governance and the rule of law.
"We are, as a country, committed to maintenance of fundamental freedoms and good governance, not as a gimmick or tactic to secure external charity, but because that is part of our development agenda," he stated.
"As government, we are the custodian of the composite interests of our people. We administer resources made available by Zambians as taxpayers both directly and indirectly through arrangements such as value added taxes."
Chikwanda stated that Zambia would continue to be a role model for fostering and pushing forward frontiers of common fellowship and humanity.
"We should maintain legitimate pride as a country which has a total absence of hostility towards other people, commonly known as xenophobia," he stated.
"For government, this is our covenant with our people who have entrusted us with the mandate to preside over their fate and destiny. It is in this context that this statement is made to put the issue of external support in context. To the extent that no country has resources other than what its citizens generate Zambia's development prospects and sustainability can only rely on internal dynamics. We cannot re-assign responsibility for our welfare to others."
Chikwanda stated that although Zambia's dependence on external aid had reduced considerably over the years and was now less than five per cent of the national budget and insignificant as a percentage of the national economy, most of the success the country was enjoying was due to forgiveness of aid by key donors.
"Our external benefactors now feel Zambia should rely more on external trade and investment as an engine of growth than aid with its obvious limitations and which is in any case a short-term expedient," stated Chikwanda.
"Even as we push towards zero external subventions, we will continue to strengthen our external relations and safeguarding our image as a credible investment destination anchored on policy consistence and predictability."
Labels: ALEXANDER CHIKWANDA, DONOR AID, NEOCOLONIALISM, WYNTER KABIMBA
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Reliance on foreigners
By Editor
Thu 13 June 2013, 14:00 CAT
Swedish ambassador to Zambia Lena Nordstrom says Zambia's challenges can be fully addressed by Zambians and not foreigners. This is true.
As much as no country in this world can solve all its problems by itself, we should focus much more on self-reliance. We should hope for foreign assistance, but we shouldn't be dependent on it; we need to depend on our own efforts, on the creative power of our people.
We should rely on the forces we ourselves organise for us to defeat poverty, backwardness and underdevelopment. The progress of our country should rest on our own strength, and this means regeneration through our own efforts.
As ambassador Nordstrom correctly observes, we are perfectly capable of deciding upon our own future and discovering and we ourselves dealing with any dangers which might arise.
We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful; those in command of immense market power and those who dare to fashion the world in their own image.
Yes, we can from time to time seek the assistance of others, but this does not take away our responsibility to deal with our own challenges.
There is just too much dependence on others. Everything we do has to have the input of foreigners. Any small disagreement we have with each other, we rush to foreigners to intervene. Any initiative we come up with, it has to be supported and funded by foreigners.
We seem to have lost faith in ourselves. We seem to trust even foreigners of lower capacity than our own people.
We are living in a very different world. That is the first thing we need to understand. We are no longer a colony to be looked after by the coloniser. We are an independent country. But as we have seen, this independence guarantees us nothing. All it offers us instead is the opportunity to succeed as well as the risk of failure. This independence of ours, if looked at critically, is then both a promise and a challenge. It is a promise that free human beings, working together, can govern themselves in a manner that will serve their aspirations for personal freedom, economic opportunity and social justice. It is a challenge because the success of this enterprise, this independent country of ours, rests upon the shoulders of its citizens, and no one else.
Government of the people and by the people means that the citizens of an independent country share in its benefits and in its burdens. By accepting the task of self-government, one generation seeks to preserve the hard-won legacy of individual freedom, human rights and the rule of law for the next. In each society and in each generation, the people must perform the work of their independent country anew - taking the principles of the past and applying them to the practices of a new age and a changing society.
Josef Brodsky, Russian-born poet and Nobel Prize winner, once wrote, "A free man, when he fails, blames nobody." It is true as well for the citizens of an independent country who, finally, must take responsibility for the fate of the country in which they themselves have chosen to live.
It is time we restored confidence in ourselves and stop believing there is someone else out there to look after us, to take care of our problems.
This habit of thinking others owe us a living and are there to solve all our problems, including resolving the differences among ourselves, will take us nowhere. Of course, we were subjected for many years to the colonial tactics of divide and rule. We were played against each other. We were made to hate and despise each other.
We know the consequences of such practices. In the end, we were made to hate ourselves without realising it. Even today, we are still being made to hate each other, fight each other and to consequently hate ourselves. You can't hate what constitutes your country without hating yourself. They are masters at making us hate each other, hate ourselves. They are master hate teachers, so much so that they make us think they are teaching love to us, when they are teaching us to hate each other. When you make a person hate himself, he is finished.
Even when it comes to business, we would rather have foreigners owning and controlling all the vital and best resources of our country. The most profitable business sectors we give to foreigners to make super profits and appear to be better entrepreneurs and managers than our own people. The investment incentives that we give to foreigners, our people don't get them. Our leaders are more accessible to foreigners than ourselves. Why should this be so? Which country has ever been developed totally by foreigners?
In saying all this, we are not in any way implying that we should hate foreigners and foreign investment. We need it. We cannot do without it in this highly globalised world that we today live in. All we are trying to say is that there is need to place greater reliance on the contributions from our people. This is where the ultimate success or failure of our country rests. And Dr Kenneth Kaunda put this point aptly: "In future, therefore, we shall welcome foreign capital as in the past. We remain committed to this policy for we need foreign capital in considerable amounts. All we ask our investors is the understanding that we welcome them as participants, and not controllers, of our economic development process" (UNIP national council, August 11, 1969).
We should be proud of our independence. But our independence today doesn't reside in us declaring ourselves to be independent or in our constitution. It resides in ourselves, as true and dedicated members of this country, who believe in themselves and who see themselves as being responsible for the fate of this country.
Labels: DONOR AID, LENA NORDSTROM, ROY MWABA
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COMMENT - Putting the entire country at the service of making profitable foreign corporations is nothing to be praised for. What good have these low inflation rates done for the people? How dare these indivuals praise the Zambian government for making it easier to steal their resources! They don't give a damn about the welfare of the people. Has poverty gone down?
Donors praise Zambia
February 2, 2013
By CHILA NAMAIKO
COOPERATING partners are impressed that Zambia has sustained sound economic management projected to achieve one of the highest growth rates in the world this year, at eight per cent.
Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) group chairperson Kelvin Quinlan said the partners were happy that Zambia’s economy had continued to flourish with international reserves also growing.
He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday during the PRBS second review meeting with the Government.
Mr Quinlan said Zambia’s inflation has remained relatively low at about seven per cent.
“We commend Government for sustaining a decade of sound macro-economic management. The Government has made impressive commitments to strengthen governance and institutions and to fight corruption,” he said.
He said the partners welcomed Government’s new Public Financial Performance.
The partners were also happy with the on-going Constitution review process and were pleased with the comprehensive consultation taking place.
Mr Quinlan, however, urged the Government to focus much on quality and quantity of service to ensure that increased spending generated the desired results.
“Cooperating partners need to learn about more concrete policy actions that Government will take in order to reduce poverty, create more employment opportunities, expand economic development in rural areas and distribute available resources more equitably,” he said.
He said Zambia had made incredible process in attracting Foreign Direct Investment over the last decade.
[That's because the copper price went from $2000 per tonne to over $8000 per tonne on a near permanent basis. - MrK]
The partners were also concerned with distortions and waste associated with maize subsidies and encouraged Government’s plans to implement the e-voucher systems for the Farmer Input Support Programme.
[So they are not so enthusiastic about helping out farmers in Zambia, unlike in their own countries. - MrK]
Mr Quinlan said Zambia’s gain of US$750 million bond in 2012 was a credit following a decade of sound macroeconomic management.
Earlier, Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba said the meeting was essential in considering the annual financial report of the 2012 Budget year, as well as the 2013 Budget.
He urged the partners and private sector to continue providing checks and balances in areas where they felt Government was not doing well.
Giving a presentation, the Permanent Secretary in charge of budget at the Ministry of Finance Pamela Kabamba said the Government was expecting an overhaul fiscal deficit of not more than 4.3 per cent of GDP with creation of more than 200,000 decent jobs this year.
She said Government’s key sectors identified in the attainment of the 2013 macro-economic goals were agriculture with creation of 900 jobs for extension officers, education 5,000, health 2,000 and an additional 800 police jobs.
Labels: DONOR AID, KELVIN QUINLAN, PAMELA KABAMBA
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COMMENT - Putting the entire country at the service of making profitable foreign corporations is nothing to be praised for. What good have these low inflation rates done for the people? How dare these indivuals praise the Zambian government for making it easier to steal their resources! They don't give a damn about the welfare of the people. Has poverty gone down?
Donors praise Zambia
February 2, 2013
By CHILA NAMAIKO
COOPERATING partners are impressed that Zambia has sustained sound economic management projected to achieve one of the highest growth rates in the world this year, at eight per cent.
Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) group chairperson Kelvin Quinlan said the partners were happy that Zambia’s economy had continued to flourish with international reserves also growing.
He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday during the PRBS second review meeting with the Government.
Mr Quinlan said Zambia’s inflation has remained relatively low at about seven per cent.
“We commend Government for sustaining a decade of sound macro-economic management. The Government has made impressive commitments to strengthen governance and institutions and to fight corruption,” he said.
He said the partners welcomed Government’s new Public Financial Performance.
The partners were also happy with the on-going Constitution review process and were pleased with the comprehensive consultation taking place.
Mr Quinlan, however, urged the Government to focus much on quality and quantity of service to ensure that increased spending generated the desired results.
“Cooperating partners need to learn about more concrete policy actions that Government will take in order to reduce poverty, create more employment opportunities, expand economic development in rural areas and distribute available resources more equitably,” he said.
He said Zambia had made incredible process in attracting Foreign Direct Investment over the last decade.
[That's because the copper price went from $2000 per tonne to over $8000 per tonne on a near permanent basis. - MrK]
The partners were also concerned with distortions and waste associated with maize subsidies and encouraged Government’s plans to implement the e-voucher systems for the Farmer Input Support Programme.
[So they are not so enthusiastic about helping out farmers in Zambia, unlike in their own countries. - MrK]
Mr Quinlan said Zambia’s gain of US$750 million bond in 2012 was a credit following a decade of sound macroeconomic management.
Earlier, Secretary to the Treasury Fredson Yamba said the meeting was essential in considering the annual financial report of the 2012 Budget year, as well as the 2013 Budget.
He urged the partners and private sector to continue providing checks and balances in areas where they felt Government was not doing well.
Giving a presentation, the Permanent Secretary in charge of budget at the Ministry of Finance Pamela Kabamba said the Government was expecting an overhaul fiscal deficit of not more than 4.3 per cent of GDP with creation of more than 200,000 decent jobs this year.
She said Government’s key sectors identified in the attainment of the 2013 macro-economic goals were agriculture with creation of 900 jobs for extension officers, education 5,000, health 2,000 and an additional 800 police jobs.
Labels: DONOR AID, KELVIN QUINLAN, PAMELA KABAMBA
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