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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Priest tells govt to prove healthcare critics wrong
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe
Fri 26 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
A clergyman says the government must prove that service delivery in public hospitals is above average instead of criticising those exposing the poor conditions.
Commenting on the poor conditions at Mbala and Mpulungu hospitals that were exposed when PF leader Michael Sata visited the areas, Caritas coordinator for Kasama Archdiocese Fr Nicholas Kaliminwa said there was no need to criticise visitors to the hospital.
Fr Kaliminwa said no one was required to get permission from anyone to visit a hospital.
“These hospitals fall in our boundaries as Kasama Archdiocese and as a church, we are concerned about the state of these hospitals because you cannot have patients sleeping in such conditions and carrying their own chitenge materials to use as bedding,” Fr Kaliminwa said.
“I think we are being unfair. I am not supporting Sata but what we are told is that he gave a lift to a sick old woman who was going to the hospital and then he came across that sad situation. Surely, you cannot blame Sata but work on what he exposed or if it is not true, prove that services are better."
He said the government needed to maintain the already existing hospitals and provide proper equipment even as it constructed new health facilities.
He said there was need to come up with a mechanism to protect patients in public health institutions.
“Otherwise, we are not supposed to criticise but we should evaluate what we have done or what kind of health service are we delivering to our people. If we are doing well, then there is no need to be agitated if someone visits a hospital,” said Fr Kaliminwa.
Recently, Northern Province minister John Chinyanta strongly criticised Sata for visiting patients who were spending nights on the floor due to lack of beds in Mbala and Mpulungu districts.
Chinyanta said Sata had no right to visit the hospital without permission from hospital authorities.
Labels: HEALTHCARE, NICHOLAS KALIMINWA
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Fr Kaliminwa urges Zambia to register as voters
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sat 02 Oct. 2010, 04:01 CAT
KASAMA Diocese Catholic priest Fr Nicholas Kaliminwa yesterday advised Zambians to register as voters en masse and not get tired of voting and participating in governance.
Commenting on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ)’s extension of the mobile voter registration exercise for 72 days from September 19 to November 30, 2010, Fr Kaliminwa said people seemed to have lost confidence in governance hence the low turnout of people registering as voters.
“From my observation and interaction with people, it’s like people are not having hope in the ruling party and the opposition because of the infighting and insults and people are not seeing peace at the end of the tunnel, I think that is what has created this voter registration apathy. The other point is the challenges in acquiring National Registration Cards especially in rural areas,” said Fr Kaliminwa, who is Kasama Caritas director.
“But I want to urge Zambians that they shouldn’t get tired of doing what is right, even the Bible says so. It’s important to get involved in governance and register as voters. They shouldn’t lose hope.”
The ECZ on September 22 announced that the mobile voter registration exercise that started on June 21, 2010 had been extended to meet the Commission’s targeted number of 2.5 million new applicants.
“It was also observed that most people did not have Green National Registration cards which are a pre-requisite for one to qualify to register as a voter,” stated Cris Akufuna, ECZ spokesperson.
“During the extended period of registration of voters, the Commission will work with the Department of National Registration (DNR) to ensure that more people are issued with NRCs to enable them register as voters.”
Labels: NICHOLAS KALIMINWA, VOTER REGISTRATION
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