Zambians haven't learnt to differ on principle - Luo
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Wed 17 July 2013, 14:01 CAT
PROFESSOR Nkandu Luo says Zambian politics are different from the English ones because Zambian politicians do not differ on principle. And Eastern Province minister Malozo Sichone says there is no UPND in Chipata Central constituency.
Featuring on a special programme on Breeze FM on Monday, Prof Luo, the chiefs and traditional affairs minister said in Zambia, the scenario was that the opposition just oppose everything that comes from the government. She said the difference with the PF was that it supported bills that were good for Zambians even when they came from the opposition.
"The people of Chipata should help bring a representative who would talk on their behalf so that there can be more development in Chipata because it should not lag behind. Zambian politics are not the same like the ones being practiced in England where people choose to differ on principle. Here we just oppose as long as something has come from government," Prof Luo said.
She said some opposition members of parliament were bringing bills that the PF used to talk about when they were in the opposition.
"If you follow parliamentary debate, us as PF we are very different. If our colleagues bring bills that we think are good for Zambian people, we simply support it. For example, in my own ministry there was a private motion on rural development. When I stood to debate on the motion as a minister I said 'thank you very much for bringing this motion because it will help our people in the rural areas'. Just last week there was a bill on MDGs (millennium development goals) so that we put poverty reduction programmes none of us (PF members of parliament) opposed," Prof Luo said.
She said the people of Eastern Province had a choice whether to remain backwards and continue opposing or not.
"It's up to you, imwe banthu bakuno kuno. I am your cousin, it's up to you ngati mufuna kuti muzinkhala backwards kuti iyai ife tifuna kuchita opposing, you are free to do so but ife we are appealing to you kuti muone future yabana banu," Prof Luo said.
And Sichone who was also a guest on the same programme said the percentage of UPND in Chipata Central was 0.01 of the total voter population in the constituency.
He said he normally gets shocked when people say MMD and UPND had come together in Chipata where he said there was no UPND.
"If we had UPND (in Chipata) then it's just that man (Michael Chuzu) who talks on radio all the time. That's the only man who is UPND here in Chipata. The MMD has been there, we have a few pockets of UNIP but surely UNIP they are just dreaming, UNIP is gone," Sichone said.
He said the MMD had ended because the party had no leadership.
Sichone said the government was focusing on driving its development agenda.
Both Prof Luo and Sichone were drumming up support for PF's Lameck Mangani.
Labels: NKANDA LUO, POLITICS
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TIZ calls for thorough probe of Siavonga District Council
By Allan Mulenga
Sat 18 Feb. 2012, 12:01 CAT
TRANSPARENCY International Zambia has urged local government minister Professor Nkandu Luo to ensure that corrupt allegations over Siavonga District Council are thoroughly investigated and the culprits brought to book. In an interview yesterday, Transparency International Zambia executive director Goodwell Lungu said corrupt practices in local authorities hamper service delivery.
"We call on Professor Luo, just as we did to the former local government minister Dr Brian Chituwo, not to narrow the probe to a few councils as the allegations are not confined to UPND-controlled councils alone, but need to be spread to PF and MMD dominated councils as well," he said.
Lungu urged the government to roll out the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Policy to prevent the occurrence of such malpractices.
"TIZ recommends a much broader probe into malpractices in local authorities and we call upon all citizens to report such malpractices to relevant authorities in a bid to root out such bad practices. What has been reported may just be a tip of the iceberg. While this is a worthwhile undertaking, we would like to caution Prof. Luo to handle the matter professionally by avoiding the temptation of pursuing a political agenda which will not help to resolve the problems," said Lungu.
On Thursday, Prof Luo suspended Siavonga district council for allegedly corrupt activities with immediate effect .
Labels: CORRUPTION, COUNCILS, GOODWELL LUNGU, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, NKANDA LUO, SIAVONGA, TIZ
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‘Zambia’s political leadership is losing it’
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sat 22 May 2010, 04:01 CAT
PROFESSOR Nkandu Luo has observed that Zambia’s political leadership is losing it. In an interview, Prof Luo who is former health minister said even if the word leader was used for certain people in the country, Zambia today did not have people worth calling leaders.
“I don’t think that Zambia today has people that if you follow the definition of a leader can be called a leader because leadership is anchored on various principles and one of the principles of leaders is love for others and the second is humility and the third is selflessness. And we don’t see these kinds of things in the people that are referred to as leaders,” Prof Luo said.
“All you see is selfishness, they must get what they get at all costs. So if it means killing a few people, those people have to be killed like we saw in Mufumbwe. I mean people being hacked, we saw a report of children dying because somebody just went and drove where people were celebrating. I think that is unacceptable and yet we do not hear what has happened to these people. Have they been prosecuted? It’s now like the lives of Zambians now don’t mean anything. What means something is the people that are providing leadership for as long as they are in the comfort zone and I think this is totally unacceptable.”
She said the violence currently being experienced in Zambia particularly at election time was very unfortunate. Prof Luo said leaders and all people needed to remember that violence was a big concern for women and in countries where it had broken out, the first victims were women and children.
“What happens when there is violence is that they take advantage and rape women or if people have to run away, the women always want to carry their children with them. The men will run away and the women and children will be casualties. I think it is important for the women of Zambia to take this very seriously with the leadership of the country so that this comes to an end especially in the run-up to the 2011 elections because if it is this bad now, it is likely to get worse in 2011,” she said.
“And I think as women, we need to reflect on this and we need to say to the leadership of the country that whoever is perpetuating violence, and we all know anyway, must bring it to an end because it is not in the interest of anybody. It’s not in the interest of the leadership, it’s not in the interest of the women and children and it is not in the interest of the populace of Zambia.”
Prof Luo also said the language being used by leaders in the country was unfortunate. She said there was a lot of persecution and malignment in the language. Prof Luo cited the recent attacks on Lusaka Catholic Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu.
“I as a Catholic, I was very sad with the kind of the things they talked about Archbishop Mpundu and what was so sad was that some of the perpetrators of Archbishop Mpundu have suffered persecution but because it suits them now, they should persecute another person. I think that is unacceptable,” she said.
Prof Luo said as a Zambian, she was not interested in knowing who was sick and who was suffering from what. She said she was only interested in her bread and butter.
Prof Luo said the leadership of the country needed to tell Zambians what they would do about the health sector, education standards, roads and issues at institutions like University of Zambia (UNZA).
She said she recently returned from Northern Province where the road network was terrible. Prof Luo said the road between Serenje and Nakonde was in a real bad situation and yet leaders were more interested in attacking each other on health issues.
“I am not interested. I want to hear who is going to repair the road and when so that people travelling on that road have a comfortable ride and also reduce the number of accidents on that road. As Zambians we need to make leaders accountable and it is important leaders account for the violence that has taken place and those responsible apologise and make a commitment that it will not happen again,” said Prof Luo.
Politicians in the country have in the last few weeks engaged in personal attacks, questioning each other’s health and calling names. The attacks started before the by-election in Mufumbwe in North Western Province, which was later marred by violence and loss of life.
Labels: INFRASTRUCTURE, LEADERSHIP, NKANDA LUO, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, ROADS, TELESPHORE MPUNDU
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