Pact presidency must be resolved now - CARITAS
By George Chellah
Wed 06 Oct. 2010, 04:30 CAT
CARITAS Zambia executive director Sam Mulafulafu yesterday said the pact presidency must be resolved immediately so that all hidden feelings and agendas can be exposed.
And Lusaka Province PF women’s league has warned UPND not to interpret their silence on a number of careless and uncalled for statements being issued against PF leader Michael Sata as a sign of weakness. In an interview, Mulafulafu urged the pact to resolve the issue of the presidential candidate.
“The presidency is a cardinal issue that will open up very clearly where everybody stands.
Once the pronouncement is made on who is going to lead the pact we are going to have a final position on where both parties stand,” Mulafulafu said.
“All hidden feelings and agendas will be exposed. The pact presidency has to be resolved now because it will clarify a lot of things because people will be speaking out.”
He maintained that the presidency must be dealt with to avoid innuendoes and people speaking in tongues.
On Katombora UPND member of parliament Regina Musokotwane’s statement that UPND should consider forming government on its own rather than working with the PF, Mulafulafu said the pact issue are confusing people.
“This pact issue now puts us in a quandary in terms of what the positions is.
In that, from the top leadership they are insisting that the pact is intact and it’s going ahead but from the subordinates they don’t seem to be speaking the same language,” Mulafulafu said. “They are contradictory statements coming from the rank and file. This keeps worrying us in terms of whether the pact will really work.”
He called on the two pact leaders to manage the public pronouncements being made by the rank and file.
“There is clear evidence from the statements coming from members of both parties. The party presidents have not given leadership that would generate committement to this idea of the pact,” Mulafulafu said.
“That’s why we are having individuals issuing statements that seem to be contradictory.”
And in a statement signed by PF Lusaka province women’s league chairperson, Margaret Mumba and other members of the executive, the Lusaka Province PF women’s league expressed displeasure with Musokotwane’s remarks.
“The Lusaka Province women’s committee is very disappointment with Hon. Regina Musokotwane, MP, Katombola constituency for her careless and uncalled for language against our president Mr. Michael Sata in today’s Post newspaper dated 5th October 2010.
Your language does not depict the Tonga speaking people of Southern Province because they are known to be people of high morals who respect elders,” they stated. “From your statement, it is very clear that you are a hired mercenary of the MMD to bring confusion in the pact. If you push us too far, you are opening a jar of worms, which you will not control.
The Patriotic Front women’s league in Lusaka Province has not been responding to a number of careless and uncalled for statements being issued against our president in the press…this is not a sign of weakness but of strength because we are disciplined people.”
They warned Musokotwane to be mindful of her language because they were capable of taking the law in their own hands.
“We wish also to appeal to the president of UPND Mr Hakainde Hichilema to discipline Mrs Musokotwane as he did to disgruntled MP for Namwala major Chizyuka,” they stated.
“We also extend this warning to President Rupiah Banda for his uncalled for insults in today’s Post against our party president for calling him “silly”. As a republican President he should learn to use suitable language befitting the head of state.”
They women have given President Banda a 48-hour ultimatum in which to retract and apologise to Sata and the nation for his careless remarks.
Labels: PF-UPND, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE, SAM MULAFULAFU, UPND
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Pact presidency must be resolved now - CARITAS
By George Chellah
Wed 06 Oct. 2010, 04:30 CAT
CARITAS Zambia executive director Sam Mulafulafu yesterday said the pact presidency must be resolved immediately so that all hidden feelings and agendas can be exposed.
And Lusaka Province PF women’s league has warned UPND not to interpret their silence on a number of careless and uncalled for statements being issued against PF leader Michael Sata as a sign of weakness. In an interview, Mulafulafu urged the pact to resolve the issue of the presidential candidate.
“The presidency is a cardinal issue that will open up very clearly where everybody stands. Once the pronouncement is made on who is going to lead the pact we are going to have a final position on where both parties stand,” Mulafulafu said.
“All hidden feelings and agendas will be exposed. The pact presidency has to be resolved now because it will clarify a lot of things because people will be speaking out.”
He maintained that the presidency must be dealt with to avoid innuendoes and people speaking in tongues.
On Katombora UPND member of parliament Regina Musokotwane’s statement that UPND should consider forming government on its own rather than working with the PF, Mulafulafu said the pact issue are confusing people.
“This pact issue now puts us in a quandary in terms of what the positions is.
In that, from the top leadership they are insisting that the pact is intact and it’s going ahead but from the subordinates they don’t seem to be speaking the same language,” Mulafulafu said.
“They are contradictory statements coming from the rank and file. This keeps worrying us in terms of whether the pact will really work.”
He called on the two pact leaders to manage the public pronouncements being made by the rank and file.
“There is clear evidence from the statements coming from members of both parties. The party presidents have not given leadership that would generate committement to this idea of the pact,” Mulafulafu said.
“That’s why we are having individuals issuing statements that seem to be contradictory.”
And in a statement signed by PF Lusaka province women’s league chairperson, Margaret Mumba and other members of the executive, the Lusaka Province PF women’s league expressed displeasure with Musokotwane’s remarks.
“The Lusaka Province women’s committee is very disappointment with Hon. Regina Musokotwane, MP, Katombola constituency for her careless and uncalled for language against our president Mr. Michael Sata in today’s Post newspaper dated 5th October 2010. Your language does not depict the Tonga speaking people of Southern Province because they are known to be people of high morals who respect elders,” they stated.
“From your statement, it is very clear that you are a hired mercenary of the MMD to bring confusion in the pact. If you push us too far, you are opening a jar of worms, which you will not control. The Patriotic Front women’s league in Lusaka Province has not been responding to a number of careless and uncalled for statements being issued against our president in the press…this is not a sign of weakness but of strength because we are disciplined people.”
They warned Musokotwane to be mindful of her language because they were capable of taking the law in their own hands.
“We wish also to appeal to the president of UPND Mr Hakainde Hichilema to discipline Mrs Musokotwane as he did to disgruntled MP for Namwala major Chizyuka,” they stated.
“We also extend this warning to President Rupiah Banda for his uncalled for insults in today’s Post against our party president for calling him “silly”. As a republican President he should learn to use suitable language befitting the head of state.”
They women have given President Banda a 48-hour ultimatum in which to retract and apologise to Sata and the nation for his careless remarks.
Labels: CARITAS, PF-UPND, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE, SAM MULAFULAFU
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Ditch pact, UPND Katombora MP urges her party
By George Zulu
Tue 05 Oct. 2010, 07:02 CAT
KATOMBORA UPND member of parliament Regina Musokotwane has advised her party to consider forming government on its own rather than working with the PF. And Musokotwane said Zambians should not trust PF leader Michael Sata for president because he is unreasonable.
Featuring on the live wire radio programme on Mazabuka Radio on Saturday, Musokotwane said UPND should consider forming government on its own rather than working with the PF because it was a sheer waste of time to work with messed up PF and the unreasonable Sata.
She said chiefs in Southern Province should support their own child UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema just the way Eastern Province chiefs supported President Rupiah Banda.
And Musokotwane said Zambians should not trust Sata for president because he is unreasonable. She said there were many reasons why Zambians must not trust Sata for presidency.
“You see, Sata has done a lot of bad things in this country. Sata has always wanted to become a president. The confusion in the UPND/PF pact are created by Sata because he wants to field candidates everywhere even in areas were the PF is not popular,” Musokotwane said.
“For example, the Chilanga seat, UPND is popular in that area and it is unreasonable for Sata to think that the PF should field a candidate in that area. So when some people say that Sata cannot be trusted, it is true that Sata must not be trusted.”
Musokotwane said the problem the pact was faced with was because of PF thinking that they were a bigger party than the UPND. She said PF leaders were out of senses because they were antagonising the UPND and it was high time UPND realised and came out of the pact.
Musokotwane claimed that PF and Sata did not want the pact because the PF was a messed up political party and UPND should realise the consequences of being in the pact now.
“People should go on and campaign for the UPND because we don’t know what would come out of this pact because we are being antagonised too much by the PF. Zambians are demanding that the two leaders, Sata and Hichilema, talk about this confusion. It is true that this pact is in a mess and our friends in the PF are the ones creating this mess,” Musokotwane said.
“This mess is not coming from UPND. The PF is a messed up party because they have messed up the pact and if I were president of the UPND, I would have left this pact long before Jesus was born. It is not worth it. Sata will not take presidency.”
Labels: PF-UPND, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE
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Parliamentary Committee questions Chilubi council over grants
By Florence Bupe
Sat 15 May 2010, 03:10 CAT
THE Parliamentary Committee on Local Government, Housing and Chiefs Affairs yesterday took to task Chilubi district council for failing to properly manage government grants. Committee chairperson Regina Musokotwane said the council was performing very poorly with a scanty revenue base standing at K6 million against a wage bill of K38 million.
This was after the council secretary, Reagan Kalumba, disclosed that the district was only raking in K6 million to pay the total workforce of 27, as well as deliver other required services.
“You cannot afford to operate in such a manner as a district council. It shows lack of commitment and seriousness to your work,” she said.
Musokotwane warned that the committee would have no choice but to recommend for Chilubi district to be downgraded to a sub- committee if the performance of the council did not improve.
“You need to pull up your socks; so far you’re the second worst performing council after Luwingu. We cannot afford to have a district council with such a huge number of people raking in so little,” she said.
Luwingu District Council has been cited as the worst performing local authority.
But Kalumba explained that the low revenue flow was as a result of depleted fish stocks in the district’s water bodies.
He said the council was reliant on the fishing community for levies as it was the mainstay preoccupation of the population on the island.
“Fish stocks in Chilubi have really depleted and that is why our revenue base has also declined significantly. We are, however, putting measures in place aimed at resuscitating out revenue collection by constructing a rest house,” Kalumba explained.
This revelation, however, caused laughter among committee members as Musokotwane wondered how the council could manage to construct a rest house with K6 million.
It was also learnt that the council was in arrears, as it had not been remitting statutory obligations to the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and the Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF).
Musokotwane advised that the district administration should instead sensitise the local community on the importance of observing the annual fish ban and avoiding the use of wrong fishing methods to increase fish stocks, and ultimately raise the council’s revenue collection.
Labels: CHILUBI DISTRICT, REAGAN KALUMBA, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE
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Parliamentary committee warns council secretaries over public funds
By Florence Bupe
Wed 12 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
THE parliamentary committee on local governance, housing and chiefs’ affairs has warned that council secretaries will be penalised for failing to supervise the disbursement of public funds.
Committee chairperson Regina Musokotwane said most councils were underperforming and failing to account for funds because of
weaknesses at supervisory level.
“We need to change the method of recovering funds, especially imprest, by penalising chief officers. It is clear that they are the ones who are misdirecting their officers,” she said.
Musokotwane, who is also Katombola UPND member of parliament, said chief officers had the responsibility to ensure that imprest was retired within the stipulated 48 hours of the responsible officer’s return from duty, as required under the country’s financial regulations.
“Most chief officers are not doing enough to ensure financial accountability, and this should not be tolerated. The issue of imprest should not be a query in the Auditor General’s Report year in and out,” she said.
Musokotwane said she would request the Minister of Finance and National Planning to issue a circular announcing the changes and expressed optimism that the new system would address the current inefficiencies.
She said the current system of recovering imprest from involved officers’ salaries was inappropriate.
And committee member Major Robbie Chizyuka observed that district councils had qualified officers who were not applying their knowledge to bettering the operations of the local authority institutions.
He said the committee would not take the issue of unaccounted funds lightly.
“Why should it be a problem for qualified personnel to prepare council financial accounts? It simply shows lack of seriousness on the part of chief officers,” Maj Chizyuka said.
Maj Chizyuka further expressed worry that the inefficient operation of most councils was hampering decentralisation efforts.
Labels: COUNCILS, HOUSING, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE
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Cadres that grab people’s land are mostly MMD – LCC
By Namatama Mundia
Mon 03 May 2010, 03:50 CAT
THE Lusaka City Council (LCC) has revealed that the grabbing of land is in most cases led by MMD cadres.
LCC director of city planning Joseph Mukupa told the parliamentary committee on local governance, housing and chiefs’ affairs chaired by Katombora UPND member of parliament Regina Musokotwane that cadres that grab people’s land were from all parties but mostly MMD.
“I think they are from all parties, in most cases they are led by MMD cadres,” he said.
Mukupa was responding to Kanchibiya PF member of parliament Davies Mwango who wanted to know if the cadres that grab land were MMD, PF or UPND and if some LCC employees were involved.
He also said there were incidences when senior officials were involved in the illegal allocation of plots. And Mukupa said there was need for increased share of allocation to housing in the national budget.
He said the existing housing policy should be reviewed with a clear definition on strategy including clear monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Mukupa said legislation relevant to housing should be reviewed in order to streamline the legal framework within which housing provision mechanisms play.
Labels: CADRES, JOSEPH MUKUPA, LAND RIGHTS, LCC, MMD, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE
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Chiefs should not champion hatred, says Musokotwane
By Edwin Mbulo in Livingstone
Mon 18 Jan. 2010, 04:00 CAT
KATOMBORA UPND member of parliament Regina Musokotwane has appealed to chiefs not to be used as conduits of hatred by the ruling MMD by issuing negative comments on the PF-UPND pact.
In an interview, Musokotwane wondered how chiefs in Southern Province would behave if the PF-UPND pact came into power next year when they were currently wishing for its downfall.
“Chiefs are not supposed to be involved in politicking, they are supposed to protect all politicians and politics such as the PF-UPND, the MMD, and all other parties because politicians are their subjects. How will they behave when the PF-UPND pact comes into power? I know that they are supposed to support the government of the day but demeaning another party is not their mandate,” she said.
Musokotwane added that chiefs were not supposed to be champions of hatred amongst their subjects by practicing partisan politics.
“They are not supposed to be championing hatred, rage because we are all their subjects, whether in the MMD or the PF-UPND pact. However I would like to tell all the chiefs in the province who are pro-MMD...that the pact is here to stay and we shall form government in 2011,” Musokotwane said.
And commenting on the fuel increases, Musokotwane said President Rupiah Banda should not dodge taking responsibility for the increase because he was the one who gave out the instructions.
“He is the one who gave out the instructions for the fuel to be increased all because his sons are involved in the fuel saga,” she said.
Musokotwane further added that fuel in Zambia was the most expensive in the region.
“We are the most expensive country in the region when it comes to fuel, I was in Zimbabwe recently and fuel there is manageable when they are supposed to be in problems,” said Musokotwane.
Labels: CHIEFS, PF-UPND, REGINA MUSOKOTWANE
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