Mulongoti denies responsibility over use of road funds
By Mutale Kapekele
Sun 21 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
WORKS and supply minister Mike Mulongoti on Thursday told parliament that it is not the duty of his ministry to supervise the use of road funds in the provinces. And Namwala member of parliament Major Robby Chizyuka has described donors as neo-colonialists for demanding transparency in the projects that they fund.
Responding to a question from Mwense member of parliament Jacob Chongo who wanted to know how many kilometres of road rehabilitation works were completed under the Rural Roads Unit (RRU) in 2009, Mulongoti said only K20.9 billion from the allocated K45 billion has been used. He said the RRU received a total K32.6 billion.
And when asked what had happened to the difference of K11.7 billion, Mulongoti said it was not the duty of his ministry to monitor how the money was spent as the projects were supervised by provincial ministers.
“Provincial administration has pure control of those funds. My ministry has no control,” said Mulongoti. “When money is misapplied in the provinces, MPs should follow up. It is unfair to expect my ministry to supervise projects in the provinces. Provincial ministers should take account of that money. All stakeholders should not detach themselves from tracking the budget throughout the year.”
But Chongwe member of parliament Sylvia Masebo advised Mulongoti to take an interest in how money was spent in the road sector.
“The answer (from Mulongoti) on how money is spent was not good enough. The minister needs to assist these people and should not just say it’s not the job of my ministry because the agents that the ministry uses to repair roads are the ones giving the sector a bad name,” said Masebo.
And Chizyuka described donors who were demanding accountability in the road sector as neo colonialists.
“Never in the history of this country has the Auditor General’s office raised such euphoria as they did in the RDA (Road Development Agency) audit,” Chizyuka said. “As a result of that euphoria, we have seen neo colonialism emerging. That is because the RDA started speaking in tongues that even the government failed to understand its own agency.
And now we have lost a fine engineer because the donors made so much noise.”
Chizyuka said Zambia belonged to Zambians and should not “dance to the tunes of foreigners” and that there was no need to “lose some of the finest brains” in the road sector.
Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, ROBBY CHIZYUKA, SYLVIA MASEBO
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UPND has not run out of options to win in 2011 - Mweetwa
By Kombe Chimpinde
Fri 24 Sep. 2010, 17:50 CAT [756 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]
THE UPND has said that it has not run out of options to win the 2011 elections. And the UPND has complained that they have sacrificed enough including Namwala member of parliament major Robby Chizyuka because of their commitment to the Pact.
Speaking when he featured on 'People’s Last Say' programme on QFM radio last night UPND deputy spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa accused its partner the Patriotic Front (PF) of not being committed to the Pact that has been on the agenda of Zambians.
“What is happening in the Pact is not actually indisciplined. I think its lack of commitment within the Pact. I am saying this because indiscipline is when someone in the political circles is contrary to the party's position. When you walk out alone and say as far as am concerned I stand for something that is contrary to the party's position then you are said to be indisciplined. This we did in UPND when we expelled Namwala MP Major Chizyuka because he was taking a stance that was contrary to the party's,” he said.
Mweetwa said that UPND expelled Chizyuka just to demonstrate their commitment to the Pact.
“We had to lose an MP because we knew we were concentrating on a bigger picture, the Pact, because that’s what the people of Zambia want. We had to expel a member of parliament on that score now when people say Gary Nkombo is indisciplined he is a member of parliament and chairperson for energy in the UPND,” he said.
“He was speaking as a member of the working group and in this particular meeting that took place that sanctioned PF's stand in Mpulungu and Chilanga to be contested by UPND. Gary was the secretary who was taking minutes of what was discussed.”
He said it was astonishing to learn that PF general secretary, Wynter Kabimba, who was a senior party official in PF could come out and contradict the agreement s made at the meeting.
“...its lack of commitment because from what the general secretary of PF has said he has gotten full coverage and backing of his President Mr Micheal Sata in The Post and on Joy FM this morning. He (Sata) has covered him 100 per cent. He has also insisted that he (Wynter) is the voice for the central committee of PF, he has also joined in saying the working group is a smaller body and the decisions of working group. So now a senior party official getting the coverage of the president.”
He said the only explanation to PF’s behaviour was that there was no commitment on their part.
“...today PF has changed the stance cause the stance cause in the post Wynter Kabimba has said HH should forget about been President for the pact and on the other side on the radio and in the paper Mr Sata is saying Wynter Kabimba is the voice of the PF Central Committee which they have portrayed as been sovereign and beyond reproach they are a supreme beyond the working group or any marriage with UPND.”
He further accused the PF leaders of not being sincere by indicating that Sata was ready to work under Hichilema.
“So his voice is sanctified, it is a pure position of PF. So for the PF to insist that the two leaders have agreed to work under each other is not true, only HH has said he is willing to work under Mr Sata, and I heard myself,” he said.
“So it no longer applies that Mr Sata is willing to be a vice-president to HH. The wrangle has nothing to do with HH, it has something to do with the working group and the failure of organisational consistency,” he said.
He said PF was defending people who thought that each time they went to a meeting they got a fresh mandate.
“They failed to send people to this group who have to talk about Chilanga. The wrangle is about Chilanga but look in The Post and how Kabimba has gone far to disparage HH saying that HH should not think he will just walk into the PF -UPND Pact and take over the presidency the same way he walked in and become president for UDA( United Democratic Alliance.”
He said people should learn to put certain things in the past.
“HH will become president of this country one day which I believe he will, it will not be as a result of the wishes of Wynter Kabimba, neither will it be a wish of Mr Micheal Sata. It will be the wish of the people of Zambia who vote,” he said.
“... and people in Zambia in 2006 had indicated that they were willing to vote for HH, so there is nothing wrong with thinking that come 2011 actually many people who had promised to vote for HH will.”
Mweetwa, however, said that it was possible for the two parties to produce one presidential candidate if they remained committed to the Pact.
“It is possible to produce one presidential candidate under the umbrella of the Pact but for us UPND we have not yet run out of options and ideas of our future and it is clear and bright.We are willing to contribute positively to ensure we bring about change,” said Mweetwa.
And during the same programme, Munali PF member of parliament Mumbi Phiri called in and maintained that it was impossible for individual parties to remove the MMD government.
“I am speaking as Munali MP representing the people of Munali. I can assure you that the Pact is not going to break. Those in the Pact that think they can go and stand alone are joking,” she said.
Phiri said she was hopeful that the Pact was going to hold and that only an insane person could think that either parties could go it alone.
“Let us keep praying am a woman of faith who believes in prayer and you know in a marriage they say a marriage that is criticised in the beginning comes out to be strong. I believe the UPND -PF Pact is going to stand until 2011 and that’s my prayer and I will not stop kneeling until this Pact works so that we can liberate this country. People are sleeping hungry, women are being raped, people are being killed. Can you imagine now corruption has even entered the mortuary. Where are we going as a nation?” she asked.
“This country is not going anywhere so those who are joking let us get serious. I don’t think any sensible person can want to break the Pact and go it alone unless you are insane.”
Labels: CORNELIUS MWEETWA, PF-UPND, ROBBY CHIZYUKA, UPND, WYNTER KABIMBA
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People’s rights body disowns Maj Chizyuka
By Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Mon 01 Mar. 2010, 08:30 CAT
THE Mwanachingwala Indigenous People’s Rights Association in Mazabuka has disowned its national chairperson Major Robbie Chizyuka for allegedly waging a vicious political battle with UPND leader, Hakainde Hichilema.
Mazabuka association chairperson, Joshua Ng’andu told ZANIS in Mazabuka that Maj. Chizyuka, who is also Namwala member of parliament should immediately come to his senses and stop insulting Hichilema.
He said the attacks were not necessary considering the fact that Maj. Chizyuka had failed to give dialogue a chance but had instead elected to fight and demonise Hichilema.
Ng’andu said the association members feel let down by Maj. Chizyuka’s constant attacks on the UPND and its leader.
He warned that the association would not recognise and give him the respect he deserves as he had chosen to take a different route.
Ng’andu also challenged Maj. Chizyuka to state his political position whether he was still a UPND member or he had joined the MMD.
He said the association was disturbed with the campaign speeches in which he (Maj. Chizyuka) urged the voters in the province to rally behind President Banda when he featured on SKY FM recently.
Ng’andu said the association would accept the decision that Maj. Chizyuka would take politically because the constitution allowed him to do so.
Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MWANACHINGWALA INDIGENOUS PEOPLES RIGHTS ASSOCIATION, ROBBY CHIZYUKA
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Shimunenga organisers sideline Chizyuka
By Allan Mulenga and George Zulu in Namwala
Monday October 20, 2008 [04:00]
CONFUSION reigned on Saturday at the official opening of Shimunenga traditional ceremony of the Ila people of Namwala district when the organising committee and senior government officials sidelined Namwala UPND member of parliament Major Robby Chizyuka.
Maj Chizyuka, who was spotted around 10:00 hours at the Shimunenga shrine (Kukonkaula) performing dances alongside other guests, was conspicuously missing from the list of speakers at the ceremony in Maala.
When the procession moved to headman Kande’s village, a custodian of Shimunenga ceremony around 11:00 hours where speeches were delivered, people wondered why Maj Chizyuka was not among the list, thereby causing concern among the crowd which included the Maala Cultural Group.
Later the cultural group started singing praise songs for Maj Chizyuka, whilst charging towards the high table where the guest of honour, presidential affairs minister Cecil Holmes, was seated.
The move sparked anxiety prompting Namwala District Commissioner Eunice Nawa to order the cultural group to move in front of the high table and stop singing about Maj Chizyuka.
In an interview soon after the incident, Maj Chizyuka accused the organising committee and senior government officials of politicising the ceremony.
Maj Chizyuka complained that the committee which comprised government district officials deliberately overshadowed his presence at the ceremony.
“They (organising committee) have been working with senior government officials at the district to avoid me because they are scared of the political battle that I have mounted upon the MMD,” he said. “But the funny thing is that my people did not get carried away by their action. They continued singing praises for me because they have seen what I have done in the area,” he said.
Maj Chizyuka described the act by Nawa as ‘stupid and obnoxious,’ saying as a civil servant, she was not supposed to engage in politics.
“I wonder what she was thinking to act in such a manner because I understand she went there to attend the ceremony in her capacity as DC and I was there as an MP,” said Maj Chizyuka.
And Holmes noted that it was wrong for the organising committee to ignore the area member of parliament at such an important function, saying despite coming from an opposition party, he was the custodian of developmental activities taking place in the area.
“I expected that before I deliver my speech, the area member of parliament would say something. But I am surprised that he has been denied a chance of talking to the people. Therefore, I urge the organising committee to consider him on the programme next year as he is an important person in the development of this area,” said Holmes.
And when contacted for a comment, Shimunenga district organising committee coordinator Patrick Kalaluka expressed ignorance over the matter.
“I don’t know what happened and I cannot comment about the matter,” said Kalaluka.
Labels: ROBBY CHIZYUKA
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