Zukas raises concern over public media's 'new direction'
By Stuart Lisulo
Thu 17 Oct. 2013, 14:01 CAT
VETERAN politician Simon Zukas says the direction public media is taking is a source of concern under the leadership of information and broadcasting permanent secretary Emmanuel Mwamba.
Zukas, who resigned from the board of the Zambia Daily Mail earlier this month citing bad corporate governance practices by Mwamba, said yesterday that "one has to be sensitive to the new changes coming from the new permanent secretary."
"Some of it are explicit where he has been very vocal; you can see the atmosphere as being directed from behind the scenes in the new direction and if it goes on like that, it will be back to the point where the public media will not be respected. It will be written off and new media will arrive. I am very worried about this new trend. No one has announced the change of course, but one is sensitive,'' he said.
Zukas observed that the quality and standards of journalism may be affected.
"In terms of balance, the public media is being tilted. The public media is owned by the government shareholders, but they should not be so orientated that they only give the shareholders' view. They should give the country's view and be fair and balanced,'' he said.
Zukas said regulation of the public media had 'started well' and was 'open ended,' but was concerned about the way public media was being used to serve the interests of certain government officials.
But in an interview, Mwamba said the Zambia Daily Mail board, which had its last sitting on Friday, found it erroneous for Zukas to be a board member of both the Zambia Daily Mail and The Post newspapers.
"The Daily Mail cannot run like The Post,'' said Mwamba.
And when asked to address some of the concerns Zukas raised with regards to standards and fairness of the public media, Mwamba said the public media operated differently and that Zukas's board membership of The Post ran into competition with his membership of the Zambia Daily Mail.
Labels: MEDIA, SIMON ZUKAS
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Zukas wants London judgment registered
By Kombe Chimpinde
Sat 02 Feb. 2013, 12:30 CAT
SIMON Zukas says Zambians should not ignore the registration of the London High Court judgment against late Fredrick Chiluba which the Rupiah Banda regime blocked.
Zukas said although the main culprit in the matter was deceased, Zambians should not allow the assets that were acquired in the process to continually be enjoyed by the culprits' associates. Chiluba as president was accused of stealing $500,000 from state coffers, but the Banda regime saved him from going to jail.
However, a civil suit in the London High Court found Chiluba and others liable for defrauding Zambia. The evidence in that case included more than 100 pairs of size six shoes, many of them monogrammed, and scores of designer suits bought from Boutique Basile in Geneva, where Chiluba spent more than £300,000, sometimes paid in suitcases full of banknotes
British judge Smith ordered Chiluba to repay £23 million to the Zambian government. But the Banda regime frustrated the registration of the judgment in Zambia.
In an interview, Zukas said that the continued silence on the "obvious" matter was worrying.
"I am unhappy about another aspect which is my concern; we seem to have forgotten about the plunder of state assets that took place under Chiluba and to some extent, Rupiah Banda's regime," he said.
"We had a London judgment which accused Chiluba of misusing $46 million of state funds and that was in the High Court in London and the case was fully argued and there is no question that the conclusion was correct, but it needed to be registered in Zambia."
Zukas said the Banda regime, which blocked registration of the judgment, had been voted out, paving way for clearance of impediments placed in the legal process.
"…remember there was an appeal by the prosecutor (Mutembo Nchito) which was blocked by the DPP (Director of Public Prosecution). Now we are one year into the new government which has declared a strong stance against corruption," he said. "We have a new DPP and yet this has not come back to the courts. I feel very strongly that we don't know which way the courts will treat the matter but it's got to go back to the courts. That appeal was blocked, then, there is no reason for it being blocked now."
Zuka's said that Chiluba's plunder must be used as a serious deterrent against greedy and selfish individuals.
"We can't allow the whole Chiluba plunder to be forgotten. If it gets forgotten then it will be repeated by others because they will feel they can get away with it. The appeal should be reinstated," he said.
"From a general political point of view, that issue cannot just be pushed away. To be active against corruption, you have got to clear the decks and I don't think the deck on the Chiluba-plunder has been cleared. It remains unresolved and as far as I can see, the way things stand, the (plundered) assets shall remain in the hands of the plundering syndicate and yet those assets should be brought back to the people of Zambia," he warned.
"Verbally it is very strong, we are hearing constant reminders, I am hoping that soon or later we will produce results."
Chiluba suffered from chronic heart problem and died on June 18, 2011 in Lusaka aged 68./SM/BS
Labels: FREDERICK CHILUBA, SIMON ZUKAS
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Give govt time to deliver - Zukas
By Allan Mulenga
Tue 04 Sep. 2012, 19:20 CAT
SIMON Zukas says the government should be given enough time to deliver its campaign promises. Reflecting on the PF's performance since assuming power 11 months ago, Zukas said for any new government, it took long to achieve things.
"Obviously, the promises haven't been delivered yet, but the year is a very short period of time. They've got longer than that to prove delivery. It is a bit early although, they promised that they will do certain things within 90 days. They promised a lot within 90 days. Politics doesn't work like that or government doesn't work like that. It takes longer to achieve things," he said.
Zukas urged the government to come up with policies that would instil investor confidence.
"The main thing is that they shouldn't do anything which will scare away investment because the only way to create more jobs is through investment. If you create uncertainty or instability, then investors will hold fire and will not be coming. The essence is to create a situation which is stable and encourages investors. Investment will create more jobs," said Zukas.
Opposition political parties have consistently accused the Patriotic Front of failing to honour its electoral promises.
Labels: PF, SIMON ZUKAS
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Zukas accuses Rupiah of dishonesty
By Kabanda Chulu
Thu 22 Mar. 2012, 12:59 CAT
RUPIAH Banda is being dishonest by opting to slip out of the country instead of making himself clear on various allegations levelled against him, says veteran politician Simon Zukas.
And Zukas, who is former Sikoongo member of parliament (1991-1996) in Kalabo, says the Barotse Agreement will gradually 'fall away' if the government can use the document as a basis to decentralise the whole country.
In an interview in Lusaka, Zukas, who also served as cabinet minister, said there were only two options needed to address former president Banda's predicament.
"We are discovering that a lot of corruption happened when he was in charge but whether former president Banda did it, like Frederick Chiluba looted the country, we don't know and whether his family and close friends took advantage of his presidency to engage in looting, we don't know. So, Banda is being disingenuous by preferring to take up lectureship to Boston University before answering these questions," Zukas said.
"We should not just let him go like that, as if he is a free man representing Zambia. So how do we deal with these questions surrounding his tenure? In my view, there are only two options: to consider lifting his immunity to pave way for thorough investigations or to allow him open up and say this is my position on this matter, for example, RP Capital and Zamtel saga, and related allegations. This way he will be free from accusations and I think it is his duty to make himself clear on all these allegations rather than slipping out of the country because it will not get him off the hook."
He said the PF government was capable of delivering services to people.
"But we are not seeing where we are going in terms of government giving economic vision. Of course, they are sorting out problems left by the MMD but people need to know the main focus of government, for instance, GDP has been increasing but this doesn't trickle down to ordinary people," Zukas said.
"So, government should outline its plans on how to address these issues and we want to know the main aim of their economic direction...I am sure they have but they should make it clear by giving people a direction."
Banda has recently claimed to be an innocent man who never committed any crime while in office.
On the restoration of the abuse of office clause in the ACC Act, Zukas said its removal widened the door for corruption to take root.
"It is not that corruption will be stamped out completely but the clause is a restraining factor that limits temptation by office bearers to engage in the vice, " he said.
On the parentage clause that prevents some Zambians to aspire for the presidency, Zukas said the current constitution-making process should remove the clause because it was discriminatory.
He said people should be allowed to stand for presidency irrespective of their parental background.
"Parentage doesn't decide who wins elections but people choose leaders based on ability to deliver and there are people with one parent born outside Zambia and have a wider perspective on issues and keeping them out is like depriving ourselves of possible good talents," Zukas said.
"I resigned from cabinet when Chiluba regime introduced a law to prevent Dr Kaunda from standing; so the clause should be removed since it is divisive by introducing two classes of Zambians and it limits the choice of candidates. I was MP for Sikoongo near Angola and it is possible for some people to have one parent having born from either Angola or Zambia and some people were born when birth records did not exist."
On the Barotse Agreement, Zukas said recommendations by the Chongwe commission of inquiry should be the basis for embarking on full decentralisation.
"I got to know about the agreement when I served as MP and I visited some of the most deprived areas. It is true Western Province is least developed but it has a long history of coherence as a tribal entity, even when colonialists came they found that they had structures like chiefs, advisors, councils and administratively developed. And it is clear the agreement is not for secession but for autonomy and the Chongwe recommendations give us chance to go for full decentralisation for the entire country," he said.
He said decentralisation was aimed at giving full autonomy to local authorities since they better understood the challenges facing their communities.
"But problems of decentralisation is lack of financial control hence structures must be put in place to avoid draining resources; so a good government will take this chance to give autonomy to all provinces and not only to Western and the agreement will gradually fall away as an issue," said Zukas.
"Secession is a pipedream that some individual clamour for but they don't face the fact the resources of province even food is insufficient so secession is not an issue but autonomy, yes."
Labels: CORRUPTION, RUPIAH BANDA, SIMON ZUKAS
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The forgotten story of Zambia’s Jewish settlers
January 19, 2012 | Filed under: News | Posted by: editor
Simon Zukas
(CNN) — The city of Livingstone, in Zambia, is located just 10 kilometers from the spectacular Victoria Falls. Its proximity to the falls makes it a tourist destination, but it also boasts an almost-forgotten past as the home of one of the oldest Jewish settlements in Africa.
European Jews first came to Zambia at the end of the 19th century, when it was still Northern Rhodesia. Many settled in the capital, Livingstone. The early arrivals were pioneers looking for better economic opportunities; later they came as refugees fleeing Nazi persecution.
Although Zambia’s Jewish population was always small — around 1,000 at its peak — its members included significant figures in Zambia’s economical and political life. Among the most influential was Simon Zukas, who played a key role in Zambia’s struggle for independence from Britain in the 1950s, and went on to be a government minister after independence.
Zukas’s father emigrated from Lithuania to southern Africa in 1936 in search of work, as the shadow of Nazism was descending on Europe. He settled in Northern Rhodesia, opening a shop in the town of Ndola, and his family joined him in 1938.
Simon Zukas arrived as a 13 year old who spoke only a little English, struggling to adapt to a country where black people were treated as second-class citizens under British colonial rule.
The biggest difficulty was to adjust to the custom of the treatment of blacks.
Simon Zukas, Zambian Jew, former government minister
“I knew something about the world because I was part of the Zionist movement in Lithuania,” he recalls.
“I arrived with sympathy for the underdog, which included the black man. The biggest difficulty was to adjust to the custom of the treatment of blacks. There was a big gulf between the treatment of whites and blacks.”
He remembers having to write permits every evening to allow the family’s black cook to be able to go home after dark, because he was subject to curfew.
Zukas says there was some anti-Semitism from British colonial officials, who could make it hard for Jews to get trading licenses, but generally Jews were welcomed. New arrivals formed a small community together with Jewish families who had immigrated to Northern Rhodesia in earlier years.
Hugh MacMillan is a University of Oxford historian and author of “Zion in Africa: The Jews of Zambia.” He says of the early Jewish settlers: “The Jews arriving in Northern Rhodesia were both economic migrants and refugees, escaping from a kind of religious and political persecution in the Russian Empire, and also economic migrants looking for a place where they could make a better living.
Lithuanian Jews in particular migrated to South Africa during the diamond and gold rushes at the end of the 19th century, but some pioneers ventured further afield.
“The ones who got to Northern Rhodesia early on were the most adventurous — frontiers people,” says MacMillan. “They were going way out into what were very difficult, remote places, originally as cattle traders.”
Among the most influential Jewish immigrants were the Susman brothers, businessmen from Lithuania (then western Russia). They arrived in Northern Rhodesia in 1901 as cattle traders. They settled in Livingstone and went on to build a business empire that included copper mines and ranches.
MacMillan says the brothers were leaders of Livingstone’s small Jewish community and led the construction of the city’s synagogue in the late 1920s.
Individuals of Jewish descent played an important part in Zambian history
Hugh MacMillan, historian
The building is still standing, but these days it’s used as a Christian church. A casual observer would never know it was once a Jewish place of worship but for the faint outline of the Star of David, the symbol of Judaism, just visible over the main entrance.
By the 1930s, there were hundreds of Jews living in Zambia and the rise of the Nazis in Europe brought and a new wave of Jewish immigration. In 1938 and 1939 around 300 German Jews fleeing Nazi persecution found their way to Northern Rhodesia, as did smaller numbers of Jews from Lithuania and Latvia.
By the early 1960s, around 1,000 Jews lived in Northern Rhodesia. But after Zambia’s independence in 1964, numbers began to dwindle, part of a larger exodus of whites from the country. There are now fewer than 50 Jews left in Zambia.
Zukas was an important activist for Zambia’s independence. After a stint in the army and at university in Cape Town he campaigned against colonial rule, which led to him being deported to England in 1952. He continued to campaign from London, until being invited to return home when Zambia finally won its independence in 1964.
He went on to hold two posts as a government minister and was chairman of the Forum for Democracy and Development opposition party in 2001.
While Zukas may be the highest profile of Zambia’s Jews, collectively the small Jewish community helped shape the country.
“Individuals of Jewish descent played an important part in Zambian history, especially in commercial business,” says MacMillan. “It’s a tiny population that has been, or was, influential beyond its numbers.”
Labels: SIMON ZUKAS
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Zukas, others demand cancellation of UPG contract
By Patson Chilemba
Thu 18 Aug. 2011, 13:59 CAT
Dr Rodger Chongwe, Wila Mung’omba and Simon Zukas have asked ECZ chairperson justice Irene Mambilima to cancel the ballot papers printing contract with UPG. In a joint statement, Dr Chongwe, Mung'omba and Zukas warned that the current standoff won’t go away merely by ignoring the allegations involving Universal Print group (UPG) of South Africa.
Dr Chongwe and Mung'omba are very senior Zambian lawyers and human rights activists who have also held very senior political and government positions. Zukas is one of Zambia's outstanding fighers for independence and a tireless champion of democracy, good governance and all that is best for Zambia.
They advised that it was not too late for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to cancel the contract for the printing of ballot papers for this year’s election with UPG if Zambians were to have confidence in the electoral process.
“The alleged activities of the Universal Print Group Company of South Africa has been in the newspapers of our country almost on a daily basis. The reason for this is that the Electoral Commission of Zambia, a body responsible for organising and supervising general elections in our country signed a contract with this company for printing ballot papers for our use in the general elections due to take place on the 20th September 2011,” they observed.
“Allegations, which have been persistent, have been made of possible shenanigans involving the company and staff at the Electoral Commission. These allegations have been denied by the senior staff of the Commission. The Director General of the Anti-Corruption Commission whose institution it was alleged investigated these allegations has denied doing so. The denial by the Director General is in the face of further allegations that in fact the office of the Director General of the Anti - Corruption Commission carried out an investigation and a warn and caution statement was recorded from the alleged wrongdoer.”
Dr Chongwe, Mung'omba and Zukas stated that elections for the selection of leaders in any country were a very important event in that their result determined the future leadership of that country.
“They are a measure by which electors are able from time to time to choose freely their political leaders. The process by which the electors choose their leaders must be free from coercion, corruption and harassment,” they stated.
“A free vote did not come to the people of Zambia because the British that were in charge of the then Northern Rhodesia desired out of their own volition to give the franchise to them. The people of Northern Rhodesia together with their political leaders fought for this free vote. In the process of the fight, a number of people in Northern Rhodesia lost their lives. These people did not die in vain. They did not die so that the franchise they fought for must be trivialized by those of us living today.”
Dr Chongwe, Mung’omba and Zukas stated that Zambia had been through some difficulties along the way due mainly to the selfishness of some political leaders.
“Our experience has been that we have been in a position to discuss some of the electoral problems that have arisen and we have tried to find amicable solutions to these wherever possible, even then the government has not responded well to the concerns of the people where there has been perceived wrongdoing associated with the electoral process,” they stated.
“The current stand-off regarding the electoral process requires urgent attention. This will not go away merely by ignoring the allegations, which are very serious and go to the root of the foundations of our democracy. Any whiff of indiscretion in the management of the electoral process must be dealt with immediately and where this involves an allegation of corrupt dealings between staff of the Commission and the contractor engaged to print the ballot papers, such contract should be cancelled forthwith and a new printer appointed instead.”
The three stated that cancelling the UPG contract was necessary because any perception, right or wrong, of such wrongdoing in the electoral process was bound to distort the result emanating from such an election.
“It is not too late in the day to cancel the contract for printing the ballot papers entered into between the Electoral Commission of Zambia and the Universal Print Group Company,” they stated.
“The Electoral Commission will be cancelling the contract in the public interest. In such a scenario, there will be no winners or losers but the people of Zambia will emerge strong and united to face an election with greater confidence and honesty. We have examined this situation very carefully and to avoid our country from sliding into political anarchy emanating from lack of confidence in the electoral process, we call upon the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia to cancel the current contract for the printing of ballot papers with the South African company.
“It is essential to our democracy that the nation’s leaders are elected in free, fair and honest elections as this is one of the main ways that we obtain accountability from political leaders. Political leaders must know that if they do not perform to the satisfaction of the people who elected them that they will have to face the consequences next time elections are due.”
PF Kabwata parliamentary aspiring candidate Given Lubinda recently disclosed that UPG had been involved in corruption, bribery and money laundering with some officials at ECZ in order to get contracts from the commission. He said this alone disqualified them from participating in a serious national programme like printing of ballot papers because they lack corporate integrity.
But the Anti-Corruption Commission through its director general Godfrey Kayukwa has denied ever investigating ECZ or any of its suppliers, a statement Lubinda has dismissed as a pure falsehood.
Lubinda has challenged the ACC to explain why they were shielding UPG when they know about its corruption and bribery.
Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, GODFREY KAYUKWA, SIMON ZUKAS, VOTERIGGING
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It isn’t wrong to be Malawian, says Rupiah
By Moses Kuwema
Mon 08 Aug. 2011, 12:00 CAT
THERE is nothing wrong about being a Malawian or a Zimbabwean these are African countries, says President Rupiah Banda. Speaking when he visited the MMD campaign centre in Lusaka yesterday, President Banda said he saw nothing wrong about being called a Zimbabwean.
“We are actually all Africans, I don't see anything wrong about being called a Zimbabwean, if I was a Zimbabwean I would have proudly said so, like everybody knows that I was born in Zimbabwe, and publicly I went to Zimbabwe myself, I was invited by President Mugabe after that I asked him if he could permit me to go and see the little hut where I was born because I’m never ashamed of my history where I was born, I was born in a little hut where my parents had immigrated from Fort Jameson. First my father went there to work as a bricklayer and then he went back to marry Ama Zulu Sara my mother,” President Banda said.
He said it was a shame that his parents were being talked about so badly, adding that if they were alive, they would have been hurt to hear that they were not indigenous to Zambia.
He said he was not worried about the Patriotic Front's legal action against him over the origins of his parents but that he was more worried about Micheal Sata whom he said claimed to be a democratic leader.
“What worries me about Mr Sata and my colleagues from PF is that they say they are democratic and want to ran this country in a democratic way of which the 13 million Zambians have sworn to the constitution that we shall preserve the democratic rights and tenets of this country. We want to have a democratic country not dictatorial and these are the same people who were asking ‘when are you going to announce the elections’, I announce the elections they are now looking for excuses of how to knock me out. I thought when you were asking for the election date you must have known that you were going to stand against me,” he said.
President Banda wondered whom Sata wanted to beat since he wanted to be president of Zambia.
“Who does he want to beat, those he has been beating in the past? Me I want to beat the one who is closest to me, himself, as in we are both strong, that is the kind of boxer that I want go into the ring with, and his colleagues even go to go court and ridicule themselves to say we don't want this one, we want to go to the elections to win, we are very strong but we don't want this one he might stop us, because that is what they are saying. They are admitting that they are not ready for me because if they were ready, let’s go. It is on the September 20, let’s go to the elections,” President Banda said.
“Mr Sata has been around with me for a long time, he has eaten in my home many times, I wish I would say the same about his home, he has been to my farm and eaten the food cooked by my mother whom he is now allocating another country. He has never questioned me, not even privately, not even to the press. Now he stands up and says my mother came from Malawi, at first he said she came from Zimbabwe, lomba echokela kuni? You can't come from more than one place,” he said.
President Banda said he was a Zambian because he had done more things for the people of Zambia and for Zambia than Sata had adding that everybody knew him and that that was the most unfortunate part about the PF's action.
“In any case what kind of country do we want to build where we have to dig people all the time? They did it to Dr Kaunda, they did it to Chiluba, they did it to Mwanawasa and they want to do it to me, what will happen to this country when we the old people are dead? What will happen to you, every time you want to do something ati no no uyu ni waku Tanzania, Congo, we all came from everywhere this is nonsense and we have people of other colours as well,” he said.
President Banda said he agreed with what veteran politician Simon Zukas said about the parentage clause, that it was a bad.
“I agree with Mr Zukas 100 per cent, you cannot say Mr Zukas is not Zambian because Zukas fought for this country at the time when Mr Sata was afraid to fight he went to join the police in order for the British to do him favours not to arrest him, Zukas was already fighting for this country. We had people who came from India, Dipak Patel they fought for this country, they fought for the democracy in this country. What about our coloured children, all these children who are mixed up, their mothers have gone out and married somebody and ended up being Zambians. Nanga Given Lubinda he is as much Zambian as me and perhaps more Zambian than Mr Sata, Guy Scott is as much Zambian, what is he Sata going to do about all this? He is his vice-president what is he going to do if he coughs and dies, it will be Scott who will take over from him until they elect someone,” he said.
President Banda assured the gathering that he was Zambian and that they should not worry about him.
“On Wednesday I am going to file my things nominations and he is going to see wemu tema mwala he’s been hit by a stone, he will see the people of Zambia coming to witness the same because it is very important that am sworn in. They are wasting their time they are just irritating us Zambians, us Zambians who want to build a Zambia where everybody can come in and stay,” said President Banda.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, MALAWI, PRESIDENCY, RUPIAH BANDA, SIMON ZUKAS
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Zukas demands Kunda’s resignation
By Patson Chilemba
Fri 08 Apr. 2011, 04:01 CAT
GEORGE Kunda must resign for wasting public resources and time over the failed Constitution of Zambia bill, says Simon Zukas. Zukas, who is a veteran politician, said President Rupiah Banda was badly advised by Vice-President Kunda to continue with the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).
“In the light of his dismal failure to have the NCC proposals adopted in Parliament, after all the expense and waste of time, the decent thing for George Kunda to do is offer his resignation to the President,” Zukas stated.
“That would enhance our democracy and set a precedent for political morality in our affairs. Since George seems reluctant to do the decent thing, the President knows the right step to take.”
Zukas said that President Banda could then present the Mung'omba proposals to an assembly reflecting all sectors of the nation, including the civil society, for adoption of a people-driven constitution.
“This can later go to Parliament to be enacted. A referendum for the items in the Bill of Rights can still be organised together with general elections. The Zambian people want a decent new constitution urgently and are ready for this process,” he said.
Looking into history since the re-introduction of multiparty politics, Zukas said that Frederick Chiluba had the Mwanakatwe proposals for a new constitution but he stopped people in Cabinet from adopting most of the recommendations, and pushed through only a few that suited him.
He said that this was followed by the resignation of people like himself and Dipak Patel. “The late president Levy Mwanawasa was wrong to agree to have George Kunda set up the NCC to work out a new constitution when we already had the Mung'omba proposals reflecting what the Zambian people wanted. George continued to be the driving force behind the NCC,” Zukas said.
On the government's insistence that PF and UPND shot down the will of the people, Zukas said the government shot the bill themselves by neglecting the Mung'omba proposals. He said the opposition did not vote against the will of the people because people had already expressed their will through the Mung'omba recommendation.
Zukas said President Banda's government should take the blame over the failure.
He said the nation had not lost out on anything following the shooting down of the bill.
“In fact, the nation has gained because if that bill went through it would have delayed us having a proper constitution, people-driven constitution. So by shooting it down, we have gained,” Zukas said.
“It is not so much that there were items that would have worked against the people. It is what was left out. That was the real problem; 50 + 1, social rights were not there.”
On government's position that they would reinstate the bill if they were re-elected, Zukas said being re-elected into office did not necessarily mean gaining two-thirds majority required for the bill to go through.
On the upcoming general elections, Zukas said Zambians should vote for the political party that would do the least damage to national affairs.
On questions that the MMD should be re-elected back into office, Zukas responded: “I would dispute that the MMD has been in power for 20 years. What has been in power there is a shadow of the MMD. This is not the MMD that we formed on the basis of principles annunciated at Garden House. This is a hijacked MMD.”
However, Zukas said the one sphere where they had performed fairly well was the economy.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, GEORGE KUNDA, MMD, NCC, SIMON ZUKAS
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Removal of ‘abuse of office’ will increase corruption – Zukas
By Patson Chilemba, Christopher Miti and George Zulu
Tue 03 Aug. 2010, 10:00 CAT
SIMON Zukas has warned that the removal of the offence of abuse of office from the revised Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Act will lead to an increase in corruption. And chief Hanjalika of the Tonga people of Mazabuka has pleaded with President Rupiah Banda to seriously consider the outcry of the people opposed to the procurement of mobile hospitals in the country.
Commenting on the manoeuvres by President Banda’s government to remove the offence of abuse of office from the ACC Act, veteran politician Zukas yesterday asked the government to think twice before implementing their plan.
“It removal of the clause will lead to corruption of all sorts. They should not go ahead with that. I think government itself will regret this step because it will lead to a lot of corruption. I think they should think twice not to go ahead,” Zukas said.
“Works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti has made a bad decision. If they want to go ahead, they should not. For their own sake they should not.”
Zukas said public opinion had indicated that it was bad to do away with the clause.
And Colonel Panji Kaunda said there was no way the country could fight corruption without the law on abuse of office.
In an interview in Chipata, Col Panji hoped that parliamentarians would be men enough to throw out the bill that seeks to remove the abuse of office clause from the ACC Act in the event that it is taken to Parliament.
“Corruption to me is the worst enemy we are fighting with at the moment. It’s just like AIDS. It’s killing us because the money that is supposed to go for certain areas is being abused by our people even
civil servants,” Col Panji said.
“I hope and pray this is just a rumour because there is no way you can be fighting corruption and you take out abuse of
office from the law. That one is a must, that’s when people can fear. If this law is taken out, what will stop me as president or as any member of the government to abuse my office?
“If this is just hearsay or what, I hope when it comes out in Parliament, I hope our MPs will be men enough to throw it out because we must have that otherwise the fight against corruption will just be a waste of time. Abuse of office is what has brought out all sorts of corruption issues, without
mentioning names but we have seen cases which are in court because of
abuse of office.”
The government plans to review the ACC Act by removing the abuse of office clause and the decision has been justified by justice deputy minister Todd Chilembo and works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti among others.
On the government’s recently contracted US$53 million loan from China to procure mobile hospitals, Col Panji said acquiring mobile hospitals will be a sheer waste
of money because they cannot work in Zambia.
Col Panji said mobile hospitals were tried in the Kenneth Kaunda government but they failed.
“As I was driving past the council I saw two hearses being parked there so I don’t know whether these are being used by our people. Now this mobile hospital issue is a thing that government must think about because first and foremost what kind of roads do we have? Are they mobile hospitals going to be taken to the provincial centres or the rural areas where there are no roads?” he asked.
“If we have infrastructure like very good roads then it’s a good idea but if you are going to reach a few people because of the roads then the whole thing is a mess.”
Col Panji suggested that the money meant for mobile hospitals go to clinics and hospitals.
“The government can even buy motorcycles for our clinical officers so that they can visit villages but bringing the whole truck carrying mobile hospitals, in my personal view, is a waste of money. It will not work. We had them before during the Kaunda days, they were there for clinics, for eyes, they were there for dental, they are all parked up in the yard so the mobile hospitals were tried before but we don’t have infrastructure and also personnel,” he said.
Col Panji said the money meant to buy mobile hospitals could be spent in better ways.
And chief Hanjalika observed that President Banda’s decision over the purchase of mobile hospitals was not made in the best interest of the people.
“I am saddened that this government has finally gotten that loan of US$53 million to purchase mobile hospitals for the nation. I am appealing to the President not to rubbish whatever people have said over the mobile hospitals because it is the truth that we do not need them,” chief Hanjalika said.
“Maybe people around him have not told him about the poor road infrastructure throughout the country. I think what people want now is infrastructure development than those moving hospitals.”
He said the government should seriously consider redirecting the loan to
building hospitals in rural areas to foster economic national development through infrastructure development.
“I am not happy about this development because of not having good roads. These things they want to bring to us will just go to waste. I don’t even think we have the capacity to repair these mobile hospitals. People have opposed the mobile hospitals so it is prudent for government not to force these things on the people because they won’t last and be appreciated,” he said.
Chief Hanjalika questioned the national leaders’ interest in the mobile hospitals deal.
He said the leaders should explain their insistence on procuring these hospitals as opposed to building permanent structures, which could last for many years.
“This loan is not sustainable. Let leaders explain the rationale for mobile hospitals. Why can’t they use the same money to build at least two modern hospitals and improve on the housing unit of the government workers especially nurses in rural areas,” wondered chief Hanjalika.
The government recently acquired a US$53 million loan from the Chinese government to procure mobile hospitals, a concept that has been opposed by various stakeholders in the country.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, NCC, SIMON ZUKAS
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Happy 85th birthday to an exemplary citizen
By Editor
Sat 31 July 2010, 04:00 CAT
Today, Simon Zukas, an outstanding leader of our country, turns 85 – one year younger than Kenneth Kaunda. Like KK, Simon is a young old man. We say this because Simon still carries in his heart and in his actions the enthusiasm of a young man, of his early days as a revolutionary, a freedom fighter and a nation builder.
Today, at 85, Simon is still very involved in the affairs of our country, helping our leaders to make decisions that are in the interest of our people. Simon is also very involved with many young people who are interested in the affairs of their country. Simon’s militant and unswerving commitment to Zambia embodies many values which we wish to acknowledge and honour today.
There are people who, by pursuing their own convictions and without being self-conscious about it, touch the lives of millions of others. Such has been Simon’s life.
We are not sure if Simon ever thought of himself as a white Zambian. Nevertheless, the fact remains that his close to three quarters of a century of activism have served and will serve as an outstanding example, for many of our people, of what it means to be a good citizen, and an exemplary one at that.
In a region, in a world in which there was a racially oppressed majority, non-racism is not an outlook that can be simply taken for granted. Simon has contributed immensely, through his personal example, to nurturing an outlook which is so evident in KK’s leadership and, increasingly, in our country today. Let those politicians who have based themselves on narrow ethnic constituencies, supposedly to safeguard personal interests, now ponder over Simon’s example.
Simon’s active participation in the politics of our country, the affairs of his homeland also symbolise and personify the purpose and meaning of our independence struggle. It is about a common commitment to overcoming, as absolute priority, the suffering of our people, their poverty and backwardness.
Simon’s contributions to the struggles of our country are many. But it is, we think, especially as a strategic thinker that Simon is held most dear by so many in the politics of our country. Simon has played a role, often a central role, in most of the outstanding strategic issues of the politics of our country.
After independence, Simon spent a lot of time working to try and develop the economy. He was part of many projects that were undertaken by government and sometimes even by the private sector. When the time came for serious political changes and doing away with the one-party political system, Simon was again there, providing leadership and guidance. And he is still there today, providing similar leadership and guidance to all our politicians, regardless of their political affiliations.
Simon has always been able to respond practically and dynamically to changing circumstances. He has had the courage of his convictions, spelling out the implications of new situations which sometimes most of our politicians have found difficult to admit.
We are extremely fortunate to have within our country such an outstanding and exemplary citizen, who has combined a rigorous mind with the attention to practical organisational work. It is with a sense of real pride and emotion that today we join his family, friends and other Zambians in celebrating his 85th birthday and thanking the Lord for giving us such a citizen, such a leader and a true friend of all our people.
We believe there is much more to be said about Simon; much more than the heavy political tributes that we are trying to give him. But this 85th birthday gives us a chance to celebrate Simon’s contributions to our country and tell him and his family what he means to us.
Serving with Simon on the board of Post Newspapers Limited was a privilege. It gave us a rare opportunity to have a deeper insight into the intellect and the clarity of thought of one of the outstanding revolutionaries of our country. Whenever Simon spoke in meetings, everyone sat up and listened because his contributions were always of a strategic nature, far-sighted and focused on the broader objective.
We have no doubt whatsoever that at the end of his days, Simon will leave us a formidable legacy. He will pass the torch to us. And we can assure him that we will not allow the flame to be extinguished. We will hold it high. Simon will always remain a symbol of commitment and dedication in the struggle to achieve a better life for our people. Simon never shirks from taking tough decisions but he is always very sensitive to the real needs of the most deprived.
Simon is a true human being for our country, a challenge to be humane. With him, the racial issue is defied and one cherishes to be human.
Apart from his obvious political impact on the lives of ordinary people, Simon has done a whole lot of good to so many people by demonstrating how not to give up, how not to despair. At 85, Simon still drives himself around, trying to hold discussions with any Zambian he sees as of value to the country and to his people.
Simon’s 85 years of life teach us about opportunity, choices and commitment to transforming society to the benefit of the poor.
Truly, Simon has not wasted his time and his life. And there is reason for us to celebrate his 85th birthday and thank Simon for what he has done for us and what he is still continuing to do for us. What can one do in one life? Simon, we thank you, we love you. We give thanks for your humanity. There are two major motivations towards helping fellow human beings. One is religious.
The Fatherhood of God Almighty betokens the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind. We are all God’s children, responsible for the wellbeing of everyone on earth, commanded to reach out the hand of help to the other. Social justice and benevolent action are as old as the Bible.
The prophet Amos, for example, stoutly defended the oppressed, thundered with indignation against the idle rich for their ill-treatment of the poor: “Let justice well up as the waters, and righteousness and a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24).
The second motivation is humanitarian – it springs from a deep sense of identification with the oppressed, the ability to hear their cry, an acute awareness of the realities of poverty, a personal anguish at the suffering of fellow human beings.
This is Simon’s way. His humanity is boundless and inspirational; he is a true champion of the oppressed and the poor. We consider it an honour to know this man and work with him and be counted among his friends, young as we may be.
Labels: SIMON ZUKAS
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Zukas’ sacrifice for Zambia is immense – Sata
By George Chellah
Sat 31 July 2010, 04:20 CAT
SIMON Zukas’ sacrifice for this country is immense, PF leader Michael Sata has observed. In a message to commemorate veteran politician Simon Zukas’ 85th birthday, Sata said Zukas was a true friend of Zambia. He said Zukas had contributed greatly to Zambia. “Simon Zukas is a second-to-none friend of this country. He is educated, he has a profession but he has sacrificed his profession and education just for this country,” Sata said.
“Simon Zukas has sacrificed everything, including money to defend the poor of this country.”
He observed that Zukas had an outstanding record of commitment to issues affecting the poor. “He has continued talking and guiding the nation. In fact, he was even among the first few courageous individuals who spoke about Frederick Chiluba’s plunder,” Sata recalled.
“The man has more genuine love for this country and its people than some of the Zambians we have today masquerading as leaders.” Zukas is a veteran politician and freedom fighter. He also served as minister in the Chiluba administration.
Zukas was born in Lithuania but immigrated with his parents to southern Africa in his early adolescence. Before independence, Zukas identified himself with the cause of social justice as adopted by nationalists.
He was deported from Northern Rhodesia to the United Kingdom because the colonialists viewed him as a danger to peace and good order. However, Zukas returned to Zambia immediately after independence.
Labels: SATA, SIMON ZUKAS
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Avoid statutory regulation of media – Zukas
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Tue 11 May 2010, 03:40 CAT
VETERAN politician Simon Zukas has said statutory regulation of the media should be avoided at all costs because it only suits the party in power. In an interview, Zukas said statutory regulation would be partisan because it would have to be implemented by the party in power.
“It needs to be condemned. It should be avoided at all costs and we should all vote against that,” he said. Zukas said he agreed with various stakeholders on the need for the freedom of information law, as it would raise the level of debates in the country.
Zukas said the economy was doing well not because of the party in government but partly because of the problems in Zimbabwe, saying investors were placing a lot of attention on Zambia.
However, Zukas said most of the economic growth was concentrated in Lusaka, the Copperbelt and new mining areas.
“The growth has not so far spread to rural areas. Rural poverty has not been alleviated much and you can tell by the vast increase of population in Lusaka which is between 16 and 21 per cent of the total population. You can easily verify that by the fact that there are a lot of people who come to Lusaka who do not speak English the official language,” he said.
He said this meant that people were coming from rural areas with no full education to make a living because there was nothing for them in those areas.
“Even vendors at street corners, many of them do not speak English. I am not against speaking vernacular but this situation reflects that very little is happening in rural areas and all is happening in Lusaka,” he said.
Zukas said in Lusaka, it was worrying that development was concentrated in house construction rather than factory construction.
He said people needed employment.
Zukas said even the mines were now highly mechanised such that some work was being done with big machines, subsequently reducing the labour force.
He also said the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) had done a job that could stand the test of time.
Zukas said there was a partisan element in the NCC from the MMD, which would not take the country anywhere.
Zukas said even though he had a degree, that sort of requirement for one to qualify to run for Republican presidency was unwise.
Labels: MEDIA, REGULATION, SIMON ZUKAS
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A head of state should behave with dignity at all times – Zukas
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Mon 03 May 2010, 04:00 CAT
ZAMBIAN politicians have cheapened and weakened the country’s democracy, veteran politician Simon Zukas has observed.
And Zukas said it was regrettable that there appears to be a close association between President Rupiah Banda and Frederick Chiluba, a man who, whether the courts had declared him guilty or not, was still suspect in the eyes of many people.
In an interview on Saturday, Zukas said the tone of the language being used by the country’s politicians had become childish.
He said the tone was below the expected standards, 47 years after independence.
Zukas said democracy was based on a free vote and the rule of law but this had been weakened and cheapened with the quality of debates, which were very low.
“I think everyone says we should concentrate on issues but leaders and their associates don’t seem to take notice of that and call each other names. Look at the newspapers, it becomes boring to read ‘this one looks better than the other or this one has a small brain’. All this is petty stuff and it is time we climbed out of this,” he said.
Zukas said Zambians were mature enough to expect a higher standard in the political debate.
He said it did not matter where it started from but it needed to be stopped because it was below expectations.
Zukas said a head of state should behave with dignity at all times.
“The President can behave with force where necessary. He should in fact not be partisan and certainly not align himself to be involved in global gymnastics referring to other people as dogs. We want the position of the President to have dignity irrespective of what party is in power,” he said.
He said another problem was the violence that characterised the recent by-elections.
Zukas said it was interesting that the violence was not in both constituencies and everybody knew that the Mufumbwe seat was a neck-to-neck seat.
“…And what worries me is that there are so many marginal seats where the competition will be neck-to-neck so we can expect a similar situation next year in all these seats if we allow violence to go on.
Those of us who are non-partisan have a duty to ensure that violence stops and does not go on up to next year,” he said. “Each side will blame the other side and I think we will get nowhere in that game. What we need and that is all the parties need to ensure zero tolerance in the electoral game.
The elections are based on political competition and they should not be a matter of life or death or life or injury.”
He said the violence was similar to gang welfare where each party as a gang was determined to win by form of street welfare instead of argument.
Zukas said the parties may not differ much in programmes but people should be allowed to choose by being convinced by one side and not being shown whose the strongest or who can intimidate the other side.
“We had violence between parties coming up to independence between youths of ANC and UNIP but we managed to stop them and continue to ensure that it did not happen again,” he said.
He said the violence in Mufumbwe was a lesson that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) could not control it and had no power.
“The police also seem unable to control it. The only way for us who have been in the political system for a long time is to come together and see how we can put an end to this,” he said.
Zukas said in Mufumbwe the police were suspected of taking sides or being party cadres in police uniform.
He said it should be easy for the police to show that the man suspected to be a cadre in uniform was indeed a policeman or a cadre as there were sufficient records in to prove that.
“Those who attacked this person should show why they suspected him. Let them show us why. I know that each side will blame each other and this will not get us anywhere. I think the police themselves should be asked to answer why they were unable to control the situation,” he said.
“They have enough police in the service to stand in each corner on the street when the President is travelling out of the country. Why didn’t they have enough people to go to areas where violence was expected and where they saw signs of violence.
The police’s pay may be low but the allocation to the service is huge and they have a duty. It should have never gotten to a point where steel bars and knives were used.”
And Zukas said it was true that former president Chiluba was declared not guilty by one of the courts but that had left many unanswered questions.
He said Chiluba was referred to a thief very often and had never gone to court to challenge that.
“The fact that the appeal against the not-guilty-verdict did not take place is regrettable and it is also regrettable that there appears to be a close association between our President and a man who whether the courts declared him guilty or not is still suspect in the eyes of many people,” said Zukas.
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Labels: RUPIAH BANDA, SIMON ZUKAS
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Zukas explains why he rejects NCC’s degree clause
By Mwala Kalaluka
Sat 20 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT
Zukas said the 'degree clause' was taking the country back to the Welensky days.
VETERAN politician Simon Zukas has said he rejects the National Constitutional Conference's presidential degree clause because it is targeted against popular PF leader Michael Sata by a government that fears competition.
And UNZA political and administrative studies lecturer Dr Alex Ng'oma has argued that Zambia will not have a constitution that stands the test of time if people continue to look at faces during the formulation process.
During a Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD)/ Press Freedom Committee (PFC) of The Post-organised public discussion on the presidential degree clause in Lusaka last Wednesday, Zukas said the requirement was taking the country back to the Welensky days.
“We need this degree qualification in order to set a target for our youths that are being educated so that they can aspire to get a degree if they want to reach the top post in the land,” Zukas said.
“However, I think that there are…less complicated ways of encouraging children to improve their academic qualifications. From that point of view, I will reject that the condition that candidates for the presidency should have a degree. Well, maybe a degree would be useful, but a degree in what? I think that a degree in integrity, in ethics, in conflict resolution, that might be just useful to have as a qualification for a presidential candidate. I consider just a degree not good enough.”
Zukas said a president with a degree could end up being the most efficient plunderer of national resources. He said Zambia was being thrown back to the Roy Welensky days when the purpose then was to keep people out of the voting system.
“I see history repeating itself in having a clause that is targeted towards an individual, a likely candidate for presidency who has popularity with whom we are afraid to compete,” Zukas said.
He said this was the case with the parentage clause that was included in the 1996 Constitution, whose sole purpose was to keep out Dr Kenneth Kaunda from the election.
“This (presidential degree clause) is being targeted against Mr Michael Sata because of his popularity and because of certain governments fearing competition. So on that ground, I reject it,” Zukas said.
But a policy expert, Dr Weston Mafuleka, said being popular was not akin to suitability for the presidency.
“I am an academician and I will not take part in the rivalry between and among people that are fighting for power,” Dr Mafuleka said. “My views are based on what I think is best for the country.”
Dr Mafuleka said he supported the presidential degree requirement because a president was supposed to be a fulcrum.
“I think the president is a generalist,” Dr Mafuleka said. “He is somebody who is broadly read.”
Dr Mafuleka said Zambia had undergone qualitative change in terms of knowledge and skills in the 46 years of independence. He urged Zambians to utilise the human resource that had been churned out from public universities that were started by the founding fathers who never went far in their education.
“They have done that job and let them also allow their children that they have prepared to get into those functions,” Dr Mafuleka said. “Think of a president as a chief diplomat even without delegating the functions. If he is insufficiently enlightened, he will be outwitted by his opposing interlocutors.”
Dr Mafuleka said a first degree was part of capacity building for a future president of Zambia.
“He is the only one who claims the whole country as his constituency,” he said.
Dr Mafuleka said concerns that the degree clause was discriminatory could not stand because all forms of democracy were discriminatory.
In his presentation, Mung'omba CRC commissioner, William Harrington said he does not subscribe to the notion that anybody with a degree could make a good president.
“The clause is not necessary and it is a cause of conflict and it is discriminatory,” Harrington said. “Not everybody is going to attain a university degree because of the circumstances but age is a natural phenomenon.”
He said it was assumptive that everybody with a degree could know everything.
“Zambia's education system is not developed enough to warrant such a clause,” Harrington said.
He said the degree clause was yet again a betrayal of the desires and aspirations of Zambians.
And Dr Ng'oma said the problem with the current constitutional process was that it did not have the interest of all Zambians at heart.
“What I see in our country is a situation whereby if I do not like you, I will look for something to throw at you,” Dr Ng'oma said.
“It is a big mistake in my view to entrench in the constitution that a presidential hopeful must be a holder of a first degree.”
He said it would be unfair and unwise to accommodate such a clause in the constitution.
“We actually look at faces. If it is a person you hate, we quickly come up with something that will stop that person to get involved in active politics,” said Dr Ng'oma.
Labels: ALEX NG'OMA, NCC, PFC, SACCORD, SIMON ZUKAS
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Women’s Lobby welcomes Kabwela’s acquittal
By Mwala Kalaluka
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
ZAMBIA National Women’s Lobby Group (ZNWLG) executive director Tamara Kambikambi has observed that Chansa Kabwela’s acquittal has vindicated those women who believed in what she did at a time when others chose to remain mute.
Kambikambi in a statement yesterday noted that ZNWLG commends female leaders, like Kabwela, who can remain steadfast amid adversity.
“What she went through was serious adversity,” Kambikambi said. “We want to see that more female leaders emulate such values because we believe that women bring a different style of leadership.
We are happy, personally, it has vindicated those of us who believed in what she was doing at the time when others chose to keep quiet about it.”
And veteran politician Simon Zukas said the state was just wasting resources on the Kabwela case.
“My comment is that the state was wasting their money on that case,” he said. “ I am glad about the outcome but it was just a waste of state money.”
Post editor Fred M’membe on Monday challenged President Rupiah Banda to appeal his ‘pornography’ case all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, SIMON ZUKAS, TAMARA KAMBIKAMBI, THE POST, ZNWLG
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