Kunda refuses to disclose value of ZAMTEL in Parliament
By Ernest Chanda
Fri 09 July 2010, 15:00 CAT
VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda on Thursday refused to give a full value of Zamtel on the pretext that it could prejudice the transaction going on between the company and RP Capital.
And Vice-President Kunda has ruled out any possible extension to the 40 days given by the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) within which the public should comment on the draft constitution.
This was in response to a question from Zambezi West UPND parliamentarian Charles Kakoma who wanted to know what the full value of Zamtel was after the company was valuated by RP Capital Partners.
Kakoma’s question was a follow up to a question for oral answer from his Solwezi Central counterpart Watson Lumba who wanted to know how many Zambian companies expressed interest in buying the 75 per cent shares in Zamtel, why the companies were not short-listed, how much money will be paid to RP Capital as full consideration at the end of the privatisation process; and what measures have been taken to protect employees who may lose their jobs as a result of the privatisation.
Vice-President Kunda said: “If we mentioned the value of Zamtel it would prejudice the transaction, so we cannot reveal that in public interest.”
Asked by Lumba what was so special about RP Capital that they were given the contract when there were qualified Zambian companies that could have valuated Zamtel, Vice-President Kunda said: “This Company had pre-requisite expertise and therefore qualified to provide the service. Thank you.”
When pushed further by Lusaka Central Patriotic Front parliamentarian Dr Guy Scott to give an estimated value of Zamtel, Vice-President Kunda still refused.
“That question is vague because there is no value at the moment,” he responded.
And when asked by Chongwe MMD member of parliament Sylvia Masebo what the contract said about the amount RP Capital would receive after the valuation of Zamtel, Vice-President Kunda said: “Five per cent of the net value that government would realise. At the moment there is no such value.”
And earlier responding to the whole question, Communications and Transport deputy minister Mubika Mubika said only TATA Zambia expressed interest in valuating Zamtel, but that they did not bid.
On how much money would be paid to RP Capital as full consideration at the end of the privatisation process, Mubika said the fee cannot be determined at the moment.
And later contributing to debate on the second report of the parliamentary committee on Economic Affairs, Katuba MMD member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa questioned government’s overconfidence in foreign investors.
“There are a lot of Zambians who do not feel that they belong to this country. There are a lot of Zambians who do not feel the economic gains being talked about because they are not employed. If that contract was given to a Zambian firm, the $12 million this country paid to RP Capital was going to remain in Zambia and it would raise our GDP Gross Domestic Product,” Shakafuswa debated.
“For me it doesn’t matter if Zambian gets that job, even if it’s Hakainde who gets the job because he has the expertise and it’s fine because he is going to invest in this Zambia and create jobs for Zambians. We have people who graduated from the Copperbelt University and they run accounting firms. We also have outstanding engineers in this country who are only appreciated by other countries. Now, if government is in the forefront of looking down on our experts who is going to promote them?”
And yesterday Vice-President Kunda told parliament that the NCC would be no more after August 31, 2010.
Responding to Katuba MMD parliamentarian Jonas Shakafuswa during the Vice-President’s question time who requested for an extension to the 40 days period especially that people in his constituency only received the draft constitution on Thursday, Vice-President Kunda said the constitution making process could not go on forever.
“One of the functions of this House is to make laws and the Honourable member asking this question was party to enacting this law on the 40 day period. There was an understanding that the process had to end and we prescribed August 31 this year to end the process,” Vice-President Kunda said.
“Therefore after August 31st the NCC will come to an end. If we have to extend then we will have to bring a bill to make an amendment. We can’t continue with the process. This process has been going on for too long and it’s time we moved on. Regarding the referendum, we will decide as NCC whether we should go to a referendum or make some amendments and we will do that before August 31st.”
Labels: CORRUPTION, GEORGE KUNDA, GUY SCOTT, JONAS SHAKAFUSWA, MUBIKA MUBIKA, NCC, RP CAPITAL PARTNERS, WATSON LUMBA, ZAMTEL
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COMMENT - If it is true that 'the MMD' is giving uniforms and firearms to cadres, that is an extremely serious offense. It undermines the authority of the police, the trust people have the right to have in real police officers, and seriously blurries the distinction between the party in government and the state. Not only should it be illegal to impersonate a police officer, but the person who gave uniforms to cadres should be up on charges.
UPND beats up ‘MMD cadre’ in police uniform
By Speedwell Mupuchi and Jane Mwakasungula in Mufumbwe
Fri 30 Apr. 2010, 04:50 CAT
A cadre who police assaulted at a UPND camp on Wednesday - Pictures by Abel Mambwe
UPND cadres yesterday beat up a man in police uniform whom they suspected to be an MMD cadre masquerading as a police officer at Kalambu polling station.
And voting in the Mufumbwe parliamentary by-election kicked off on a slow note. UPND cadres who went to the polling station identified the uniformed man as an MMD cadre. The cadres mobilised themselves and went to confront the ‘officer’, asking for his identity card and service number but the ‘officer’ allegedly said nothing.
The cadres then started beating the ‘officer’ and bundled him into a khaki vehicle registration number AAV 3625 belonging to the UPND and drove to a lodge where UPND president Hakainde Hichilema was staying.
At the lodge, the cadres continually beat and dragged the officer into the lodge until an official shouted: “This is wrong. Take him out of here”.
About three youths then lifted the ‘officer’ and took him to the vehicle. Just then, police officers who were alerted that UPND cadres had abducted an ‘officer’, arrived at the lodge and impounded the vehicle.
The police then got the UPND vehicle and the ‘officer’ and took them to the police station. The ‘officer’ was thereafter taken to Mufumbwe Hospital for treatment.
The police went to the lodge around 07:45 hours, surrounded the lodge and ordered everybody out of their rooms for them to conduct a search of all the rooms.
One of the senior police officers, P. J. Mutale, blamed the UPND cadres for dragging the ‘police officer’ to Hichilema’s residence, explaining that the situation put the UPND leader in an awkward position.
“The youths should not have done what they did because they have put Hichilema in an awkward position. It is making everybody in that area apprehensive,” said Mutale.
And Mutale said police believed that UPND campaign manager Watson Lumba ordered the cadres to abduct the ‘police officer’.
“We want Lumba, dead or alive,” said Mutale. “We are reliably informed that he is the causer of all this.”
Journalists who visited the hospital found the assaulted ‘officer’ with a swollen eye. They even asked him where the assaulted ‘officer’ was, not knowing that it was actually him.
Assistant police spokesperson Moses Suwali told journalists that the cadres used a craw bar to beat the officer whom they left badly injured.
He said police were looking for the driver of the UPND vehicle and Lumba for abduction and assaulting a uniformed police officer.
After about two hours, police officers went and surrounded the UPND campaign centre where they also searched the rooms for Lumba.
They even deflated and removed the wheels from his Nissan Patrol and left it on stones.
Police also arrested Hichilema’s security man, Pretorious Haaloba, and took him to the police station for questioning.
Hichilema said the surrounding of the lodge where he was keeping up was clearly a house arrest on him. Hichilema said MMD was compromising the police by giving cadres police uniforms and guns.
“If they bring a charge, they don’t need to bring these guys here, I will just walk to the police and put myself in the cell,” said Hichilema.
“The issue is not about Watson Lumba and the purported policeman. How many of our people were beaten? How many MMD cadres are arrested who beat our people at the campaign centre? They were taken to the police by our cadres but the police and the MMD sneaked them out of the police and hid them,” said Hichilema. “So what excuse are they going to give that they are looking for Lumba?
They have caused a breakdown of law and order here. I have just been told that they have picked one of my colleagues. I am sure the idea is of picking us one by one. Eventually, they will come and shoot me dead in this room. However, I am not scared.”
Hichilema said they wanted him out of Mufumbwe 10 days ago. He said President Rupiah Banda and the MMD had created a militia aimed at intimidating voters in Mufumbwe.
And Hichilema defied a regulation by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) restricting his movements during yesterday’s Mufumbwe Parliamentary by-elections.
He accused the ECZ of discriminating against him.
“I am under house arrest. The ECZ issued a statement that I should not move officially. My rights to move have been taken away. Judge Florence Mumba (ECZ chairperson) was present at that meeting,” said Hichilema.
“Some members of the party were annoyed and they walked out. One of them was Jack Mwiimbu.”
And voting started on a slow pace partly due to the violence during the election campaigns.
Anti Voter Apathy monitors said the voter turnout was not very impressive.
UPND’s Elliot Kamondo cast his vote at Kyamwina polling station around 07:00 hours where by 07:30, 421 voters had cast their ballots.
And MMD’s Mulondwe Muzungu cast his vote around 11:30 hours.
Muzungu said there was voter apathy because of the violence by UPND.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, CADRES, CORRUPTION, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, POLITICAL VIOLENCE, UPND, WATSON LUMBA
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Lumba calls for redefinition of political power
By Erest Chanda
Mon 30 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
NEWLY-elected Solwezi Central UPND member of parliament Watson Lumba has called for a redefinition of political power so that it can be used to develop the country.
Delivering his maiden speech to Parliament on Friday, Lumba said there was need for Zambians to articulate national interests that transcended party affiliations.
“…I wish to pick, for my extended discussion, the state of politics in our country. Politics is about power; it is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals, the society in which they live and the economy in which they work,” Lumba said.
“I believe that there remains a fundamental need for us as a people of Zambia to clearly define and articulate our national interests that transcend party affiliations. Under girding such national interests should be ethical and moral issues that include setting for ourselves to honour virtues of hard work, honest, trustworthiness and decency.”
Lumba said time had come for citizens to discuss politics of issues with a discernible ideological position.
“Debate, therefore, is about fundamental ideas, particularly ideas about how political power must be used in developing our young nation and the proper role of the state in the economy and society, is critical to an informed discussion on policy in this House.
Unfortunately this is lacking. For as long as I can remember, it has become fashionable in our young country to accept that politics do not deliver sustainability and lack imagination,” he said.
“We continue to waste time and resources on non-issues. Put crudely, it is the degrading view gaining ground in our nation that says 'forget the ethics and morals, everything goes, the end justifies the means'; and also that 'everything is up for sale at the right price'. I disagree and disagree fundamentally.”
He said the current government had failed to give a leadership that people could look up to.
“We have allowed ourselves to assume mental dwarfism that refuses to think that critically and beyond our narrow self interests. We are content to visit political tuntembas, translated as tea cants or prefabricated sheet corner stores when we can get more from political malls with their polished knowledge,” Lumba said.
“To get back to that place requires leadership; leadership that the current government appears demonstratably incapable of providing. Our future challenge is to build across this nation a robust domestic constituency in support of Zambia's future international engagement, one that will not be neglected by inferiority complex.”
Labels: POLITICS, WATSON LUMBA
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