Friday, 11^th March, 2022

 

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

The House met at 0900 hours

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, let me acquaint the House with the business it will consider next week.

 

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, 15^th March, 2022, the Business of the House will begin with Questions for Oral Answer, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will consider the Report of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Human Rights and Governance on the Petition to Amend the Industrial and Labour Relations Act, Chapter 269 of the Laws of Zambia. The House will then commence the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address, on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles.

 

Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, 16^th March, 2022, the Business of the House will start with Questions for Oral Answer, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will consider Private Members’ Motions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

 

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, 17^th March, 2022, the Business of the House will commence with Questions for Oral Answer, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. After that, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

 

Madam Speaker, on Friday, 18^th March, 2022, the Business of the House will begin with The Vice-President’s Question Time. This will be followed by Questions for Oral Answer, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will consider presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. After that, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

______

 

TIME OF THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I wish to inform the House that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, will arrive at 0945 hours to address the House.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Madam Speaker: Order hon. Members!

 

You are requested to remain in your seats.

 

Business was suspended from 0906 hours until 0947 hours.

 

The President entered the Assembly Chamber escorted by Madam Speaker.

 

THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

 

(Assembly resumed)

 

The President (Mr Hichilema): Madam Speaker, thank you very much colleagues and good morning.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Thank you.

 

Madam Speaker, we are extremely delighted to be back in this august House after our maiden address on 13^th September, 2021, when we officially opened the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly. Today, we are pleased to have an opportunity to address the House once again, and indeed, the nation, on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles. This is a requirement under Articles 9 and 86(1) of our Zambian Constitution.

 

Madam Speaker, allow us to begin today’s business by paying tribute to our fallen hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwata Parliamentary Constituency, one Hon. Levy Mkandawire, who passed away on 18^th November, 2021. His untimely death has robbed the people of Kabwata, Kabwata Parliamentary Constituency residents, I mean, this august House, and indeed, the nation at large, of his valuable contribution.

 

Madam Speaker, hon. Members, let us be upstanding, I suggest, and observe a minute of silence in honour of the late hon. Member of Parliament.

 

Hon. Members of Parliament stood in silence for one minute.

The President: You may take your seats.

 

May the soul of our departed hon. Member of Parliament, brother and colleague, rest in eternal peace.

 

Madam Speaker, following the untimely death of Mr Mkandawire and obviously, a by-election that was held on 3^rd February, 2022, the people of Kabwata Parliamentary Constituency elected one Hon. Andrew Tayengwa as their new hon. Member of Parliament.

 

We congratulate you, Hon. Tayengwa, …

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: … and we urge you to serve your constituency, our constituency, the people of Kabwata, and indeed, the country with honour and distinction.

 

Madam Speaker, the national values and principles are enshrined in Article 8 of our Republican Constitution. Memory jog or jig, these are:

 

1. morality and ethics;
2. patriotism and national unity;
3. democracy and constitutionalism;
4. human dignity, equity, social justice, equality and non-discrimination;
5. good governance and integrity; and
6. sustainable development.

 

Madam Speaker, as a new administration, the New Dawn Administration recognises the importance of these national values and principles in shaping our individual as well as national character. At individual level, they shape the moral fiber for our personal development. At institutional level, they guide in decision making and the implementation of policies. At national level, these values and principles are an important moral compass. This is extremely important. They promote hard work, accountability and self discipline, which are all critical to national development. We should, therefore, embrace these values and principles and make them our way of life, every day, month and year.

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to report on the progress we have made as a country in the application of our national values and principles for the period under review.

 

Morality and Ethics

 

Madam Speaker, as a nation, we have made progress in the application of morality and ethics. However, more remains to be done as incidences of immoral and unethical conduct continue to be prevalent in our country. These include, unfortunately, alcohol and substance abuse, child marriages, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence (GBV), corruption, and abuse of information and communication technology (ICT), of course, on the platform of social media and others.

 

Madam Speaker, in order to curb alcohol abuse, the Government, your Government, our Government, has continued to implement the National Alcohol Policy, which provides for a coordinated response to address this scourge. In implementing the policy, one of the measures has been the sensitisation of citizens on the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse. The Government is also providing rehabilitation services, which are available in provincial hospitals as well as in public and private institutions slated across the districts of the whole country.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government enacted the Cannabis Act No. 33 of 2021, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act No. 35 of 2021, to among other reasons or things, regulate the use of these substances. Our administration will indeed ensure that these pieces of legislation are effectively enforced without any segregation of any kind.

 

Madam Speaker, the fight against alcohol and substance abuse is not for the Government alone. It can never be achieved by the Government alone. Let us all get involved in helping our fellow citizens, especially the youth, in this regard. To the parents, let us not neglect our responsibility of molding our children into morally upright citizens. It starts at the family level. If it is done properly at the family level, then society would have dealt with this issue. If we neglect it at the family level, it becomes difficult to do good or right on this subject later in life.

 

Madam Speaker, to the church, civil society and traditional leadership, let us all take interest in participating in the fight against this scourge. To the youth, we urge you to refrain from abusing alcohol and other drugs.  I must say here that there are cases where even adults are involved in this unfortunate situation. Now, if we adults are involved, how are we going to guide our children? Are we going to encourage them to do what is wrong, which destroys them? I think we must check ourselves.

 

Madam Speaker, to the private sector, especially the liquor industry, we implore you to put in place measures and programmes that will help our people refrain from alcohol and substance use. We further implore you to operate within the confines of the law. The law guides and moderates all of us. That is why we put up these laws to moderate all of us in our society. In particular, we call upon the local authorities to strictly enforce the bylaws that regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol.

 

Madam Speaker, another issue affecting our moral and ethical standards as a nation is the manner in which ICT, as well as social media platforms, are utilised in our country. These platforms have made it easy for us to interact, share information, undertake business transactions and enhance our democracy, which is good. These are all welcome. However, the Government is concerned that some of our citizens are using these platforms to perpetrate hate speech, which is illegal, cyber bulling, and indeed, spread fake news. We see a lot of such on our platforms. We see fake news, cyber crimes like enticing people to loan schemes that do not exist, and the circulation of obscene materials. Obscene materials destroy the morality of our young people. These are just among the vices. There are many more. It is important that we use these platforms responsibly for the betterment of ourselves, our communities, organisations and indeed, the nation.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government is determined to put a stop to the irresponsible use of ICTs as well as the abuse of social media platforms. This vice must not be celebrated or condoned in our society. Laws to protect citizens from this illegality will be enforced without segregation. Let us use these platforms for the good and to foster the continued development of our communities and democracy. Let us use them to promote creativity, and of course, entertainment, legitimate news and business transactions, to name the few opportunities it brings, instead of encouraging negativities.

 

Madam Speaker, child marriages and teenage pregnancies have remained serious issues in our country. Unfortunately and sadly, we have cases of very young girls who are being married off. We have cases of teenage girls who are still children themselves beginning to have children. Where is the family in this situation? The family unit is the one that ought to deal with these issues as the first stage. Where is the family unit? These teenager girls are exposed to health complications and even death, sometimes at the point of giving birth.

 

Madam Speaker, we are all responsible for this unfortunate situation. This is immoral and is unacceptable. This should not be tolerated among ourselves. To this end, we have partnered with traditional and civic leaders, the church, and the civil society organisations (CSOs) to sensitise our communities on the dangers of child marriages and indeed, teenage pregnancies. Further, the Government is implementing the school re-entry policy and the Keeping Girls in School (KGS) programme to ensure that the girl child remains in school and is protected from such vices as much as possible.

 

Madam Speaker, additionally, the Free Education Policy, among other measures, will clearly further improve the circumstances of the girl child and the communities at large, without doubt. There is no question about it. Going forward, the Government will harmonise all child-related legislation to ensure that children’s rights and welfare are protected effectively. We will enforce the laws – Madam Speaker, I shall repeat. We will enforce the laws and bring to book those who marry off teenage girls.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I am very categorical here. We are very categorical. If you marry a teenage girl, you will be prosecuted.

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I wish to emphasise a point that has been ignored in the past. Yes, we prosecute those who marry teenage girls, but where are they getting these girls from? They are getting them from a home. Somewhere, someone has consented to this marriage. Therefore, we shall also go for parents and guardians, …

 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: … who will marry off young girls. We want our children to be protected from any form of abuse, neglect, and indeed, exploitation.

 

Madam Speaker, GBV is another vice that continues to affect our country. The Government is working with various stakeholders to address this vice. In 2021, the House will be pleased to note that a total of 20,540 cases of GBV were recorded compared to 26,370 in 2020. We give these figures for us to pick the trend. This obviously suggests a decrease of 22.1 per cent. In spite of this reduction, a lot still needs to be done going forward. The Government is also concerned about acts of GBV that are not reported in our communities. They happen, but they are not reported. This is of concern to us and it must be a concern to everyone. This is specifically or especially common in our rural areas and peri-urban settlements, for some reason. We have an idea what this reason is, but maybe, for today, we should just say, ‘for some reason’.

 

Madam Speaker, we urge our citizens to be alert, make this fight personal and report any form of GBV to law enforcement agencies. This is the only way, at least, one key way in which victims can be assisted and perpetrators punished. The Government will continue to work with stakeholders in implementing measures aimed at reducing incidences of GBV in our communities. Working together, we can reduce to the minimum, GBV. 

 

Madam Speaker, I have a passion which I would like to share with the House and the nation today. That passion is about love. We must love one another because where love is present, there will be no violence.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: How is it that you can claim to love your wife as a husband, if you beat her up in the morning and in the evening, you claim you love her? How possible is that? How possible is it that a father can take his own child to bed, then claim to love that child, and yet he is destroying that child forever? It means there is no love in that environment. Love is strong. Love conquers. We must love each other in our communities. We should separate that from criminality. The two are separate. One cannot commit crimes and say because there is love in the house, I will go scot-free.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

 The President: Madam Speaker, the two are separate and different.

 

Madam Speaker, our households, communities and the nation will be better off if we lead our lives with love for one another starting at the family level. The most important unit in any nation is the family.

 

Madam Speaker, ethical conduct is critical to achieving our developmental agenda. We need a professional and ethical workforce in our country. The public sector - direct, public sector - local government, public sector - parastatal or quasi-government institutions, private sector, and family businesses, at all these levels, we must apply ethical standards. It is in this regard that the Government has continued to sensitise Public Service workers on codes of ethics and conduct. The new administration is determined to change the mindset of our citizens, especially the Public Service workers.

 

Madam Speaker, we, therefore, call upon all professional bodies and associations to sensitise their members on their respective professional codes of conduct to ensure that these are enforced to the latter. After all, we create these standards so that they can be followed and enforced. So, let us do what we intended to do when we created these professional codes of conduct. They do help the wider society if they are dealt with at the micro level.

 

Patriotism and National Unity

 

Madam Speaker, may I address this as well. Zambia is our country. Zambia is our heritage. Please, follow the usage of these simple words. Zambia is our country. Zambia is our heritage. Zambia belongs to all of us.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Never should we again, create a deliberate divide amongst our people or institutionalise the divisive behavior. It should never happen again because Zambia belongs to all of us. It is our duty, therefore, to nurture a strong sense of patriotism, which entails putting the interest of our nation first. This includes participation in national governance and safeguarding national assets, I must say. The responsibility to demonstrate loyalty, love and dedication to our country remains with us all, first as individuals, families, societies, communities, businesses and associations. It is in there that we must demonstrate loyalty, love and dedication to our country.

 

Madam Speaker, we are proud of our citizens who continue to carry the Zambian flag high with a sense of national pride in areas such as sport, entertainment and science. Let us be inspired by these shining stars and emulate their hard work and sense of patriotism. We must embrace the value of hard work. I shall repeat this. I have noticed, we have noticed, that we have a declining work habit and culture in our country. Citizens want to line up for hand outs …

 

Hon. Government Members: PF!

 

The President: … without working. We cannot build a nation on this basis. This is the attitude that destroys nations slowly. Productivity and economic development gets impaired. We must embrace the value of hard work at personal, organisational and national levels.

 

Madam Speaker, may I speak about my experience. From our own personal experience, we are convinced that it does not matter your background or circumstances, work and more work delivers results.

 

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: There is no question about it.

 

We must be disciplined. We must aim for excellence. You cannot expect to be a head of an organisation when you know you do not present excellence. You are aware you do not present excellence, but for some reason, you want to be a head of an organisation. You will destroy yourself and the organisation. Simple! This is the only way we can enhance our productivity and economic growth in our country. There is no other way. There are no shortcuts. If you run a country with shortcuts, with no work, but huge rewards, it is a matter of time, the country will not be able to move forward.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, as a people, we have the responsibility to continue safeguarding our national assets for a common good. It is our duty. We are, however, concerned that some of our national assets, just by way of example, electricity infrastructure, roads, including simple things like road signage or furniture, are vandalised. In the market areas, we continue to see vandalism. Therefore, one wonders for what purpose? What is a signpost worth to anybody, if they plucked it out of the road side? These are serious issues. They appear small, but they are very important to our country.

 

Madam Speaker, this vice must be condemned when we see it or experience it, at all costs. It does not only disrupt service delivery, but also, derails progress towards a better Zambia. We, therefore, call upon all citizens to love and put our country and its interests first. Luckily, when we do that, our personal interests also get taken care of, but the opposite is not true, and we have seen it. When personal interests take precedence, the nation’s and eventually, our own interests will be affected negatively.

 

Madam Speaker, if you are a supplier and you get paid for goods you never supplied, eventually, you will never be paid because the economy will have no capacity to pay you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I am making a point here that if people put the nation first and conduct themselves properly, be respectful and truthful, their interests will also be taken care of, ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: … but the opposite is not true. We have seen it. We do not need to look around. We have seen it.

 

Madam Speaker, our Government is determined to continue promoting the consumption of locally produced goods and services. Through this House and to the nation, I ask us to be attentive on this matter. Our Government is determined to continue promoting the consumption of locally produced goods and services. If we have to legislate about that, we will ask this House do so. We know the benefits of that. This is key to our economic transformation story and agenda. Demand and consumption of local produce and services will drive higher production levels. Simple!

 

Hon. Member: Kawambwa Tea.

 

The President: Yes. Kawambwa Tea is our company.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, this behavior, without one noticing it as an individual, will translate into what we call, ‘demand pull’. Production will respond positively. Jobs and businesses will be created.  It is as simple as that. There is no partisanship in such issues.

The President: There is no political party in such issues. What there is, is the interest of Zambia and our people. This is key, I repeat, to our socio-economic transformation agenda. When I say this, I mean to all of us and not to the United Party for National Development (UPND), the Patriotic Front (PF) or another party, but the whole country. We are making progress in this area, but it is a bit slow as more of our citizens are consuming our local products. This is evidenced by the increased shelf space for local products in trading areas and shops.

 

Madam Speaker, we now have forty-seven local companies that are certified to use the official “Proudly Zambian” logo covering 565 local products registered with a mark of quality under the “Buy Zambia Campaign.” We give credit to those of our citizens who have relentlessly continued to push the “Buy Zambia Campaign” and we must support them. This is progress, of course, compared to thirty-three companies certified in 2020, covering 500 products. This is comparative analysis. Now, we have many more products and companies. It is a good stage, but we can do more.

 

Madam Speaker, further, this administration will promote and strengthen initiatives aimed at increasing the use of local inputs in various processes and production value chains. I have followed the debate on the importation of onion. Honestly, why should we import onion in this country? Let us carry this debate outside this House. This is not correct. This is a common sense issue.

 

Madam Speaker, we must have a specific mindset evolution to connect the why and value for which we should do such things. Value addition is a very important component among others in driving the growth of our economy. We have talked about it before. We must work towards actualising that.

 

Madam Speaker, it is gratifying to witness increased acts of care from citizens and organisations that have been rendering support to the needy on a voluntary basis. Some citizens have been offering their services and resources to serve their respective communities. We salute all those who are volunteering their services and providing resources in their communities to the needy. These include faith-based organisations (FBOs), we mean churches, members of the ward development committees (WDCs) at that level, which is important, localised level, community welfare assistance committees, the civil society, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), among others.

 

Madam Speaker, although some may not see, I am proud to say that many of the citizens are beginning to see that a new dawn is here.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, it is time to work hard, as I said earlier as well as to cherish benefits arising from work, and not just ‘talking’ things, but getting rewarded from working. Our country must build itself as a united people. It is time to stop any form of division based on whatever criterion or criteria. Absolutely, none of these issues must divide us. I am not shy to say that ethnicity is a gift from God and not a basis of divisions. Some have exploited and benefited from it for years. This must come to an end.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, let me talk about political and religious affiliations. Many of us are victims of our religious affiliations. Why should it be like that? The body of Christ is one. Indeed, any other differences must not be the basis of divisions in our country. We have a lot more things that unite us than the few that apparently, superficially, may be viewed to be the basis of divisions. No! We can argue on policies and who we socialise with, it is our choice, but it should never lead to divisions that eventually bring in violence. No! No! We are One Zambia, One Nation, One People.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: This is a gift from God. Since we are a christian nation, we must live like christians.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: We must rid ourselves of acts that divide us. It is a wasteful exercise. It is wasted energy. It is a waste of resources. All of these resources, time included, are needed for a concerted effort towards development and bettering the lives of our people. We should not use them to divide ourselves, unless one has an inferiority complex. We must rid ourselves of that stuff. We are Zambians first before any affiliation to a political party or before we join churches. Many of us belong to churches because those are the churches that we found when we were born in the areas we were born.

 

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

 

The President: How can that be a source of difference? Ethnicity, as I said, how can that be an issue? Social groupings are under fundamental human rights, liberties and freedoms, but they cannot be or should never be the basis for divisions.

 

Madam Speaker, in this regard, we must enjoy our freedoms and rights. That is the opposite side of the coin, without fear of victimisation. Some things, which we talk about which happened in the past, we should never allow them to happen again.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: I think that is the basis of strength and not weakness.

 

Madam Speaker, I must say, and I am sure others did not expect me to say that there is no honour in cadreism that leads violence and discrimination against fellow citizens. To those who want to commit these crimes – I shall repeat to assist one or two colleagues who were busy chatting. To those who want to commit those crimes, you are on their own.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: We love you, but you are on your own. That is what I said earlier. We need to separate criminality from the love that I talked about. We love you, but you are on your own. The law will visit you regardless of your political affiliation.

 

Madam Speaker, we urge our citizens to report any form of harassment, discrimination and violence in markets, bus stations or public offices to the law enforcement agencies. I would like to emphasise here that when we leaders are leading people in divisive behaviours, I think we take away the credentials of leadership from ourselves. I hope people are hearing me. In the past, it was a norm to abuse fellow citizens and leaders were in the lead.

 

Interruptions

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I am deliberately emphasising this issue because it went on for years and it became normal. Those who propagated it were protected. I am saying that we love them, but if they do that going forward, they are on their own. Going forward, law and order must be everywhere and all the time should be the norm, and not the violence and hooliganism of the past.

 

Democracy and Constitutionalism

 

Madam Speaker, in a democracy like ours, the people are supreme and are the highest form of political authority. Indeed, the Zambian people are our masters. We, in this House must remind ourselves of this all the time. We are proud that our thriving democracy continues to be a shining example in the region and continent. I must also say that having attended many international platforms to re-enter our country into the League of Nations, we are respected out there. Our democracy is respected. Let us respect it here because we are now used as a good example of democracy.

 

Madam Speaker, there is need to always remember that those of us in positions of authority are there first and foremost, courtesy of the people of Zambia, to serve and not to take away from the people. People should hear me out. The two are different. The public office is to serve and not to take away from the people. Our administration is committed to creating a level playing field where democracy can thrive; creating an environment in which political actors can freely compete on ideas, convictions and as I said, service and nothing else. This is evident from the recently held by-elections at parliamentary and local government levels, where political parties campaigned freely, devoid of the unprecedented levels of violence ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: ... of the past. Some of us are victims of those levels of violence, but we are mature enough to say, we shall turn a different route. We thank the political parties, the people of Kabwata Parliamentary Constituency in Lusaka, Liangati Ward in Senanga, and Sokontwe Ward in Milenge in Luapula for the peaceful elections.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: This is indeed, Madam Speaker, how it should be. This demonstrates our deepening democracy, but it does not happen by chance. It happens through providing leadership. Lingering habits of the past do raise or rear the ugly heads, but the important thing is that, we are committed and we will continue providing leadership to stamp them down. That is the key. It is not that they will not reappear. One or two incidences will happen, but we will clamp them down. That is leadership. 

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Administration respects the principle of separation of powers among the three arms of Government.   

 

Mr Kapyanga: Question!

 

The President: Absolutely! While coordination is of vital importance, we will, however, continue to respect the autonomy of the Executive on one hand, Legislature on another and indeed, the Judiciary in carrying out their respective constitutional mandates.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, today, certain things are happening which could have never happened just seven to eight months ago. People are entitled to police bond and bail. That is the separation of powers through leadership.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, as indicated, our administration remains committed to the rule of law to ensure an orderly and just society. Today, anyone can go to the Intercity Bus Terminus to catch a bus. People can even go to Kulima Tower to buy what they want or indeed, do what they want even when they are wearing the regalia of the opposite side. Only seven months ago, that was a death sentence.

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, leadership can destroy and build. Let us use leadership to build and not to destroy. Sometimes we must accept what is wrong to be wrong and what is right to be right. All persons, institutions and entities, public and private, shall operate within the confines of the law. We will enforce the law equally regardless of one’s status in society.

 

Constitutional Reforms

 

Madam Speaker, allow me to say something about this. Constitutional reforms are an integral part of the transformation agenda of this administration. There are too many lacunas in the Constitution. I am not sure how this happened, but it happened.

 

Interruptions

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I am talking about the lacunas in the 2016 Constitution. That is what I am talking about and not anything else. Constitutional reforms are an integral part of the transformation agenda of this administration.

 

Madam Speaker, in this regard, the Government shall undertake all the necessary measures to gather and build consensus with all stakeholders on how best we can give ourselves a Constitution that reflects our shared and cherished aspirations as a people. I want to emphasise the words ‘consensus building’. No constitutional process must be driven without consensus. This is not just for a constitution, but other laws as well. I am passionate about what I am about to say and I am asking for the attention of my colleagues in this august House. For example, some of us will continue to lobby the hon. Members in this House, and others for the nation to legislate against costly, time consuming and disruptive by-elections.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The President: Madam Speaker, those with good memories, if that is all we need, will remember that in my Inaugural Speech when opening this Parliament were I am seated here, I raised the same issue and I raise it again because I believe in it. I want to repeat. Some of us will continue to lobby all of the hon. Members here and others for the nation to legislate against costly, time consuming and disruptive by-elections. They should come to the table for this. Elections should happen once in every five years. In between elections, we should focus all our valuable time and resources to improving the lives of our fellow citizens.

 

   Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: So, come to the table on this issue.

 

Interruptions

 

The President: Madam Speaker, in addition – Excitement indicates that people have an interest in this subject.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I said that there are so many flaws and lacunas in the Constitution. If we do not change for example, this one, by-elections will continue. In addition, working with you and other stakeholders, our administration will amend the Public Order Act in line with our democratic tenets. Human dignity, equity, social justice, equality and non-discrimination are critical and on this issue, we have learnt the hard way in the past.

 

 Madam Speaker, enhancing human development for our people is a major priority for this Government. We are committed to turning around our economy to accelerate socio-economic transformation and uplift the livelihoods of our citizenry. In this regard, more effort will be placed on creating opportunities and a conducive environment for increased productivity.

 

Madam Speaker, our Government is determined to have a dignified workforce, as I said before. Employers should comply with our labour laws and provide a conducive working environment for the workers. It is in this regard that under the Decent Work Programme, over 3,800 labour inspections were undertaken in 2021 to enhance the protection of workers’ rights and improve the work environment obviously, which should lead to higher productivity. It is clear that a lot still remains to be done to promote the decent workplace agenda. We also urge employees on their part to bring to the attention of the Government, through various labour offices, any concerns that they may have, for improvement. There is no point in posting these things on social media. They should report what they are aggrieved about to the labour offices near them.  We believe that, working together, the work environment and indeed, productivity and economic advancement shall be the good result we expect.

 

Madam Speaker, we are very concerned with the high unemployment levels amongst our youth. Handouts will not solve that problem.

 

Mr Kapyanga: Very important!

 

The President: Absolutely!

 

Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Administration will review, realign and add new youth empowerment programmes to make them more relevant, viable and sustainable. You will be very pleased that in fact this process has already commenced. As we speak in this House, this year’s Youth Day has been organised in a different way for the first time. There is a conference going on next door were the youths from across the country have gathered to look at specifically, how we can address their concerns and create decent jobs and business opportunities. This is not just mere cash handouts for political expedience, but dignified work and businesses. This is a story I know well. This process, I repeat, has in fact, already commenced. Through that interactive process compared to what is existing, together with the new initiatives that will be brought on the table, we should be able to cook a decent meal for our youths that will be available not only for a day, but for days, months and years. This is how you build a nation.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, we urge the youth to take advantage of the empowerment programmes such as those under the dramatically enhanced Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to better their lives. These are the new initiatives. I must say opportunities for access to land for our people, mining ...

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

The President: You have heard me.

 

The President: ... and timber licences, and contracts for goods and services, are part of the menu. These will be expanded to give our youth and other citizens decent and sustainable opportunities to income generation and not queuing up. Not Tantameni.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Laughter

 

The President: Madam Speaker, tantameni in our Bemba language is a practice were some politicians will never drive development into their constituencies, but when elections come, they just tell the youths to line up and give them K20 each, and ask them to vote for them without development.

 

Interruptions

 

The President: Madam Speaker, we must help our youth to develop and look after themselves. Those of us born from the village understand this better. It is not different from any part of the country or indeed, where others were born. Let us develop our population and not destroy it.  

 

Madam Speaker, additionally, our strategy to promote investment and private sector growth will not only bring about economic growth, but also create jobs. Our cherished desire is to see our people access business opportunities. This House, if necessary, must legislate on many things that will make our people access these opportunities, which we have talked about.

 

Madam Speaker, self-employment should continue to be promoted and valued, and not tantameni.  

 

Madam Speaker, I want to repeat. Self-employment should continue to be promoted and valued in our country. As a nation, we have a duty to educate every Zambian child, regardless of their status. As stated earlier, our first bold step in this regard was to make primary and secondary education free in public schools. When others mocked us that this was not possible, we insisted that it was, and we are doing it. Additionally, we are also keeping more vulnerable children in school by enhancing the School Feeding Programme (SFP).

 

Madam Speaker, I have heard complaints that since children are sitting on the floor, the Free Education Policy has failed. What a lack of understanding. It is a good problem to have. It means the policy is working. It means that there were children out of school before this policy. How do we resolve it? Simple! We need to buy more desks and build more classroom space. Is that possible?

 

Hon Government Members: Yes!

 

The President: Yes! Through what? The CDF and other measures.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, the House went into rapture too early. I was telling a short story that it is a right and pleasurable challenge to have because it means the policy is working. We must be ashamed that many children were out of school because their parents could not afford to keep them there. This is the vision. This is it and now we can fix it. I was saying we need to buy school desks.

 

Madam Speaker, in support of our youth and women, no school desk should be imported from outside this country. They must all be made here.

 

Mr Kakubo: Ema Presidents aba!

 

Laughter

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I have heard people say, ‘capacity’. This policy will develop capacity. Demand will drive production. Desks must be bought in the locations like constituencies, districts and provinces. Then the money will stay in those areas. If they are talking about liquidity, they will see liquidity.

 

Madam Speaker, before the House went into rapture, I said the instrument, the tool is the CDF and other instruments. This is what I said. Please, take note of these words because they mean something. Before, we argued a lot that free education was not possible, but I said it was possible. Today it is here.

 

Madam Speaker, to also address the flaws of the bursary system at the centre, we have said that scholarships, some of them, will be delivered and decided at the constituency level. That is transformatory. This is transformative and a measure that many never envisaged could happen, but it is here.

 

Madam Speaker, I shall repeat because there was a bit of happiness in the House. We are also keeping more vulnerable children in school by enhancing the SFP. This is not only ensuring that pupils are not absent from class, but are also, improving their learning outcomes. Food is crucial to many of our children.

 

Madam Speaker, our Government is constructing public infrastructure including completing those that we fund uncompleted for over ten years

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

 The President: Madam Speaker, these are public assets. They do not belong to a political party. They belong to the citizens. They are in the balance sheet of a business called Zambia and they must not sit in a status we call, ‘dormancy or non-productive.’ We want to put them into productive use. It is a clever decision to make. It has nothing to do with politics.

 

Madam Speaker, our Government is proceeding in this line. Even when we may not agree with some of the decisions that were made before, we should respect the fact that public money was spent and we must bring these assets into full and gainful use.

 

Madam Speaker, we want to bring public services closer to the people and address the developmental inequalities between rural and urban areas. We must address things like rural connectivity, transportation, and access to electricity, among other things. Electricity is not just from the grid. It is off grid as well. There is green electricity as well. Among others, these are critical agenda items for development.  

 

Madam Speaker, projects have been initiated and once commissioned, more of our people in peri-urban and rural areas will have access to markets and electricity. As I said, electricity is not ZESCO Limited. There is a misnomer that electricity means ZESCO Limited. No! ZESCO Limited offers only one option. There is a lot of off grid electricity. Those of us from the villages, our parents and the remaining ones have electricity through off grid sources. We can do it for other old people and the vulnerable. This will ease their livelihoods and also, business in those areas.

 

Madam Speaker, we are also working to enhance access to water and sanitation. Again, these are wonderful instruments that were never thought about before. A good portion of the CDF will go to water. If we do it properly, no woman, mother or daughter should walk 5 km to the water point, then 5 km back home, and we expect them to cook for us. We have been an unfair society for too long and we should not continue doing that.

 

Madam Speaker, we are also working to enhance access to other mechanisms that will over lay the CDF platform. Climate adaptation funds must be overlaid, some of them, with the CDF.

 

Interruptions

 

The President: Yes! We will sink the boreholes using the CDF and bring the solar panels under the climate adaptation funds. That way, we will have reticulated water and flushing toilets. Absolutely! That is what we do in the villages where we come from.  

 

Madam Speaker, as indicated, we have significantly applied our minds to the needs of societies that live in different circumstances across the country. Our citizens, at the constituency level, now have an opportunity to determine their developmental priorities and implement them through funding support, which has never been given before, other than the small paltry amounts that were available. The CDF will take money away from the centre where it is stolen to the local areas. It is critical.

 

Madam Speaker, the programmes ought to be supported. The CDF should not be a partisan issue, but an instrument for the communities. We want to promote entrepreneurship (self- employment). The surest way of employing a lot of people is through entrepreneurship (self-employment).  

 

Madam Speaker, I said that as we are sitting, the youths are meeting a few metres from here to deal with this very issue. This Government, their Government, and this Parliament should support them when they make the right decisions. 

 

Good Governance and Integrity

 

Madam Speaker, as the New Dawn Administration, we are committed to good governance. To this end, we are determined to see to it that all those entrusted with public affairs management must be responsible, accountable and transparent.

 

Madam Speaker, we are committed to fighting corruption. I shall repeat this.  We must not be misunderstood. Following law and order does not mean abandoning fighting corruption. We are committed to fighting corruption, strengthening the rule of law and ensuring prudence in the utilisation of public resources. Corruption takes away the much needed resources for economic growth, jobs, business opportunities, improving education, health and other social services. Corruption reduces the effectiveness of public administration, anywhere and everywhere. We must fight corruption together in all its forms and manifestations. It is, therefore, wrong for the corrupt to deliberately and intentionally label themselves as victims in the fight against corruption so as to gain sympathy from the public.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

 The President: Madam Speaker, children, women, the youth, and other vulnerable members of our society remain the true victims of corruption.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government has also established the Economic and Financial Crimes Court to expedite the disposal of corruption cases.

 

Hon. Member: Fast Track Courts!

 

The President: Uhm! Fast Track Courts.

 

Laughter

 

The President: This Government will not falter in the fight against corruption, but will be patient and follow the due process of the law. Absolutely!  There will be no sacred cow in this fight against corruption. We must all declare war against corruption.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, this is very important. I have followed the Leader of Government Business in the House, Her Honour the Vice-President, who has said this once, twice, or maybe many times in this House. Let me emphasise this. We encourage those who engaged in corruption to voluntarily come forward and pay back to society what they took away ...

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Interruptions

 

The President: ... rather than parroting themselves as victims. It is wise to do so than to wait for the inevitable, which are prosecution and the resultant consequences. We must work hard and be firm against unethical conduct in both our private and public lives.

 

Madam Speaker, what I said about coming forward is within the law. Well, if they do not come forward, a decision has been taken to name and shame and it will happen, but that is not our intent. The intent is to recover resources in a civilised way. They should take it.  If they live it, they should not claim they are victims, going forward.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, we are strengthening mechanisms for public financial management and procurement. Going forward, a simple rule of thumb has been established by this Government. Having studied and understood where the leakages where coming from and what ran down the economy from 7 per cent growth in 2011 to 0 or minus, we fully understand what happened. In order to deal with this issue, amongst other reasons and factors, going forward, firstly, we have put a simple rule of thumb in the procurement of goods and services. Firstly, works in the public sector shall be done at the correct price. Secondly, we need to have the right quality and of course, quantity. Thirdly, we need to ensure timely delivery.  We will use this simple rule of the thumb, going forward.   

 

Madam Speaker, this will apply to all of us new office bearers. We need to respect these thorough rules, to protect public resources and use them for those who need them the most. To this end, we have put in place measures to seal huge leakages in the procurement of goods and services in the public sector. Well, when the naming and shaming happens, let us see what the reaction of all of us will be.

 

Interruptions

 

The President: Madam Speaker, I urge all of us in this House and the nation to depart from the bad habits of the past. It is possible to utilise public resources prudently.  

 

Sustainable Development

 

Madam Speaker, sustainable development is important. In our effort to develop the country, we are paying special attention to issues of sustainability in our development efforts. We have adopted a growth path that takes into account the developmental interests of both present and future generations. That is vision. We will ensure that our development process guarantees intergenerational equity and ecological integrity. Climate change continues to threaten the sustainable development of our country. These developments, which are beyond our control, challenge our efforts to develop this country. We need to work together to ameliorate these challenges.

 

Madam Speaker, the effects of climate change are evident to all of us. In the recent past, some parts of our country have been affected by floods and drought, respectively. Sadly, some of our people have been left homeless. Crops, livestock and other means of livelihood have been destroyed. This has negatively affected the livelihoods of our people. It does not matter where these people are, they are citizens of Zambia. They are our people and we must care for them together.

 

Madam Speaker, it is, therefore, important that as a nation, we tackle the devastating effects of climate change very strongly. In this regard, the Government will continue to promote the utilisation of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices by all our farmers.

 

Madam Speaker, to further mitigate against the effects of climate change, our administration is promoting afforestation. To this effect, 5,854.7 ha of trees were planted during the period under review. We should and will do more in this area. I believe we should localise tree planting. We should decentralise and devolve it as we have done in other areas.

 

Madam Speaker, in addition, the number of hectares of areas with forest management plants has increased to 2.37 million ha from 1.64 million ha in 2020. It looks like a good achievement, but we can do more.  Let each and every one of us take an interest in tree planting. Even in our yards, we can do it. Surely, to plant two trees, you want to do tantameni?

 

Laughter

 

The President: You can do it on your own. Madam Speaker, let each and every one of us take an interest in tree planting. It will make a difference and go a long way in protecting our environment and mitigating the negative effects of climate change.

 

Madam Speaker, the Government has affirmed its commitment to addressing issues of climate change by creating the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, for the first time. We are determined to place the country on a balanced green development trajectory that takes into account people, profit and the planet. People do not understand that where there is no profit, you cannot support anyone. It is not possible. So, we will take into account people, profit and the planet. I am talking about profit from genuine enterprise.

 

Madam Speaker, the indiscriminate disposal of solid and other waste in public spaces is a source of great concern. It is disheartening to see the amount of solid waste lying around in many of our public spaces, such as markets and bus stations. This is unacceptable. The waste being disposed of in undesignated areas is making our surroundings untidy, unhygienic and is clogging in some cases, drainage systems. This is contributing to perennial floods especially in peri-urban settings. Our communities are being exposed to health hazards while our efforts to achieve sustainable development are being undermined. We must put an end to this.

 

Madam Speaker, we urge all citizens to take an active role in keeping Zambia clean, green and healthy. The private sector and local authorities should take advantage of the economic opportunities that come with solid waste management through recycling and indeed, production of energy.

 

Conclusion

 

Madam Speaker, during our inaugural address, we committed and laid down our vision to build a better Zambia. We did so –

 

Hon. PF Members: There is no plan!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, it is interesting to hear people say there is no plan. We were elected on a plan.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, some of the things we have raised today, such as the CDF, free education, law and order, are right there in the plan.

 

Hon. PF Members: Question!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, a Zambia where real jobs and business opportunities will be created is what we are working towards.  A Zambia where our people will be assured of food on their table is what we are working towards. A Zambia anchored on love, national unity and mutual respect is what we are working towards. It is very important.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, our Government is aware that there are many social ills that are prevalent in our society. High rates of divorce, suicides, crime and other severe social ills are of great concern to us and they require our collective effort to bring about sustainable remedies. Among the remedies are the development of mental health programmes, community interventions, counselling and a strong economy, I repeat, a strong economy, which unfortunately, we have to rebuild all over again.  That will ease our citizens’ of the financial distress and is top of our agenda. I invite all of us in this House and the country to work together on this very important subject. We must distinguish between times when we must debate by presenting and advancing differences as well as when we must converge.

 

Madam Speaker, this is the time we must converge. As stated in our promise to the people of Zambia, our focus for the next four and a half years is to address the economic declines of the last ten years.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, numbers do not lie. In 2011, this economy was growing at 6 plus per cent, close to 7 per cent. In the last ten years, worse seven years, we wiped out all this growth to zero and then to minus. This House must accept that there is something wrong that happened in the last ten years and it must not be pretentious.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, we have no right to insinuate or suggest how debates must happen in this House, but the nation is observing. We must be ashamed of the damage that was done to this economy. The good news is that we are happy and we should work together to rebuild the economy ...

 

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

 The President: ... and learn the lessons that took the economy down. As stated before, this vision resonates with our shared national values and principles. That is the speech.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, the wealth of this country belongs to all of us. We must enhance and maintain integrity in our day to day interactions and activities. Even in this House, we will provide the necessary leadership to those who are outside. Our vision also calls for each one of us to work hard as I said, and do our part in the national reconstruction agenda. We must all be accountable in what we do. As we move forward, it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to fully embrace our national values and principles, as enshrined in our Constitution. These are meant to enable us to achieve our common vision of a prosperous Zambia. They are meant to help us develop the right attitudes required for our sustainable economic development. Our efforts to inculcate the national values and principles into our governance system are already yielding results, as highlighted by the progress in a number of areas in the last six months. No question about it.

 

Madam Speaker, we however, need to do more to operate within our own ethical standards and those that were set by our forefathers and mothers.

 

Madam Speaker, our chosen journey to being a truly value-centred and principle-centred nation is critical. There is no substitute for discipline and hard work. There is none. If we want good things, we must work. It is that which will deliver victory in the areas we have chosen to fight for the people of Zambia, to take out poverty and create opportunities for all. Zambia remains a christian nation.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, we hear debates about which individuals are christians. This is a christian nation. It is in our Constitution. The call is to live like christians.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, we need to have values and principles to live like christians, including, “thou shall not steal.” 

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The President: Madam Speaker, Zambia remains a christian nation. On the road ahead, we should anchor our actions on our christian values, faith, love and rich cultural heritage. Whatever the difficulties, if we work together, we shall overcome them.

 

Madam Speaker, democratic pluralism is a basis for competition to serve better and nothing else.  As the Government, we are eager and available to provide the much needed leadership.

 

 Madam Speaker, no matter the challenges we face, it is time for the hopes and aspirations of our people to be realised. For this to happen, we should work as a team. I repeat, unity in diversity and unity of purpose are absolutely essential ingredients for us to achieve development and success for all, and not for a few. May we be ethical and morally upright members of society, and be servant leaders.

 

Madam Speaker, God bless our people. God bless our country. I thank you for your kind attention.

 

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

 

Applause

 

The President left the Assembly Chamber.

Madam Speaker took the Chair.

_______

 

MOTIONS

 

ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that as it is rising today, the House do adjourn until Tuesday, 15^th March, 2022.

 

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the House and indeed, on my own behalf, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for the speech that he has just delivered on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles.

 

Madam Speaker, I have no doubt and the House will agree with me, that the President has raised a number of important issues that require serious and careful analysis by all of us. Consequently, I am of the view that the House should rise now so that hon. Members can have ample time to study and analyse the speech and reflect on the important issues that His Excellency the President has raised. This will enable the hon. Members to make informed contributions during the debate on the address starting on Tuesday, 15^th March, 2022.

 

Madam Speaker, this is a procedural Motion and I request all hon. Members to support it.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Mrs Chonya (Kafue): Madam Speaker, allow me to put on record my sincere gratitude for the opportunity accorded to me to speak on the Motion just moved by Her Honour the Vice-President on the occasion of the Special Address to Parliament by His Excellency the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema on the Progress made in the Application of National Values and Principles.

 

Madam Speaker, I fully support the Motion by Her Honour the Vice-President that the House adjourns now, to afford hon. Members ample time to digest and critically analyse the speech, so that when they come back to the House next Tuesday, they are fully prepared to debate the various issues contained in the inspirational speech delivered by His Excellency.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

The Vice-President: Madam Speaker, I am very grateful to the House for its unanimous support of this Motion.

 

Madam Speaker, I thank you

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

_______

 

The House adjourned at 1135 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 15^th March, 2022.

 

____________