DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FIRST SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Friday, 29th June, 2012

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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BUSINES OF THE HOUSE

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I rise to acquaint the House with the business it will consider next week.

Sir, on Wednesday, the 4th of July, 2012, the Business of the House will begin with questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will consider Private Members’ Motions, if there will be any. Then, the House will debate the Motion to adopt the Report of the Committee on Estimates.

Mr Speaker, on Thursday, 5th July, 2012, the Business of the House will commence with questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Then, the House will debate the Motion to adopt the report of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology.

Sir, on Friday, 6th July, 2012, the Business of the House will begin with His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time. This will be followed by questions, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will deal with presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. After that, the House will debate the Motion to adopt the Report of the Committee on Lands, Energy and Water. Then, the House will deal with any business that may be outstanding.

I thank you, Sir.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

MONEY PAID TO THE NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM OTHER THAN THE AFCON TROPHY

The Minister of Youth and Sport (Mr Kambwili): Mr Speaker, on Tuesday, there was a question from the hon. Member for Luposhoshi asking the ministry how much money was paid to the Zambia National Soccer Team apart from the trophy. The ministry, then, asked for leave so that it could give a comprehensive statement.

Sir, it is my privilege and honour to issue a ministerial statement on the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Trophy which was won by our gallant, dedicated and talented young men on 12th February, 2012, in Gabon. This was after beating the most fancied team, Ivory Coast, which is rated as the first and best team in Africa, according to the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) rankings.

Mr Speaker, we went to the tournament as underdogs, but proved to the continent and the world that, actually, we were not.

Sir, I would like to, first and foremost, thank the Patriotic Front (PF) Government for facilitating the participation of our Chipolopolo National Team in the AFCON Tournament in 2012. Without the Government’s commitment and support, this victory would have eluded the nation as has previously been the case.

Mr Speaker, we all must, therefore, appreciate the effort of this Government regardless of our political affiliation. The victory united us all and has further brought glory to our great nation. 

Sir, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the players and the technical bench for the excellent performance and all the soccer-loving fraternity for the financial and moral support which they rendered to the national team. Indeed, their support was invaluable.

Mr Speaker, through you, hon. Members of this august House, my statement will cover five aspects which are: 

(a)    how much money, in addition to the trophy, the Zambia National Football Team was given for winning the 2012 AFCON tournament;

(b)    how much money was given to each player;

(c)    what benefit, in monetary terms, accrued to the nation for winning the 2012 AFCON Tournament;

(d)    whether the Government has any plans of using the proceeds of the 2012 AFCON Tournament money for the development of football in the country; and

(e)    what plans the ministry has to develop football in rural areas and, particularly, in Lupososhi Parliamentary Constituency.

Mr Speaker, in terms of how much money, in addition to the trophy, the Zambia National Soccer Team was given for winning the 2012 AFCON, the House may wish to know that the Zambia National Soccer Team, as the champions, is entitled to US$1.5 million. Of the US$1.5 million from AFCON, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has since received US$1.2 million in two equal tranches of US$600,000, leaving a balance of US$300,000. At the moment, FAZ has written to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) so that the remainder of the money could be sent to Zambia.

Mr Speaker, in this regard, therefore, K1.5 billion has been budgeted to pay the technical bench and the players. Each one will receive K48, 878,000 once the players assemble. This will be in addition to the K300 million that each player got from the Government as a winning bonus.

Sir, this has been decided in order for us to encourage the players to work hard, in future, and qualify the team to the 2014 World Cup. It is our sincere hope that our boys will qualify to the 2014 World Cup Tournament, in Brazil, and, God willing, win the trophy and bring more foreign exchange into the country from the prestigious tournament.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, furthermore, I would like to inform this august House that a number of Zambian firms pledged a total of K1.930 billion to the national team for the victory. These companies are as follows:

Name of Company    Amount Pledged        
    (K)

Simba Football Club, through its chairperson    50 million

 Zhongwi Mining    500 million

Zambia Electricity Supply Co-operation Limited (ZESCO)    100 million

Zambia Loto Company    50 million

Trade Kings Limited    200 million

First Quantum Mining Plc    250 million

 Zambeef Plc    20 million

Railway Systems of Zambia    360 million

GBM Milling    200 million

MTN Zambia    200 million

Total    1.930 billion

Sir, it is important to mention that, out of the pledges, only K850 million has been remitted to FAZ, leaving a balance of K1,080,000 billion. Let me take this opportunity to appeal to the companies that have not remitted their pledges to immediately do so, so that they can live above board.

Mr Speaker, in terms of the monetary benefits which accrued to the nation for winning the 2012 AFCON, I have the pleasure to announce that US$1.5 million will be injected into the economy. US$1.2 million has already been injected.

Mr Speaker, with regard to whether the Government has any plans of using the proceeds from the 2012 AFCON towards the development of football in the country, FAZ has bought a 20 ha plot from the Luanshya Municipal Council to build a school of excellence at a cost of US$30,000, which is approximately K159 million. The infrastructure under this project will be funded by FIFA. FAZ was asked by FIFA to identify a place where this school of excellence could be built and to provide land as equity. FAZ went to Kitwe City Council and many other municipalities in search of land and the local authority with the lowest price for land was Luanshya Municipal Council, which offered it at US$30,000. This was, of course, arrived at with my influence.

Laughter

Mr Kambwili: The school will be used to offer training in football skills to players in order to enhance their capacity. It will also be used as a camping site. Furthermore, each club in division two and three has been given K3 million and those in division one have received K5 million each towards their participation in this year’s league. Out of the 280 clubs that are supposed to receive this money, 90 per cent have done so. Yesterday, I gave a directive to FAZ that all the clubs must receive their money by Monday, next week.

Mr Speaker, in terms of what plans the ministry has to develop football in Lupososhi Parliamentary Constituency and other rural areas, the policy of this Government is to promote sport in all parts of the country. As for Lupososhi and many other rural constituencies, our plan is to start with the development of football at primary and secondary school level and encourage the corporate world to support the football leagues in rural areas. For those corporate organisations that will support leagues in rural areas, I will negotiate with the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to give them some kind of rebate in as far as tax is concerned.

Mr Speaker, there have been reports on the Sudanese team fielding an ineligible player, in Khartoum, on 2nd June, 2012, during an international match with the Zambia National Football Team. There has been speculation and concern that FAZ filed in the protest to FIFA after the expiry of the stipulated period. Hon. Members and the people of Zambia may wish to know that the lineup of the players is not known until the day of a match. In this regard, FAZ made the observation of the ineligible player being fielded on the actual day of the game. It is true that the protest is supposed to be presented within twenty-four or forty-eight hours, but it is also important to state that, under the world cup qualifying rules, the aggrieved party is required to submit the protest within five days. The match was played on the 2nd of June, 2012, and FAZ lodged its protest on 7th June, 2012, to FIFA. FIFA has since referred the complaint to its disciplinary committee. Meanwhile, FAZ awaits the outcome. 

Mr Speaker, a lot of people have phoned us at the ministry to ask what the Government was doing in this regard. I wish to inform the nation and this House that the Government does not interfere in the affairs of FIFA and football. FIFA and FAZ are supposed to resolve this situation. Hon. Members may wish to know that FAZ could not lodge the protest immediately after the game in order to ensure that research on this issue was done and that all the documentation was in place. I would like to take this opportunity, again, to thank the Zambia National Football Team for bringing glory to Zambia and wish the players all the best in their preparation for the 2014 World Cup.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now at liberty to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport.

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport for a well delivered ministerial statement. Football is business and, as such, it is an avenue which we can use to create a number of jobs, especially for our youths. May the hon. Minister comment on the fact that, in the past, we had synergies between the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and Ministry of Youth and Sport, where we used to have zonal and inter-schools sports. Do we see that continuing, hon. Minister?

Mr Kambwili: There is, indeed, an agreement between the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and Ministry of Youth and Sport in as far as zonal games are concerned, particularly for football. However, especially during the last twenty years of the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government, there was no co-ordination between the two ministries for reasons that I may not disclose. However, I think, by and large, as the Patriotic Front (PF) Government, we are going to take up this responsibility and make sure that this is reinstated.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, when the Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Chikwanda, presented the Budget, this year, in his usual professional and mature manner, he acknowledged the input of the MMD Government. Taking into account that the national football team qualified to the AFCON finals under the MMD Government, does the hon. Minister have any difficulty in acknowledging that fact?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, I think the problem that we have in this country is that we forget very quickly. Hon. Mwansa Mbulakulima, who has asked this question, was a FAZ official and knows that you cannot run football without proper communication or arrangements between the Ministry of Youth and Sport and FAZ. What we saw in the past few years was that while FAZ was trying to get the national football team to qualify …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Minister is explaining and, therefore, give him the chance to do so. It is just honourable to do so.

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, everybody knows that there was no proper relationship between the MMD Government and FAZ. There was only a preoccupation of the previous Government to remove the then FAZ Executive from office. We saw too many FAZ Annual General Meetings (AGMs) being arranged. One would be arranged by the Director of Sport at the ministry, while another one would be assembled by the FAZ Executive Committee. Where was the Government to guide which AGM was supposed to take place? So, we saw a situation where there was a lot of confusion.

Sir, FAZ has stated that the ministry, under the MMD Government, said there was no money to sponsor the last game that the team was supposed to have played in Mozambique. Therefore, MTN Zambia and other co-operating partners are the ones that came in. So, does the hon. Member want us to acknowledge failure? I am sorry.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, we have heard from the ministerial statement by the hon. Minister how the funds are going to trickle down from the technical bench to players and clubs. We have also heard, as usual, that there are plans to support sports in primary and secondary schools. However, he has not stated the ways in which that support is going to be received or rendered to the primary and secondary schools. So, in what form will this support be given to the schools?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, FAZ, in conjunction with the ministry, has come up with a plan to visit a number of primary and secondary schools, especially those in the rural areas. There, it will distribute footballs and jerseys and have pep talks on the development of football to encourage the pupils to participate in football.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mooya (Moomba): Mr Speaker, the nation and players would like to know about the issue of houses in addition to the money that was given to the players. Is there any consideration being made?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Moomba for that question. Yes, indeed, the issue of houses is being looked into, and we are just waiting for logistical issues to be sorted out by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. The players will be built or bought houses as promised at State House during the luncheon that was hosted in honour of the players.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Monde (Itezhi-tezhi): Mr Speaker, my question relates to the School of Excellence. We have plenty of land lying idly in the rural areas which could have been used to build capacity in the rural areas. Is it by coincidence that the School of Excellence is going to be in the constituency of the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport?

Mr Kambwili: Sir, one of the conditions that FIFA gave was that the School of Excellence must be built along the line of rail.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: FAZ approached a lot of councils and the amounts that they were quoting for land were high.  For instance, Kitwe City Council asked for US$150,000 for a piece of land while other councils were not prepared to find land at the shortest possible time. So, when FAZ informed me about this, I took up the challenge and, because some of us are good at giving instructions, I instructed Luanshya Municipal Council to find a piece of land quickly.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: This is what power does. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: When you are given the responsibility to rule, you must be able to use that power for the good of the people of Zambia.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: The hon. Minister did indicate earlier that he had influenced the decision.

Laughter

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, do you know how much money has been paid to the Ivorians who came second in the tournament? If so, have they been paid in full, considering that our players are being paid in installments?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, let me clarify this issue through this House and also tender a complaint. AFCON is organised in such a way that any team that reaches the final is assured of US$1 million and both Zambia and Ivory Coast automatically qualified to get US$1 million. Then, the winning team is given a percentage of the television rights. So, the additional US$500,000 that was given to Zambia was from television rights. Now, in my opinion, this is not a very good route for CAF to take. I think we will be engaging FAZ over this issue so that it tries to change the status quo. What is the point of being champions and get almost the same amount of money as the runner ups? So, yes, Ivory Coast received US$1 million and has also been paid.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister said that the RSZ pledged K360 million. Meanwhile, the people of Mulobezi are sharing wagons with animals.

Hon. Opposition Member: Which railway line?

Ms Lubezhi: I am talking about the Mulobezi Railway Line. Does the hon. Minister take into consideration the financial standing of the companies from which pledges are accepted?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, the problem with this House is that we tend not to be focused. We are talking about pledges and not animals and wagons. That question is unrelated to what is being discussed on the Floor of the House.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Dr Kaingu (Mwandi): Mr Speaker, every time I listen to the hon. Ministers answering questions, I hear a common word, “directive”. I heard it from the hon. Ministers of Information, Broadcasting and Labour and Transport, Works, Supply and Communication …

Professor Lungwangwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, I really appreciate being given this opportunity to raise a point of order. As you all know, I rarely do so. However, the comment arising from the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport concerning this House is extremely demeaning to the House. He said that this House has no focus. This is the highest legislative body in this nation and to describe it in such a manner is extremely demeaning to the stature and status of this House. Is the hon. Minister really in order to make such a statement to this House in the presence of the Hon. Mr Speaker?

Mr Speaker: The short ruling of the Chair is that the hon. Minister was out of order to the extent that he generalised his response. The hon. Minister should have focused on the comment or response from a particular hon. Member of Parliament. Certainly, the whole House cannot be said not to be focused in a manner in which it conducts its deliberations on a day-to-day basis. 

The hon. Member for Mwandi may continue.

Dr Kaingu: Sir, before the point of order was raised, I was saying that there is a common word “directive” being used by hon. Ministers. Do you realise that giving directives is tantamount to abuse of office?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, there is no government that can run without giving directives. Our job is to make the Civil Service work. So, where we feel that things are not being done, we direct and we shall continue to do so. If you have a problem with that, I am sorry.

Thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, Peter Drucker, who is one of the prominent writers, wrote in his book, ‘Managing for Results’, “No man’s arm is lengthened unless it is hoisted on the shoulders of his predecessor.” Did the hon. Minister declare interest before he took it upon himself to get the land for the School of Excellence?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, land in Zambia is vested in the President and not in the name of Chishimba Kambwili or his father.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamududu (Bweengwa): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister of Youth and Sport whether the qualification of the Zambia National Soccer Team to the AFCON Tournament, under the MMD Government, is a failure?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, the simple answer I can give is that the team qualified under very strenuous circumstances.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: It was not supported by the Government. FAZ went out to the corporate world to ask for assistance and, sometimes, the Government even directed the corporate world not to assist it.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: We have these facts. If you want me to come and issue a ministerial statement on what was happening between FAZ and the MMD Government, I can do that. Therefore, the MMD should not claim to have made any …

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: … contribution to the qualification of the national team to the AFCON Tournament.

I thank you Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale (Chipangali): Mr Speaker, is it not true that the Zambia National Soccer Team’s performance at the AFCON has been progressing? This, you will tell from the results in Angola, in 2010, where the team reached the quarter finals, but dropped out of the competition through penalties. It was expected that they would go beyond that in the next AFCON Tournament and, maybe, even win the trophy as happened. Can the hon. Minister confirm whether or not there was progression in the way the team was performing.

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, there is a difference between progression and assistance from the Government. 

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa (Solwezi Central): Mr Speaker, as regards the location of the Schools of Excellence, I would like to find out whether it will be a trend of the Government to only favour areas where Cabinet Ministers come from. If you were to use the criterion of where excellent footballers come from, Mwinilunga should have been considered because it has contributed the most talented footballers in the country.

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, the problem that we have, as hon. Members of Parliament, is that when we come to this House, we forget that we are councillors. I, for one, get involved with the goings on at Luanshya Municipal Council. So, when I found there was that request, I took advantage of it. What did you do in Mwinilunga?

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chishimba (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, does the ministry have in mind a country where the Zambia National Soccer Team will be camped before the next world cup qualifying match?

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, as at now, FAZ has not come back to us on where it would like the team to camp. Therefore, as soon as it gets back to the ministry, we will inform the House.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister, who is my good friend, has informed the House and the nation of the poor relationship between the MMD Government and FAZ. I would like to find out from him whether he is not aware that his predecessor, Hon. Shamenda, came to this House and gave a statement, lambasting FAZ pertaining to its administration, contracting and recruitment of the current coach, Mr Herve Renard. He further went on to disclose how his Government had no intention, whatsoever, of assisting FAZ in meeting the obligations of paying the coach.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, when you take over something, in my language they say, “Mpyanangwa apyana namabala,” meaning that when you take over, you should do so for both the good and bad. My predecessor was wrongly advised by the people.

Laughter

Mr Kambwili: Yes, that is a fact.

Mr Speaker: That is the hon. Minister’s response. Give him a chance.

Mr Kambwili: That is a fact. He was wrongly informed because the people who were at the ministry, then, wanted the acrimony between FAZ and the ministry to continue. When he realised that he was misinformed by the officials, he told me, when I took over from him, to be careful with the officials and verify the information they fed me with before making a statement. I took time to go through all the reports that where left by the MMD and found that most of them were meant to destroy FAZ and not to build it.

I thank you, Sir.

__________ 

HIS HONOUR THE VICE-PRESIDENT’S QUESTION TIME

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Your Honour the Vice-President, do you know that in the central business districts of Zambia, there are sites that pose as serious eye sores as a result of the failure of your Government to put a clear policy on street vending. Further, do you know that your hon. Minister for Lusaka Province, today, issued …

Mr Speaker: Order! 

It is only one question at a time.

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, this question has been asked several times and in several forms and I have always answered it. There is a large problem of unemployment in this country left for us by our predecessors and we have to play it by the ear rather than put down a very definite policy. We have to have some tolerance for people who have no alternative source of income, but that which they can earn from street vending. 

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, order has broken down in the City of Lusaka in relation to street vending. I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President what guidance he would like to give to business houses in Lusaka that find their premises used as trading premises by street vendors.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, it is news to me that people’s premises are being invaded by street vendors.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

The Vice-President: My advice would be to call the police if that is the case.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, when the PF Government came into power, several Zambians and civil servants, District Commissioners in particular, lost their jobs. However, to date, they have not been paid and some of them have not been able to take their children to school. Is this deliberately meant to punish them?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, no, it is not deliberate to punish anybody.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chishimba (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President what our Government, through the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Water Development, is doing to compel mining companies to put up a campaign on occupational health and safety to avoid accidents happening in the mines as witnessed at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and the Collum Coal Mine the previous week.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the Mine Safety Department and the inspectorate are quite active as they have been better activated by us. There are random audits done every year and close attention is paid to every accident that occurs. At the moment, there is a low incidence of mine accidents, which seem to be more on the coal mine, because coal mines tend to be more dangerous than copper mines.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, the draft Constitution provides for an increase in the number of hon. Members of Parliament. If this goes through, does the Government have plans to extend the Chamber of the National Assembly?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, that is a very hypothetical question. We will cross that bridge when we come to it.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, a while ago, His Honour the Vice-President witnessed an hon. Cabinet Minister lambasting a fellow hon. Cabinet Minister in this House. What is his comment on that, in the spirit collective responsibility, especially that he is the Leader of Government Business in the House?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am at a complete loss as to which hon. Cabinet Minister was lambasting another hon. Cabinet Minister and ... 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice President: ... I am afraid, that leaves me unable to answer the question, much as I would have loved to do so.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, may His Honour the Vice-President, in no uncertain terms, confirm to this House and the nation that the Minister for the Southern Province, Hon. Mwaliteta, has been appointed Campaign Manager for the Patriotic Front (PF) and that he is abusing public resources in the execution of these dual responsibilies.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am not aware that Hon. Mwaliteta has been appointed Campaign Manager.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Member:  There is nothing wrong.

Laughter

Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo): Mr Speaker, I want to get a clear answer from His Honour the Vice-President on when is he going to fulfil his promise of honouring the Barotseland Agreement of 1964.

Laughter

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, there has been no change, development or progress on the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 question, if there is, indeed, such a question.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, immediately after the PF ascended to power, His Excellency the President constituted a number of commissions of inquiry. After these commissions concluded their work, His Honour the Vice-President assured this House that the results would be publicised so that the public could know what is contained in those reports. What problem is hindering the Government from publicising the contents and the reactions of the Government to the various submissions?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, there is no problem. It is simply that there is a lot on the plate of the Government. It will all come to pass in due course. Certain actions were taken promptly because they needed to be attended to in that manner and reports publicised, such as in the case of the Zambia Telecommunication Company (ZAMTEL) limited, while others are taking longer.

I thank you Sir.

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, a few weeks ago, a senior PF member informed the nation that that the Government of Zambia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Sudan. May His Honour the Vice-President shed more tears …

Laughter

Mr Hamudulu: … shed more tears.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

His Honour the Vice-President is not tearing now.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: There are no more tears to be shed.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, I think he will shed more light. May His Honour the Vice-President shed more light on the content of that MoU.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, if I am not mistaken, there was an agreement signed between the PF and the ruling party in Sudan. This was not a Government-to-Government agreement. I stand to be corrected if I am wrong. However, I am pretty sure that that is the situation.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katambo (Masaiti): Mr Speaker, can His Honour the Vice-President confirm that the youth employment procedure is a national disaster, considering the recruitment process by the Zambia Army last week. 

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, ‘disaster’ is a very flexible word. There is a very large number of youths who are unemployed and desperately need employment. We have not disguised that fact. In fact, we came to power because we made the people aware that we were aware of their suffering. Whether it is a disaster or not is a matter of semantics.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, during the 2011/2012 Marketing Season, many people got free maize worth billions of Kwacha. What measures has the Government put in place to stop people from getting public resources free of charge?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we are putting in place many measures, including those outlined, yesterday, in the Report of the Committee on Agriculture, which was well presented by Hon. Muntanga. The amount of money that was freely taken from the Government by foreigners, commercial farmers or other people who were not qualified to sell maize at such a high price to this Government is disastrous. I am sorry that we inherited this mess. However, it will be sorted out using the law enforcement agencies.

I thank you Sir.

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, early this year, His Excellency the President informed the nation that he intended to create, at least, four new districts in the North-Western Province and, at least,  six in the Western Province. What are the names of these districts and where are they located?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am being asked to jump the gun, again, or cross the river before I get to it. I am sure His Excellency the President does not know what the names of the districts are. He intends to create more districts. That is a statement of intent, not a fait accompli.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Zimba (Kapiri-Mposhi): Mr Speaker, the PF Government criticised the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) for distributing relief food during elections. However, the PF Government is doing the same thing in Chama North, Livingstone and Muchinga constituencies. Is this a confirmation of the inconsistency of the PF Government?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, let me refer the questioner to the verbatim record for last Friday, on His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time in which the same question was asked. I gave a cogent answer. I also placed a document on the Table, which had details of what happened last year, at the same time as what is going on, at the moment, in Chama North, Livingstone and Serenje districts.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, early this year, His Excellency the President set up the Commission of Inquiry on the Privatisation of the Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO). Since then, there has been silence on the matter and, naturally, when there is silence and the future is unknown, there tends to be instability created in an institution. Can His Honour the Vice-President tell the House and the nation what the way forward is regarding ZANACO.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the way forward is that, in due course, the report will be out and the Cabinet will consider it. Meanwhile, we are not experiencing any alarm over the institution, which is growing by leaps and bounds, irrespective of the inquiry that is going on. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chishiba (Kafulafuta): Mr Speaker, what is the rationale of the Government maintaining the same floor price of maize for three consecutive years while the production cost of maize has been skyrocketing?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the farm gate or nearest depot price of maize of K65,000 per 50kg bag is, I believe, the highest price in the world, even correcting for inflation or devaluation. It is equivalent to about US$250 per tonne for the equivalent of US No. 2 maize, which you will not find in any commodity markets record. 

Sir, it is very high. It was put high, I believe, because of the 2008 Presidential by-election as a means of buying a certain amount of votes from the rural areas. Ideally, we should have reduced it but, politically, that sends a negative signal to the people. So, we have maintained it and are certainly not on the verge of increasing it. It makes no logic whatsoever.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Milambo (Mwembeshi): Mr Speaker, the PF Government made the huge pronouncement that it would create 1,000,000 jobs from 2012 to 2016. How many of these jobs are earmarked for 2012?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am sorry I did not catch the last phrase.

Mr Milambo: How many jobs will be created in 2012?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I will answer the question in 2016. I do not understand what is …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker:  Order!

The question is: How many jobs have been created in year 2012?

Interruptions

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, could I say that I will make an attempt to answer that question in January, 2013, when 2012 is complete.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Speaker, I would like the …

Mr Mweetwa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker:  A point of order is raised.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, is His Honour the Vice-President in order to refuse, fail or, in any event, neglect to answer a very straightforward question, which is: How many jobs have been earmarked for 2012 in the planning, arising from the pronouncement by the PF Government?

Mr Speaker: Order!

The question has been paraphrased. The question, I repeated to His Honour the Vice-President was: How many jobs would be created in 2012? I suppose he has given a very clear answer.

Could the hon. Member for Senga Hill continue, please.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simbao: Mr Speaker, why does His Honour the Vice-President feel justified to continue as Leader of Government Business in the House when his own party hierarchy has lost confidence and respect for that position?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I must be having problems with my hearing. Again, I did not clearly get who exactly has lost confidence in my position. Perhaps, he could repeat the question.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

May the hon. Member for Senga Hill repeat the question.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simbao: Mr Speaker, in the past, the Vice-President has always acted as President when the President has been absent. Recently, I must say, we were insulted to hear that our Vice-President was just a chola boy. It has never happened. So, I am asking why we should be led by a person whose own party hierarchy is not respecting.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Chola boy!

Interruptions

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, most of the answer …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

The Vice-President: Most of the answer is to be found, again, in the verbatim record because this question keeps coming up in various forms.

Sir, ‘chola boy’ is a relative term. When I am with His Excellency the President and you ask who the chola boy is, the answer is very simple, it is me.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: If I am with the Secretary-General of the PF and asked the same question, the answer is, again, very obvious, it is him.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: So, ‘chola boy’ is not really an insult …

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: … between friends and colleagues. Apart from that, I feel sorry for the hon. Member for Senga Hill if he feels a lack of confidence in me. However, you will find that I can do the job perfectly adequately.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sililo (Mulobezi): Mr Speaker, is His Honour the Vice-President aware of the incidence of pregnancies among pupils of Sichili High School?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I regret that I am not aware and I am certainly not responsible for them.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Kapyanga (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kapyanga: … violence has rocked the by-election campaigns to the extent where the United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres beat up mourners.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ntundu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker:  A point of order is raised.

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, I rise on a serious point of order. Is that Vice-President (pointing at the Vice-President) in order …

Mr Speaker: Order!

It is not in order to point fingers in that fashion. I urge the hon. Members to maintain their temperaments. There is nothing personal in this business. We are all representatives here. We need to keep our temperaments calm. That is what leadership calls for.

Could the hon. Member continue, please.

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, is His Honour the Vice-President in order to choose not to answer a very important question that has been raised by the hon. Member for Mulobezi over the high incidence of pregnancies at a school in his constituency and the Government is watching?

Mr Speaker: Order!

His Honour the Vice-President responded very positively to that question.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Speaker: The answer was that he was not aware. That is what he said.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Could the hon. Member for Kabwe Central continue, please.

Mr Kapyanga: Mr Speaker, violence has rocked the by-election campaigns to the extent where mourners have been beaten up.

Interruptions

Mr Kapyanga: What measures has the Government put in place to protect innocent lives?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we have confidence in the Zambia Police Force. It is disappointing that some parties have decided to absorb immigrants into their parties. These are people from other parties who have records of political violence.

Interruptions

The Vice-President: I think that situations such as the one, which has been described by the hon. Member, can very easily be handled by our police force.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kalaba (Bahati): Mr Speaker, despite elections having been conducted last year, in September, which is almost eight months ago, we can see still see that those people who lost the elections are still habouring a lot of bitterness. What is the Government doing to help our friends who lost the elections, last year, to heal and accept the process of losing?

Laughter

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, losing an election is one of those conditions which need self-healing. Time heals everything, including wounds. We, in the PF know, what it feels like to lose an election. We had lost three elections before we won the 2011 one. 

Hon. Opposition Member: You will lose the next one.

The Vice-President: Well, we shall see. 

Laughter

The Vice-President: Sir, we know the feeling. It is just a matter of time before the healing is complete. Of course, if there are specific measures needed to heal any bitterness between us, we are always prepared to talk as long as there are serious matters on the agenda.

I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Masebo (Chongwe): Mr Speaker, recently, His Excellency the President, on his trip to Brazil, was accompanied by two Opposition leaders namely, Ms Nawakwi, a very eloquent leader …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: … and Mr Chipimo, a very mature political leader.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Masebo: Mr Speaker, is the President of this PF Government considering also inviting those that are bitter so that they can reduce their bitterness for the good of the country?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I will convey that suggestion to His Excellency the President. 

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kalima (Kasenengwa): Mr Speaker, before elections, last year, the PF, through its president, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, called the then President, Mr Rupiah Banda, a mobile President. Now, we have seen the President globetrotting like a tourist, as one newspaper suggested, even when nothing has changed. 

Interruptions

Ms Kalima: Mr Speaker, I seek your protection.

Mr Speaker: Order! Put your question.

Ms Kalima: Now, can the Vice-President tell us how we should address the President now.

Hon. Opposition Members: Mobile!   

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, you will address the President as ‘His Excellency’. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: If you are in good terms, you might be able to call him ‘Mr President’. On the issue of mobility, if you look at the nine months that we have been in power and measure the number of days that His Excellency has been out of the country, you will find that it is statistically rather low compared to some people who have been mentioned in the question.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutale (Kwacha): Mr Speaker, my question has been overtaken by events.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out whether the Vice-President knows that the significant silence by the PF Government with regard to releasing the report on the sale of ZANACO is scaring investors to come to Zambia. 

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, at the risk of having to respond to the same question twice, I would like to say that the bank’s growth has been astronomical. The bank has already met the US$100 million capital requirement target. It is 54 per cent locally owned and, therefore, only needed capital of about US$20 million. Currently, ZANACO’s capital level is about US102 million. I do not see that as any kind of sign of lack of investor confidence.

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Brig-General Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, in the past, His Excellency the President set a fantastic example of what leadership is all about. We saw in the newspaper that His Excellency even got onto a mini bus in Livingstone and, also, he was reported to have paid for accommodation out of his own pocket. Has His Honour the Vice-President got any intention of emulating our President with regards to financial discipline? 

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, my earnings are roughly the same as those of the hon. Member for Mumbwa. They are parliamentary scale earnings. I will try, in any way I can, to emulate the financial discipline of His Excellency. If I am traveling around and I am staying at various places in Zambia, it is the Government that has to pay for most of my accommodation and transport, as the hon. Member for Mumbwa, who is a former hon. Minister knows perfectly well.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kaingu (Mwandi): Mr Speaker, Barotseland was a nation before independence and is still a nation. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Let the hon. Member ask a question.

Dr Kaingu: Sir, Zambia became an independent state in 1964. What is the difference between a nation and a state?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I think that is an academic question. I just want to correct something in the question or preamble. According to my reading of things, the so-called Barotseland or Western Province of Zambia has been part of Northern Rhodesia, North-Western Rhodesia or Zambia for well over a hundred years.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central): Mr Speaker, can His Honour the Vice-President confirm that it was the plan of the PF Government to patch the road between Tateyoyo and Kaoma using gravel.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I cannot confirm that assertion.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time has expired.
____________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

UNZA RE-OPENING POSTPONEMENT

385. Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    whether the ministry was aware that the re-opening of the University of Zambia (UNZA), Great East Road Campus, for the first semester of the 2012/2013 Academic Year scheduled for Monday, 25th June, 2012 had been postponed indefinitely;

(b)    if so, what had necessitated the postponement; and

(c)    what measures the ministry had taken to ensure that the re-opening of UNZA was not delayed any further

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Early Education (Professor Willombe): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the ministry is aware of the postponement of the re-opening of the UNZA-Great East Road Campus for the first semester of the 2012-2013 Academic Year, which was scheduled for Monday 25th June, 2012.

Mr Speaker, this follows an impasse regarding the conditions of service for staff. In an effort to resolve the issues of conditions of service for staff in universities and research institutions, and in line with Government policy of equal pay for equal work and the need to rationalise the conditions of service of the universities, the ministry formed a technical team comprising the staff from my ministry, the Public Service Management Division (PSMD), Budget Office, unions and management of the universities and research institutions. The aim of the team was to develop proposals to implement the new policy framework for improving the terms and conditions of service for staff. The team worked hard and finalised the task.

Sir, the ministry has studied the proposals and adopted all the recommendations of the technical team. I am happy to inform this House that, after scrutinising the proposals, a decision has been made that the recommendations be implemented in phases. There will be measures that will be implemented immediately, in 2012, while some will require further elaboration to ensure that we do achieve the Government goal of making the terms and conditions of service for lecturers and researchers competitive.

Mr Speaker, it is hoped that the concerns regarding the impasse at UNZA shall be addressed by the UNZA Council in the shortest possible time. In fact, allow me to state that efforts are currently being made to sort out the impasse. The council is meeting, today, with unions and management to make sure that the university re-opens.

Mr Speaker, the Government, through the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, has implored the UNZA Council to expedite and complete these negotiations in the shortest possible time so as to allow various programmes of the university to run as scheduled.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mucheleka: Mr Speaker, it is clear that the challenges of the university include conditions of service as well as, I think, huge outstanding debts. Can I also learn from the hon. Minister what steps are being taken to ensure that the huge outstanding debts at UNZA are dismantled by the Government.

Hon Opposition Members: The answer is not on the paper.

Mr Speaker: He knows the content of his paper.

Laughter

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, the Government has had meetings with the UNZA Council and has given a directive that it should sit down and try to find modalities of how the outstanding debts of the university can be dismantled.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, on the basis of the answer which was given by the hon. Minister, especially regarding part one of the question, there seems to be an indication that there are measures that have been lined up to improve the terms and conditions of service for lecturers and researchers. We have also been told that some of the measures will be implemented this year. Can the hon. Minister be kind enough to indicate the measures which are lined up for implementation in 2012.

Laughter

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, the Government knows that to arrive at harmonised pay structures among universities, as recommended by the technical team, cannot be achieved in a single year due to the limited resources and variations obtaining in the universities. The ministry shall, therefore, implement the recommendations in a gradual manner until 2014. In this regard, the ministry has provided for different wage bill adjustments, in 2012, with low paying institutions being given the largest adjustment rate while the highest paying ones have received the lowest adjustment. As for the rates that will apply, in 2012, for UNZA, it will be 14 per cent; for Mulungushi University, it will be 5.5 per cent effective from 1st January, 2013, while for the Copperbelt University it will be 5 per cent effective from 1stJuly,2012.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, the problem at UNZA started way back, before the closure of the institution. Could the hon. Minister indicate why the ministry did not look at this issue as an urgent one, considering the extent it has now reached where the institution is failing to re-open.

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, the ministry has had meetings with UNZA management from time to time. Management has even provided a position paper on the various problems the institution has had. However, we do realise that the problem which caused the impasse has been recurring. It is an old problem which did not start yesterday, but has been outstanding for many years. We are working together with the university’s management and council to alleviate this problem by making sure that, this time around, we dismantle all the debt while harmonising the conditions of service for everybody.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, each time lecturers go on strike at our universities, the greatest victim is the student. I am aware that the last semester was one in which students were graduating. As a result of the current situation at the institution, results for students who have graduated have been withheld. Some of them need those results urgently so that they can look for jobs or even go for further studies. Is there anything that this Government is doing to ensure that the results can be released while the negotiations for lectures to return to work continue?

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, we have directed the UNZA Council to immediately look into this matter and ensure that it is resolved in good time time. 

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

DISTRICT AND FEEDER ROADS’ MAINTENANCE

386. Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central) asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing:

(a)    when township roads in Kalomo would be tarred; and

(b)    when district councils, countrywide, would be provided with appropriate road maintenance equipment to enable them maintain district and feeder roads in their respective localities.

The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Housing (Mr Masumba): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform this House that the rehabilitation of roads in all districts is an on-going programme that the Government is implementing. Under the Road Rehabilitation Programme, major roads in provincial centres are being upgraded and routine maintenance being conducted. The Government is gradually moving to the next phase of rehabilitating roads in other towns such as Kalomo. The Government is already planning to rehabilitate some roads with the involvement of the council in Kalomo.

Mr Speaker, the Government has also been implementing the capacity building programmes in councils. As part of the on-going programme, the Government has equally empowered some councils with certain road rehabilitation equipment and will continue doing so in the future. The equipment will enable councils carry out in-house and timely road maintenance works within their localities. 

However, Mr Speaker, due to limited financial resources, the programme has progressed at a very gradual pace. It should be noted here that the above programmes will only be fully rolled out upon the availability and timely release of funds. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, I am aware that there is a programme by the local government to attend to township roads. However, when are Kalomo township roads, specifically, going to be tarred?

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, as I stated in my response, when the resources are available, we will communicate to the hon. Member concerning the tarring of the roads, as it is at that particular time that we will be able to do so. 

I thank you, Sir.

HEALTH SERVICES IN KALOMO

387. Mr Muntanga asked the Minister of Health:

(a)    when the construction of a new district hospital in Kalomo would begin; and

(b)    when Sipatunyana Rural Health Centre would be electrified. 

The Deputy Minister of Health (Dr Chikusu): Mr Speaker, the construction of a new district hospital in Kalomo will commence this year, 2012. The Ministry of Health, through Kalomo District Health Office, has made progress towards the construction of Kalomo District Hospital. The site for the hospital has already been identified, surveyed and agreed upon by all stakeholders in the district. The hospital shall be constructed in three phases, in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines. The procurement of works for phase I of the hospital has already commenced. 

Mr Speaker, Sipatunyana Rural Health Centre is already electrified with solar power. In addition, plans are underway to procure a power generator to supplement the solar power. The procurement process for the generator set has already commenced. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker is the hon. Minister aware that the solar panel does not work, which is the more reason we are asking for a generator? If he is aware, when will the generator be sent to Sipatunyana Rural Health Centre? 

The Minister of Health (Dr Kasonde): Mr Speaker, I would like to advise the hon. Member for Kalomo Central that our commitment to the procurement of the generator has been stated by the hon. Deputy Minister. I have no reason to differ with that statement and I assure the hon. Member, as I did when we visited Kalomo together, that we shall procure the generator. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. {mospagebreak}

MILENGE HIGH SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

388. Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    when the construction of Milenge High School in Milenge District would be completed and opened to the public; and

(b)    what has caused the delay in completing the construction

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr Mabumba): Mr Speaker, Phase I of the construction of Milenge Boarding High School is expected to be completed in December, 2012. Phase II external works are undergoing approval process with the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) and Ministry of Justice. It is expected that the external works will begin in 2012, and are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013, after which the school will be opened to the public. 

Mr Speaker, the construction has been delayed by the following factors:

(a)    change of site;

(b)    extreme weather patterns, in terms of rainfall increase in Milenge; and

(c)    delayed release of payments by the Government.  

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, how is it possible to open the school by the close of 2012 taking into account that neither the contractor nor the material is on site?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, I have been to Milenge Boarding School. There is some significant amount of work that has been done there. The difficulties that this school is faced with are not an exception in comparison to those faced by the other forty-five high schools that are being constructed across the country. However, the assurance I can give the hon. Member, as I have consistently said on a number of high schools being constructed in this country, is that the school will be opened by the first quarter of 2013. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Ms Kalima (Kasenengwa): Mr Speaker, I have noticed from the many questions that have been asked on the many schools that are under construction that a lot of them …

Mr Chisala: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker is Hon. Shikapwasha, Member of Parliament for Keembe, in order to turn this august House into a bedroom?

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: Order!

If the point is that he has extended the activity that is normally done nocturnal into this morning, certainly, he would be out of order. 

Laughter

Mr Speaker: However, I did not catch him in that sense. 

Laughter

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member for Kasenengwa may proceed.  

Ms Kalima: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Before I was interrupted by that point of order, I was saying that I have noticed that from the many questions that have been coming to this House over the construction of secondary schools and many other schools, a lot of them are at stages of incompletion. Would the Government consider, in the next budget, to just complete the construction of all these secondary schools before it can allocate money for the construction of more secondary schools.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, I totally agree with the hon. Member of Parliament for Kasenengwa. This is why the largest portion of the K308 billion, which is in the 2012 Budget, is going towards the completion of all these schools. What we do not want is to continue singing the song about the completion of schools. 

Mr Speaker, in most of these communities where these schools are being constructed, there is a lot of pressure from the teachers and the community that the Government hands over the schools. I think the political leadership in the ministry is determined that the K308 billion, which we have, is going to be used for the completion for these schools.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

SINAZONGWE DAY HIGH SCHOOL

389. Mr Siamunene (Sinazongwe) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)    why the construction of Sinazongwe Day High School had stalled;

(b)    what the total cost of the project was; and

(c)    how much had been paid to the contractor at the time the project stalled.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, let me give the context about Sinazongwe Day High School. It is among the thirty-seven high schools for which tenders for construction were awarded in 2011. Having said that, the reason the construction stalled is that when the contractor was given an advance payment, he had some problems with the bank. He was paid K1,611,212,813, which he only got after switching banks. So, I think there were banking issues there. The project is worth K16,112,128,130.90.

Sir, no funds were paid to the contractor at the time the project stalled except the 10 per cent advance payment, of course, which he was paid despite the bank issues he faced. It must be noted that the contractor had embarked on the works even before any payment had been made by the ministry.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Siamunene: Mr Speaker, considering the fact that Sinazongwe is in a rural area, and as such, is sparsely populated, I would like to find out why the ministry decided to put up a day high school and not a boarding high school.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, I appreciate the fact which the hon. Member of Parliament for Sinazongwe has highlighted. However, he should also recognise that it is important for the Zambian people to know that we have got a number of schools of this nature. Like I said, most of the thirty-seven schools I just highlighted are day high schools.

Sir, recently, we were in Muchinga Constituency and I just want to provide this narration for the people to understand. There, you find a school like Chibale situated in a locality where there are no people, but is called a day high school. Surely, where would you expect the people to come from? The same applies to Sinazongwe.

Mr Speaker, I want to assure the hon. Member of Parliament that when we start preparing the 2013 Budget, these are some of the issues that we need to look at as the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and see what sort of solution we should provide. I want also to assure the hon. Member that between today and Sunday, I will be in the Southern Province just to look at some of these high schools which are being constructed with a view to having facts, as a ministry, in order to provide the correct solution.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has referred to the question of banking issues as the main reason for the delay in the construction of the Sinazongwe Day High school. Have these banking issues been resolved, so far, and when is this project going to be completed?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, obviously, as I said, the banking issues were resolved and most schools whose construction started in 2011 are expected to be completed in 2013.

I thank you, Sir.

COUNTRYWIDE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES CONSUMPTION

390. Mr Zimba (Kapiri-Mposhi) asked the Minister of Local Government and Housing:

(a)    what the annual average consumption of alcoholic beverages was countrywide from 2007 to date; and

(b)    whether there were any remedial measures taken by the Government to control and reduce the abuse of alcoholic beverages in the country.

Mr Speaker: The hon. Minister of Local Government and Housing?

Interruptions

Hon. Members: She is not in the House.

Mr Speaker: His Honour the Vice-President?

Interruptions

Hon. Opposition Members: He is also not in the House! Boma yalala! Shame! Shame!

Mr Speaker: We will move on to the next question.

NCZ RECAPITALISATION

391. Mr Ntundu (Gwembe) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)    how much money the Government disbursed to the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia (NCZ) for recapitalisation as of 31st March, 2012;

(b)    how much money was required to fully recapitalise the company; and

(c)    how the financial performance of the company had been from 2009 to date, year by year.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr N. Banda): Mr Speaker, as of 31st March, 2012, the Government …

Dr Kaingu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, I am compelled to raise this point of order. You have advised, several times, this week and last week, the Government to be in the House. Is this Government in order to stay outside this House and fail to answer questions? I need your serious ruling.

Mr Speaker: Certainly, the Government is not in order.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Firstly, as we all know, there is provision for, at least, an hon. Cabinet Minister and an hon. Deputy Minister, in whatever numbers, to be available at every sitting. These questions, obviously, it goes without saying that they were brought to the notice of the relevant ministry. Even assuming that both the hon. Cabinet Minister and hon. Deputy Minister were not available, there is also provision for another hon. Minister to assist or act in that position. If all that fails, His Honour the Vice-President, as the Leader of Government Business in this House, should be available to respond.

So, this state of affairs is certainly most regrettable and I earnestly hope that we will not see a recurrence of this sort. As far as this particular question is concerned, this matter will be brought to the attention of His Honour the Vice-President. The question still needs to be answered. That is my ruling.

May the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock continue, please.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Long live the Chair!

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, as of 31st March, 2012, the Government, through the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, disbursed a sum of K64.09 billion to the NCZ for recapitalisation, broken down as follows:

Year    Amount (K’bn)
2001    8
2002    24.684,437
2003    5
2004    9.5
2005    2.5
2006    6.4
2007    3
2008    Nil
2009    5
2010    Nil
2011    Nil

Total     64.087,437

Sir, to fully recapitalise the NCZ, K638 billion is required. Of this amount, K275 billion is for plant rehabilitation while K363 billion is working capital. 

Mr Speaker, based on the management accounts for the NCZ, the financial performance of the company from 2009 to date has been as follows: 

Financial Year Ended 31st March    2009    2010    2011    2012

Turn over    997,434    532,895    87,874,645    149,122,726

Cost of Sales    650,924    1,167,749    44,517,508    93,994,289

Contributions    346,510    (634,854)    39,153,559    55,951,755

Overheads    30,552,169    21,865,740    33,647,050    47,310,643

Gross Profit/Loss    (30,205,659)    (22,500,594)    5,506,509    8,641,112

Mr Speaker, there was no production in the year ended 31st March, 2009, and 2010, hence the company recorded losses. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1045 hours until 1100 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Ntundu: Mr Speaker, if it is true that …

Mr Zimba: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, I am raising a point of order for the first time in this House. This point of order is very serious and I need your serious ruling.

Sir, I asked a question and the Government failed to answer it and has never apologised for this. Is it in order?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Quite frankly, the Speaker is completely lost at sea.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: I would otherwise have loved to issue a ruling, but since I am at a loss, I am not too sure what question you are referring to in any event.

Mr Zimba: Question 390.

Mr Speaker: I do not know whether the hon. Member was present when I made a ruling just before business was supended. In case you were not present for some reason, I did ultimately indicated that this matter would be brought to the attention of His Honour the Vice-President and the question will be required to be answered. That was my ruling. So, we should not flog a dead horse.

Mr Ntundu: Sir, if the proclamations of the PF Government that it wants to ensure that farmers in this country get enough fertiliser for them to grow more crops so that we are able to sustain ourselves as a country, are really true, what is its vision for the full recapitalisation of this company, looking at the fact that K635 billion is required for this? The recapitalisation of the NCZ was actually a Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) programme.

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Chenda): Mr Speaker, the NCZ was tranched for privatisation by the previous administration. That is still the position with this new administration. However, it may comfort the hon. Member of Parliament, who asked the question, to learn that, for the first time, we have awarded the tender for the provision of the whole component of D-compound for the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to the NCZ.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: This means that we want the institution to continue to be economically viable.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, I appreciate the hon. Minister’s answer when he says the Government has given the NCZ a tender this time around, but the question that begs an answer is: When is this company going to be fully recapitalised?

Mr Chenda: Sir, the company is tranched for privatisation. We are looking for a buyer for the NCZ. It is for that reason that the Government has not actually recapitalised the company.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, given the state in which the NCZ is and the fact that it has been awarded the contract to supply D-compound to the Government, can we get an assurance from the hon. Minister whether this company will actually deliver on this contract because, if it does not, we are in big problems.

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, we have had assurance from the management of the company that it will be able to deliver the whole component of D-compound, under the FISP, before the planting season.

I thank you, Sir.

CARE FOR OLD PEOPLE POLICY

393. Mr Chisala (Chilubi) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health whether the Government had any policy on the care of old people and, if so, when the policy document would be published.

The Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Ms Kazunga): Mr Speaker, there has never been a policy on older persons in Zambia. However, the Government recognised the need for such a policy due to the demographic transformation and challenges being faced by older persons. As a consequence, the ministry, in consultation with stakeholders, developed a draft national policy on ageing to promote and protect the rights of older persons. It is envisaged that once the policy document has been approved by the Cabinet, it will then be published in September, 2012.

Thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister says that the Government has no policy on care of the aged as at now. Is she …

Ms Kalima: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Ms Kalima: Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to raise this point of order. The conduct of this Government in this House is such that the hon. Ministers who are supposed to answer questions are absent and even the PF Back Benchers who submit questions are absent. Therefore, is the PF Government in order to expect the Zambian people to trust it to perform? I seek your ruling, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I have already addressed this issue. Let us not go back to it or else we will be seen to be inefficient by not progressing with the business on the Order Paper. We need to be efficient. I have already made my point. I think my point is clear, especially in relation to the Government. That is my concern.

The hon. Member on the Floor may continue.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, I was saying that the Government has informed us that as of now there is no policy on caring for the aged, but we know that, in this country, there are organisations such as the Salvation Army, which runs the Mitanda Home of the aged in Ndola. Is this Government not considering partnering with such organisations in the absence of a clear-cut policy of its own?

The Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Dr Katema): Mr Speaker, the absence of a clear-cut policy does not mean that the Government is not taking care of the aged. In fact, the Government has a number of programmes that take care of the aged. There are nine institutional homes for the aged in the country. Two are government run and the rest are run with the assistance of co-operating partners like the one the hon. Member of Parliament was talking about. However, these also receive grants from the Government. 

The Government also has programmes to assist the aged such as the Social Cash Transfer Scheme. We have also abolished the payment of user fees in all health institutions for citizens who are sixty-five years and above. So, the decision to have a clear-cut policy is just to enhance all these programmes which the Government has been carrying out so that they are run in a more co-ordinated manner. All the stakeholders who are assisting the Government in looking after the aged should follow these policies as a national guideline.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, could the hon. Minister spell out the number of villages for old people that we have in the country?

Dr Katema: Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to inform the House that it is not the Government’s intention to drag aged people into secluded places. Even taking our aged people into these institutions, which we have talked about, is a decision of last resort. The Government prefers that the aged are taken care of by their families in the communities where they live because taking them into secluded villages is, in fact, segregatory. We want to do away with this segregation of the aged so that they can enjoy the rights and freedoms that the policy we are putting in place is intended to give them.

I thank you, Sir.

HOMICIDE CASES RECORDED COUNTRYWIDE

394. Mr Chisala asked the Ministry of Home Affairs:

(a)    how many cases of homicide were recorded countrywide by the Zambia Police Force from September, 2011, to February, 2012; and

(b)    of the total number of cases, how many had been committed to the High Court for trial as of 1st March, 2012.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Dr Simbyakula): Mr Speaker, the Zambia Police has recorded 599 homicide cases countrywide from September, 2011, to February, 2012.

Sir, of the 599 homicide cases recorded countrywide, 244 have been committed to the High Court for trial while investigations are on-going in the rest.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Deputy Minister for that elaborate answer. It is a well-known fact that some of these cases are as a result of gender-based violence. What is the Government doing about reducing such incidences?

Dr Simbyakula: Mr Speaker, I thank Hon. Chisala for that question. Sadly, it is, indeed, true that gender-based violence can and does lead to deaths of either the victim or perpetrator, who might find himself on the receiving end and come to grief. So, the Government is working with the civil society to sensitise our communities that they should not sweep cases of gender-based violence under the carpet. 

Mr Speaker, these cases must be reported because, if they are not, there are three things that can happen: firstly, the violence might escalate in a home and reach a situation where the victim or perpetrator dies. This is because the victim might reach a stage where they say, ‘‘Enough is enough. If this fool touches me tonight, it is the last time he is going to touch me,” and the homicide takes place. Secondly, we, in the animal kingdom, learn from our parents. If the girl-child sees the mother being abused by the father, everyday, she too will think it is alright to be abused by men and that cycle of gender-based violence will continue and be passed on to the children and grandchildren. Thirdly, when the boy-child sees the father abusing the mother, he, too, will think it is alright to abuse women. 

Mr Speaker, the House may wish to know that Alfred Adler, a Great Psychoanalyst, did say that men who have no respect for women end up being rapists or defilers, child molesters or, even more sinister, serial killers. So, it is incumbent upon all of us to sensitise our communities to report these cases so that we end this scourge.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Deputy Minister inform the House what the correct name is? Is it the Zambia Police Force or Zambia Police Service?

Dr Simbyakula: Mr Speaker, the Police Act has not yet been amended. It is still the Zambia Police Force.

I thank you, Sir.

________________{mospagebreak}

MOTION

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ASSURANCES

Mr Habeenzu (Chikankata): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Government Assurances for the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly laid on the Table of the House on 25th June, 2012.

Mr Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Mr Kalaba (Bahati): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Habeenzu: Mr Speaker, to begin with, I wish to inform the House that your Committee considered fifty-seven assurances during the year under review. I am, however, sad to report that none of these have been closed. Your Committee was unable to close any assurances because, in some instances, implementation of programmes or projects is still on-going while, in others, no progress has been made at all.

Mr Speaker, your Committee learnt, during its deliberations, that most assurances are not being honoured due to lack of funds on the part of Government to adequately cater for all Government programmes and projects. In this regard, I wish to urge the Government to desist from making many assurances on the Floor of the House which, in the long run, remain unattended to due to insufficient funds, relative to the many projects that have to compete for the limited Government resources. 

Mr Speaker, I also wish to bring to the attention of the House some disparities in some of the assurances and submissions that were made to your Committee by the Permanent Secretaries. For example, on 23rd September, 2009, the hon. Minister of Education assured this House that the Government would establish, in each province, a Centre of Excellence to cater for the needs of the vulnerable and physically challenged. However, in his submission to your Committee, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education stated that a Centre of Excellence would only be constructed at Munali Secondary School in Lusaka. 

Similarly, on 13th March, 2008, the then hon. Deputy Minister of Works and Supply assured the House in the following words:

“Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the ministry has immediate plans to upgrade the existing Kasama/Chinsali Road to bituminous standard.”

Contrary to this assurance, the Permanent Secretary informed your Committee that the contract awarded on this road is for periodic maintenance only. 

Sir, based on these differences that I have just highlighted, it was abundantly clear, during your Committee’s meeting, that there is a lack of consultation between the hon. Ministers and their Permanent Secretaries with regard to the details of implementation of assurances given on the Floor of the House. I am aware that, sometimes, hon. Ministers and their deputies are under extreme pressure to provide off-the-cuff answers on the Floor of the House.

Mr Speaker, may I appeal to the Executive is to ensure that, before it comes to this House with answers to the various questions put to it, it should engage the technocrats or experts in its respective ministries on the details of the implementation plan of Government programmes vis-a-vis the resources available to that ministry.

Mr Speaker, allow me, now, to turn to assurances on the road sector, under the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, as highlighted in your Committee’s report. 

Sir, the House will note that, of the total assurances considered by your Committee, sixteen are related to the construction and rehabilitation of roads in various locations and, of all these roads, only one is nearing completion while eight are far from completion. The rest are either undergoing feasibility studies or there are no construction works being undertaken at all. One road that has never been attended to at all is the Luampa/Machile Road.

Hon. UPND Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Habeenzu: On 1st October, 1997, the hon. Minister assured the House as follows:

“Tenders for the Luampa/Machile Road are being processed and works would cover Luampa, Machile, Mulobezi and Sesheke.”

Mr Speaker, according to this assurance made almost fifteen years ago, tenders for this road were being processed then. The Permanent Secretary, who appeared before your Committee this year, 2012, informed us that bids for this road were received and evaluated in 2009, which is more than ten years after the project was put to tender.

Further, your Committee was informed that the contract for the works could not be signed due to constraints in funding in the 2009 to 2012 Annual Work Plans. 

Mr Speaker, given these facts, I would like to ask the Government the following questions:

(a)    why there was such a long time lapse between the tendering process and the evaluation of bids for this road project;

(b)    why this project has not commenced fifteen years after the assurance was made; and 

(c)    why this project has been neglected when other projects, whose assurances were made later, are currently being implemented.

Hon. Members: Shame!

Mr M. H. Malama: Fyaba MMD ifyo.

Mr Habeenzu: Mr Speaker, I wish to strongly urge the Government and, in particular, the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, to include the Luampa/Machile Road in the 2013 Annual Work Plan so that construction can start sooner rather than later.

Mr Speaker, in line with its programme of work, your Committee undertook a local tour to the Western Province to, among other activities, inspect the programmes on the control of the cattle disease called Contagious Bovine Pleural Pneumonia (CBPP). 

Sir, let me first commend the Government for the effort being made to eradicate the disease by agricultural officers on the ground.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Habeenzu: That notwithstanding, your Committee learnt that there are a number of challenges that these officers are experiencing in their quest to control the disease. Some of the challenges include:

(a)    the free movement of livestock suspected to be carriers, especially along the border with Angola;

(b)    insufficient funding for operational costs;

(c)    vastness of veterinary camps which are difficult to administer;

(d)    lack of fridges required to store vaccines; and 

(e)    lack of manpower required to adequately attend to all parts of the Western Province.

Mr Speaker, in view of these difficulties and others that have been highlighted in the report, I wish to appeal to the Government to ensure that the livestock sector of the parent ministry should be funded adequately, with emphasis on disease control. Once this is done, the people of the Western Province will not only be enabled to sustain their lives, but also, in the long run, be able to produce good quality beef that is fit for export.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to appeal to the Government to urgently address the challenges that I have just outlined, especially the restriction of the movement of animals from neighbouring Angola, where the disease is believed to have spread from. The Government should also purchase the fridges that are required to store vaccines before they go to waste as well as embark on the re-demarcation of some vast veterinary camps for easy administration. 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, allow me to extend my sincere appreciation to you for enabling your Committee to carry out its functions this session. Your Committee is also thankful to the various witnesses who appeared before it and provided both written and oral submissions and the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff, who provided various services to your Committee throughout its deliberations and during its local tours. 

With these few words, I beg to move.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Does the Seconder wish to speak now or later?

Mr Kalaba: Now, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, I stand to second the Motion, which has been ably moved by the Chairperson, Hon. Munji Habeenzu, to the effect that this House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Government Assurances for the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. 

Mr Speaker, in seconding the Motion, I only have two points to highlight from the report. Firstly, I wish to refer to an assurance under the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication on 11th March, 2009. The Hon. Minister assured the House as follows:

“Mr Speaker, there are also plans to turn Lusaka International Airport into an air cargo hub to carter for the anticipated traffic from the economic zone.”

Mr Speaker, in the last six months, a number of airlines have started landing at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, formerly Lusaka International Airport. Notable among these are, Emirates, KLM and Precision Airline. Zambezi Airlines has also resumed its operations. Unfortunately, the airport has remained the same in terms of infrastructure despite the assurance to expand it which was made on the Floor of this House some good three years ago.

Mr Speaker, when one compares the infrastructure of our airport with that which is at other airports in the sub-region, they will note that the other airports are more beautiful and advanced so as to meet international standards. It is high time Zambia seriously embarked on developing a modern airport commensurate with the amount of cargo and traffic it expects to handle. 

Mr Speaker, about two weeks ago, the Director of the National Airports Corporation had said that nineteen contractors had already applied to carry out works on our airport. My only hope is that Zambians will be given the opportunity to participate in the construction or expansion of our airport. That is the only way you create capacity for citizens. If you do not do this, you will let others come to do it for you and the resources and riches of the country will be given to other people.

Mr Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of the House to an assurance regarding the delay in the payment of retiree benefits under the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, which was given on 5th August, 2009, by Hon. Situmbeko Musokotwane, who was the Minister of Finance at that time.  In part it reads as follows:

 “Mr Speaker, I do agree that at the moment, it takes a bit of time before the payments are made. There is a time lag between the entitlements of the payment.” 

Mr Speaker, your Committee was informed by the Permanent Secretary that retirees on the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF) had to wait an average of 365 days to get their lump sum benefits. This scenario is necessitated by the funds actuarial deficit which was estimated at K15 trillion as at 31st December, 2011, while the annual financing gap is projected to be K3 trillion between 2012 and 2014.

Mr Speaker, your Committee’s report has elaborately explained how the PSPF found itself in this critical position. Our plea, as a Committee, is that the Government should, through the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, rectify these huge problems. These are very monumental problems. We hope that this Government will rise to the occasion and answer the challenges which were never answered by our colleagues. They left behind the problems which we are trying to deal with aggressively so that this issue is left in the past. 

Mr Speaker, the senior citizens who have retired from the Civil Service deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. This can only be done if they are paid their due retirement benefits immediately after retiring. It is sad that a number of retirees have died without enjoying the fruits of their long service in the Public Service. I strongly urge the Government to ensure that your Committee’s observations and recommendations on this matter are implemented in order to address these assurances. It is important in life to ensure that assurances made on the Floor of this House come to fruition because we do not come to only talk at this institution for the sake of answering questions. It is important to thoroughly follow up an assurance after it has been made. Why can we not start walking the walk, instead of just talking the talk? We are tired of listening to people who only come to this House to talk and then go out. 

Mr Speaker, I am happy with what our hon. Ministers are doing. I think this is the way we should proceed. They come to this House with researched answers on how issues are going to be dealt …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalaba: … with and an assurance for the people of Zambia that things will be better. This probably emanates from their past. We see heroes in their own right in this House. We see the Kapwepwes still living on this side of the House. Their spirit is still here.

Mr Speaker, young as he may look, the nation has a lot to learn from Hon. Mwiimba Malama. Even when money was offered to him to go to the National Constitution Conference (NCC), he did not go there because he was fighting for a cause. I want to say …

Mr Mufalali: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

A point of order is raised.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order. Is the speaker on the Floor of the House in order to move away from the report and start telling us about former hon. Members of Parliament.

Mr Speaker:  Order!

The hon. Member should confine himself to his task. The task that he is charged with is to second the Motion. I have said before that it is inappropriate to debate ourselves. We have very specific business to attend to. I know that it is tempting to step out of bounds. However, I will keep you within bounds.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, thank you for that very wise counsel. I was only saying that when assurances are made on this Floor of the House, it is important that they are made in the interest of the people of Zambia. Previously, assurances were made for the sake of making them. This is why people were moved from this side and taken to where they are now. We have now also seen people jumping from one corner to the other trying to make alliances which are not going to work.

Mr Speaker, with these few words,

Laughter

Mr Kalaba: I urge the House to support the report of your Committee. 

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): From the outset, I want to support the observations and recommendations of your Committee. The Government assurances in this report are non-partisan in nature because they affect the lives of Zambians. As such, whether in the past or present, the Government continues to function for the benefit of the people of Zambia, hence, there should be no blame game as it carries out its duties. Instead, a formula must be found to ensure that these Government assurances are addressed.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, during the current sitting  and the previous one, there have been some Government assurances made. One thing that we need to look at is whether these assurances are going to be fulfilled. What we need to learn from this report is the fact that once the Government has made assurances on the Floor of the House, there is no follow-up by the respective ministries to ensure that what is said is incorporated into the budgets for the ensuing years. 

Some assurances which were made in 1997 have not been fulfilled up to now. We need to critically look at the documents in which the assurances are found. Each ministry should identify the role it is supposed to play in ensuring that the assurances which hon. Ministers make on the Floor of the House are honoured. Put them together and see which ones have been implemented. Those that have not been implemented should be factored into the budgets of the ensuing years.

Mr Speaker, very soon, we will be approving the Budget for 2013. This Government should ensure that it looks through the relevant documents to see if certain assurances could be factored into the Budget for 2013 because they are pertinent and are supposed to help the people of Zambia lead better lives.

Sir, sometimes, we tend to turn a blind eye to documents such as the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) which are prepared with the input of Parliament. I am privileged to have served as a Permanent Secretary and hon. Minister. We only look at these documents from Parliament at the time when they are being considered on the Floor of this House, but tend to forget about them in the long run. We just put them in filing cabinets.

Mr Speaker, it is important to find a way of moving away from this problem. If the Government does not fulfill the promises which it makes on the Floor of the House, we must find a way of addressing this challenge. Putting blame on a person who has left the system will not solve any problem.

Sir, if you are concerned with the issues which have been highlighted in the report, the best way is to attend to them. The best way to act is to read through these documents and then respond to the people’s wants.

With these few words, I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chilangwa (Kawambwa): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to support the report which has been tabled on the Floor of this House.

Sir, I want to start by clearly stating that there is no blame game here. What was not done was not done. People must own up and agree that they failed to the extent that they are now on the wrong side of the House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Speaker, no matter how good one can be, you cannot accept …

Mr Monde: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Monde: Mr Speaker, I rise on a serious point of order. Is the hon. Member in order to insinuate that your left side is a wrong side?

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member is certainly out of order. This is a multi-party system of governance. By definition, it accommodates both my left and the right. It would be dysfunctional in a multi-party state to only have the right. That would be a wrong arrangement.

Could the hon. Member continue, please.

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Speaker, I was saying that is why some of our colleagues were demoted from sitting on the right to sitting on the left.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Speaker, no matter how good you are or can be, you cannot agree to having eaten what you have not eaten. They must accept their failures. 

Sir, looking at this report, with special emphasis on all the assurances that were made, it is unbelievable that the issue of retirees was left pending for a long time with no solution in sight.The retirees are people who worked for this country. They laboured for this country. What is the problem? Can we not appreciate the efforts that the retirees contributed to the development of this country? Why should we decide to just ignore them? This is unacceptable. We thank God that he answered their prayers. In the place of those who ignored the plight of the retirees, God decided to put in the right people to do the required job.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chilangwa: Mr Speaker, on page 16 of the report, the Lundazi/Chipata Road has been talked about. Way back in November, 2002, the Government assured this House that money would be found for that road to be patched up and eventually upgraded. As we speak, works on that road are still incomplete. Some people are still struggling to complete the works on that road.

Sir, even as by-elections are going on in places like Chama, whose only access to other parts of the country is through Chipata, the roads are impassable. I wonder what messages they are taking there. What message are they taking to the people of Chama as regards why the Lundazi Road has not been completed since 2002? It is unacceptable.

Mr Speaker, I think that people need to own up for their failures. The best thing they can do is to go to Chama and say that they are sorry that they failed and that they are withdrawing their candidates because they do not have anything to offer.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chilangwa: Sir, this report also talks about issues of infrastructure, equipment, hospitals and clinics. Surprisingly, people are even able to come here and tell the nation that they tried to develop infrastructure. What did they try to do in twenty years?

Mr Speaker, to be precise, on 27th February, 2009, an hon. Minister, then, assured this House that since money had been sourced, rehabilitation works would take place on the Great East Road from Luangwa Bridge all the way to Mwami Border Post, in three tranches. It was said that everything had been finalised.

Sir, as we speak, the Great East Road segment from Luangwa Bridge, all the way to Mwami, is still in a deplorable state. So, where did the money go? What happened to the money that was sourced from international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and European Investment Bank (EIB)?

Mr Speaker, it is very sad that things used to happen that way. We thank God that the Zambian people are now liberated such that they can now look forward to better things. As we debate this report, I just want to urge our colleagues, especially those on your left side, to remember that Rome was not built in one day. This hardworking PF Government, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chilangwa: … which the people of Zambia ushered into power has already put things in place so that this country can move forward. It is a non-stoppable train. If they continue on the same path, they will remain on this side of the House for not less than fifty years.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chilangwa: Sir, at the rate this gallant PF Government is going to work to fulfill these assurances and the people’s aspirations that the previous administration did not, I can assure you that it will remain in power for not less than fifty years. 

Mr Speaker, with those few words, I beg to support the report.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to support the Motion on the Floor and I will be very brief. My debate is on the co-ordination of the technocrats and the politicians, the Judiciary and road infrastructure. 

Mr Speaker, the co-ordination between technocrats and politicians needs to be enhanced. Allow me, also, to correct the notion that politicians are not technocrats because I believe that we have a lot of politicians who are technocrats. It is just that they have taken other seats. 

Mr Speaker, I am also glad that the former Permanent Secretary, Hon. Namulambe, has accepted that the technocrats do not look at these reports when they are presented to the ministries. I want to urge all the hon. Ministers that if  Permanent Secretaries continue at the rate they are going of giving wrongs answers and not being able to act on the assurances that are given, the best we can do is to carry out reforms at a very fast rate so that we can put the right people in those places. 

Mr Speaker, in this country, we have seen that most of these controlling officers and Permanent Secretaries spend most of their time in meetings. In those meetings, they are the only ones who speak and the other directors only listen at the expense of implementation of the projects. We would like to see a situation where the Permanent Secretaries reduce on the number of meetings. We have situations where the Permanent Secretaries call for meetings every other day and, maybe, only leave out one working day to do their job. Let us change and ensure that we, as PF Government, perform to the expectations of the Zambian people.

Mr Speaker, as regards road infrastructure, page 14 of the report talks about the Mansa/Luwingu/Kasama Road. This road has not only been a pain to the people, but has also caused a lot of difficulties for the people to travel from Luwingu to Mansa. 

Mr Speaker, I want to quote the assurance that was given on this particular road:

“Mr Speaker, tarring the 340 km Mansa/Luwingu/Kasama Road to class 1 bitumen standard starts this year, 2001, shortly after the rainy season ends. The design and the tender documentations have been fully completed. The estimated cost for the construction is US$70 million and so far, the Government has sourced K5 billion for the project to get started.”

Mr Speaker, to date, the Mansa/Luwingu/Kasama Road has not been worked on. I do not know whether the K5 billion that was sourced to work on it is the one that was utilised on the stretch from Luwingu to Kasama, but the fact is that, the Mansa/Luwingu/Kasama Road is as bad as it has been all along. The Permanent Secretary said that this road is very important because it can reduce travel time. In addition to that, it is also important because it will reduce wear and tear of our vehicles.

Sir, there have been a number of feasibility studies that have been done in this country. I listened to the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication as he answered one of the questions in this House. He said that if a feasibility study is not acted upon within two years, another one has to be conducted. In the 2012 Budget, there is a K2.5 billion that was allocated to conduct the feasibility study on the Mansa/Luwingu/Kasama Road. This is quite an enormous amount and it is, therefore, critical that once it is spent, the report is acted upon so that we do not spend yet another colossal sum of money to carry out a feasibility study on the same road. I think the Zambian people are tired of these feasibility studies. The reports have been gathering dust in a number of these offices, but nothing has been done.

Mr Speaker, as regards the Judiciary, this report has categorically stated that there is a massive shortage of manpower in that area. According to page 46 of the report, it talks about the establishment of magistrates being at 251. To date, this number is far below what is required. We are talking of the reforms in the Judiciary. However, until we put the manpower in place, the reforms will be meaningless.

Mr Speaker, the shortage of manpower also answers why there have many cases that have not been disposed of for almost two to three years. This is a breeding ground for corruption. For as long as the cases continue being adjourned for long periods, the people involved will be given a chance to begin using other underhand methods. As a country, it is time we quickly address this issue so that the Judiciary can ensure that it delivers justice as quickly as possible. We all know that justice delayed is justice denied. 

Mr Speaker, it is because of this lack of manpower in the Judiciary that files go missing only to be found after a year. In the meantime, people will have been making trips to court, hence incurring huge expenses.  It is important that as the assurances are made in this House, they are be acted upon. 

Mr Speaker, in this report, I want to quote page 42 where it says: 

“Mr Speaker, indeed, there is need for us to fill the current establishment. We need to train and recruit more magistrates to fill the vacant positions in order to dispense justice expeditiously.”

Sir, this was given as an assurance on the Floor of this House way back. To date, we have not acted upon it. Even if you put a supernatural human being as Chief Justice in the Judiciary, for as long as he/she is not given enough equipment, manpower and financial resources, the reforms that are needed in the Judiciary will just be a thing which we will continue talking about, but not achieve anything.

Mr Speaker, I now want to bring your attention to the electrification of districts, and Luwingu is one of them. This is an urgent issue that we really need to look at. For this country to develop, we need to ensure that the Rural Electrification Programme is enhanced so that we can see meaningful development in rural areas, especially in Luwingu District where my Constituency, Lupososhi, to be more specific, is.

Mr Speaker, in Lupososhi, we have little power and, in most cases, the voltage is low. So, the Chambeshi Water and Sewerage Company (CWSC) has problems with the motors that run the water pumps because they always break down. So, this assurance that has been made to electrify the rural areas is very important.

Hon. Members: Hear, Hear!

Mr Bwalya: Mr Speaker, I mentioned on the Floor of this House, at one time, that one scholar said, “The true meaning of life, is planting trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” We need to do things in such a way that even if we do not see the benefit, today, we will still be sure that our children will be able to see the benefits.

Mr Speaker, the electrification of the rural areas is one of the initiatives that can ensure the development of this country. We cannot expect people from the United Kingdom (UK), United States of America (USA) or elsewhere to open up the rural areas of Zambia for us. It has to be us and it has to be the PF Government to do that which the other previous governments have not done. Let us put our efforts in ensuring that we open up the rural areas and that there is enough power to drive development.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for giving me an opportunity to contribute to debate on this report. Firstly, let me thank your Committee for the report. I think it is, indeed, important that we get these reports so that when we are running the Government, we are always reminded of the promises and assurances that we have made to the people of Zambia. It is, thus, important for us to take account of whether we have met those assurances or not. So, I want to thank your Committee for that good report. I also want to thank it for the fact that it has highlighted a number of important assurances that were made, over the years, but have not yet been implemented.

Mr Speaker, an example of this is the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport where the infrastructure should have been upgraded, but this has not yet started. We have also heard about other examples like the Lundazi/Chipata Road which, of course, has not been completed but, at least, has been halfway worked on. I believe that, with the remaining half, there is a contractor in place working on the road. It is important that we highlight these assurances so that we can state in cases where they have not been met.

Mr Speaker, I only wish that we can be a little more comprehensive, sometimes, as we give these reports. What do I mean? When you listen to the report, it seems there is nothing that has completely happened at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, for example. Of course that is not true. The report clearly indicates that the traffic at the airport has increased. This is because the initial plan was that this airport should have been a hub in the region. The Kenneth Kaunda International Airport is better and more naturally located to be the hub of the region compared to, for example, the airport in Johannesburg because Johannesburg is further to the south. If you are talking about a hub, Lusaka is a better and more natural hub because we are in the middle of eight countries and so are more central.

Mr Speaker, this idea was sold to many international airlines. Selling the idea itself is, of course, a positive thing. This is why we see Emirates and others coming to Zambia. So, the selling and marketing of the airport is something that has been positive and that we must acknowledge. On top of that, we did indicate that for the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport to be a hub, there has to be matching infrastructure around it. What is that matching infrastructure? Apart from the airport infrastructure itself, there are economic zones being constructed around the airport.

Mr Speaker, at the time of leaving office, we knew that works had already started at the Lusaka South and Lusaka International Airport multi-facility economic zones. Unfortunately, the report makes no mention of the fact that these important projects have actually started. Anyone of us can go and inspect and he/she will see that these important projects have actually started. I think that part of the reason that the international airlines are coming here, apart from the marketing reason, is that they have seen that the infrastructure is being constructed. Therefore, they have the hope and confidence that the Government’s plan is going to materialise.

Mr Speaker, what is important now is to make sure that the airport infrastructure itself starts to be constructed. Unfortunately, there is little progress that has been made and it is the PF Government that has delayed it.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, Hear!{mospagebreak}

Dr Musokotwane: A private-public partnership (PPP) agreement for more than US$100 million to go towards the construction of the airport without a single cent of contribution from the Zambian Government, was supposed to be signed although I do not know whether it was signed or not. Of course, this is not strange because many other airports in the world have been constructed in a similar way. This was cancelled by this Government. If it had not been cancelled, by now, the project that we are talking about that includes a new terminal could have long started. The PF Government is the one that has delayed this project citing corruption in the manner the PPP came about, but it was not able to prove the corruption. I think it was just a matter of failing to understand.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, I have said before, in this House, that the development agenda has no finishing line. What I mean by this is that whichever Government is in place will do things for the people of Zambia and leave certain things undone because development is such that you can never always say we have done everything. For example, if you construct an airport in Lusaka, there will be another one in Ndola waiting to be constructed. If you construct an airport in Ndola, there will be an airport in Solwezi to be constructed. So, there is no finishing line. Therefore, it is important, instead of the Government boasting about how capable it is without demonstrating it, to now begin to build on what the MMD left behind.

Hon. Members: Hear, Hear!

Dr Musokotwane: This is what is going to bring development to our country.

Mr Speaker, what we see, instead, is people standing up in this House and boasting about how they won the elections and how clever they are. However, what we are waiting to hear from them is how they will lay out the plan because, so far, there is no plan. So far, we have not heard of any plan and this has prompted one Opposition leader to say  there is no plan.

Laughter

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, those people who keep boasting are incapable, incompetent and do not have a plan. This just means that there is no plan in their heads and that is why it is easier for them to keep boasting.

Mr Speaker, I would like to advise this Government. I have said before that the success of any government is the success of all of us. When the economy grows, we all benefit. When the economy suffers, we all suffer. This is why I want to support you by giving you advice, because this Government has made very extravagant promises to the people of Zambia. 

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Dr Musokotwane: You made very extravagant promises to the people of Zambia. You should, therefore, keep them. You promised jobs to all the youth but, so far, you have delivered nothing.  

Interruptions

Dr Musokotwane: You promised more money to the people of Zambia but, so far, the people are striking because you have not delivered the money. 

Interruptions

Dr Musokotwane: You promised to bring back the windfall tax, but, so far, nothing has happened in that respect. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Musokotwane: You promised …

Hon. MMD Members: Barotse …

Dr Musokotwane: … the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement, but nothing has happened.

Laughter 

Mr Mwila: On a point of order, Sir

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised. 

Mr. Mwila: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament for Liuwa in order to start talking about the Barotseland Agreement and the windfall tax which are not even part of the report?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Earlier, when the hon. Member for Bahati was debating, a point of order was raised. I cautioned and urged that we keep within the bounds of the report. I know that it is difficult to draw a line between certain promises made in certain contexts from other assurances made by the Government. However, we need to remind ourselves that the subject at hand are Government Assurances. It is important to focus on the business before the House − Government Assurances. 

Speaking about the subject, let us spend time looking at the concept and facility of Government Assurances in terms of how it has or has not worked. I think that it is important. Every time, there shall be a Government and for all time to come there shall be assurances made ... 

 Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: … by whoever will be in Government. That is the essence of this Committee. 

The hon. Member for Liuwa may continue. 

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, in conclusion, …

Laughter 

Dr Musokotwane: … if these repeated cases of assurances that are not honoured adequately are to be avoided, we need to lay out plans very concretely on how we are going to perform better. If we keep hearing stories about how people are on the wrong side of the House, soon enough, and four years is not very far, you may find yourselves the shortest serving Government in the history of Zambia. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, I stand here to contribute and support the report of your Committee. 

First and foremost, I have looked at the report, which has 50 pages. 

Laughter 

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, this report is a challenge to the PF Government because we are counting on it to honour these assurances. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Miyutu: Your predecessors have landed you in a hot seat. 

Laughter 

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, the people of Lukulu want electricity and it is saddening that we can sit and plan that Lukulu be connected to the grid in 2021. 

Mr Livune: How?

Mr Miyutu: It is very sad that a Government with a heart for the people can think that Lukulu should stay off the grid until 2021. 

Sir, hon. Members of Parliament, especially those on your right, must feel for the people in the rural areas. We are here, in Lusaka, enjoying the electricity from Lake Kariba, yet the people in the rural areas have nothing. They use firewood, reeds and charcoal as sources of energy, yet the Government is talking about taking electricity there in 2021. 

Mr Speaker, I was in Chipata and walked on the Chipata/Mfuwe Road. It is saddening that, out of 104 km, bitumen has only been applied to 35 km of this road. Even for the 35 km, 10 km can be crossed out because it is really not up to standard. If it was during the time I used to be in class, I would put a big ‘X’.

Mr Livune: Zero!

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member for Katombola, please, check yourself. I know that the hon. Member for Kalabo Central has a tendency to excite colleagues when he is debating, but, please, restrain yourself. 

The hon. Member for Kalabo may proceed.

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, governments are put in place to serve the people. They are not put there to serve themselves. An hon. Member of this House or of the Government is not here to serve himself or herself, family, daughter or whoever. This is not the right forum.  We must have a heart for the people. How can the Government contract somebody to complete a road in forty months, but he ends up misusing most of the money and leaves the rest of the road unmarked? Surely, the PF Government must put in more effort so that the Chipata/Mfuwe Road is completed by April, next year.  

Mr M. H. Malama: On a point of order, Sir. 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised. 

Mr M. H. Malama: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member debating in order to say that he was on the Chipata/Mfuwe Road when it is actually the Chipata/Malambo Road he is referring to? Is he in order?

Mr Speaker: Well, I am not familiar with the geography to enable me make an appropriate ruling. My concern, nonetheless, is that the hon. Member is roving. You need to focus on the subject, which is Government Assurances. This is the issue. I think that you are debating developmental projects in a roving fashion. As you debate, you need to connect what you are saying to the subject at hand, namely, Government Assurances. This is what is on the agenda. 

You may proceed. 

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, I thank you for your guidance. 

Mr Speaker, the biggest challenge is for the Government to complete projects like the Chipata/Mfuwe Road. 

Mr Speaker, on oil and gas explorations, we thank the Government for giving out those licences to companies, but we would want these companies to be on the ground. When they are on the ground, they should really do their work without causing many problems for the community.

Mr Speaker, we had a problem in Kalabo where a company was given a licence to explore …

Mr Kalaba: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, you have just guided on how this House should proceed in considering the report before this House. Is the hon. Member of Parliament for Kalabo Central in order to continue roving around without speaking to the report? I need your serious guidance.

Mr Speaker: I notice that the hon. Member has developed a plan for his debate, which is inconsistent with the subject at hand, which is Government assurances. In order to avoid repeated points of order, even if it means a drastic change in your approach, you may wish to consider whether you should continue debating or not.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Miyutu: Mr Speaker, on page 39, under exploration of oil and gas in the Western, North-Western and Eastern provinces, I want to state that companies have been given licences to explore for minerals in the two provinces.

Laughter

Mr Miyutu: So, I would like to urge the Government to ensure that these companies do their work according to the required standards.

Before I was interrupted, I was about to state that these companies, as they go into the programme of exploration, their work, sometimes, affects us negatively.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Member of Parliament for Kalabo Central, I hate to do this, but I need to remind you to focus on the assurances as opposed to the subject matter of many items that have been highlighted in the report. I think the subject matters are meant to illustrate one point, the failure to implement the assurances. So, these are case studies or subjects that have been used by the Committee to demonstrate shortcomings in Government assurances. Therefore, I do not think it would do for you, now, to begin dissecting the implementation or execution of those particular projects. That is not the point. The point is about Government assurances. Are they being abided by or not? If not, what should we do? That should be the tenor of your debate.

Mr Miyutu: Thank you, Mr Speaker. On health, your Committee states that there is a need for the Government to procure ambulances, for example, for Senanga District Hospital. It was stated on the Floor of this House that the Government was going to supply ambulances to hospitals or health institutions, unfortunately, the vehicles which are being used, currently, at these institutions are not ambulances as such. In addition, they are worn out. Frequently, they are taken to the garage for repairs. It is imperative that the Government abides by this assurance by supplying ambulances to the institutions which do not have them.

Sir, in conclusion, …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Mr Miyutu: … let me say …

Mr Speaker: That is a comforting assurance.

Laughter

Mr Miyutu: … that the Government has the mandate to improve the livelihood of the people all over the country, especially in rural areas.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I want to assure the House that we are taking this debate, currently, taking place on a non-partisan basis. This is a neutral document as far as we are concerned. It is looking at records of the undertakings made by representatives of the Government of the Republic of Zambia to the people of the Republic of Zambia. That is the fashion in which you should take it. This is despite efforts by the former hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, now merely an hon. Member of Parliament for Liuwa, to turn this into a partisan game. I am sure he knows perfectly well, for example, that the mess that has remained behind in the PSPF and related organisations is going to take a lot more than nine months to sort out.

Anyway, we should not campaign for a non-existent election at this time.

Laughter

The Vice-President: I can just assure the House and the country at large that, these important undertakings, which have been talked about in the report, will be studied and a programme will be drawn up as to when we might enforce them. Some of them may have to be abandoned because they were very ill advised. However, we will not attempt to abandon things arbitrarily, but rather will actually devise a programme that will move us forward. That is my assurance.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Habeenzu: Mr Speaker, in concluding, may I just thank the House for adopting our report.

Thank you, Sir.

Question put and agreed to.

_________

BILL

THIRD READING

The following Bill was read a third time and passed:

The Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2012

_________

MOTION

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

____________

The House adjourned at 1234 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 4th July, 2012.