DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FIRST SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Friday, 18th November, 2011

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

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

On Tuesday, 22nd November, 2011, 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 the Motion of Supply on the Estimates of Expenditure for the year 2012.

Mr Speaker, on Wednesday, 23rd November, 2011, 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. Thereafter, the House will consider Private Member’s Motions, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Supply on the Estimates of Expenditure for the year 2012.

On Thursday, 24th November, 2011, 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 continue with the debate on the Motion of Supply on the Estimates of Expenditure for the year 2012.

Sir, on Friday, 25th November, the business of the House will begin with His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time. This will be followed by Questions to hon. Ministers, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will deal with presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Then, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Supply on the Estimates of Expenditure for the year 2012.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

________________

HIS HONOUR THE VICE-PRESIDENT’S QUESTION TIME

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, the day before yesterday, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia announced that a technical committee that will draft the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia had been formed.

On the same day, the hon. Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism announced, on television, that the funding for the Constitution-making process will arise from the Contingency Vote. I have perused the meaning of a contingency fund.

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mwiimbu: You will get the question.

Hon. Government Members: Time!

Mr Mwiimbu: Greenhorn!

Laughter

Mr Mwiimbu: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Sir, a contingency fund means a reserve of money set aside to cover possible, unforeseen future expenses.

The question that begs an answer is: Did the Patriotic Front Party/Movement for Multiparty Democracy (PF/MMD) Coalition Government not foresee that it would be considering the constitution-making process in this country this year and next year? I have asked this question in view of the fact that the vote for the constitution-making process is not indicated in the Budget.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am sure it was foreseen, but there were severe time constraints on preparing and presenting the Budget. This is a relatively small item compared to the overall shape of the Budget. Perhaps, I could apologise to the hon. Member, but I do not see that there is anything of a substantive nature there.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, through you, would His Honour the Vice-President assure the people of Nalikwanda, in no uncertain terms, when the washed-away culverts at Nakanya that were reported to the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) will be reconstructed?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I would be hallucinating if I were to give an answer. I will bring the answer to this House when I have it. However, I thank the hon. Member for bringing it to my attention.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Monde (Itezhi-tezhi): Mr Speaker, on 7th November, 2011, the PF Party Secretary-General, Mr Wynter Kabimba, is quoted in The Post Newspaper as having said that His Excellency the President is in a state of shock because he did not expect to be victorious in the previous elections. Would it be the state of shock that is causing His Excellency to make appointments, a number of which have since been reversed? The recent one is that of Dr Simon Miti.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I do not think we are going to respond to that kind of abusive question.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kalaba (Bahati): Mr Speaker, through you, would His Honour the Vice-President indicate what the position of the Government regarding mobile hospitals is?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, at the moment we think that the mobile hospitals should be maintained and kept running, but integrated into the health services. In other words, they should be used for delivering specialist services and treatment to patients who do not normally have access to such treatment and also in emergency cases. However, they will not be used as a substitute for static medical facilities.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President regarding the fact that when the Bank of Zambia took over Finance Bank, a number of breaches of the law were listed. Since it was handed over, would His Honour the Vice-President indicate what will be done about the breaches that are purported to have been done at that time?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, it is unfortunate when breaches of the law, genuine or not, are mixed up with fishing expeditions to settle scores in institutions such as Finance Bank. However, I can only assume that since the Bank of Zambia is still in place, it will have cognisance of any alleged irregularities in the banking system as a whole.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chishimba (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, the President appointed a Commission of Inquiry to look into the sale of the Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL) to Lap Green of Libya. One of the findings is that the company was undervalued. What actions is the Government taking on the culprits involved in the sale of ZAMTEL?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the President has announced that the report on the privatisation of ZAMTEL will be tabled before a Cabinet meeting. I would not wish to pre-judge anything that is going to come out of that.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, can His Honour the Vice-President confirm to this House under what circumstances the police can search somebody’s house without a court order and in the absence of the owners of the house?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, perhaps, I could be helped by a specific example. I am not sure I can answer such an abstract question.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Sir, under normal circumstances, high ranking officials who privately visit Zambia are received by protocol officers. What made the high level Office of His Honour the Vice-President receive the Vice-President of Malawi who came on a private visit?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, she was invited by my office and, naturally, I received her.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, we are now discussing the 2012 Budget but, as far as I am concerned, the position of the Bank of Zambia Governor has not been filled. Has this position been filled or not? If it has been filled, who has filled it? If it has not been filled, why has it not been filled?

The Vice-President:  Sir, I am not sure I see the relevance of the 2012 Budget to the management of the bank which is responsible for monetary policy. As far as I am aware, Deputy Governors are currently running the bank and the name of a permanent full Governor will be brought for ratification to this House at some point in the future.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda (Lumezi): Mr Speaker, what is the Government doing to the ever-growing street vending which is overtaking some of the streets such as Freedom Way?

The Vice-President: Sir, the hon. Minister of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection has got this challenge well under control. It is a long-standing problem, but one in which with our pro-poor bias as a Government, we are anxious to solve in a legitimate way. We do not want to create people who are not only unemployed, but are also frustrated in so far as having any kind of livelihood is concerned. The likely outcome is that there will be areas such as Katondo Street, where vending will be permitted from 0700 hours on days of the week and other areas where it will be forbidden. That is the likely outcome but, perhaps, I could undertake that the hon. Minister, in due course, will make a statement on vending since I know it is of interest to many hon. Members.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out what Zambia’s position will be during the forthcoming Fourth High Level Forum on Early Development that is to be held in Busan in South Korea. Is the PF Government satisfied with the manner that our co-operating partners have been able to align their programmes of support with the national development plans, especially in sectors such as agriculture and health?

The Vice-President: Sir, our simple objective will be to improve the effectiveness of foreign aid. So far, we are very satisfied, but not 100 per cent satisfied that everything that ought to be done effectively is being done.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwango (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, may His Honour the Vice-President shed some light on the status of the Office of the District Commissioner considering that new district commissioners have been appointed?

The Vice-President: Sir, district commissioners are now high level civil servants. As such, they are selected and nominated by Cabinet Office and not by the President or Vice-President. The normal safety conditions of three to six months of trial are there in case it turns out that we have appointed someone who is extremely partisan either in favour of the MMD or UPND or PF and is treating his or her position as one of political influence.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, we all know that the Constitution is the fundamental law of our land and I am glad that the twenty-member committee has been put in place to take Zambia to the Constitution touchline. The hon. Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism stated that a contingency account was going to be debited and that the Government had taken a cheaper route. May we know the budget of this cheaper route now that the account shall be debited?

The Vice-President: Sir, I am not aware of any budget, and I doubt if there is any yet at this early stage.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, yesterday the Commission of Inquiry by the Ministry of Justice presented its report to the President and among its findings is that ...

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Pande: ... ZAMTEL was fraudulently sold. This issue had been taken to the Supreme Court. I would like to find out which is the more competent body to handle this matter between the Supreme Court and the Sebastian Zulu-led Commission.

The Vice-President: Sir, the case that went to the Supreme Court was not identical to the investigation undertaken by the Hon. Sebastian Zulu. As I have always indicated to the House, this will be a topic of a Cabinet meeting.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chipungu (Rufunsa): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out what necessitated the change of name of the Lusaka International Airport to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.

Interruptions

Mr Chipungu:  Were consultations made with the local people? The former name is our heritage.

The Vice-President: Sir, the three changes to the Ndola, Lusaka and Livingstone airports were made purely to honour our heroes.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: I do not see if there is any depth to the question beyond that.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, yesterday the hon. Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs said that for forty-seven years, both the United National Independence Party (UNIP) and the MMD governments failed to legalise the narrative descriptions for chiefs’ boundaries, and that in May, these maps will be distributed to the chiefs. How possible is it that the PF Government will legalise these narrative descriptions?

The Vice-President: Sir, my understanding is that the narrative descriptions have existed from the colonial era and that the maps need to be updated, modernised and printed in accordance with modern standards. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, currently, there is an outbreak of typhoid fever coupled with hunger in Kalabo. There is a need for relief supplies because a bag of mealie-meal costs between K49,000 and K50,000. The Government intends to deliver 15,000 bags of relief maize amidst the transport problems that have been caused by the onset of the rains. Why can the Government not use the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) to deliver the supplies?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the DMMU, together with the Ministry of Health, is working round the clock to contain both the epidemic and the associated food shortage. I thank the hon. Member for the information contained in his question that there are logistical challenges in the actual movement of the food. I will look into it, act and, later, contact him.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisanga (Mkushi South): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President when the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) concession will be reviewed.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the RSZ concession is under constant review. With the new Government, it is in the course of being supervised and monitored. If anything untoward comes up, I am sure the hon. Members of this House will be among the first people to know.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisala (Chilubi): Mr Speaker, Zambia has a limited number of policemen. May I learn from His Honour the Vice-President whether the Government has any plans to recruit police officers next year.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we recruit police officers every year. There will be two intakes going through Lilayi in 2012. If I recall correctly, there will be 1,300 recruits in each intake.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Mr Matafwali (Bangweulu): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President what the Government position regarding the Vision 2030 and the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) is.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we have, so far, focused on the Medium-Term Economic Framework (MTEF) and the one-year Budget. In due course, we shall thoroughly review the long-term plans such the SNDP and the Vision 2030.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President why we have power cuts in the Western Province. Power supply has been very erratic and there is a notice that it will take a month to rectify the situation.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we are operating very close to our limit in terms of generation capacity because we have not done anything since 1980, or there about, to increase capacity. Further, the region, Zimbabwe and South Africa, have little to spare for us. That is why we have inherited this problem.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Konga (Chavuma): Mr Speaker, now that the rains are here, can His Honour the Vice-President indicate when the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) will procure adequate tarpaulins to cover the maize that is being soaked in Chavuma?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the FRA has procured close to 2,000 new tarpaulins in addition to the ones it had bought earlier. As I understand, there are only about 300 tarpaulins yet to be bought. I see the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock nodding his head. Therefore, my memory has not decayed completely.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Masumba (Mufumbwe): Mr Speaker, in my maiden speech, I talked about the lack of housing and office space for the police in Mufumbwe. At the moment, the police have no offices and are just squatting. Their houses are also in the minovers. I would like to find out when the Government intends to build houses and offices for the police.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am sure the hon. Minister of Home Affairs is studying the hon. Member’s maiden speech thoroughly. However, there is a police infrastructure development plan that the hon. Member can consult to find out for himself. If he prefers, I can do it through my office.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo): Mr Speaker, the Government has denied allegations of creating a police state. Can His Honour the Vice-President give me a simple answer on what circumstances the police can search an individual’s house without a search warrant?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I already answered that question by asking for a specific example …

Hon. Government Members: Nowhere!

The Vice-President: … and the hon. Member has failed to provide one.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muteteka (Chisamba): Mr Speaker, I would like His Honour the Vice-President to inform the nation who the hero is between Dr Kaunda and Senior Headman Lusaka, who offered this land for which we honoured his name.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, Senior Headman Lusaka has the entire city of 2 million people named after him. I doubt that his spirit is disturbed by having the airport named after another great Zambian.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President what has happened with the machinery that was at the Kafue Textiles of Zambia (KTZ) since the factory has now been rented out to the FRA.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we are still waiting for a report on that matter.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out when the Government will give independence to Barotseland considering that most of the submissions are in favour of it.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, it is difficult to avoid describing that question as frivolous.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: What I know is that there is a balance of views being presented to the relevant Commission of Inquiry, and it is far from being overwhelmingly in favour of the secessionists. Anyway, even if it were, the matter would still have to come in the form of a report to the Cabinet and before this House. Therefore, I cannot answer that question and I am sure the hon. Member is not expecting to have it answered.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kalila (Lukulu-East): Mr Speaker, I have a change of heart.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, the Albidon Mine in Mazabuka has gone under care and maintenance for the second time in two years. I would like His Honour the Vice-President to indicate what the Government is doing to have the investors to expeditiously resolve their problems and re-open the mine so that people can get back to work, and the investors can fulfill the promises that they made to the traditional owners of that land six years ago.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, actually, production has continued. There is a meeting scheduled for this afternoon with management on how to recapitalise the mine.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo-West): Mr Speaker, the PF Government is on record for abhorring corruption and the President has said that he is allergic to corruption. I would like to find out when the London Judgement will be executed in our High Court.

Interruptions

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, under a slightly different Parliamentary system, I would pass that question over to my predecessor.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

Under the present Parliamentary system, His Honour the Vice-President is obligated to answer the question.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Long live, Mr Speaker!

The Vice-President:  Mr Speaker, we shall review the whole matter.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Mushili Malama (Chitambo): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out which company was contracted to refurbish State House and whether the awarding of the contract went through a full tender process.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time has expired. It is now time for Questions for Oral Answer.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

MPONGWE DISTRICT GAME MANAGEMENT AREA

20. Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe) asked the hon. Minister of Mines and Natural Resources when the game management area (GMA) in Chief Machiya’s area in Mpongwe District would be gazetted.

The Minister of Mines and Natural Resources (Mr Simuusa): Mr Speaker, the Machiya/Fungulwe Game Management Area No. 23, which is partly in Chief Machiya’s area in Mpongwe District, is already degazetted.

Sir, the GMA, which covers an area of about 1,530 square kilometres, was gazetted on 1st February, 1971. However, in 1999, the people of Machiya requested the Government to degazette it so as to free the land for other purposes. Following the request, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), then National Parks and Wildlife Services, conducted an assessment on the GMA and recommended that part of it be assessed and degazetted. Two more assessments were conducted in 2007 and 2010 after which the ZAWA management was authorised by the board to proceed with the implementation of the proposal. The degazetted area came to about 739.8 square kilometres. ZAWA, currently, awaits funds to implement the plan.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister, in his answer, indicated that the area is already degazetted, but ZAWA is awaiting funds. Under what statutory instrument was the area degazetted?

Mr Simuusa: Mr Speaker, I wish to apologise. The word I should have read is gazette, in line with the way the question was phrased that “he wished to know when it will be gazetted.”

Sir, in response to that question, the area was gazetted. If I said degazetted, I apologise, but the answer to the question is that it is already gazetted and is currently awaiting funds for it to be degazetted.

I thank you, Sir.

ZAMBIAN SCHOOLS INVENTORY

21. Mr Chisala (Chilubi) asked the hon. Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training how many of the following categories of schools were in Zambia:

(a) upper basic schools, from January, 2008 to January, 2010;

(b) grant-aided schools, as of August, 2011; and

(c) secondary schools, as of October, 2011.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology (Professor Willombe): Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Chilubi asked how many of the following categories of schools there were in Zambia: …

Hon. MMD Members: Speak up. Volume!

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, ...

Professor Willombe flipped pages.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Supplementary Questions.

Hon. MMD Members: Aah! Boma! Boma!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

Can the hon. Minister, please continue answering the question.

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, the upper basic schools between January, 2008 and January, 2010, are broken down as follows:

Year No. of Schools

2008 2,679
2009 2,915
2010 3,170

Sir, by August, 2011, the data was still being compiled for the grant-aided schools. Therefore, by December, 2010, there were 302 such schools.

Sir, by October, 2011, the data was still being compiled for secondary schools. However, by December, 2010, there were 412 secondary schools.

Mr Speaker, in addition, the grant-aided schools by educational level are broken as follows:

Grant-Aided Schools

 Education Year

Level  2008 2009 2010 2011

Lower Grades 1-4 30 50 17 Details is still being compiled 

Middle Grades 1-7 145 170  145 Data is still being compiled

Upper Grades 1-9 76 67 82 Data is still being compiled

Mixed Grades 1-12 15 13  9 Data is still being compiled

Secondary
Grades 10-12 55 40 44 Data is still being compiled

High Grades 10-12 6 1 5 Data is still being compiled

Total 327 344 302 Data is still being compiled

Mr Speaker, the fluctuation in numbers means that some levels of some schools were taken over by the Government while, in some cases, they were handed over back to the owners.

     Non-grant Aided Schools

Education Year

Level 2008 2009 2010 2011

Lower Grades 1-4 1,092 935 842 Data is still being compiled

Middle Grades 1-7 4,420 4,259 4,470 Data is still being compiled

Upper Grades 1-9 2,679 2,915 3,176 Data is still being compiled

Mixed Grades 8-9 216 283 241 Data is still being compiled

Junior Grades 8-9 4 2 5 Data is still being compiled

Secondary
Grades 222 209 171 Data is still being compiled

High Grades 10-12 161 180 232 Data is still being compiled

Total 8,794 8,783 9,137 Data is still being compiled  
Mr Speaker, the fluctuation in the numbers of schools over the years is due to some schools graduating from one level to another.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, we have more basic schools than secondary schools. Since the Government wants to provide compulsory education, will it give us more secondary schools?

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, yes, it will.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ntundu (Gweembe): Mr Speaker, the answer which has been given seems to suggest that it is the hon. Deputy Minister’s wish that the Government comes up with more upper basic schools. Therefore, I would like to find out if the Government hopes, within ninety days, …

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Ntundu: … aah, what?

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order! Let the hon. Member pose his question.

Mr Ntundu: Sir, how many basic schools does this Government intend to upgrade, within ninety days, as per the answer?

Professor Willombe: Mr Speaker, we have to wait for the Budget.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

TASK FORCE ON CORRUPTION

22. Mr Chishimba (Kamfinsa) asked the Minister of Justice whether the Government had any plans to reconstitute the Task Force on Corruption.

The Deputy Minister of Justice (Dr Simbyakula): Mr Speaker, the Government has no plans to reconstitute the Task Force on Corruption.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishimba: Mr Speaker, what mechanism has the Government put in place to fight corruption in this country?

Dr Simbyakula: Mr Speaker, the existing institutions are quite adequate for the task at hand. The Government will, therefore, utilise the combined operational skills of all the law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute suspected corruption cases.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kalaba (Bahati): Mr Speaker, what measures has the Government put in place to avoid putting up parallel organisations to fight corruption like the MMD Government did?

Mr Simbyakula: Mr Speaker, as I indicated earlier, the Government will use the existing institutions to fight corruption cases.

I thank you, Sir.

CRIMINALS IN LUANO VALLEY

23. Mr Chisanga (Mkushi South) asked the Minister of Home Affairs what measures the Government had taken to arrest the criminals who had been linked to several murder cases in the Luano Valley of Mkushi South Parliamentary Constituency.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Mwaliteta): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the Government has intensified its operations and put in place a combined team of defence and security personnel in the Luano valley of Mkushi South Parliamentary Constituency. This has been done in order to arrest the three Mailoni brothers who have been linked to several murder cases in that area. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chisanga: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that his ministry’s failure …

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Chisanga: … to arrest the Mailoni Brothers in the Luano Valley has hindered development in the area in the sense that people are not free to do their farming activities?

Mr Mwaliteta: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member is aware that the last murder in Luano Valley was committed in May, 2011 and that the MMD was still in power then.

Mr Speaker, the area where these crimes are being committed is very mountainous. This has made it very difficult for the officers to go there, unless on foot. Nevertheless, we will manage to arrest the criminals in question because this Government is committed to ensuring that they are brought to book.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, it has taken too long for the Mailoni brothers to be arrested. Do they still live in the area or could it be that they have migrated elsewhere?

Mr Mwaliteta: Mr Speaker, these criminals are known to the people and we suspect that they are still hiding in the area. The fact that they live among the people makes it very difficult for them to be arrested. Members of the public are not helpful as they are too scared to provide the police with information.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister indicated that the MMD Government was in charge of affairs at the time the last murder which involved a Zambia Flying Doctor Service pilot took place. The Zambia Police Force has not changed despite the change in Government. I would like to know whether the Government has the profiles of these criminals. Is the reason it has been difficult to arrest these criminals that they have guerilla warfare training?

Mr Mwaliteta: Mr Speaker, the only information we have is that they use spears to kill their victims. Therefore, we do not suspect that they have gone through military training.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, yesterday the hon. Minister of Health indicated to this House that the Zambia Flying Doctor Service cannot fly to that area due to insecurity. Is the hon. Minister of Home Affairs telling the nation that the Government is failing to protect the citizens in the area because of criminals who are using spears and yet the police have more sophisticated weapons that they are supposed to use to protect the people?

Mr Mwaliteta: Mr Speaker, currently we have a combined team of security wings that is extensively patrolling the area day and night whilst investigations are going on.

Mr Speaker, I thank you. {mospagebreak}

2013 UN WORLD TOURISM ORGANISATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY

24. Mr Kaingu (Mwandi) asked the Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism what benefits Zambia would derive from co-hosting with Zimbabwe, the 20th United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2013, considering that Zimbabwe had a competitive advantage in the tourism industry over Zambia.

The Deputy Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism (Mr Tembo): Mr Speaker, findings from research conducted by countries such as Australia, the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada have revealed that the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry has the potential to bring many benefits to any country’s economy. These benefits range from increased employment, revenue from domestic and foreign tourists, improved business communication to training opportunities. MICE visitors generate revenue for the economy both directly and indirectly. They also provide advantages for tourism providers during set periods of low activities in the leisure industry.

Mr Speaker, MICE can be counted on to bring enormous economic benefits to the countries and cities that host them. Countries world over are utilising the MICE industry as a development strategy. Zambia’s co-hosting of the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly, will enable the country to expand its MICE market in regional and international markets through the networks and strategic partnerships that will be established during the event.

Mr Speaker, it is the responsibility of the Government to stimulate economic activity in growth areas such as Livingstone. Co-hosting the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in 2013 will contribute sustainable revenues to the Livingstone local economy as conference tourism is resilient and complements leisure tourism. The event will attract high speed delegate visitors who will also engage in pre and post-conference tours and may, in addition, return after the conference with their friends and families as leisure visitors.

The co-hosting will stimulate investment and re-investment in the local industries through public and private collaboration in construction, upgrading of hospitality facilities, construction  and renovation of restaurants, shopping arcades and entertainment facilities as well as promote the growth community-based industries such as handicrafts. It will facilitate the regeneration of Livingstone whose major industries such as textiles have closed.

Consequently, co-hosting the event will facilitate the creation of quality year-round employment opportunities with the net effect being human resource development in the tourism sector and provision of additional employment opportunities.

Mr Speaker, the hosting of the UNWTO General Assembly in Zambia and Zimbabwe will present a unique opportunity to establish Southern Africa as a key tourism destination. It will also add fresh impetus to the drive to fully develop the MICE market of the region. The assembly will not only showcase the two countries as competitive destinations, but the whole Southern African region as well.

Co-hosting the General Assembly Session is an opportunity to enhance regional co-operation among countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other regions. It is for this reason that the SADC Ministers of Tourism endorsed the bid to host the event as a Southern African Bid, in June, 2011.

Sir, the joint hosting will enhance the profile of Victoria Falls as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. It will also contribute towards the improvement of the destination’s image and perception. In addition to the benefits already made reference to in the previous paragraphs, the joint hosting of the 20th Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2013 is also envisaged to result in re-distribution of tourism benefits to a larger spectrum of people; an upgrade of infrastructure and facilities; and service excellence for the tourism human resource.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Member of Parliament referred to a competitive advantage in the tourism industry that Zimbabwe has over Zambia. This is true with respect to the maturity of the Zimbabwean tourism industry and the number of foreign tourist arrivals and its considerable larger tourism marketing and promotional budget. It must be noted, however, that the major reason for Zimbabwe’s advantage is its well-developed infrastructure and a national airline that both contribute to the lower pricing of its tourism products in comparison with Zambia.

Sir, however, the joint hosting will work to the advantage of both countries. Zimbabwe is alsol is set to benefit from Zambia’s reputation, both regionally and internationally, as a peaceful country, of its people’s hospitable nature and untouched tourism sites. In terms of comparison, it has been established that aside from the high-end accommodation facilities in Livingstone, the mid-range budget facilities are competitive with Victoria Falls Town.

Mr Speaker, with increased and targeted infrastructural investment, which will establish Livingstone as Zambia’s tourist capital in line with the President’s directive, in the next few years, and the co-operation of the private sector in upgrading the standards of facilities and rationalising the prices of services, the co-hosting of the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly, in 2013, is set to be a definite success.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, the institutional framework of tourism in Zambia has been disbanded. Part of the tourism products have gone to the Ministry of Mines and Natural Resources while the other part has gone to the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs. What do you still call tourism in your ministry to be able to compete with Zimbabwe?

The Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism (Mr Lubinda): Mr Speaker, obviously, the hon. Member of Parliament for Mwandi has a very important issue that he wishes to debate and that is the alignment of ministries and ministerial functions. Nonetheless, I do not think it would be fair of him to bring to this House a debate to a question that is totally irrelevant. The question at hand is what benefit Zambia will derive from co-hosting the 2013 UNWTO General Assembly with Zimbabwe, given the competitive advantage that Zimbabwe has over it. That has nothing to do with the alignment of ministries.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the response is a clear admission that Zambia, from a competitive point of view, is not in a position to compete effectively with Zimbabwe. However, from a comparative point of view, you are saying that Zambia can compete. What are the strategic measures the ministry is putting in place to raise the comparative advantage of Zambia so that the co-hosting will enable it to benefit from the event?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, Zambia and Zimbabwe are co-hosting the 2013 UNWTO General Assembly. This means that they will do this jointly. They will not be competing, as there is no competition involved in this matter.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: I wonder what competition is being raised.

Sir, the issue is that Zambia has accepted the fact that Zimbabwe has comparative advantage over it in so far as the development of Zimbabwe’s tourism market is concerned. Nonetheless, Zambia will benefit from co-hosting this assembly because the number of delegates staying in Livingstone will be equal to those who will be staying in Victoria Falls Town. We are hoping that because of this, Zambia will also do what has not happened in the last forty-seven years, which is to invest in its comparative advantage in Livingstone. This should be done so that next time, after 2013, Zambia can stand up and say it also has an edge over Zimbabwe. Therefore, there is no competition. It is a joint hosting.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

_____________

MOTIONS

BUDGET 2012

(Debate resumed)

Mr Mwewa (Mwansabombwe): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this chance to debate the Motion on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the first time in my life.

Sir, let me start by saying that I have been following the debates from those who have been here long and those I consider to be academically sound. I am saddened by the manner they have debated and conceptualised the Budget. I am actually disappointed.

Mr Speaker, I went through the Budget Speech and realised that there are many positive elements that we, as hon. Members of Parliament, need to look at and concentrate on to appreciate the manner in which it has been put together in only forty-five days of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government being in power.

Mr Speaker, I have received calls from the people in Mwansabombwe asking me to explain bank interest rates and other issues that they do not understand. Therefore, I would like to concentrate a little bit more on that. The PF Government talked about putting more money in the Zambian people’s pockets. Are we going to realise this through the Budget? The answer is yes. How are we going to do that? We have already done this by reducing corporate tax for banks from 40 to 35 per cent.

I will explain what this means by debating at the level that an average Zambian will be able to understand. I will not debate at the level that my friends have debated, whereby they have been talking about issues using academic language at the highest level to the extent that most people cannot even understand. I feel that the reduction of corporate tax for financial institutions will bring down bank interest rates. Actually, we are thinking of, probably, bringing down corporate tax to 16 per cent.

Mr Speaker, I was happy when I saw a story in The Times of Zambia Newspaper for Thursday, 17th November, 2011 on page 7, which I will lay on the Table, with a heading entitled “Citibank Lowers Lending Rates.” Citibank has lowered its lending rates to 13.7 per cent.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwewa: Imagine that, Mr Speaker. What this means is that Zambians can go in a bank, today, and borrow money. When they borrow that money, they will be able to use it to do business and make profit. In the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government era, because the interest rates were so high, the Zambian people could not run local companies. They could not borrow money from the local financial institutions to conduct business because they could not make profit from their business as they had to repay the interests on the loans. If you borrowed K50 million, the bank would ask you to bring back K200 million.

Today, it is a different story. Zambian people have, for the first time, a chance to go into a bank, borrow money and pump it into businesses. We will see to it that they employ fellow Zambians because they are making profits. We will now be able to make biscuits that we never used to make. Companies from other countries used to come into Zambia to start up businesses such as making biscuits because where they were coming from, the cost of borrowing was very minimal. The interest rates in banks in other countries are very low. Therefore, foreign companies are able to get that money, invest in this country, make profits and make their companies flourish.

However, what we have been witnessing with our own companies is them going through liquidation and many Zambian workers being declared redundant. As a result, we saw an increase in the number of street kids and children dropping out of school. This was because their fathers, who are supposed to be breadwinners, could not provide bread and take them to school. This is all because the interest rates were not friendly to any Zambian doing business.

I would like tell the people of Mwansabombwe and the whole of the Luapula Province that I am very happy for them because of what is happening today. I am not going to cry like a named hon. Member of Parliament who wanted to cry. Why should you cry when people have an opportunity to make money for the first time in their lives?

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwewa: Why should someone, therefore, stand in Parliament and say, “I will cry”? Come on, brothers and sisters, that is not the way. Let us call a spade a spade. Let us give credit where it is due. That is all.

Mr Speaker, we have a situation where fishermen, in Mwansabombwe, toil to catch fish from rivers, lakes and lagoons, but there is no one to buy it at the markets. Sometimes, the fish gets rotten because there is no one to buy it. Even charcoal burners cannot find a market for their commodity after cutting trees for charcoal and having to carry heavy loads on bicycles. This also goes for peasant vegetable farmers who, most times, have to go back home with their vegetables from the market.

Mr Speaker, the only time that the people in Mwansabombwe enjoy is when civil servants, such as teachers, Office of the President (OP) officers, Forestry Department workers, nurses and police officers get paid. However, these workers, probably, only spend for one or two weeks. A few days after they are paid, their pockets are depleted and the people of Mwansabombwe go back to suffering. This time, all the people of Mwansabombwe who get salaries in the range of zero to K2 million will have more money to spend. 

Therefore, instead of only spending for one to two weeks, there will be an extension of spending to three or four weeks. Therefore, the people of Mwansabombwe will be able to have money, probably, throughout the month. When there is much money to spend, the people selling fish and vegetables will be able to save money because the fish will not get rotten and the vegetables will not go to waste as they will be bought. Furthermore, the charcoal burner who carries charcoal on his bicycle will go back home whistling as there will be no load to carry back home.

Interruptions

Mr Mwewa: You know, when you talk to me like that, you make me lose my line of thought. Let me finish talking to the people of Mwansabombwe.

Mr Speaker: Address the Chair, please.

Interruptions

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, what I am saying is that with the complete revision of the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax that the PF Government has undertaken, it means that the people of Mwansabombwe will have more money in their pockets. They will, therefore, be able to save that money with banks. When those in the informal sector save this money, the banks will have more liquidity thereby further reducing interest rates from, probably, 13 to 5 per cent.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, this shows that we are laying a foundation for proper and meaningful development in Zambia. As I was saying earlier, local companies will now open up. In Mwansabombwe, I am going to ensure that the clubs that I started open up accounts with banks. This will enable them to borrow money, invest it and make profit. The people will, therefore, take their children to school thereby ensuring that there is no child on the streets. This is how we are going to put more money in the Zambian people’s pockets.

Mr Speaker, the other issue that I Would like to talk about is windfall tax. I do not like to use the big words that my friends use, but a tenet tax is a good tax system. It has three components. It is supposed to be simple, stable and transparent. The three attributes constitute a very good tax system. The people in this House who have studied economics will concur with me on this point. You say we should charge windfall tax, but it is not stable.

Interruptions

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, firstly, let me explain what windfall tax is because some of the hon. Members talk about windfall tax, and yet do not even ...

Laughter

Hon. Government Member: You, do even understand it.

Mr Mwewa: … understand it. That is why you start laughing at the PF and ask why it is not reintroducing the windfall tax. However, I will be very basic in my explanation. Windfall tax is simply a tax. For instance, if the copper price is pegged at US$7,000 per tonne and it goes above US$7,000 per tonne, then the Government is supposed to charge the windfall tax. If it goes up to US$9,000, the 35 per cent of that US$2,000 will be charged. However, the problem that we would have, as a Government, is to rely on windfall tax because sometimes the copper prices will go up and other times they may go down.

Hon. Opposition Members: You do not know windfall tax.

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, there is no way we are going to run this nation on something that is not stable.

Hon. Government Member: Unpredictable.

Mr Mwewa: It is unpredictable and you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. You cannot plan with that kind of money because the price of copper is not controlled by the Zambian Government, but by the London Metal Exchange.

Hon. Government Member: Hammer!

Mr Mwewa: You should not start talking about windfall tax when the PF Government has already increased mineral royalties by 100 per cent and we are assured of getting so much every month. That way, you can plan well for the development of infrastructure and whatever we want to do because it is predictable, stable, simple and transparent.

Mr Mulenga: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwewa: That is the way to run the nation. We are not going to run the nation like aka ntemba. No.

Hon. Government Members: Bebe!

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, with regard to the issue of job creation, there will be more jobs created. This is because people will be employed to work on the road infrastructure and schools that the MMD Government started building, and we will complete them.  It is important for you to acknowledge that the PF Executive actually thanked the previous MMD Government for what they did and you were also supposed to appreciate us rather than attack us.

Interruptions

Mr Mwewa: What are you attacking us for? Do you want us to forget about all the good things that you did when you were in power? No. We should, at least, acknowledge that the MMD did A, B, C and we are going to start from where they ended. When we took over the Government, we even took over the debt you left. There was a deficit of US$4.3 trillion that you left.

Interruptions

Mr Mwewa: Can you now see how that can change the outlook of the Budget for 2012? Despite this, you still cannot appreciate us. That is why, sometimes, I feel that our behaviour in this august House is immoral. You have 1,000 bikes at the back of your house, and yet you can afford to condemn your friends, forgetting the log in your eye. In other countries, some of you should have resigned on moral grounds.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Tell them, baka bwalala.

Mr Mwewa: You know you have compromised your conscience. You do not know what is wrong and what is right anymore. You do not listen to your inner heart because it is compromised. That is why you are able to stand up and condemn people who are in power only for forty days, forgetting that you were in power for twenty years.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to debate on the Motion on the Floor. From the outset, I would like to begin by thanking the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for presenting this Budget in a calm manner. I also would like to thank him for acknowledging that the Government is going to build on the foundation that the MMD Government laid. This is how it should be because Zambia is for all of us.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, I would like to further state that the speech was somehow related to what the President said earlier in his speech to this House. This has been exemplified in the sense that the four core areas which he mentioned have been captured in the Budget. Like I stated earlier on the Floor of this House, I will heartily support this move, especially that this Government is going to embark on programmes in agriculture development, education and schools development, health services, local government and housing development.

Mr Speaker, however, there are some issues in the speech that I would like to raise. In health services, I would like to welcome the abolition of user fees in both the urban and rural areas. I would like to state that when the MMD Government first abolished the user fees in the rural areas, we noticed that less people were dying because they were able to access health services. The user fees were such a hindrance to some people to access the clinics that they opted to stay home and die in the process. When user fees were abolished, we saw many people going to the clinics for treatment and, thus, experienced fewer deaths.

Mr Speaker, now that the PF Government has further extended this to the urban areas, I am sure we are going to notice that there will be very few brought-in-dead bodies at the mortuaries because people will be going to the clinics for free treatment. However, the abolition of user fees has many challenges on the people who provide the health services. Therefore, I would like to urge this Government to ensure that it looks at some of the challenges that the people who run these hospitals are going to encounter. The grants given to health institutions should be increased. The timely release of the grants to health institutions will enhance the provision of good health care to our people. If that is done, then we are going to commend the abolition of user fees in urban areas because nothing is going to be disturbed.

Mr Speaker, on the Constitution-making process, I would like to state that the President of this Republic has lived up to his word because he mentioned, on the Floor of this House, that we want to see a Constitution made within ninety days. Indeed, we have seen that he has since constituted a committee of experts that is going to review the various recommendations by the former commissions. I also would like to commend him for the people he has appointed. They are going to make sure that we come up with a better Constitution which those of us who are in our early 40s will benefit from.

Mr Speaker, since there was no funding for the Constitution-making process in this year’s Budget, I would urge the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to bring to this House an amendment to the Estimates to provide funds for the Constitution-making process. Otherwise, any expenditure on that committee will be illegal since this Parliament will not have approved it. It is important that this matter is brought before this House for approval.

Mr Speaker, with regard to agriculture development in Zambia, we depend on rain-fed crops. As such, any difficulties with the rains, will make Zambia experience a drought, hence the move to go into irrigation development is welcome.

Mr Speaker, people in rural areas who depend on agriculture take a keen interest in listening carefully when, for instance, politicians talk to them about agriculture. They want to hear the benefits they are going to draw from the Government.

Mr Speaker, during the run up to the September, 2011 Tripartite Elections, all of us, the MMD, United Party for National Development (UPND) and PF, had manifestoes that we sold to the people. We gave them hope to improve their livelihood through agriculture.

The MMD Government was condemned for reducing the fertiliser pack to four. However, during our time, the reason we reduced from eight to four bags was to increase the number of people who were going to have food. Since many people benefited from the Fertiliser Support Programme, we had bumper harvests consecutively.

However, during its campaigns, the PF Government promised most of the rural people that it was going to increase the number of bags of fertiliser from four to fifteen. In most cases, it said that it would give fifteen bags for free and another fifteen bags on credit.

Hon. Government Member: Where?

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, the provision for farmer inputs in the Budget is only about K500 billion. I wonder if this money is going to be enough to give to farmers fifteen free bags of fertiliser and the another fifteen on credit.

Hon. Government Members: Check our manifesto!

Mr Namulambe: These promises were made and used against the MMD Government. It was from these promises that they were voted into power. Therefore, next year, we will ask our people to find out whether they received the fifteen bags of fertiliser as per promise.

Further, the farmers would like to know the buyer of their crops. It is true that the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) is borrowing from the banks to pay farmers and we know that it is making losses. However, with the provision of K300 billion in the Budget, the farmer is being discouraged from growing more maize because he is not sure of the marketing strategy for the PF Government.

Mr Speaker, only when this Government assures farmers on how it is going to address issues of marketing will they produce more maize. Otherwise, we are going back to square one where we used to produce less.

Mr Speaker, it is good that the PF Government has increased the threshold on the PAYE to K2 million. We all know that the financial year begins in January and ends in December. However, one wonders why a poor person who earns K2 million should continue paying tax up to April, and yet this Budget, which they so much expected, begins on 1st January. We would have loved to see tax relief effected in January as opposed to April.

Mr Speaker, if there will be an increase in salaries and wages for workers in April, the pronouncement will have no effect because those who are earning K2 million, by April, will be to be included in the tax band and will be eligible for PAYE. Therefore, what benefit is there going to be for the person who has been exempted now?

Interruptions

Mr Namulambe: It is good to hear of tax exemption, but to benefit before the increment is another issue.

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Namulambe: Therefore, we would like to know the reason tax exemption should be effected on 1st April.

Mr Lubinda interjected.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members on the right, you will have an opportunity to respond to the hon. Member on the Floor on the issues he is raising. Please, wait for your turn.

Hon. Opposition Members: Baka ponya, abo!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, having youth development skills in place is cardinal. I, therefore, would like to agree with one hon. Member who indicated that people should not always be employees, but also be employers. I will give an example of the owners of the First Quantum Minerals in Solwezi. They are two brothers who have employed thousands and thousands of people.

I, therefore, urge young people to take this matter seriously. They should not always think of being employees of other people, but rather be self-employed.

Mr Speaker, there is one youth in Kalomo who only went up to Grade 2, but is now an employer. He is able to employ other youths because of the skills that he learnt from Mukwela Youth Skill Training Centre. He makes door frames and window frames and is making quite a lot of money through the many people whom he has employed. We must encourage youth development.

Mr Speaker, on the issue of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), the Opposition has a leverage of shooting to scare away the Ruling Party. We were also in the Government and used to feel the heat that is being felt now by the Ruling Party when they shot in the air. We have also shot in the air because we want the CDF to be increased to K5 billion, though the resource envelope is not enough. However, we are going to move an amendment on the Floor of this House to increase the CDF because there are certain unnecessary votes in the Yellow Book that could be used to increase it.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: The amendments that are going to be moved will be very constructive. I cannot cite them now, but they will be known when they are moved on the Floor of this House.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: I am sure that all the hon. Members of this House who care for their constituencies will vote for the CDF to be increased from K800 million to some figure that we feel will be reasonable for the resource envelope that has been provided for.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: Mr Speaker, as regards the windfall tax, I was part of the previous Government that refused to reintroduce it. I cannot shift the collective responsibility we had in the previous Government on its reintroduction. It is for this reason that I would like to support this PF Government for increasing the mineral royalties from 3 per cent to 6 per cent. However, the people from where these minerals are being mined, especially the Copperbelt Province that is under fifteen Lamba chiefs, are not benefiting anything. They were pushed out of their land to create room for the mines, but they do not benefit from the mineral royalties and are, therefore, very poor. I also do not know how much Solwezi in the North-Western Province, which is now the Copperbelt, is benefiting from the mineral royalties. Therefore, I urge the PF Government to look into this issue. People want to benefit from the mineral royalties.

Interruptions

Mr Namulambe: Somebody has asked what I was doing, but I am saying can you do something now that you are there?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Namulambe: We request the PF Government to ensure that it gives the people a share of the mineral royalties.

Mr Speaker, some people think that the Copperbelt Province is developed. Yes, the urban towns are, but the rural areas of the province, especially where I come from, ...

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1045 hours until 1100 hours.{mospagebreak}

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Namulambe:  Mr Speaker, when business was suspended, I was about to wind up my debate. The people of Masaiti, Mpongwe and Lufwanyama and the North-Western Province want to see the benefits from the 6 per cent mineral royalties.

Further, we want to see that the date of PAYE tax exemption is effected in January and not April. We also want the Government to increase funds for the FISP so that people are able to get the fifteen bags as opposed to four bags. We also want to see a provision for the Constitution-making process in the Budget. Otherwise if the PF Government does not fulfill its campaign promises, the people will query it and not us.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make a contribution on the Motion on the Floor of this House.

Firstly, I would like to thank and congratulate the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Hon. PF Member: There is a new title.

Dr Kazonga: I am told there is a new title.

Laughter

Dr Kazonga: Firstly, let me say that Hon. Chikwanda was Minister of Finance a long time ago in the 1970s, and to be back as hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, again, after more than thirty years is not a mean achievement. I give him credit.

Secondly, I also give him credit for being the first hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning under the PF Government and for presenting its first Budget to this House.

The third point is the approach to the Budget. He was able to acknowledge what was done by his predecessors. That is the spirit. If he continues moving in that direction, I can rest assure him that he is going to succeed as Minister of Finance and National Planning.

That said, I now move on to the Budget. There has been an increase of 35.3 per cent from last year’s K20.467 trillion to K27.698 trillion. Some of the increases that we have observed in the allocations are partially due to the general increase in the National Budget. I will explain this later.

Mr Speaker, let me now comment on my constituency. The people of Vubwi wish to thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for linking what the President indicated in his policy direction to the Budget.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kazonga: I would like to specify the roads that are of benefit to the people of Vubwi. These are the Vubwi/Chipata, Chipata/Chadiza and Chadiza/Katete roads. If and when these are constructed, you can rest be assured that your in-laws, hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, will give you credit.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kazonga: For now, they have just acknowledged your intentions.

Laughter

Dr Kazonga: We hope that these intentions can be implemented. Let me now talk about the agriculture development sector in the Budget. I analyse agriculture in three basic parts which are production, processing and consumption. Whether you talk about crops, livestock or fisheries, these three stages are cardinal. If you want to design strategies of addressing the constraints faced in the agriculture sector, you need to look at these three stages. Mr Speaker, when I looked at the Budget, I noticed some effort to address the constraints in the production and processing stages. On that note, I give you credit.

There is an increase in the Budget for the agriculture sector, according to the speech of the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. He indicated that there is a 37.9 per cent increase which was welcome to our ears. However, after analysing the figures, it came to our attention that it is actually not an increase, but a reduction. This is because we want to compare the agriculture sector allocation to the total National Budget. We do this because we want to compare with some of the declarations that Zambia has signed. One of them which has already been referred to by my colleagues is the Maputo Declaration of allocating 10 per cent of the National Budget to the agriculture sector. 

Mr Speaker, we have seen the agriculture sector allocation reduced from last year’s 7 per cent to 6 per cent of the total 2012 National Budget. This, therefore, poses a challenge in terms of addressing the issues that the hon. Minister raised as facing the agriculture sector.

Why do we raise this one as a concern? The inadequate support to the agriculture sector will not support fully the policy pronouncements that the Government has made and will continue to make. The next problem that arises from the reduction from 7 to 6 per cent is that it falls far short of the standard of the Maputo Declaration of allocating a minimum of 10 per cent of the National Budget to the agriculture sector which must be the yardstick.

Mr Speaker, it does not just end at the 10 per cent of the Maputo Declaration. In January this year, Zambia, as part of Africa, signed what is referred to as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Compact (CAADP). By virtue of signing that protocol, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, the Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives and the Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Development agreed that we shall endeavour, as a country, to ensure that a minimum 10 per cent allocation of the National Budget to the agriculture sector is achieved. Unfortunately, for next year’s Budget, that will not be so.

It is important that we look at the issue of adequate financing to the agriculture sector. As my colleagues have already mentioned, the agriculture sector has the potential for employment and wealth creation.

Let me now illustrate why I say it is inadequate. We have been told that out of the allocation given to the agriculture sector, K500 billion will go to the FISP. Firstly, I thank you for acknowledging that the MMD FISP is a beneficial one. That is what I referred to when I said that you need to build on what we did and where there are any challenges, you face and overcome them. That is how to succeed.

Mr Speaker, we have also seen a K300 billion for crop purchase. This is clearly inadequate. Let me outline the realities that are obtaining on the ground. In the previous farming season, the FRA bought 883,000 metric tonnes of maize at a cost of about K1.3 trillion. Unfortunately, the Budget was K150 billion and there was a problem to look for extra resources. This year, as the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock has already indicated, K1.8 trillion has been spent to pay farmers. Therefore, the K300 billion that has been allocated in the Budget falls far short of what is required, hence my statement that it is inadequate.

Furthermore, the balance which is K898 billion in the agriculture sector is supposed to be shared among the following programmes:

(i) irrigation;

(ii) infrastructure;

(iii) livestock development;

(iv) fisheries; and

 (v) agriculture development and other programmes.

Mr Speaker, let us take a look at the programmes that are supposed to be carried out using the remaining K898 billion. To start with, the cost for the construction and rehabilitation of storage sheds is approximately K555 billion. This should also cater for the needed silos, storage sheds and slabs.

Sir, to ensure that the policy pronouncement on compulsory vaccination that was made by the President is achieved for approximately 3 million head of cattle, a minimum of K60 billion will be required.

As regards the construction of dams, particularly in relation to irrigation development, you need, at least, K214 billion. Since the President indicated that dipping would be made compulsory, this programme would need a further K214 billion. All the money for these activities put together, without considering other programmes, is already over K1 trillion which is far above the K898 billion which is has been allocated for these programmes under the Budget.

Mr Speaker, in terms of developing the agriculture sector, I am happy to note that some of the areas have been captured. The provisions of CAADP that Zambia signed in January, 2011 indicate that the programme sits on four pillars. One of them is increasing the area to be cultivated. The others are on improving the rural market for crops and livestock, agricultural research and technology dissemination.

Sir, in the President’s Speech, which has been translated into this Budget, there is decentralisation of research. Therefore, if we are to implement CAADP in Zambia, we will be addressing those policy pronouncements.

Mr Speaker, if the agriculture sector is to be a success, the following areas need to be addressed: adequate infrastructure such as dip tanks, dams, storage facilities among others; value addition to agricultural products, which was captured in the President’s Speech and that of the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning; diversification; resources; and minimisation of wastage. This translates into a very simple agricultural equation, which is S (Success) = I (Infrastructure Development) + V (Value Addition) + D (Diversification) + F2 …

Hon. Government Members: Why is the F squared?

Dr Kazonga: This is because financial resources cut across all those requirements, but wastage has to be removed. Therefore, the equation must include -W (Wastage).

Sir, immediately you use this mode or equation, you should be able to fully appreciate the agriculture sector.

Hon. MMD Member: Quality!

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, this brings me to the issue of the CDF. We know that the resources allocated to the agriculture sector are not adequate and I propose that there is an alternative which is the CDF.

Sir, once the CDF is increased to the right amount, we will be able to address issues of dams, dip tanks and many others that have not been adequately catered for in the main agriculture budget.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kazonga: The Government will still be performing through that arrangement, hence our demand to have the CDF increased.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, when we just came from the elections in 2006, the CDF was at K60 million. However, in our first meeting, as we looked at the 2007 Budget, we increased it to K200 million, which was an increase of 233 per cent. What should stop us from adjusting that fund, with a similar factor of 233 per cent or even more? It is we, in this House, who will need to discuss it for the sake of the people who are not in this House.

Mr Speaker, the CDF is another form of fiscal decentralisation.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kazonga: It has a direct impact. The issue of both vertical and horizontal equity is achieved through the CDF. My professor, Hon. Lungwangwa, used to call it horizontal and vertical equity.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, let me look at the education sector. I appreciate the intention to have new universities at Chalimbana and elsewhere.

Sir, I would have liked to see more effort at improving the existing two public institutions, the University of Zambia and the Copperbelt University. We need to address the issue of infrastructure at these institutions, but instead we are already running towards creating some more. Are we not creating more problems when we have problems maintaining the already existing ones? If we want to expand, in terms of increasing the number of universities, we can do so. However, we definitely need to look attend to the needs of the University of Zambia and the Copperbelt University.

Sir, lastly but not the least, I would like to thank the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for making, in his statement, a provision on statistics. Being a practitioner and also somebody who taught this particular science for twenty-nine years, I was happy about the emphasis that he placed on statistics.

Mr Speaker, there a number of demonstrations of how statistics are applied in monitoring decision-making processes, and policy formulation and evaluation. That was well done.

Sir, the hon. Minister only missed the final mark in his statement. He said that we do not bask in the statutory euphoria. He hit himself in the leg, unfortunately. All the good work that he did by demonstrating the usefulness of statistics in the planning, monitoring and decision-making ended up being contradicted by his last statement. Unfortunately, there was no tautology. It ended up being a contradiction.

Laughter

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, that is the only part that I thought needed to be brought to the attention of the hon. Minister.

Sir, lastly, I would like to advise the Government not to export all the surplus 1.6 million metric tonnes of maize. Mark my words, we might end up importing the maize in one or two years from now.

I thank you, Sir.

The Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry (Mr Sichinga): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to make a contribution to the Motion of Supply of the 2012 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure that was most ably moved by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, Hon. Alexander Bwalya Chikwanda, popularly known as Sir Alex.

Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to say that when I was studying for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) from 1969 to 1971, Hon. Chikwanda was already hon. Minister of Finance. I think we owe him a lot of respect.

Mr Speaker, the theme of the 2012 Budget is “Making Zambia a Better Place for All.” For us in the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, this is appropriate and timely as it fits very well with our mandate to facilitate economic growth through private sector participation. It is through the private sector that we will create real jobs and real wealth for the citizens.

Sir, may I also take this opportunity to congratulate the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning on the able manner in which he has given us a well-balanced Budget that not only aims at ensuring that there is a smooth transition and completion of the most outstanding projects initiated by the previous Government, but also incorporation of the new Government’s vision of prudent resource allocation as well as putting more money in the citizens’ pockets.

Sir, this, alone, is a major achievement. For the PF Administration, this should be viewed as a transitional Budget which, of necessity, must take into account what has already been done. That is how a Budget that is of a transitional nature and incorporates what others have done is developed.

Mr Speaker, accordingly, the statement made by the hon. Minister and the accolades given to the MMD should not be taken out of context. It should be appreciated that resources will never be sufficient, hence, the challenge of how to prioritise the allocations to ensure that their application results in a wider and most positive impact on the people. Despite the short period that Hon. Chikwanda had to prepare the 2012 Budget, it is clear that he has been able to apply himself to this mammoth task with distinction as he has been able to balance its revenue and the expenditure aspects. He has taken into account the many programmes left unfinished by the previous Government. Sir, I salute him for this commendable work and my team at the ministry will work tirelessly to support him in his work.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, furthermore, it should be acknowledged that the Budget that he has presented to us is compatible and consistent with the President’s Policy Address to this House. In the past, this has not always been the case, resulting in a distinction between policy direction and economic policy implementation. This would articulate a tangible conflict, but this Budget has overcome that problem.

Sir, as I commence this discussion, allow me also to convey the tributes of my ministry to my immediate predecessor, Hon. Felix Mutati. I also would like to pay tribute to Hon. Dipak Patel, who preceded him. I commend them for their positive contributions to the growth of our economy. Even as I pay these accolades to my predecessors, I wish to acknowledge that, in spite of their collective work, there still remains the biggest challenge of the high poverty and unemployment levels in the country, which the PF Government seeks to tackle.

Mr Speaker, we have already had several consultative meetings with the stakeholders in the private sector. I am now in a position to articulate the challenges facing the commercial, trade and industrial sectors in order for my ministry to help implement the 2012 Budget theme as presented to this august House by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government recognises that the commerce, trade and industry sectors are engines for economic growth and, therefore, considers them strategic in poverty reduction through job and wealth creation. Zambia can only raise the living standards of its people and develop its comparative and competitive advantages through the deliberate development and implementation of policies that support the facilitation of tangible economic growth. In this respect, we are talking about an increased level of value addition, which the MMD Government failed to achieve.

Sir, in the 2012 Budget, the theme resonates well with the mission statement of my ministry, which is “To effectively and efficiently facilitate and promote sustainable development growth and competitiveness of the private sector in order to enhance socio-economic development”. It is in this regard that I pledge my ministry’s commitment to play its part in ensuring that the 2012 Budget objectives are achieved. We intend to increase value addition to our products.

Mr Speaker, further, the economic ministries of the PF Government have all arranged to meet regularly so as to co-ordinate and review the implementation of the 2012 Budget. This will help ensure that there is smooth execution of this Budget. In spite of witnessing some positive developments in the business environment in Zambia over the past twenty years, a period which was under the stewardship of MMD, a lot more remains to be done to address various constraints besetting the business environment. Some of these constraints are low access to markets, limited access to business information and Government services. In this regard, the hon. Minister’s call for statistics is most apt. There is also low access to markets, limited access to affordable finance and business premises, limited access to appropriate technology, high taxes, limited quality business infrastructure, particularly in the rural areas, and the high cost of doing business, such as the cost of licenses and the high foreign exchange rates. All these were a consequence of the previous administration’s policy direction. The PF Government intends to significantly change that.

Mr Speaker, let me illustrate these issues. To date, a number of hon. Members of Parliament have talked about the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) Fund. Let me give the facts as the PF takes over.

Sir, the CEEC has received a total of 4,933 applications which, collectively, ask for K800 billion. This is against a total Treasury receipt by the MMD Government of K176 billion. The demand is K800 billion, but the supply is K176 billion. Currently, the CEEC has approved a total of 1,620 projects valued at K218 billion. However, only K169 billion has been disbursed to 1,427 of the approved projects. This, therefore, leaves a funding gap of K50 billion for 193 approved projects. Further, there is an estimated demand gap on the 3,310 projects which, collectively, ask for K568 billion. Clearly, this gap cannot be met from the existing resources. This position, again, is a direct consequence of the MMD policies that exerted undue political pressure on the administration of the CEEC.

Sir, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning has been magnanimous enough to provide K47.4 billion in the 2012 Budget. This amount should be sufficient to deal with that shortfall on the approved projects that are pending funding. To that extent, we are delighted.

Sir, it may be illustrative, also, to explain that, although these amounts have been made available in the Budget, there is still the demand by the unfunded projects. For us, it is important to acknowledge that in view of the limited resources that were available to the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, this is a positive contribution to reducing poverty, supporting the private sector and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Hon. Members of this august House will agree with me that among the biggest challenges are the high levels of poverty amongst our people and, therefore, the need to create more jobs. This is the platform on which the PF campaigned.

Mr Speaker, we also intend to enhance business opportunities, especially for women and the youth who are coming out of schools and colleges because they are the ones that are most in need. It should be noted that our party was voted into power on the basis of creating employment and lowering taxes, especially for the needy groups. Some Members of the Opposition have mistakenly said that the benefit of the PAYE thresholds will only accrue to 80,000 people. This, again, is a misunderstanding of statistics. Even those who claim to understand economics and accounting seem to have been completely misled on this matter.

Mr Lubinda: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, let me, in very simple terms, explain that everybody can understand. Firstly, if we assume that the total labour force in the country in the formal sector is 600,000, and each family comprises six members, you will see that the benefits of these thresholds accrue not only to the 80,000 people. The K24 million per annum, K2 million per month, will not only apply to the 80,000 people, but also to the remainder of that number. In other words, the other 520,000 people will also benefit from this because the thresholds will be applied to their incomes. The benefit, therefore, will not accrue to 80,000 people only. It will accrue to 600,000 multiply by six members of their families. That gives me a figure of 3.6 million citizens of this country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Surely, anybody who understands economics will know that this is the way it should be. In order to address our biggest challenge of job creation over the period of ten years, we see another challenge. We have, at the moment, a population of 13 million. Of that 13 million, 68 per cent are young people below the age of twenty-five. Our definition of youth in our country is any person between the ages of 16 and 35. Accordingly, we assume that we have approximately 5 million young people who need jobs. If we assumed, for a moment, that these jobs must be created over a period of ten years, it means that, on an annual basis, we must create 450 jobs. In addition to this, there are 300,000 young people coming out of colleges, dropping out of school and coming onto the job market. Therefore, if we add 450 and 300,000, it means we must create 750,000 jobs per annum. The MMD Government failed to do this.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, our strategy will be completely different. We will ensure that these individuals not only seek white collar jobs, but also seek to create jobs for themselves and others by engaging in value addition activities. We shall support their SMEs through the CEEF. This is our strategy.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Sir, to create a more conducive environment that will create opportunities, encourage higher rates of investment and growth of the economy, we shall ensure that we protect consumer interests and address some of the challenges which I have already highlighted.

Mr Speaker, the hon. Members of this House will play a significant role in the approach that we will adopt. We intend to hold a workshop for hon. Members of this august House so that they can assist the ministry in identifying the business opportunities in their respective constituencies.

Unlike the MMD, we are an inclusive Government, not just by word, but also through practical deeds. It is, therefore, my sincere hope that each hon. Member of this House will, from now onwards, start identifying resource endowments in his or her respective constituency. They should also identify the exact locations where we are going to create economic clusters.

We will create economic clusters that will put banking, marketing and registration facilities in one location. Cases in point are the three one-stop shops that we are about launch. There is one at Kwacha House on Cairo Road which we will soon be launching. Another one has just been completed in Livingstone and a third one will be located in Kitwe. We hope to have similar shops in all the provincial centres in the near future and then later in districts and constituencies. These facilities will help the clusters, which will be created with the help of the hon. Members, to intensify the creation of jobs.

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

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, it is proposed that five different products available in each province and district throughout Zambia be identified by the hon. Members of Parliament for support and development by my ministry. This will form the basis of our national industrialisation and growth policy through which we hope to support the constituencies in a positive and practical way.

Sir, I am not talking about theories, but programmes that we are already implementing. Further, in line with the vision of the PF Government, my ministry will continue engaging the banking sector on reducing interest rates further and making capital more accessible and affordable, especially to SMEs. The results of our efforts in this area are already evident. We will not only stop at 13.75 per cent, but also see to it that interest rates are pushed further down because this is important for growth.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: As a ministry, we will continue to strengthen public-private dialogue initiatives, among other things. We are also currently restructuring the industry and trade sector advisory groups. This will encourage the private sector, including the business associations, to fully participate in the socio-economic development of our country.

We will also seek to enhance and formalise our engagement with the various private sector organisations in order to deal with the various issues affecting them. I am glad to inform this august House that we have met with several organisations, including the Zambia Association of Manufacturers, Bankers’ Association of Zambia, Zambia Chamber of Commence, Trade and Industry, Zambia Institute of Marketing and various SME associations such as Zambia Chamber for Small and Medium Business Associations and the Kamwala Motherland Traders’ Association. All those meeting have already taken place.
 
We will be harmonising the various pieces of legislation governing the commercial, trade and industrial sectors, in particular, the Zambia Development Agency Act, CEEC Act and the Companies Acts of 1994, Cap 388 of the Laws of Zambia which, in some cases, have proved incompatible.

Mr Speaker, all these programmes we want to implement require the support of the hon. Members of this august House. I would, therefore, like to appeal to the hon. Members of this august House and, especially those in the Opposition, to co-operate with the PF Government in its efforts to develop this country. The hon. Members of the Opposition should not fight the Government, but instead support it so that it can develop their constituencies.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, as I conclude this address, may I urge the hon. Members of this House not to just unduly dissect this Budget because we essentially tried to work with what the MMD had left behind in putting it together. It is important for us to understand that this country must maintain the confidence of all those who work with it, be it the co-operating partners, investors or, our own citizens. We would like our citizens to participate more in the development of this country so that they can enjoy a number of benefits from its economic growth. 

The hon. Members in this country are critical to the success of all our plans. We shall move swiftly because the task before us is enormous. Hence, in my concluding remarks, I would like to request and plead with the hon. Members of this House to support the Budget that the Ministry of Finance and National Planning has presented to us. We can argue about tinkering with a thing or two, but I can assure you that the investment that will be made in your constituencies will exceed the K5 billion CDF you are asking for.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Mr Sichinga: In fact, I will go a step further and say that a substantial part of the CDF has, in the past, been misused by the people it is intended to benefit.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: It is important, therefore, that the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning be supported because when you do this, you will help to move Zambia one step closer to making it a better place for all.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa (Chimbamilonga): Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to debate the Motion on the Floor of this august House.

Mr Speaker, I would like to congratulate the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning on a well-presented Budget. The provision of K120 billion as CDF and K257.1 billion for grants to local authorities has given the hope to this nation …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: … that the on-going projects that were left behind by the MMD will be completed.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, in the agriculture sector, the hon. Minister said that support will be extended to other crops and not just to maize only.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: The people of Chimbamilonga Constituency would like to be supported in the growing of cassava and maize crops.

Mr Speaker, on the tourism sector, the hon. Minister said that the Government will promote and expand tourism products and develop key infrastructure. He further stated that the Government will open up areas for private sector investment, including the Northern Circuit, which I am much interested in.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, if you will allow it, I would like to present my maiden speech. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his deserved victory in the recent tripartite elections held on 20th September, 2011.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, I would also like to congratulate you on your election as the Hon. Mr Speaker. May God grant you more wisdom as you lead this august House. I also wish you success and hope that you will be determined to ensure that the Business of this august House brings prosperity to all Zambians.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, I further wish to congratulate the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House on assuming their deserved seats in this august House.

Mr Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to all levels of the party organs, the wards, constituencies, district, provincial and central committees of the Patriotic Front (PF) for adopting me in Chimbamilonga Constituency.

Mr Speaker, may I also congratulate my campaign team and the people of Chimbamilonga on electing me without having issued out any campaign materials.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Sir, let me also express my profound gratitude to His Royal Highness Senior Chief Nsama Mpoloko and the rest of the Tabwa chiefs in Kaputa District for the co-operation they showed during the elections. They worked very hard to ensure that the PF won.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, I cannot also forget to congratulate my wife, Mrs Idah Chishiki Chansa and the rest of my family members on being with me throughout the entire process.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Sir, may I also say that I was encouraged by the speech that was given in this august House by the President of this country, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: His speech has given hope to the poor people of Chimbamilonga Constituency. He has promised to attend to road infrastructure; youth empowerment; other infrastructure; education; agriculture; and other developmental programmes.

Sir, may I also say that the people of Chimbamilonga Constituency and Kaputa in general massively voted for change because the constituency had remained one of the least developed constituencies in the entire country. However, with the PF Government in power under the leadership of His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, the people of Chimbamilonge are assured of much development.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulenga: And they will get it.

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, for forty-seven years, my constituency has had no high school for boys and girls, …

Mr M. H. Malama: Oh, no!

Mr Chansa: … hospital, electricity and road network. For this reason, the people in Chimbamilonga want a high school for boys and girls, electricity, a hospital, a mobile phone network system and a tarred road from Kaputa to Kasama.

Sir, may I also take this opportunity to say that the people of Chimbamilonga Constituency deserve to have better lives than what they have been subjected to. Our children do not even know how a Marcopolo Bus looks due to bad roads. New buses cannot reach Nsumbu or Kaputa. The previous Government has a shameful record as far as the people of that area are concerned.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government will ensure that there is an equitable distribution of national resources so that all areas can be developed.

Sir, may I also state that feeder roads must be upgraded so that they can become all-weather conditioned. The roads which need such works include the Kashikishi/ Kampinda Turn-off, Mikose/Tupele Turn-off, Cholwe/Mweru Turn-off, Kampinda/Chilemba/Nsumbu, Mukubwe/Nsama Turn-off as well as  the Kabombo and Chitipa roads. These roads are very important for the economic activities that the people of Kaputa District engage in.

Mr Speaker, the economic activities for the people of Kaputa are directly linked to the fishing activities on lakes Mweru-wa-Ntipa and Tanganyika. At the moment, Lake Mweru-wa-Ntipa has continued to dry up. Therefore, we request our Government that is under the able leadership of His Excellency, Mr Michael Sata, to commit adequate resources to the linking up of the Kalungwishi River and Lake Mweru-wa-Ntipa through the digging of the Mofwe swamps water canal so that water can be diverted from the river to the lake.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: This project will enable the people of Kaputa to have access to plenty of water in the lake and hence, more fish.

Hon. Government Members: More fish!

Mr Chansa: Sir, the harvesting of water through the opening of canals and clearing of tributaries leading into the lake is one of the most urgently needed projects for the people of Chimbamilonga Constituency in particular and Kaputa District, in general.

Mr Speaker, the people of Chimbamilonga are also requesting the Government to restock Lake Mweru-wa-Ntipa with fish so as to boost their source of income and improve their lives.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

Mr Chansa: Sir, since the people of Chimbamilonga grow maize, rice and cassava, they would like assistance from the Government with improved agricultural marketing programmes so that their commodities can be bought easily.

Ms Kazunga: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, the works on Nsumbu Harbour were neglected by the previous Government, and yet their completion would have boosted trade between Kaputa and Mpulungu districts as well as with neighbouring countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Burundi. The people believe that the PF Government will carry out the necessary works on the habour.

Mr Mulenga: It will!

Mr Chansa: Sir, may I also bring to your attention the fact that Chimbamilonga Constituency is the home for Nsumbu National Park and Tondwa Game Management Area (GMA).

Mr Speaker, Nsumbu National Park is located on the south-west shore of Lake Tanganyika and is partly found in both Kaputa and Mpulungu districts.

Mr Mulenga: Naliyako.

Mr Chansa: It covers an area of about 2,020 km. Lufubu River marks the eastern boundary of the park.

Lufubu River has two attractive waterfalls, namely Mwebwe and Chika. Sir, this national park is accessible by road, air and water. Due to its being near Lake Tanganyika, it has the potential to generate high tourism turnover, especially for visitors coming for land and water-based recreation activities such as angling, bird watching, game viewing and boat cruising.

Mr Mulenga: Yes!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, the Nsumbu National Park in Chimbamilonga Constituency is famous because of its natural tourism attractions such as Lake Tanganyika which is the second deepest lake in the world.

Ms Kabanshi: In the world. Muleumfwa!

Mr Chansa: It also has sandy beaches and dunes. Lake Tanganyika is a source of ornamental fish. Itipi thickets are a unique habitat and are only found in Nsumbu National Park.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chansa: There are cultural sites such as Mumbo Rock, Chomba Wakasa, Chansa Walala, Nsumbu Cemetery where the early economists of North-Eastern Rhodesia are buried, namely Charles Patrick Livingstone and Cecil Rhodes Steven. The Nsumbu Island known as the Slave Island, Mwebwe and Chika falls, and Kampasa rainy forest are part of the many tourist attractions in the area. However, the development of most of these places was neglected by the previous Government.

Mr Mulenga: MMD!

Mr Chansa: Out of eleven wildlife camps, only three are in existence. These are Nsumbu, Mutundu and Mpasha camps.

Hon. Government Members: Shame! Shame!

Mr Chansa: Sir, we hope that the development of the national park in the area will be supported soon by the PF Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, to create employment for the people in the community so that they can have more money in their pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kazabu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, I rise on a serious point of order on which I expect to get a ruling. Is it in order for the hon. Members of Parliament on your far left not to be present in this Chamber when important matters are being debated? I seek your ruling.

Interruptions

Hon. MMD Members: Quorum!

Mr Speaker: Certainly, it is not in order. I mentioned yesterday that it is important for hon. Members from both the left and the right to be present right through the entire proceedings of this House. I note that a sizable number of hon. Members from the left are, in fact, absent. I hope that their respective Whips will take note of this unfortunate state of affairs.

The hon. Member may proceed with his debate.

Interruptions

Mr Chansa: We also have the famous Kapisha Hydro Geothermal Power Staion which, if developed, could be a source of power and a tourist attraction centre.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Geothermal!

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulenga: Ee baume aba!

Mr Speaker: Order!

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 1156 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 22nd November, 2011.