DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FIRST SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Tuesday, 8th November, 2011

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER
______

MOTIONS

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr Mwango (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech to this august House. Let me hasten to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election as Republican President.

Sir, allow me to congratulate you on your election as Hon. Mr Speaker of the National Assembly. In the same vein, I also wish to congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House.

Mr Speaker, allow me to thank the Patriotic Front (PF), under the leadership of the Secretary-General, Mr Wynter Kabimba, all Members of the Central Committee, Muchinga Provincial Executive, Mpika District Executive, Kanchibiya Constituency officials, all the wards and sections in Kanchibiya and, indeed, the whole PF Party membership countrywide.

Mr Speaker, we all belong to a network of families, friends and communities. Without them, we would be nothing. In this regard, allow me to thank my wife and children for reminding me of my human frailty and making me laugh during the hard times of the campaign trail.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwango: I would like to acknowledge the support from all the people of Kanchibiya, friends and relatives for having exhibited faith in me during the elections. Let me also thank my fellow contenders for keeping me company up to the finishing line.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwango: All I can say, for now, is that there can only be one winner. Although I wish them well in their political careers, I, once again, invite them to join hands with us in our effort to develop Kanchibiya Constituency.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwango: Mr Speaker, the just-ended tripartite elections were not easy, especially that our main opponent, the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD), had a lot of money to throw about to the electorate. However, little did it know that it was a don’t kubeba election. In Bemba we say, “Umutaba weshilu, baukombola lilya lyapena,” meaning that, a fool’s ornament is grabbed from him when he goes mad. In this context, the MMD, in its quest to lure people’s votes, bribed the electorate by giving out chitenge, t-shirts and money to the voters.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwango: Mr Speaker, what the MMD did not realise was that, nowadays, people cannot be fooled by handouts.

Sir, I will restrict my speech to the challenges of rural development in our country, as they relate to Kanchibiya Constituency. Kanchibiya Constituency is situated to the west of Mpika District. Apart from vast land, it has a lot of water and tourism potential. There is a need to move from the dependency on mining to tourism and farming.

Sir, the previous Government failed the people of Kanchibiya in so many ways. I will highlight some of the failures. Since most of their road construction and maintenance programmes benefited only those along the line of rail, it negatively affected development in the rural areas. As you are already aware, the tourism sector has suffered as a result of the poor state of the roads. Consequently, its potential is not fully exploited.

There is an urgent need to improve the main roads leading to Kanchibiya Constituency such as the T2/Chiundaponde Road, Kabinga Road, Chambishi/Chinkobo Road, Luchembe Kopa/Nchubula Road and many other feeder roads in the constituency. These roads are in a deplorable state and their improvement would help develop tourism as well as ease the distribution of farming inputs. What is consoling is that my new Government will be able to look into repairing some of these roads.

Mr Speaker, as regards education, we all know that it is a necessary ingredient in deciding our destiny, at individual level, and that of our country. There has never been a secondary school in Kanchibiya Constituency, forty seven years after we got our independence. Children who qualify for secondary education write their examinations from Mpika Boma. This has been a challenge to most parents who have had to send their children to access secondary schools in Mpika Boma.

Mr Speaker, most basic schools have no houses for teachers. If you find them, then, most are grass thatched. How do you entice young teachers to teach in rural schools when they cannot find good accommodation? The housing problem coupled with the lack of teaching materials has resulted in many teachers shunning rural schools. Those that accept postings to rural schools are not given hardship allowance, resulting in many teachers running away from rural areas. Furthermore, basic education is a failed system of education and needs complete scrapping off so that we can revert to the compulsory education system.

Sir, there is an urgent need to construct new clinics and provide medical personnel in already existing clinics in Kanchibiya Constituency. Most clinics are manned by daily classified employees such as guards and cleaners. These health centres have no proper medical equipment and above all, have no medicines.

Mr Speaker, the distances that people cover to access medical facilities are too long and result into high maternal and child mortality rates. The human immuno-deficiency virus/acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic has continued to ravage the rural population. The long distances that people living with HIV/AIDS are subjected to in order to receive anti retroviral (ARV) therapy result in failure by the patients to comply with the treatment. We need to train more care givers who will assist in the administration of ARVs in rural communities.

Mr Speaker, the majority of our people depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Agriculture has been identified as the mainstay of our country’s economy as well as the main economic activity that has the potential to alleviate poverty amongst many of our people. We are all aware that this Government has just inherited what the MMD Government had planned in terms of packages for the farmers.

Sir, the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) is a failed programme due to the fact that two to four bags per pack per farmer have been insufficient. There is, therefore, a need for my Government to increase the number of bags during this farming season. I am aware of the most binding constraints the peasant farmers face, today, in rural areas. The cost of inputs is too high, especially for those who cannot get the subsidised fertiliser.

Further, Sir, the issue of logistical problems in accessing markets, presumably due to lack of support from the previous Government, is another problem. I will give an example. A lot of maize produced by peasant farmers in Kanchibiya found itself rotting. This is because the previous Government had no capacity to buy off the grain. Furthermore, bad feeder roads hamper collection of the produce in Kanchibiya Constituency.

Sir, the distribution of farming inputs has been a problem as well. Owing to corruption, the distribution of farming inputs, under the FISP, has been a shame. The intended beneficiaries, under this programme, end up with nothing while the well-to-do get most of the subsidised inputs.

In addition, Mr Speaker, we lack modernised agriculture methods which would maximise peasant farmer earnings and increased output.

Mr Speaker, we need to find a way of harvesting water which transits through our rivers to other countries. We also need to reduce on the price of irrigation machinery to enable peasant farmers grow crops all year round by irrigating their land.

Sir, allow me to comment on Hon. Namugala’s sentiments that the new Government has failed to buy the maize and store it leaving it to rot. The hon. Member must know that we, as the PF Government, have just inherited all the confusion they left behind. Trying to smear the dirt on us will not work. They must accept that it is the MMD Government that had planned for this farming season. So, the hon. Member must not mislead the nation on the Floor this House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Tell them.

Mr Mwango: In fact, the maize could have been collected long before the date of elections.

Mr Speaker, regarding tourism, Kanchibiya has a potential market in tourism. We have a lot of tourist sites such as bird sanctuaries and the black Lechwe, an animal which is only found in Chief Chiundaponde’s area, in Kanchibiya Constituency. These have the potential to bring a lot of tourists from abroad.

Sir, because of the bad roads leading to these sites, tourism potential has not been fully tapped. I am aware that development does not come like teeth in a child’s mouth. It is gradual. However, the pace at which the previous Government was moving was too slow to cope with modern trends. I have confidence that the PF Government will achieve a lot in marketing the tourism potential in Kanchibiya Constituency, thereby creating more jobs for the local people.

Mr Speaker, I am alive to the fact that mining is one of our foreign exchange earners and a large employer of our people. However, there is a need to diversify from dependence on copper mining to agriculture and tourism. Copper is a wasting asset and might get depleted in the near future while agriculture and tourism are long lasting.  If we invest more into these two sectors, we will alleviate poverty, create more jobs for our people and increase revenue for the Government.

Mr Speaker, allow me to say a word or two on the President’s Speech delivered to Parliament by His Excellency the President of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Sir, the best description that suits the Speech is that it was down-to-earth, full of life and was not rhetoric like the other Speeches I have listened to before by the previous MMD Presidents. It gave a roadmap for this financial year and I am sure it will be supported by the National Budget when it is presented to Parliament. What I know is that the President is the driver of all economic and national development programmes. So, if hon. Members are worried that some items were not mentioned in the Speech, they should not despair because the President cannot give all the developmental programmes in one speech. Maybe, some of them have been left out to be covered in next year’s address.

Sir, from the Speech, the President gave a roadmap of the formation of a new constitution, fighting corruption, general improvement of the lives of many and also putting money in the pockets of our people

Mr Speaker, I have listened to some of the hon. Members on your left, like Hon. Muteteka. From nowhere, they want to be consultants for the Government.

Laughter

Mr Mwango: When he was in the Government, he did not use the skills he has. So, it is surprising that now he wants to be advisor to the Government.

Laughter

Mr Mwango: Mr Speaker, some of the hon. Members have been debating with bitterness because they still have not come to terms with the fact that they are no longer on your right side and in the Front Bench. What they must know is that the PF Government has a comprehensive manifesto which it is using to come up with Government policies.

Sir, allow me to implore my fellow Parliamentarians to support the delimitation of the Northern Province into two provinces namely, the Muchinga and Northern provinces. The Northern Province is one of the biggest provinces with a large population. Imagine that the resources allocated to the Lusaka Province, which is smaller with only five districts, are the same as those allocated to the Northern Province with thirteen districts. When the delimitation of the Northern Province is done, it will help the easy distribution of resources, monitoring of projects and also reduce on the cost of doing business.

Lastly, Mr Speaker, let me humbly remind all hon. Members of this House, regardless of their political affiliations, that we have been elected to serve the people of Zambia. In this regard, I am asking all of them to have unity of purpose in the House in order to lead the people who elected us. The people of Zambia want us to work together. We need solidarity and co-existence. Let us unite for that common goal.

 Sir, campaigns are now over. Politicking at the expense of development should be a thing of the past. We, as the PF, are hardly a year in the Government. I am, therefore, requesting that you be patient with us. We have fitted in very well and are slowly settling in.

Mr Speaker, all I am asking for, from all of us in this House, is to support the Government of the day. The Government has a huge task to deliver to the people of Zambia on its campaign promises. When the Government goes wrong, please, advise accordingly. We are a listening Government. We are not like the previous Government that stopped listening to the people who elected it into power.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwango: Sir, with these few words, I beg to move.

Thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members:

Ms Chungu (Lufwanyama): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech to this august House.

First and foremost, allow me to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, and the PF for their victory in the last elections.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: Mr Speaker, I would also like to commend the former President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for being gracious in defeat and facilitating the peaceful handover of power to the current President.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: Mr Speaker, before proceeding any further, let me also congratulate you, the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to these important positions.

Sir, I also wish to congratulate my fellow hon. Members of Parliament for their victory. I would also like to thank my party, the MMD, for adopting me to stand as hon. Member of Parliament in Lufwanyama Constituency.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: A big thank you goes to my campaign team, in Lufwanyama, that worked day and night to make sure that I won the elections. I could not have done it without the team’s support.

Mr Speaker, please, allow me to convey special heartfelt and profound gratitude to my entire family and friends for their moral, material and financial support without which I would never have succeeded in winning the Lufwanyama seat.

Sir, please, permit me to also thank and pay sincere tribute to the people of Lufwanyama for electing me as the first woman hon. Member of Parliament since Independence.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: I wish to take this opportunity to assure them that their trust in me is not misplaced. I will keep my promise and work tirelessly for the constituency to bring about the much needed and deserved development in the area.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: Mr Speaker, Lufwanyama is a vast constituency that borders Kalulushi, Solwezi, Chingola and Luanshya. It has six chiefdoms and sixteen wards and is a rural area. Just like any other rural area, the people in Lufwanyama face a lot of challenges in their day-to-day activities for survival.

Mr Speaker, Lufwanyama is endowed with mineral deposits of precious stones. However, despite housing so many gemstone mines, the most prominent being emeralds, the people of Lufwanyama are not reaping the benefits of this mineral wealth.

Mr Speaker, most tragic of all is that people in the area have not benefited from the jobs created by the mines. The jobs are mostly given to outsiders by mine owners. This is a serious problem that we can no longer continue to turn a blind eye to. There is a need for the PF Government, through the Ministry of Mines and Natural Resources, to come up with deliberate policies and strategies to deal with this mineral wealth challenge as soon as possible so that the community of Lufwanyama can benefit.

Sir, the MMD Government started several projects in Lufwanyama ...

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: … some of which are not complete. The people of Lufwanyama are looking forward to the speedy completion of these projects by the PF Government.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: Mr Speaker, the construction of Lufwanyama Boarding High School is yet to be completed. This project must be completed as quickly as possible. Currently, most pupils walk long distances to access a high school. The completion of this school is crucial as it will enable many pupils, especially girls, access high school education and, in turn, put a stop to early marriages.

Mr Speaker, there are also a number of basic schools whose construction needs to be completed as quickly as possible. Further, the construction of the Lufwanyama District Education Office is not finished. I am, therefore, requesting the hon. Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training to make sure that these important projects are completed speedily so that the children of Lufwanyama can begin to receive quality education.

Sir, the construction of Lufwanyama District Hospital is another project that is almost complete. The people of Lufwanyama are, therefore, looking to this Government for the completion of this health facility as a matter of priority so that the community can begin to access medical care. The construction of the Lufwanyama Health Office is also almost complete. Accordingly, I am asking the hon. Minister of Health to make these projects a priority.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: Mr Speaker, the construction of the Lufwanyama District Police Station is complete and waiting to be officially opened. This police station is urgently needed as there is no police station in the area at the moment. People who choose to break the law in the community have to be taken to Kalulushi Police Station which is far away and so it is too expensive for the people of Lufwanyama to get there. This means that many criminals get away with their crimes. I, therefore, urge the hon. Minister of Home Affairs to attend to this security issue immediately.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Chungu: Sir, the construction of the Kalulushi/Kasempa Road, which was flagged off by the former President, is key to the overall development of Lufwanyama and is very close to the heart of the people because it links Lufwanyama District to Kasempa on the western side and Kalulushi on the eastern side.

Mr Muntanga: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, I apologise for interrupting my sister who is on the Floor.

Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister of Labour, Sport and Youth in order to come to this House improperly dressed by not wearing a tie? I need your serious ruling.

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame!

Mr Speaker: Order!

The point of order has been upheld. Certainly, the hon. Minister is not properly dressed and I would urge him to take immediate remedial measures.

Mr Shamenda: Mr Speaker, I apologise for this. I was in a meeting and I forgot the tie in the office.

Interruptions

Mr Shamenda walked out.

Interruptions

Ms Chungu: Mr Speaker, at the moment, driving on this road is a nightmare. I would like to thank the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, for recently stating, in his speech to Parliament, that he is committed to working on this road. The people of Lufwanyama are hopeful that, very soon, this road will be worked on.

Sir, the Kafue Bridge in Chifumpa, which was destroyed by fire two months ago, needs to be reconstructed immediately, as it links Lufwanyama District to Luanshya. Presently, the make-shift bridge which was put up by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) is a temporary solution that can only carry foot traffic. The temporary bridge which was constructed to facilitate the movement of school children should be upgraded into a permanent bridge to enable people and vehicles cross the river. I am, therefore, requesting the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication to attend to this issue immediately.

Mr Speaker, last but not the least, I wish to state that I am in full agreement with my colleagues in requesting that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) be increased to K5 billion.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba (Kafulafuta): Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to rise on the Floor of this august House to present my maiden speech and make contributions to the Motion of Thanks of the President’s Address.

Mr Speaker, permit me now to congratulate this august House. Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on your election as the sixth Speaker of the National Assembly of this great nation. In the same vein, I wish to extend similar congratulations to the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House on their successful elections.

Mr Speaker, allow me also to pay special tribute to the immediate past Speaker, Mr Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, the Clerk of the National Assembly and her entire staff for a wonderful reception and orientation programme accorded to us when we reported for duty.

Sir, let me also congratulate my colleagues, the hon. Members in this House, on their successful election. I want to remind my colleagues that it is not easy to be one of the 158 hon. Members out of 13 million plus Zambians. This title is very sweet.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, I am feeling its sweetness as I am giving my speech right now.

Interruptions

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, the petitions you have heard about, so far, could be one of the indications that people want to be hon. Members. Let me admonish those who have been served with petitions to trust in God. When God says yes, no one is going to stand in your way.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, I now want to seriously advise my colleagues, once more, to uphold their honourable titles to the best of their abilities for the good of the Zambians. Our actions in this House, just like other hon. Members have said, should be rational and not partisan. Otherwise, the Zambian people will not hesitate to pass a severe verdict.

 

Mr Speaker, allow me now to congratulate political leaders and their political parties. To start with, I would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his well-deserved historic ascendance to the highest position in the land.

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

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, I am short of words to describe this epoch occasion, but I would like to wish him good health and the very best in steering this great nation to greater heights.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! 

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, I want to extend sincere congratulations to the PF for its steadfastness, patience, endurance and determination so far shown in the Zambian political history and in Africa in general.

Mr Speaker, the PF has achieved two important things in history. Firstly, the party has ascended to power from a ten-year torrid opposition background inside Parliament unlike the MMD that came into power from outside Parliament. I am relating this to the experience and organisation they galvanized while they were in the Opposition.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Therefore, great Zambians, including myself, will expect nothing, but effective and efficient good governance and socio-economic development.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, the second achievement is that the PF won the highly competitive elections …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: … in spite of the fragmented opposition environment that prevailed.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba:  With this act, the party has broken the African mythical jinx that existed. The logic was that only a united opposition could unseat the ruling party.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: This, however, has been defied. It is history.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, allow me now to speak about the MMD. To start with, I would like to congratulate the former Republican President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, on graciously descending from the highest position in the land and paving way for a new Republican President. 

Mr Speaker, let me tell this august House why I am congratulating this man. I want to inform this House that the process of descending is very lonely, painful and sorrowful. The accompaniment of this process is anguish, especially in Africa. It is, therefore, only real men and democrats who can absorb this.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: I hereby ask God’s grace to descend upon this man to adapt to the new environment easily.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, I also want to thank the MMD leadership for allowing me to stand in Kafulafuta on the MMD ticket, where I emerged victorious. I would like to urge the MMD leadership to accept, wholeheartedly, the new environment they are in as the situation is an integral element in the democratic dispensation …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: … they pioneered in 1991. Life does not end with the ruling party or Government, but beyond. 

Mr Speaker, I would do a disservice to the Zambian people if I did not mention the United Party for National Development (UPND) that has made history for being the longest serving opposition party in Parliament and maintaining parliamentary positions since 2001, despite its many challenges.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, the UPND’s contribution to national development in our country has been immense and Zambians are witnesses to this.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: It is, indeed, a government in waiting.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba:  Mr Speaker, …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Chishiba: … allow me to thank the people of Kafulafuta Constituency for electing me as their hon. Member of Parliament to represent them for the next five years. I am greatly indebted to them. I promise them that I will be their servant.

Mr Speaker, there was a serious untrue conclusion about Kafulafuta that a certain candidate would win elections. Unfortunately, my opponent’s supporters were busy campaigning in the press while I was campaigning on the ground. That was the major difference. 
 
Mr Speaker, allow me to give special thanks and appreciation to my family, relatives, friends and my campaign team for their encouragement, determination and tactical approach to the elections.

Mr Speaker, Kafulafuta has its challenges, which are not so different from the many expressed by previous speakers in their maiden speeches. The constituency is 30 per cent peri-urban and 70 per cent in it rural set up. The proximity of the area to the provincial capital, Ndola, has yielded little positive development. Largely, the same features of rural constituencies expressed by previous speakers haunt the area. One of the major challenges is that of roads. The constituency has no roads. The only road there, which is supposed to be a lifeline to Kafulafuta, is the Congo Border Road, which is in a poor state. This road, if worked on, would serve two important purposes in the development of this country. Firstly, it would reduce congestion and minimise accidents on the Ndola/Kapiri mposhi Highway.  Secondly, it would be a shortcut to Mkushi, the Northern Province and beyond. 

Mr Speaker, lack of health care facilities is a serious challenge in the area as the residents have to travel 36 km to access medical attention at Fiwale Mission, in Masaiti Constituency or Ndola Central Hospital, which is an unbearable distance of 58 km. I want to thank the previous Government for starting the construction of a district hospital which is almost ready.  I humbly ask the new Government to look into this issue so that the people can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, the eleven primary schools in this vast constituency have not helped the children as they have to cover long distances to school. The community has come up with the initiative of setting up community schools with thatched roofs, mud walls and with no desks. I will not even talk about the quality of the teachers. The only high school, which is under construction, will be insufficient, to say the least. Hon. Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training, the contractor has taken too long to complete this project. The construction has been at the slab level for the last two years.

Mr Speaker, agriculture is the mainstay of the people of Kafulafuta. As such, the training centre at Mutaba should be revived for the benefit of the small-scale farmers. I remember when His Excellency the President, on his campaign trail, promised the people of Kafulafuta that the fertiliser pack would be sixteen bags. The people are still waiting for this promise to be fulfilled. The Kambowa Agricultural Settlement for the Disabled, which was prosperous in the United National Independence Party (UNIP) era, is in a poor state. 

Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the hon. Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health for her response. She paid a quick visit to ascertain the problem the people are going through. Hon. Minister, I would like to say thank you very much. Please, make a follow-up because the people of Kafulafuta are your people.

Laughter  

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, on the issue of water, I would like to say that the lack of clean drinking water is unbearable. People are compelled to travel long distances in search of water. There is an urgent need for sinking a sufficient number of boreholes in the area.

On the issue of electrification, I wish to state that the project on electrification was partially implemented and many areas that are important for national development were left out. I wish to request the Government to complete this project to the people’s expectations.

Sir, allow me now to talk about mining. In my constituency, there is an area which has been explored and it has been found that there is a very huge rock for mining lime and cement.

Hon. MMD Members: Yes! Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: I would like to thank the MMD Government for, in the last three years, having attracted local and foreign investors to the mining of limestone, a major component in the manufacturing of lime.

At the moment, the constituency is enjoying the operations of a company called Zambezi Portland Cement that has a workforce of 700 direct and 1,500 indirect jobs at the disposal of Kafulafuta and Zambians as a whole.

Again, in Kafulafuta Constituency, there is construction going on regarding Dangote Cement Industry. This is a Nigerian Giant Cement Company that is being constructed by the Chinese contractors with an injection capital of US$400 million. Mr Speaker, it is expected that after the completion of the construction of this company, it will provide 1,600 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs to Zambians which will put more money in people’s pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, this company is also going to set up a compound for workers with social amenities in the same package.

During the ground-breaking ceremony in August, 2011, the company also announced its corporate social responsibility such as construction of a school and a health facility and provision of clean and safe drinking water to the community of Kafulafuta. Furthermore, Sir, already on the drawing board are three other companies that want to set up similar ventures.

Mr Speaker, in view of the mentioned mining activities in Kafulafuta, permit me to humbly ask the PF Government to nurture and provide an enabling environment for these companies or investors for the benefit of our people.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: Sir, despite the challenges that I have briefly mentioned about Kafulafuta, I also wish to agree to the solution of increasing the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to K5 billion.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear! Yes!

Mr Chishiba: This is the only money that people will have access to. In fact, it will bring equiable distribution of wealth to all constituencies.

Hon. MMD Members: Yes!

Mr Chishiba: Mr Speaker, let me now make some comments on the President’s Speech.

Sir, the speech was historic since it was delivered by a man who had just made history in our country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chishiba: The speech covered areas of good governance, of course, the number one issue was the formulation a new constitution, which we are all looking forward to in ninety days as promised, and socio-economic development, which has brought hope and enlivened the aspirations of all Zambians. The most striking feature of the speech by His Excellency the President is the continued pledge to the Zambians, during the campaign, at the inauguration and on the Floor of this House of turning around the country in ninety days. So, we hold the President in high esteem to fulfil the pledge.

Mr Speaker, the people of Kafulafuta, including two chiefs, are delighted and expectant because on page 7, the President said:

“The challenge of my Government is, therefore, to improve the quality of life for the majority of our people, especially those in rural areas.”

Sir, I also would like to confirm, just like the other speakers before me did, that there were some omissions in the President’s Speech, especially on the need to maintain peace and unity in the country. That gap remained yawning.

Secondly, the PF Government’s foreign policy was also not spelled out. At least, he could have given an insight into the direction he wants the new Republic to take on foreign policy.

The HIV/AIDS issue was also left out, and yet this is a challenge that is bringing under-development due to loss of life.

Sir, the PF Government was also expected to make comments on hot issues such as the Barotseland Agreement, windfall tax and what is to be achieved within ninety days.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear! Bwekeshapo!

Mr Chishiba: We also expected the speech to have contained, sport, a national unifying factor. Sir, I am cognisant of the fact that, on page 45, the President said:

“We shall keep our doors open to the new ideas from citizens and stakeholders at large.”

Sir, allow me to urge my colleagues in this House not only to take note of the new ideas, but also these serious omissions in the speech.

With these few words, Mr Speaker, let me conclude that the people of Kafulafuta, including me, are ready to work with the PF Government on serious progressive policies and programmes for the benefit of Kafulafuta.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister for Western Province (Mr Mubukwanu): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech and contribute to the debate on the President’s Address to this House.

Sir, allow me to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his successful election as Republican President of this great nation. His victory as well as that of the PF Party is, indeed, well-deserved as the Zambian people’s voice was loud and clear that they wanted true change in the 20th September, 2011 polls.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, the PF Government will, indeed, work hard and, with due diligence, ensure that the people’s aspirations are met.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: May I also congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on your election to that position which you well-deserve.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, my congratulations also go to your hon. Deputy as well as the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: I also wish to congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament of this Eleventh Session, both elected and nominated respectively.

Sir, it is my wish now to sincerely thank the people of Mongu Central for overwhelmingly voting for the PF at presidential, parliamentary and local government levels during the last general elections. Voting for the PF is a very clear demonstration by the people of Mongu Central that they are allergic to Bantustan politics.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: I thank all our supporters, especially the young people who became agents of this change. Mr Speaker, this was a sweet victory for the people of Mongu Central. Nearly all our political competitors believed that it was not possible for the PF to win a seat in the Western Province. When election campaigns officially commenced, our anxiety, as a campaign team, was to find a Silozi equivalent of “Don’t Kubeba” for use in the rural parts of our constituency.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: On the contrary, Mr Speaker, the “Don’t Kubeba” slogan got to these places in its original form long before our campaign team got there.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: This, for us, was a very big indicator of the good things to come.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, the overconfidence that the MMD had prior to the elections made it insensitive to the rights and respect that its fellow Zambians deserved under its rule. It became arrogant and nobody mattered except those from its rank and file.

Mr Mwila: Shikapwasha na Dora!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, if voting in the last elections was based on how many resources, financial and otherwise, each political party had, the MMD would have bounced back with a resounding victory.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, while the MMD had so many resources at its disposal, it did not realise that it is not the size of the dog that matters in a fight, but the size of the fight a dog puts up.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, this is the simple explanation of the MMD’s loss. It was only after the MMD lost elections to the unstoppable PF that it realised that Zambians meant business when they spoke of change. In this regard, I pay special tribute to His Lordship Bishop Paul Duffy Omi, the late Bishop of Mongu Diocese. When the late Bishop said the people of the Western Province were ready for change, the MMD Government demonised him and called him names.

Mr Speaker, they even publicly threatened to dispatch bus loads of militias from the Copperbelt to Mongu to physically manhandle him.

Hon. Government Members: Shame!

Mr Mubukwanu: Today, the MMD can afford to forget how it treated those with views contrary to its own. The likes of Hon. Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha accused the Catholic Church of preaching hate messages which could bring genocide to Zambia …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: … like the case was in Rwanda. It was unbelievable.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Hon. Member: Mwifulwa yachibafye ni nshila yakumibushishapo.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member for Mongu Central in order to say what he has said? I am listening to his very bad debate here.

Laughter

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha: Is he in order to drag me into his debate, which is very bad?

Laughter

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha: I have no say about the issues he is talking about. I love my Lord Jesus and my God. I need your ruling.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member is, obviously, out of order and I would like to guide that we do not personalise our debates.

Will the hon. Member continue, please.

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, it was unbelievable to hear some debates on the Floor of this House praising Cardinal Mazombwe when apologies had not been rendered on the anti-Catholic remarks.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: It is important to point out that the Catholic Church has been a great partner in the development of this country as can be witnessed by the numerous projects which it has undertaken countrywide, even as far back as the colonial days.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, may I now thank my family and campaign team for their unwavering support. I thank my party for adopting me as a parliamentary candidate. I also wish to thank His Honour the Vice-President, Dr Guy Scott, for accepting to boost my campaign in the dying minutes of our race to Manda Hill.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, I thank His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Sata, for the confidence he has shown in me by appointing me hon. Provincial Minister for the Western Province. I wish to assure the people of Mongu Central, the entire province and, indeed, His Excellency the President that I am suitably qualified for the task before me and will perform it to the best of my ability.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, in responding to some of the issues raised on the Floor of this House by some hon. Members on your left, I wish to affirm that the PF Government is cognisant of all its election campaign promises to the people of Zambia and this includes the issue of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964, which the MMD Government mishandled under the reign of the former Republican President.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, Some of the major promises we made in Barotseland during our campaigns as PF include:

(i) the release of all Barotse detainees in Mumbwa Prison;

(ii) setting up a commission of inquiry to establish the cause and extent of the 14th January, 2011, Mongu incident;

(iii) fight against corruption;

(iv) creation of more jobs, particularly for our youths; and

(vii) lower taxes and putting more money in people’s pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: Restoration of the Barotseland Agreement!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, I am pleased to mention that, within ten days of the PF Government, all the Barotse detainees were pardoned by His Excellency the President as per campaign promise number one.

Secondly, a commission of inquiry was set up and is currently sitting in the province, in accordance with its terms of reference. On the issue of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964, we did not promise secession of Barotseland from Zambia, but restoration of the agreement. This matter shall be addressed accordingly.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, some of the hon. Members from the former ruling party have been complaining of police harassment to the point that, in their perception, to borrow from their vocabulary, “Zambia has become a Police State”.

Mr Speaker, this Government is not aware of any citizens who have been victimised by the police on account of belonging to a political party. My simple interpretation of such lamentations is that the guilty are always afraid. These fears emanate from the PF Government’s resolve to fight corruption.

Mr Speaker, I would like to assure this House and the nation at large that the PF Government is fully aware that the Western Province is the poorest province in Zambia. This Government understands and appreciates the presentations made on the Floor of this House by the respective hon. Members from the Western Province. The PF Government has publicly made its commitment to complete all projects that were initiated by the previous Government. However, this does not, in any way, stop us from reviewing any such projects should need arise.

Sir, the fears expressed over the Mongu/Kalabo Road are unfounded. Within a few weeks of existence, as a Government, we have put up a modern bridge over the Luena River in Mangango Constituency and, in the next three weeks, we hope to put up three more new bridges at Matebele, in Sinjembela, Kaunga Lueti, in Nalolo, and Ndoka, in Kalabo Central.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, this working Government has given back a boarding secondary school to the people of Mulobezi, which was corruptly relocated to Bwina, the home of the MMD National Chairperson and former area Member of Parliament. Within twenty days of the PF Government’s rule, resources have been mobilised to construct a police post in Mwandi where police officers have been operating under a tree for the past few years.

Mr Speaker, the demand for the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement arose as a result of the politics of marginalisation practised by previous governments, leading to increased poverty levels in the province. It is a mockery to the people of the Western Province, who bear the hardships of poverty, to be told that Zambia has attained middle-income status when the majority of the people in the province have continued to live in abject poverty.

Mr Speaker, although most of the hon. Members on your left do not appreciate any references made to the past twenty years of the MMD’s misrule, I wish to quickly mention that the poverty conditions in the Western Province deteriorated to unacceptable levels. It is such politics of marginalisation, as I said earlier, by successive governments that gave birth to secessionist sentiments among some sections of society, while others began calls for the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964. The people of the Western Province do not desire a “One Zambia, One Nation” that discriminates against them. It is a historical fact that Zambia, today, is because Barotseland and Northern Rhodesia came together. However, for forty-seven years of this union …

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member, who is also hon. Deputy Minister for the Western Province, in order to ignore the submissions of the people of the Western Province to the Commission of Inquiry demanding secession? Is he in order to say that they are not demanding a secession?

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

That is a substantive argument and not a procedural issue. At an appropriate time, you may respond to that submission.

The hon. Member is in order.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, as a commission of inquiry sits, it does not take all the information submitted to it, but has terms of reference that guide it in determining the information it collects.

Mr Speaker, the good people of Barotseland want a situation in which there is justice in the distribution of developmental projects. I would like to also point out that the Western Province is the only province in Zambia without a girls’ boarding secondary school, despite the last hon. Minister of Education in the MMD Government having been female. The PF Government will explore all possibilities towards job creation and infrastructure development in the province. I call upon our co-operating partners, including civil society organisations (CSOs), to combine efforts with this Government in order to transform the Western Province.

Mr Speaker, the Copperbelt Province benefits from its mineral resources through mechanisms like mineral royalties. This Government will devise ways of assisting the Western Province to also, this time around, benefit from its forests and forestry products such as timber. The Western Province produces the best timber in the country from its natural forests.

Mr Speaker, 14th January, 2011, will go down in the annals of Barotseland as the day when the MMD Government turned alms against its own defenseless citizens for complaining about poverty. It was a day when the freedoms of movement, association and expression were choked in a democratic nation. It was a day when the sanctity of life was lost as innocent citizens were gunned down in cold blood and others maimed by the Government that was morally duty bound to guarantee their protection.

Hon. Government Members: Shame, shame!

Mr Mubukwanu: Mr Speaker, we are fully aware that the dead cannot speak for themselves. However, the MMD Government, on the Floor of this House, through the former Leader of Government Business in the House, justified police killings in Mongu and went to the extent of blaming Victor Kang’ombe, who was killed around a British Petroleum (BP) filling station, of attempting to commit arson. The people of Mongu Central are still waiting for the former Vice-President to travel to Mongu and demonstrate how a person can run with a burning tyre in his hands. Under the PF Government, no human being, citizen or foreigner, shall be killed or maimed for wanting to exercise their God-given liberties.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Sata, is a very practical man. His speech has provided a clear and well-conceived policy direction for 2011, conscious of the fact that ‘Rome was not built in a day’. The objectives that the President has set for this Government in his address are attainable and we shall achieve this within the prescribed period. Issues affecting this country are too numerous to be exhaustively addressed in one speech. If we can adequately address the four core areas outlined by His Excellency the President, then, this country shall be off to a very good start.

Mr Speaker, I have no doubt that the PF Government is action-oriented and will work tirelessly to ensure that the promises it made to the people of Zambia are fulfilled. We will ensure that the Western Province, under the PF Government, changes for the better and reclaims its rightful place in Zambia. I wish to ask Zambians to accord their new Government co-operation and support for it to make Zambia a better place for all of us.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to appeal to all our people, particularly those hailing from Barotseland, to start contributing to the economy of the province by taking back investment, even in the smallest of ways. There are numerous gains that we have realised under the PF Government in the country so far. Apart from the reductions in the prices of fuel and in lending rates, we have also made huge savings by cutting down on the President’s trips.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mubukwanu: Since His Excellency, Mr Michael Sata, became President, the longest trip he has taken is from his house to St Ignatius Catholic Church, in Rhodes Park.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister for Southern Province (Mr Katombora): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this rare and great opportunity to present my maiden speech to this august House. I would like to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his successful election to the highest office in the land. I also thank him for appointing me hon. Deputy Minister for the Southern Province in his Government. I am greatly humbled and wish him success and good health in his tenure of office.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Sir, allow me to congratulate you on your election as Hon. Mr Speaker in this august House. Further, I congratulate Hon. Mkhondo Lungu and Hon. Chilufya Banda, …

Hon. Government Members: Chifumu Banda.

Laughter

M Katombora: … Chifumu Banda, SC, on their successful election to the positions of Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the whole House, respectively.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, I would like to also congratulate all hon. Members of this august House on their victories in the 20th September, 2011, Tripartite Elections. As we all know, no one gets here on their own. Therefore, I would like to thank my entire family, particularly my wife, Mrs Catherine Mutema Katombora, for her generosity of spirit and motivation. I also thank my party for adopting me as its candidate in Livingstone Constituency.

Mr Mwiimbu: Which party?

Laughter

Mr Katombora: The support of chiefs and traditional establishments in the area, friends, churches and the people of Livingstone Constituency cannot go without praise, as this would be tantamount to political suicide. I thank them and may the Almighty God bless them all.

Mr Speaker, I would like to emphasise the President’s call for all of us in this House to work hard for the betterment of Zambia and the realisation of the goals and aspirations of the people of this country. Social and economic development in this country cannot be attained without hard work, especially from us, hon. Members seated in this House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, the cry of our business people has been about the high cost of doing business in Zambia. Fortunately, this Government has already achieved a double-digit reduction in the cost of doing business by reducing the price of fuel and bank lending rates.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, the two reductions translate into a 10 per cent reduction in the cost of doing business, which has never been achieved in less than forty days anywhere on this planet.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

Let him debate.

Mr Katombora: This reduction might sound small to an ordinary ear like that of my cousin, Hon. Request Muntanga, but it is significant, in monetary terms at the national level.

Interruptions

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, this will have a positive impact on all economic activities in the Southern Province, in particular, and Zambia as a whole. It will translate into more economic activities in all sectors of the economy, creating more jobs and reducing poverty levels amongst the rural masses that heavily supported this Government. Further, it will translate into more money in people’s pockets, including Tongas.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Mr Mwila: Bwekeshapo!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, the Southern Province has high agricultural production in terms of maize grain and my Government is going to eliminate the challenge of inadequate storage facilities. We, as a Government, will build more storage capacity in all strategic locations in the province to reduce unnecessary wastage of the commodity and scarce resources in such a poor country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Ema hon. Minister aba.

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, we shall endeavour to encourage crop diversification and support the growing of other cash crops like sorghum, millet, beans and vegetables in order to increase food security in the province and the nation as a whole.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, on tourism, my province, the Southern Province, in general, and my constituency, Livingstone, in particular, is home to one of the seven wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls. This is a tourism icon on the globe.

Mr Mwila: Yes, kwaliba ing’ombe sana.

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, my Government will work tirelessly to reduce the cost of tourists staying on the Zambian side of the falls. We have invested so much hard-earned taxpayers’ money on upgrading the Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport. Therefore, the airport must directly benefit the Zambian tourism industry, other than being a stepping stone for transit tourists who will spend their money in neighbouring countries. The relentless pursuit of continuous improvement to tourism infrastructure will be a priority of my Government.

Interruptions

Mr Katombora: For example, roads connecting Livingstone to other tourist attractions like the Kafue National Park and the Lochnivar National Park, famously known around the globe as the bird-watcher’s paradise, will, indeed, be improved.

Mr Hamududu: We need development.

Mr Mwila: Imwe ba Hamududu lalenifye apo. Akulanda, Minister.

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, Zambia is a beautiful country which has many tourist attractions that have been neglected, since Independence, by the other governments that have been in power.

Laughter

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, all the areas dotted around the Southern Province, especially the tourist areas, will be improved in terms of infrastructure, such as roads and filling stations, to make sure that our people can tap more wealth from the tourism activity. This will translate into more money in people’s pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker, the PF Government will complete all infrastructural projects in the education and health sectors. It will also provide the necessary resources to make them functional and service our people in the province and Zambia as a whole.

Mr Mwila: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, on communication and transport infrastructure, we need to urgently attend to many of the roads in the area as this Government promised the people of Zambia. At the moment, the road that is being worked on is the Livingstone/Kazungula Road. We also need more improvement even in the railway sector, such as Mulobezi Railway Line, which connects Livingstone, in the Southern Province, and Mulobezi, in the Western Province. It is in a very undesirable state. To be precise, it takes five to seven days to cover a distance of 152 km between Livingstone and Mulobezi. This is totally unacceptable in this computer age. My Government will put extra effort in improving both the rail line and the supporting road network in the area for the betterment of citizens.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, allow me to quote from the speech of His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, at the Official Opening of the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. On page 29, part of the sixth paragraph, he says:

“We also need a viable road from Zimba to Siavonga via Gwembe District in Southern Province.”

Hon. Opposition Members: Where?

Mr Mwila: Akulanda. Imwe, ba Muntanga.

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, this road will open up new opportunities in agriculture, tourism and mining along the areas where it will pass. It will also improve the distribution of agricultural inputs and outputs, which has been a traditional activity of my fellow Tongas.

Mr Mwila: Hear, hear! Including Muntanga.

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, we will improve mining activities in the area covered by the road and provide a shorter distance, by road, into the lower Zambezi and shores of Lake Kariba.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to thank the party for graciously accepting …

Hon. Opposition Members: Which party?

Mr Katombora: The MMD. I would like to thank the MMD party for graciously …

Laughter

Mr Katombora: … accepting the will of the people of Zambia and being a torch-bearer in upholding and respecting the values of democracy in Africa and the world at large. I would also like to thank the PF for its spirit of nation-building and reconciliation by being an inclusive Government.

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

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, the PF Government calls for hard work, commitment and change of attitude towards work. I would, therefore, like to urge all of us in this august House, in spite of our political affiliations, to represent the over thirteen million Zambians, rather than echoing speeches that have been written somewhere in Kalingalinga and aimed at nothing, but frustrating the new Government’s efforts to improve the livelihood of the people.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Boma landa.

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, it is now time for us all to work towards achieving the expectations of the masses, which they have been denied for the past forty-seven years.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Hammer!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, I will be glad …

Mr Hamudulu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, I would like to know if the hon. Member is in order to make reference to Kalingalinga, where some people live, that anything that happens there is useless.

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Speaker: Order!

First and foremost, that is not a procedural issue. Secondly, I think the interpretation that has been made of that statement is not justified.

Hon. Government Members: Yes.

Mr Speaker: May the hon. Member continue.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Toba nomba. Bwekeshapo!

Mr Katombora: Mr Speaker, it is now time for us all to work towards satisfying the expectations of the masses that put the PF in power to work and deliver on the election promises so that Zambia can prosper.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister for Lusaka Province (Mr Sampa): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity, which is my first ever, to speak in this august House. Winston Churchill of Great Britain once said:

“Everyone has his day and some days last longer than other days.”

Interruptions

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, this marks my day in Parliament and the PF’s day in the Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, by way of introduction, my name is Miles Sampa, duly elected hon. Member of Parliament for Matero. Born and bred in Matero. I hope, one day, I will be able to change my national registration card NRC to read, “Born: Lusaka, District: Lusaka, Chief: Lusaka.”

Laughter

Mr Sampa: I am humbled and sincerely thank the wonderful people of Matero, who sent me here in style with the largest number of votes in the entire country.

Interruptions

Laughter

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, I, therefore, do not anticipate any petition because the margin was too big to be questioned.

Hon. Government Members: Yes.

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, for the benefit of the people on your left, the exact results, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) website, were:

Name of candidate Party Results

 Mr Ranchold UPND 3,323

 Mrs Faustina Sinyangwe MMD 9,900

 Mr Miles Sampa PF 36,295

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, I wish to commend you, the Member of Parliament for Lundazi, Hon. Mkhondo Lungu, and the Member of Parliament for Chasefu, Hon. Chifumu Banda, SC., for your respective new leadership roles in the House.

Sir, I further salute the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mrs Doris Mwinga, for having competently held the House together during the time the Speaker’s Chair was vacant.

Mr Speaker, allow me, also, to salute all the hon. PF Members of Parliament for having been adopted to stand on the party ticket. That battle alone was very competitive and everyone on this side of the House was subjected to stiff scrutiny before emerging winner in the primary elections. This means that all these people from our side had something unique to offer. I do know that, in certain areas such as that of Hon. Kampyongo, there were twenty-five applications for that seat in the primaries. To you all, I say, well done for emerging victorious in the last elections. If it was in boxing, your win would not have been by points, but by a knock out. The opponents kissed the canvas. Indeed, it has always been my childhood dream to, one day, stand in this House and speak without fear or favour just as my childhood political heroes did in this noble House.

Some of the legislators I envied, some twenty years, ago include the current President, Mr Michael C. Sata; former Kalomo Central Member of Parliament, the late Redson Khumalo, who was my brother-in-law and the great son of the Tonga land; and the late Kebby Musokotwane. I used to look for the Zambia Daily Mail as a high school pupil in order to see if any of these Members had spoken in Parliament the previous day. I did everything possible in order to read what my heroes said in Parliament.

Mr Speaker, allow me to thank the following individuals, my family, particularly my mother, …

Interruptions

Mr Sampa: …, all Matero PF officials, the PF Lusaka Province officials and the members of the PF Central Committee for according me the chance to stand on the mighty PF ticket. I further thank all the Lusaka-based hon. Members of Parliament as well as Ms Sylvia Masebo, with whom we campaigned as one. We had a team approach and campaigned as if Lusaka was one constituency. Together, we changed the way campaigns were done when we adopted the convoy approach with trucks full of supporters from one constituency to the other. When our opponents tried to copy our approach, it was a sorry convoy, with ten brand new small vans hooting with only a driver inside and no people at the back.

Laughter

Mr Sampa: I wish to convey my profound gratitude to the the Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism, Hon. Given Lubinda, for his selfless support and guidance during my campaigns.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, I salute President Michael Sata for re-entering this House ten years later, not as an hon. Member of Parliament, but this time, as the President of the Republic of Zambia to give his first address to the House. The speech, which was sober, set the pace for the next five years for this country.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: I commend him for relocating the provincial headquarters of the Southern Province from Livingstone to Choma. I do know that nearly 80 per cent of the southerners had never been to Livingstone because it was at the far end of the province. Since Choma is central, the distribution of Government resources into the province will be much easier. I will now ask Hon. Cornelius Mweetwa, Member of Parliament for Choma Central, to find me land there to buy at K50,000 per acre so that, two years later, I can sell it at K2 million per acre due to the economic boom which will hit the town as a result of this presidential decision.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, works on the Zimba/Siavonga Road will open up the province and the economy to the marginalised Zambians in the Gwembe Valley.

Mr Speaker, let me now talk about issues to do with Matero Constituency. For the sake of the hon. Member of Parliament for Bweengwa, let me state that Matero is a walking distance from Parliament Buildings with about 200,000 residents. If there is a constituency …

Mr Hamududu: Why Bweengwa?

Mr Sampa: It is because Bweengwa is in a rural set up.

Mr Hamududu: I will take you there!

Laugher

Mr Sampa: If there is a constituency in Zambia which represents the dynamics of the entire country as does New York and Washington DC. in the United States of America, that constituency is Matero. I say so because Matero is a cosmopolitan area which has both indigenous and non-indigenous Zambians of various races and tribes. We have Zambians of Asian origin, in Emmasdale area, those from Europe, in Villa, and part of Thornpark and those from Congo down in Lilanda.

Mr Speaker, Matero was one of the pre-independence Bantustan settlement areas. In this area, you will find large communities of immigrants from the Eastern and Northern provinces. We also have those from the Southern and Western provinces. Generally, all the tribes are well-represented in Matero constituency. Matero houses the richest building in Zambia, the Zambia Revenue House. It also houses the most …

Hon. Opposition Members: Consult!

Mr Sampa: … powerful building in Zambia, the PF Secretariat along Luanshya Road.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: It also houses the building where the beer that is mostly drunk by many people is manufactured, the Zambian Breweries. In Matero, we also find Chat Breweries. Matero is also the heart of Zambian football. We have the great, and now in ruins, Independence Stadium as well as the Matero Stadium. We also have the Lusaka Stadium which is under construction. The biggest state-of-the art church in Zambia is in Matero. This is the new building for the Bread of Life Church of Bishop Imakando.

Mr Speaker, it is, again, in Matero where there is a street that is called the ‘Devil Street.’ I will not describe what goes on along that street, but it is on my list of urgent things to sort out.

Mr Chipungu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Chipungu: Mr Speaker, I want to apologise to the hon. Deputy Minister who is debating very well for interrupting his debate. However, is he in order to be talking about his constituency when, in fact, he is an hon. Deputy Minister who is supposed to be talking about policy issues relating to the Lusaka Province?

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

I presume that he is aware about that concern and his debate in any event has not come to an end. May the hon. Minister, continue, please.

Mr Sampa: I thank you, Sir for that protection.

Mr Speaker, for the benefit of my colleague and dear brother, Hon. Levy Ngoma, I wish to state that we have no chiefs or traditional ceremonies in Matero. This is how diverse and distinguished this constituency is. Some of the notable citizens that had a privilege of serving as hon. Members of Parliament for Matero, since independence, are Judge Lombe Chibesakunda, the late Mr Francis Nkhoma, Mr Felix Chanda, Mr Abel Mkandawire, the late Mr Samuel Miyanda and my immediate predecessor, Mrs Faustina Sinyangwe. What do I hope to achieve for the people of Matero? In answering that question, I will clearly outline my plan for the Lusaka Province, where Matero is found and where I am the hon. Deputy Minister.

Mr Speaker, the problems of Matero are the same as those faced by all the other constituencies in Lusaka. In line with the PF Manifesto and Government policy, my Government will work towards uplifting the living conditions of all residents of Lusaka. The main challenge that this PF Government wants to work on is the water problem, which is the biggest challenge in Lusaka at the moment. The population of Lusaka has grown such that the current water infrastructure cannot sustain the demand. Most pipes were laid way before independence and have outlived their lifespan such that leakages are the order of the day.

Mr Speaker, it is sad that even the residents of Kafue, just next to the Kafue River, also have water problems. The PF Government will engage donors to replace the entire water reticulation system in Lusaka. This means replacing all the pipes and setting up new water reservoirs. The implementation of this plan has reached an advanced stage.

Mr Speaker, as regards electricity, my Government will ensure that the abrupt power cuts in most parts of Lusaka are minimised.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government will ensure that the streets of the central business area of Lusaka are cleared of street kids, vendors and beggars. I urge Hon. Muntanga not to give cash to street beggars or kids, but donate to churches or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which help the poor. All hon. Members should lead ...

Mr Muntanga: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Deputy Minister of Lusaka Province in order to mention my name in his debate when I am quietly seated here listening to him? In fact, I have nothing to do with the Lusaka Province. I am an hon. Member of Parliament from the Southern Province.

Mr Speaker: Certainly, the hon. Deputy Minister for the Lusaka Province is out of order. There is no evidence that Hon. Muntanga has the habit of helping out street kids. So, I think that reference is unnecessary and uncalled for.

The hon. Deputy Minister may continue.

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, I am much obliged.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government will improve on the road congestion in Lusaka, especially during peak hours. It will do this by educating all the road users and possibly introducing toll gates at points of entry into the central business district.

Mr Speaker, regarding works on the rural roads for Lusaka, we will take graders and equipment to all constituencies unlike in the previous Government where graders were kept in areas that supported the MMD. Some hon. Members who had constituencies in Lusaka when this country was under the previous Government had to turn into rebels in order to see the graders in their areas. However, the PF Government will take development to all areas of Lusaka regardless of the political affiliation of the hon. Member in the area. So, Hon. Ngoma and Hon. Chipungu of Feira and Rufunsa, respectively, should soon expect graders in their areas. We are likely to follow the alphabetical order of constituencies and might start with Chongwe.

Mr Speaker, allow me to refer to one of the bestselling books of our time, “Who Moved My Cheese?” I encourage all hon. Members of the House, especially those in the Opposition, to find and read this relatively small, but life changing book. From that book, there is a phrase which says:

“The only thing in life that remains constant is change.”

This means that change is inevitable and is non-stop in life. As can be seen from a normal clock, time changes constantly. The hands of the clock keep moving. I only knew of one abnormal clock that was constantly stuck at 1 p.m. for twenty years and that is the MMD clock. I am sure we all saw what happened to it on 20th September, 2011. It was shattered beyond repair. Seasons come and go. We have just come out of a very hot summer and it is now raining. However, when change occurs in life, animals, including human beings, have three choices. These are to adapt, migrate or die. Change has occurred in Zambia and the PF has taken over government. The people in the MMD and UPND, therefore, need to choose to adopt any of the three choices which are to adapt, migrate or die.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: We, on the right, have lost elections on three occasions. We have witnessed and seen our President, Mr Sata, lose or be robbed of victory three times. He and all of us on the right were very quick to adapt to our fate. The President would lead by example by picking up the pieces and getting back to work at Farmers House within a few days. That is called adapting. Some of our members, especially our past secretary-generals, would choose to migrate. There is nothing wrong with that. They were just obeying the natural rules of change.

Mr Speaker, I am very concerned that colleagues on your left are failing to cling to any of the three compulsory effects of change. Since the PF took over power and Mr Sata became President, a few weeks ago, some hon. Members from both the UPND and MMD, but especially those from the latter, including some of their supporters, have failed to  adapt or migrate. A few enlightened ones have, indeed, migrated to the right side.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: If one refuses to adapt or migrate, scholars have told us that the only thing that remains to happen is death. Both the UPND and MMD will die if they do not adapt to change.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Although Hon. Muteteka has freely offered himself to be President for both parties, my personal preferences …

Laughter

Mr Sampa: ... would be Hon. Muntanga for the UPND and Hon. Taundi for the MMD. That would be part of change.

Mr Speaker, I now wish to rebut a few of the things that were said earlier by hon. Members. Hon. Shikapwasha, in his debate, stated that Zambians are being persecuted under the current Government and that they are being fired left, right and centre. First of all, whenever a Zambian is fired, another Zambian takes over the job.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Are the MMD cadres that were in most key positions the only Zambians in this country? The Managing Directors and officers occupying senior management positions at the Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO) that were recently fired are the ones that presided over a project a few weeks before the general elections on which a lot of money was spent. Geysers were provided to the people in Mandevu when most of them have no access to running water and electricity. Such projects could only be implemented by political cadres. Such people had to go. They have since been replaced by non-partisan professional Zambians.

Mr Speaker, let me state that I stand here as a victim of political persecution and vindictiveness of the MMD Government just because I belonged to the PF. With Hon. Musokotwane as hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, under which the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) falls, I got fired from the bank without notice or any reason. Some people, together with security men, came to my office and asked me to pack my belongings and leave the building. I gave them the car keys and left the bank. I was fired in a barbaric manner. I took BOZ to court for wrongful dismissal and won the case. Anyway, as the wise say, when one door closes, another one opens. Perhaps, a bigger one has opened for me today because I am now here.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sampa: Finally, let me talk about the assertion by some people that this Government is made up of people from one province. To prove that the assertion is wrong, let me take a quick snapshot of the composition of this Cabinet. The hon. Minister of Mines, Mr Simuusa, is Tonga, from the Southern Province; the hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Sakeni is from the Luapula Province and the hon. Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism, Mr Lubinda is from the Western Province.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Deputy Minister may continue.

Mr Sampa: His Honour the Vice-President and hon. Member of Parliament for Lusaka Central, Dr Scott, is from the North-Western Province; the hon. Minister of Justice, Mr S. S. Zulu, is from the Eastern Province; the hon. Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, Mrs Wina, is from the Western Province; the hon. Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Mr Sichinga, is from Mafinga Province; and the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Mr Chenda, is from the Central Province. Maybe, the assertion I seek to clarify is born out of the fact that when people see the hon. Minister of Defence, Mr Mwamba, who is from the Northern Province, they count him three times because he looks like Boma.

Laughter

Mr Sampa: Mr Speaker, because of its good policies that will touch the lives of all Zambians, the PF intends to be in the Government for a long time, at least, twenty years and beyond.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kufuna (Deputy Minister for Copperbelt Province): Mr Speaker, allow me to express my profound gratitude to you for affording me this rare opportunity to deliver my maiden speech and to support the Motion of Thanks on the occasion of the official opening of the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly on 14th October, 2011. I would like to congratulate the President on his well-delivered speech.

Mr Speaker, I would be failing in my duties if I did not congratulate His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata for a landslide victory in the 20th September, 2011, Tripartite Elections.

In the same vein, allow me to congratulate you, Mr Speaker, on your deserved election to this esteemed position in the House. I also congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on their election to these important positions. I would also like to congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament on their election to this august House. I equally congratulate the nominated hon. Members of Parliament.

Mr Speaker, I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to all PF Party structures in Mufulira Central and the Secretariat that supported my candidature. My sincere thanks also go to my family for its unflinching support throughout the campaign period. I thank God the Almighty for my life and for giving me this rare opportunity to serve his people as a servant. I promise the people of Mufulira Central and the whole country at large that I will endeavour to serve them diligently, selflessly, efficiently and effectively.

Mufulira Central Constituency is faced with many challenges. However, the measures that have been put in place by my Government will foster development. My party, the PF, and my President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, want an inclusive, patriotic, democratic and corrupt free Government for the people of Zambia.

Mr Speaker, strong undemocratic Governments that took the poor people for granted have fallen. Therefore, the best way to govern is to look after the interests of everyone. There are two commandments in the Bible that I love most. “Love God the Almighty with all your heart and soul and love your neighbour the way you love yourself.”

Hon Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kufuna: Good governance is as simple as that. Let all hon. Members in this august House translate these Bible teachings into reality.

Mr Speaker, the voice of the poor speaks loudest and strongest. Consistent denial of their needs and rights results in situations as those that occurred in North Africa and the Middle East. Who could have thought that the great Ghaddafi could fall? The poor are mightier no matter how long it may take them to bring this fact to manifestation. God’s ear is closer to them. I only thank God that liberation came to Zambia through the ballot.

Mr Muntanga: I hope you remember that.

Mr Kufuna: Mr Speaker, the PF Government wants to work with everyone, especially the poor and the under privileged, in order to bring sanity and humility to the society. This is why my Government has put in place pro-poor programmes in order to uplift the living standards of all Zambians.

Mr Speaker, the President’s ascendancy to presidency proves his tenacity and resilience with which he wanted to get involved in the livelihoods of all citizens.

Mr Speaker, I would like to express my disappointment with some of the MMD and UPND members regarding the country’s road map as outlined by the President in his speech to this Parliament.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Kufuna: They have remained pessimistic towards every positive plan put forward, while we, the PF and a few others, are optimistic of the achievements that are going to be realised from the master plan that was presented to us by our President.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.{mospagebreak}

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Kufuna: Mr Speaker, I would now like to address issues that were raised in the President’s Speech and will start with agriculture. Agriculture is or should be the backbone of our economy. The President, in his address, emphasised the need for diversification in agriculture and the need to grow crops all year round. This means less dependence on rain and more investment in irrigation infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, supplying electricity to farmers in farming areas and making of dams and canals will create an enabling environment for more agricultural activities. It is my hope that accelerated agriculture activities will result in the emergence of agro-industries that will add value to raw agriculture products. This will ensure that more jobs are created for our youth.

Mr Speaker, improved and developed agriculture in our country will make us even more cautious on how we sell our minerals as we will stop selling them in desperation. Agriculture can enable us retain our minerals for more years and we would be in a strong position to demand good prices for every sale. We need to ensure that we use our natural resources in a sustainable way.

Mr Speaker, copper and other minerals are wasting assets. Imagine, for a moment, that there is no more copper and other minerals. What would be there for Zambia? It would be a disaster. God has given us minerals so that we can generate revenue from them and create industries that are sustainable.

As hon. Minister for the Copperbelt Province, which is cosmopolitan, I wish to state that we are in support of the President’s stance to develop the country with the support of other co-operating partners.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Kufuna: This, of course, will be in the sectors of development such as mining, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing.

As a province, we are equally in support of the President’s naming of the Ndola Sports Stadium as Dr. Levy Patrick Mwanawasa and the Ndola International Airport as Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in honour of our fallen heroes.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kufuna: Mr Speaker, we also welcome the President’s directive to the hon. Minister of Labour, Sport and Youth to revisit the minimum wage in order to put more money in our workers’ pockets.

Sir, with regard to corruption, the stance on corruption taken by my Government calls for people from all walks of life to change their mindset. The zero-tolerance to corruption stance taken against corruption is aimed at both the public and private sectors.

Mr Speaker, while corruption puts more money in the pockets of a few individuals, my Government wants to put more money in people’s pockets by fighting this scourge through to its dead end.

Lastly, I would like to state that the PF Government recognises the North-Western Province. I come from Kabompo, in Kasamba area. My Headman is Ndumba and I am Chokwe by tribe.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Mr Mwenya): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this rare opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Floor of this august House.

Sir, allow me to wholeheartedly congratulate the new Republican President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, for his and the people’s thunderous victory in this year’s tripartite elections.

Mr Speaker, this is, maybe, the third time in history that the will of the people has been manifested. It is my prayer that, from now onwards, as a country, we shall strive to preserve and jealously protect the will and rights of the Zambian citizens. Peace, joy, integrity and prosperity are always guaranteed when people’s rights are respected, especially when electing their preferred leaders.

Sir, I, indeed, confess that I have never come across a leader with such a big heart, humility, courage, patience and perseverance …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: … that His Excellency the President exhibited throughout the rough road from 2001 when the PF, as a political party, was formed. We need not forget that he was called all sorts of names and insulted. Some even went to the extent of swearing that he would never rule Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: We need not forget that he was despised and chased when, with a broken heart, he wished to mourn the late President Mwanawasa, SC. with whom he had created a new relationship after reconciliation,, before his death. We need not forget that President Sata was detained for so many days and, on two occasions, was robbed of victory. When some of us wanted to pick up stones and fight, he calmed us downed and warned us with the words that, “He who kills with a sword, shall die by the sword.”

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: Mr Speaker, during those difficult and painful times when darkness, at times, seemed to take root, when friends deserted him and relatives may have withdrawn, there was one who shared with him all the anguish, one who stood by his side day and night to encourage and strengthen him and that was God.

Sir, let me take this moment to also recognise and thank the First Lady, Madam Dr Christine Kaseba Sata, for the unwavering support she gave our President during those trying moments.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: Indeed, behind every successful man there is always a strong woman.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: I cannot find befitting words to express my sincere gratitude to her, but in simple and humble words, may the Almighty God abundantly bless our mother of the nation.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: To you, Mr Speaker, when I cast my vote in your favour, my conscience was very clear because I had consulted widely and you were the people’s favourite. I thank the Almighty God that he has allowed this to happen with a margin of only one vote. Congratulations.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: Mr Speaker, may the Almighty God give you wisdom to propel this Parliament to greater heights as your predecessor did.

Sir, to the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House, I have known and worked with them for the past five years. Their ability to perform cannot be questioned. To be nominated and elected unopposed for both of them is not a mean achievement, but a sign of great confidence that we, hon. Members of Parliament, have in them. Congratulations to you, Sirs.

Mr Speaker, permit me to thank His Excellency the President, Mr Sata, wholeheartedly for having appointed me hon. Deputy Minister. I am grateful for the recognition and will endeavour, through God’s grace, to do my best so that the President’s trust and confidence in me is justified.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: Sir, allow me now to thank the people of Nkana Constituency for the support they gave to me during the last five years that I was their representative in this House. It was not easy at all to be an Opposition hon. Member of Parliament, working under a hostile Rupiah Band led Government which completely shut the door in our faces with no regard for the people it purported to have voted for it.

Mr Speaker, to the constituency officials ─ the women and men at Chisokone Market, who supported and strengthened me when the going got tough, when I felt weak and I was arrested and detained at Kamfinsa Prison ─ I do recall that it was not easy for them to accept me, in 2006, when the party took me to Nkana. However, over the years, we built a bond that has, again, become very difficult to break. We are one big family.

I would like to urge the constituency officials to extend the same love they showed to me to their new Member of Parliament, Hon. Kazabu. I have known him to be a very vibrant and great fighter. We shall, together, definitely deliver.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: Mr Speaker, to my masters in Chimwemwe Constituency, I do not know what to say. I am on my knees with gratitude for their open arms that welcomed me when I was sent to this wonderful constituency. At no time did I ever feel lonely.

Sir, to the constituency officials, the image builders, the wonderful team of young trainee teachers, students and all churches, words cannot express my profound gratitude for all the work they did. I am aware of the challenges facing us in the constituency and it is my prayer that God Almighty shall unite us further and give us the wisdom to address the issues. I know it shall take time, but we shall overcome.

Mr Speaker, I thank my wife and children for being so understanding. It has not been easy for the past five years of my being away from home from time to time. I thank them for accepting the challenges that go with being a politician. God Almighty shall bless them abundantly for the sacrifice that they have made on my behalf and the constituency. I promise to be an inspiration to them as I have always been – to be faithful and truthful.

Sir, allow me now to turn to the exonerating Official Opening Speech of the Eleventh National Assembly delivered by His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on Friday, 14th October, 2011.

Mr Speaker, that Speech has revealed the vision of the man that has come to lead this country forward in broad, but specific parameters. He outlined what the PF Government hopes to achieve in its first five-year mandate.

Sir, already, some aspects of the speech, such as putting more money in people’s pockets, as evidenced by the increase in the salaries of some of our miners, some by 100 per cent, and infrastructure development, such as the urban and rural road development projects, have been born. They are bearing fruit within the first ninety days.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwenya: Mr Speaker, these developments are significant as the President said that infrastructure development is key to realising sustainable economic development and living people with more money in their pockets is a sign of social and economic enhancement for the people.

Sir, most of the above can be realised through the use and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT).

It is my prayer that my Government’s commitment to, among other things, the fight against corruption, efficient use of Government resources, improved delivery of services to the citizenry and optimising Government operations will translate into more adoption of ICTs in its management systems. I believe that ICTs offer the necessary tools to enable us successfully, and in record time, honour these commitments.

Mr Speaker, in this vein, I wish to thank the Government for the exposure in ICTs that I received during the recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Conference in Geneva. Through the use of ICTs and, in particular, the implementation of the Electronic-Government (E-Government), we will be able to significantly reduce, if not altogether, eliminate the opportunities for corrupt practices within Government ministries and departments. Electronic-Governance, commonly known as E-Governance, can be described as the easy availability and processing of information through electronic means to ensure efficient delivery of Government services. It is the new Government’s desire to achieve a transformation that will result in providing high quality Government services to citizens and businesses. This will also result in providing equal access and treatment to the rich and poor, bringing in enhanced transparency, speed, reliability and consistency in handling transactions and opening immense scope for offering new services such as anytime-anywhere services to the clientele. Thus, making the concept of citizens charters a reality and above all reducing the real cost of transacting with the Government by eliminating corruption. This will leave the Zambian people with more money in their pockets.

Sir, through the streamlining of processes and procedures using Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) and the subsequent automation of the newly-refined processes using ICTs, the Government would become more transparent, accountable, efficient and effective.

Mr Speaker, the justification for E-Governance stems from an analysis of issues and costs associated with obtaining Government services under the ousted regime. From experience, in addition to the prescribed statutory levies and transaction costs, securing services from the Government and/or Government agencies, more often than not, entails any or all of the following indirect costs:

(i) delay and uncertainty;

(ii) lack of transparency;

(iii) corruption;

(iv) mistrust/ill-treatment at the offices;

(v) loss of wages and productivity of the citizen/business (associated with waiting for services); and

(vi) high cost of travel and stay at the place of service.

Sir, this is the more reason my Government has been cleaning the mess left by our colleagues. It is a known fact that if the Government could provide its services in such a way that the above indirect costs are avoided, then, the citizens would be happy with the Government and more money would remain in citizens’ pockets.

Mr Speaker, efforts are currently on-going to digitise the national identity document, the NRCs, and establish a national electronic register to institute reforms in management of land related issues by implementing a new Land Information Management System (LIMS). This is a potential cash cow for the Government to optimise the operations of the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) by implementing the electronic Zambia Transport Information System (E-ZAMTIS) and so on and so forth. All these efforts must be supported by all well-meaning Zambians and championed at the highest level of Government.

Sir, the Digital National Identification Programme is the back-borne of any successful E-Government implementation and all other co-ordinated Government ICT projects must be integrated with the National Electronic Register. The Digital National Identification Programme would enable the Government get rid of ghost workers from its payroll which has been a source of concern for some time now.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, from the outset, let me congratulate our PF colleagues for emerging victorious in the just-ended elections. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, let me also congratulate President Sata on showing such tenacity in leading the PF from an opposition party to one in the Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Sir, on the opposition side, we wish President Sata God’s blessings and guidance as he confronts the various issues that beseech this country. In the same spirit, I want to pay tribute to the former President, Mr Rupiah Banda, for the gracious way he conceded defeat and for facilitating the orderly transfer of power. To Mr Rupiah Banda, I say, “You tried and we all tried, but it was not meant to be.”

Mr Speaker, we draw strength from this process because the people of Zambia want politics that are not centered on individual leaders, but all the people of Zambia. Our people have an appetite for the rule of law, democracy and good governance. They want to see us practise the politics of inclusion. They expect all of us in this House to advance the common good for the people of Zambia.

Mr Speaker, let me thank the people of Lunte for electing me for the third time. I know that there is a lot of unfinished business in terms of schools, bridges and roads, but we shall work together in the next five years to complete these projects. I also want to assure my colleague, the hon. Member for Mporokoso, that in Mporokoso, we do not fight each other. We only fight for development and that, together, we shall work to advance the cause of Mporokoso.

Mr Speaker, a number of our colleagues asked me what Professor Willombe’s specialisation was. My answer was that he comes from a string of talented people of Mporokoso. That is what it is.

Mr Speaker, as the Opposition, we shall give our colleagues the space to govern. We shall do it on the basis of three key principles. The first principle is that we are going to work in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Zambia and we shall remain their beacon of hope, in particular, for the youth. The second principle is that we are going to remain and preserve our allegiance in providing the necessary checks and balances that are so crucial to ensuring that governance does not meander. This is to ensure that what is said to the people of Zambia is delivered. The third principle is that we are going to embrace what was said by President Sata that the Zambian people deserve better lives. In fact, they are entitled to better living. These are the three principles that we are going to put together as the Opposition.

Mr Speaker, indeed, over the last two days, we learnt that our task, as hon. Opposition Members of Parliament, is never to give up the task of providing the necessary checks and balances and ensuring that the common good for the people of Zambia is delivered.

Mr Speaker, we are cognisant of the fact that …

Mr Mutati’s cellular phone rang. 

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I apologise for that.

… part of the formulation of the governance process will be based on the Ten Commandments. We are not disputing this. However, we want the Holy Grail of those Ten Commandments to include the key ingredients of humility, tolerance and selflessness as the anchor for the governance of this country because you cannot govern minus these three principles. We believe that this will be the direction in which you are going to work.

Having heard my colleagues’ comments on the speech, it is evident that most of them do not disagree with the pronouncements that were made by President Sata. They, indeed, did not disagree with the pronouncements of less tax, more jobs and more money in the people’s pockets. One cannot disagree with this.

We also do not disagree with the four core programmes that the President pronounced amongst which are the construction of more schools and universities, adding onto the 100,000 teachers that the MMD left in employment. We do not disagree with these pronouncements.

Mr Speaker, we are also agreeable with the pronouncements he made about removing the bottlenecks in the health delivery process.

Hon. Chenda, we agree that your rhythm of going forward shall be permanent bumper harvests, notwithstanding all the intricacies.

Mr Speaker, we also agree that in, local government, decentralisation and enhancement of the CDF shall be the feature of the PF Government.

Mr Speaker, we do not disagree that the campaign messages will always be met by the realities of the governance. When the hon. Minister of Mines and Natural Resources pronounces that there will be no windfall tax, we say this is the reality of governance, …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: … requiring deep reflection.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, when the hon. Minister of Justice stands up and panel beats the roadmap of the constitution-making process to go beyond ninety days, we say this is the reality of governance.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  It is different from the campaign message.

Mr Kambwili: Question!

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, when we hear from our comrade, the hon. Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism, that they will dispose of 45 per cent of the interest in the newspapers, we say, hurray!

 However, when we hear the Hon. Minister of Mines and Minerals Development say that Government shares in various mines will increase, costing us almost another US$1billion; we say this is policy conflict. This, however, is the reality of governance.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, when we hear the hon. Minister of Labour, Sport and Youth say that it is important to deal with the issues around the minimum wage, having entered this landscape of labour issues and finding the diverse and complex issues involved where he continues to be in deep thought and continues to ponder, we say this is the reality of governance. 
 
Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  This is because governance often requires one to be realistic.

Mr Speaker, it is pleasing to hear the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Hon. Bob Sichinga, say that it does not matter whether the cat is black or white provided it catches the mice. It does not matter, therefore, whether investment comes from the east or west provided it comes and is placed for the people of Zambia. This becomes the reality of governance. 
 
Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, in governance, one faces reality and campaign messages may not find residence in the reality of governance.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  Mr Speaker, my colleagues on your left attempted to demonstrate the performance of the MMD Government over the last so many years. The former Minister of Finance and National Planning, Dr Musokotwane, Hon. Mbulakulima and many others laid out some statistics of positive growth which is estimated at 8 per cent, by the end of this year, single digits of inflation and B+ reserves. However, we heard that all these were just statistics and did not mean anything.

Perhaps, if I put it differently, Sir, we heard this morning that over K1.8 trillion is being paid to our people as a consequence of the bumper harvest. This is the growth that we are talking about.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  This is money going into people’s pockets so that they use it, as Hon. Muntanga said, to buy canters to take their children home. This is what we mean by growth.

Mr Speaker, we had a US$ 7.2 billion debt being lifted from our youth. The youth that voted in the last election were not part of contracting this debt. This debt has been lifted and they will not be part of the repayment party, giving relief to our youth, but, more importantly, giving us the extra resource that we require in order to support our budget. This is one of the reasons donor support has moved from upward of 50 per cent to under 15 per cent. This is what it is all about.

Mr Speaker, those who were around will recall that we used to have the United Bus Company of Zambia (UBZ) where people had to wait for buses for days. Over the years, however, and because of positive policy changes, buses wait for our people. More importantly, ten years ago, we were seeing only 500 buses cross the borders. Today, over 5,000 cross per month. This creates jobs for the youth drivers, loaders and conductors.

Mr Kambwili: Question!

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: This is what growth is all about.

Mr Speaker, most hon. Members will recall that the mining industry was dead. We used a million dollars every day to sustain the mines. Today, the mines are paying taxes at whatever level, putting the volume of money that was being diverted for infrastructure development back to where it belongs.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati:  This is what growth is all about.

Mr Speaker, we used to have the Zambia Consumer Buying Corporation (ZCBC), where we queued up for soap, cooking oil and sugar. Today, one has a choice of soap or sugar that he/she wants to buy.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon Government Members: Question!

Mr Mutati:  Mr Speaker, these are the realities.

Mr Speaker, if we tell our people that are dealing with cross-border trade that they can come in without paying duty for goods worth $2,000, then, we would increase the frequency of people trading across the border and empower the youth and women in Nakonde to trade a lot more and better.

Hon. MMD Member: Quality!

Mr Mutati: The totality of all these things is what is called positive growth.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: This is what it means by growth.

Interruptions

Mr Mutati: We were the first ones to admit, …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Order!

Mr Mutati: … as Dr Musokotwane said, that there is no finishing line to development.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Development is a continuous process. Secondly, there is no country on this earth that does not have poor people.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha: Hear, hear! Even Jesus said that.

Mr Mutati: It will be an illusion that, on the basis of the challenges that we face, we still have rural poverty, but we have been biting at it and it has come down. So, we want you to continue …

Hon. Government Members: Calm down! How?

Interruptions

Mr Pande: It has come down. Mines are open!

Mr Mutati: It has come down. This is reality.

Hon. Government Members: No!

Mr Mutati: It is a question of quantum, but it has come down. We should build on a platform that you have found.

Interruptions

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning will agree with me that, in the last five years, Zambia received the biggest investment in the mining industry in Southern Africa, costing US$10 billion. This is what it means by growing the economy. Unless you do these things, you cannot grow the economy.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Just now we are saying …

Hon. Government Member: Mwaluza!

Laughter

Mr Mutati: … that Trident, in the North-Western Province, invested US$ 2 billion and Konkola North Deep also invested almost US$ 1 billion in the mining industry. As regards Mulyashi, I heard Hon. Kambwili appreciating that this is what they want Luanshya to be. He said that he wanted jobs for the people and now that they have them, he is now enjoying.

Mr Kambwili: Question!

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: This is the growth we are talking about. Is it not so?

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: We should not exhibit shyness when things are good, but be like the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs who said that he loves what he sees and …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: … it is good for the people of Luanshya.

Hon. Kambwili, I would like to encourage you to continue with your enthusiasm because as you sat here, you saw things differently. However, the reality of governance has taught you that you must give thanks when you see things are being done properly.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Mutati: That is the reality of governance.

Mr Kambwili: Awee!

Hon. Government Member: Boma ni kuno!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, …

Mr V. Mwale: Quality! Waiona Kambwili?

Mr Kambwili: Quantity!

Hon. MMD Members: Aah!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you, the hon. Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House on your election. You are doing a great job. I also would like to thank my colleagues in the UPND Party for the unity of purpose and for being there all the time, ensuring that the principles of governance continue to be observed.

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

Mr Mutati: I would like to thank, also, my colleagues in the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) Party, for ensuring that they never leave Parliament and that even if it is one person representing them, they will always be here.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: I also would like to thank my colleagues in the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) Party for maintaining that seat, notwithstanding the challenges that they faced from various political parties.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: I also would like to thank my colleagues in the MMD and wish to tell them that we are down, but not out.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Mr Speaker, we know that we will truly be back and very soon.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: We have just temporarily detoured,  …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: … but we are coming back. When we come back, we will have tasted the two sides, governing and opposition. There is nothing that makes you better than a taste of both sides of the table.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Mutati: When we come back, we shall be able to poach the likes of Hon. Lubinda to be part of this side as a rebel.

Laughter

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutati: Hon. Dr Guy Scott, His Honour the Vice-President, thank you for that excellent picture with the Queen. I am sure you whispered to each other very nicely.

Laughter

Mr Mutati: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Kambwili): Mr Speaker, …

Hon. Government Members: Boma! Boma!

Mr Kambwili: … thank you for according me this opportunity to debate my maiden speech as well as the President’s Speech and also for giving me an opportunity to debate the Motion which is on the Floor.

Before pre-empting my deliberations, I wish to join my fellow hon. Members who have debated before me, in congratulating you on your well-deserved election as Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly. I also congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House on their respective elections.

Sir, I also wish to congratulate His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election as the Fifth President of the Republic of Zambia. I congratulate the PF Party on emerging victorious together with all its party structures in our presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, I would be failing in my duties if I did not thank the people of Roan Constituency for the confidence and trust that they bestowed on me by electing me their hon. Member of Parliament for the second time. I also thank all my friends and relatives who assisted me in one way or the other in the just-ended elections.

Let me also pay tribute and sincerely thank my beloved and beautiful wife, Carol, and our children, for the moral and spiritual encouragement they gave me during the time of my campaigns.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: To my wife Carol, I say you are just the best.

Laughter

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, let me also pay tribute to the late Sefeliano Mwanza, my former Headmaster at Mpatamato Secondary School, where I was head boy. During my school days, he prophesied that, one day, I would be a Member of Parliament and, subsequently, Minister in the Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: This has, indeed, become a reality.

I rise to freely debate based on issues raised in the President’s Address concerning my constituency and the Government at large. I bear in my mind that being silent on some of the subjects is omitting an essential part of the mandate vested in me by the people of Roan Constituency.

Sir, the transparent and peaceful manner in which the PF conducted itself during the campaign and after the election is exemplary and an eye-opener to mushrooming and finished political parties …

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kambwili: … to emulate. I wish to repeat what I have just said that the transparent and peaceful manner in which the PF conducted itself during the campaign and after the election is exemplary and an eye-opener to mushrooming and finished political parties.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: The way in which the power was transferred is another milestone and a major success in the democratisation of Zambia, which has proved to be a model country in the region.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Sir, I wish to report to this House that, at the just-ended Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHGM) where we went, Zambia received a lot of accolades for the peaceful manner in which power was transferred from the MMD to the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: I wish to state that the President’s Speech which covered many salient issues pertaining to the country’s political, economic, social and infrastructure development, health, education, agriculture, good governance, among others, was not only comprehensive or inspiring, but also a reflection of how the PF Government is practically translating its manifesto into tangible and concrete programmes that only the people of Zambia are able to identify with.

Mr Speaker, the speech displayed a catalogue of practical things that the PF Government, in line with its party manifesto, intends to implement in making Zambia a better place to live in by also providing more money in people’s pockets through the reduction of certain taxes.

Mr Speaker, listening to the President’s Speech was like being taken on a conducted tour to physically see and appreciate the great length which the PF Government intends to go in implementing developmental projects and programmes that are key to growing our economy. Improving the livelihood of people and pre-disposing the nation towards the attainment of the millennium development goals (MDGs) and fulfilling the Vision 2030.

Mr Speaker, I wish to assure the people of Roan Constituency that we shall build on where we left in the last term of office. I promise the people of Luanshya that I will make the building of 25 Clinic into a mini hospital, which was blocked by the MMD, a priority and a reality. Opening up of Section 1 Clinic, which was a recreation club known as Chikapa, will also be another area of interest. I also wish to engage the Chinese-owned mining company to make sure that it opens 18 and Mashiba Mines to create more jobs in our constituency.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha: That is reality of governance!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, before I dwell on issues pertaining to my constituency, let me just make a few comments on the issues raised by the MMD Members during their debates. I wish to state that the MMD must be the last political party to condemn any political party in as far as bad governance is concerned.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, under the MMD Government, we saw nothing, but a police State. I was extremely disappointed and disgusted to hear Hon. Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha stand in this House and say people are being harassed by the police. When it was in his time as Home Affairs Minister, I was arrested and sent to prison on flimsy grounds. I was put together with criminals. He must be ashamed of himself. He should be the last person to stand on the Floor of this House to condemn the PF in that regard.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, I also wish …

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha: Mr Speaker, I am listening to the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is a diplomat of my country, speaking very well. However, is he in order to bring me into his debate and ask me to be ashamed of myself on the Floor of the House? Is it in order to debate ourselves on the Floor of this House? Should the hon. Minister not know better? I need your serious ruling.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

As we debate, we will note that some of the issues will, no doubt, be emotive, but I would urge hon. Members to use temperate language in addressing them. I would, therefore, urge the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs to take note of the need to use temperate language in the debate. Will the hon. Minister continue, please.

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, as the PF stands, we do not intend to follow what the MMD did to us. However, it is important to remind him that arresting your friends on flimsy grounds is retrogressive.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, the PF Government will stand to fight corruption to the bitter end. When the former Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources was contributing to the debate, she said we are following up their members. I want to assure her that whoever was involved in corruption will be followed, regardless of their colour.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: We are going to make sure that this country is cleaned, mopped and washed to the letter until people stop pilfering public funds. When you are given the opportunity to be in leadership, you must realise that the money you are using is money paid by the poor people. For anybody to start taking advantage of being in the Government to pilfer from the poor people is unacceptable. Therefore, those found wanting must be made to pay for their sins. I want to tell the MMD  that the removal of Section 37 in the Anti-Corruption Act will not help them in any way because we shall use other legislation to follow them until corruption is fought to the bitter end.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, I also want to say that it is extremely disappointing to be caught with 1,400 bicycles at your farm, and yet you want to come and tell us that we are not doing things properly. People must be ashamed of themselves and I am sorry to say this. This number of bicycles translates into over one’s four years’ salary.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, for anybody to keep 1,400 bicycles when people are suffering in the townships is retrogressive.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Therefore, the issue of bicycles shall be followed to the letter and all those found wanting will be locked up.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: In the last Parliament, I told these people to prepare prisons because those would be their bedrooms. The time has come for reality. You people can now go to prison and see what I went through.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, it is also disheartening to find that the MMD is the one which wants to address the issue of the CDF by asking us to increase it to K5 billion. The question is: Why did it not do it? This simply means that it wanted to make the people of Zambia suffer with impunity when it was able to increase the CDF. The truth of the matter is that it is not possible to leap from K600 million to K5 billion over a period of three months. It is practically impossible.

Hon. Opposition Members: Governance reality!

Mr Kambwili: These people were in the Government and they know the resource envelope. I would excuse the UPND if it asked us to increase the CDF to K5 billion because it has never been in the Government. Even us, when we were in the Opposition, we did not, on any day, say that the CDF should be increased to K5 billion.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: We just asked that it be increased to K1 billion and the highest figure we quoted was K1.5 billion because we were reasonable and we knew that we had to take into consideration the other needs in the budget.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: However, for the MMD to stand, today, and say, “Increase the CDF to K5 billion,” simply means it does not understand what it is doing and that is why the people of Zambia chucked it out.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, the MMD is saying we are firing people at will, but I say that you should do unto others what you would like them to do unto you. You employed cadres in the Civil Service and we have said we are going to clean the cobwebs. How do you expect us to keep a person who was MMD provincial chairperson and was later promoted to the position of Permanent Secretary? This person can start to delay our progress. We are not going to keep your cadre. We shall fire them until we fire them no more.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, let me now move to issues affecting my ministry. I now wish to draw the attention of this House …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kambwili: … to issues related to my ministry. It is truly an honour to be in the driving seat of the ministry responsible for the implementation of Zambia’s foreign policy.

Mr Speaker, I want to register my disappointment that the MMD was running the Government without an approved …

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: … foreign policy. I have since instructed the people at my ministry and given them two months to come up with one to be approved by Parliament.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, the PF Government’s vision for implementing Zambia’s foreign policy will be based on the neutrality of common interest with respect. We will, in this regard, focus on promoting friendly and cordial relationships and retaining Zambia’s membership to international organisations. The PF Government also intends to domesticate and implement all outstanding international conventions that Zambia has already signed to, particularly those related to human and people’s rights, the rights of women, children and culture.

In this regard, the PF Government stands ready to work with both its bilateral and multilateral partners and will, therefore, nurture its existing partnerships as well as explore new ones. Zambia is a proud member of the United Nations (UN) and the international community at large and recognises the importance of harnessing and maintaining these partnerships for our mutual benefit.

Mr Speaker, in pursuance of our vision to implement Zambia’s foreign policy, the PF Government is determined to create a career foreign service in order to aggressively pursue our national interests abroad. In this regard, in addition to the already existing thirty-one missions and two consulates, the PF Government is considering opening more so as to have a physical presence in countries where Zambia has strategic interests.

Interruptions

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, some people may say that this will be costly, but we want to provide a two-way system in which we will have our people representing us in all the countries that have representatives here.

Mr Speaker, economic diplomacy will remain an important focus of Zambia’s foreign policy. As His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, stated in his inaugural speech to this House, foreign investment is important to Zambia as it does not only create jobs, but equally contributes to the economic empowerment of Zambians. I, therefore, wish to reiterate the PF Government’s commitment to forging viable and sustainable partnerships with the international community for our mutual benefit. However, let me hasten to state that it is important that the jobs that will be created as a result of foreign direct investment (FDI) have a direct benefit to the people of Zambia in terms of conditions of services and salaries. I wish to register my disappointment that, under the rule of the MMD, investors were respected more than the people of Zambia. This will be a thing of the past now.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: There must be full utilisation of the available skilled and unskilled workers, who should be the direct beneficiaries of foreign investment so that there is alleviation of poverty in Zambia. It is disappointing to note that the MMD Government allowed many workmen to come from other countries to take up jobs in Zambia when 70 per cent of our population is unemployed.

Sir, in pursuing our foreign policy, there are many challenges that we will face, among which are abject poverty for the majority of the world’s inhabitants, underdevelopment, conflicts, terrorism, human trafficking, climate change, sustainable development, violation of human rights, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, gender equality and racism. For the PF Government, addressing these issues is not an option, but a necessity.

As a member of the international community, Zambia will continue to address itself to global issues on the international agenda as well as the MDGs and the reform of the UN. The PF Government is cognisant of the fact that there are a number of political instabilities in different areas of the world such as what has become known as the Arab Spring. In this regard, the Government will support regional, continental and global efforts aimed at finding peaceful resolutions to these various crises.

Mr Speaker, on the reform of the UN, the PF Government believes that there is a need for fast-tracking the negotiations. It is a fact that Africa has the largest number of countries among the regions in the UN and three quarters of the agenda of the UN Security Council comprises African issues. We must continue to call for Africa’s representation in the UN Security Council. Africa must, therefore, maintain its request for representation on the Security Council that is commensurate with her size and takes into consideration the current global realities.

Mr Speaker, in concluding, I wish to reaffirm my commitment to working with all hon. Members of the House and contribute positively to the deliberations of this House. Finally, I advise our colleagues in the UPND that principle is very important in politics. I do not understand what has changed about the MMD that the UPND can now go to bed with it. Two months ago, the PF and the UPND were condemning the MMD. Today, the UPND has gone to bed with it.

Mr Mulusa: On appoint of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mulusa: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member for Roan …

Hon. Members: He is now an hon. Minister.

Hon. Government Members: Ulekwata umucinshi iwe.

Mr Mulusa: … the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs in order to embarrass this nation this way by dedicating thirteen minutes to petty issues, but only five minutes to policy issues? I need your very serious ruling because foreign missions and investors are listening. I would also request you to, once again, guide the Executive in the Front Bench to …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, order!

Mr Mulusa: … be objective and give answers on the policy issues that were raised by us on this side. This is not kindergarten and we do not deserve this kind of embarrassment.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that the point of order does not touch on a procedural issue.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Secondly, in my opinion, the presentation was balanced.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, ignorance knows no level. I will forgive him because he is a new hon. Member of Parliament who still needs more seminars.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I was saying that I advise my colleagues in the UPND to be very careful because the MMD is going to swallow them if they are not careful. The people of Zambia are very upset with the MMD and, if they think of going to bed with the MMD, …

Mr Hamududu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised, again.

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order.

Interruptions

Mr Hamududu: Is my colleague in order not to position the interests of this country as a diplomat? What is important is the interest of Zambians. We are all Zambians.

Hon. Government Members: What is your point of order?

Mr Speaker: Let the hon. Member finish raising his point of order.

Mr Hamududu: Is he in order to promote the separation of Zambians, instead of encouraging them to work together? I need your serious ruling because we are one Zambia, one nation and, therefore, one people.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order! Order! Again, this is not a procedural, but substantive issue. However, if you would like to reply to what the hon. Minister is saying, in due course, please do so.

May the hon. Member continue.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kambwili: I am sorry to the hon. Member, but I am only advising them. If he wishes to be swallowed, let it be. He will be swallowed.

Laughter

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I want to thank all hon. Members of Parliament who have debated this Motion and have congratulated the President, yourself and your two deputies on your electoral victories.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Boma!

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Chenda): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this very rare opportunity to present my maiden speech as well as render support to the President’s Address at the Official Opening of the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. Allow me to begin by congratulating His Excellency, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, the President of the Republic of Zambia, on his well-deserved election to the highest office in the country. President Sata’s vision, tenacity, humility and commitment to the cause of the people are a marvel and will, for all time, be a milestone of good leadership.

Mr Speaker, his election does not surprise me because I distinctly remember visiting him a week after the 2008 Presidential by-election to commiserate with him on the loss. He told me not to dwell on the past, but to get to work immediately as 2011 was barely three years away. He prophesied that the MMD was a bird with a broken wing that would not fly in 2011. True to his words, the MMD did not fly on 20th September, 2011, thanks to the people of Zambia, who voted en masse for him and the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, I thank the President for appointing me hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock. I also owe gratitude to my party, the PF, my campaign manager, Mrs Mary Mulenga, the entire campaign team, including the great people in my constituency. I say to them: thank you very much for voting for me. I shall not take your trust and cause for granted.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, allow me, also, to congratulate you on your well-deserved election as Speaker of this august House. I have no doubt that, with your professional training and vast exposure, you will lead this House with diligence and maximum impartiality. My congratulations are also extended to the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House.

Mr Speaker, I equally extend my congratulations to all hon. Members of the Front Bench, particularly the Leader of Government Business in the House and the Chief Whip, on their well-deserved appointments. I also congratulate all other PF Members of Parliament. I have no doubt that all are aware that the task ahead calls for hard work and dedication to duty.

Mr Speaker, congratulations also go to the Leader of the Opposition and all other hon. Members for being elected to this august House.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, being elected for the first time is hard enough, being elected a second time is harder while being elected a third time is hardest.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Therefore, my special congratulations go to the third-termers, Hon. Muntanga and his colleagues. The campaign was rough and tough, but we are all hon. Members of the same House now. I urge each one of us to put behind memories of the campaign trail and forge ahead.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: We are all here to serve the same masters ─the people of Zambia. We have aspired to better their lives and this we must do together.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank my children, family and friends for their support during and after the campaigns. I particularly thank my wife, Grace, for her love, loyalty, encouragement and great sacrifice.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, she was a magnet to her fellow women. My special gratitude also goes to my toddler granddaughter, Nyasha, who gave me a greater sense of purpose in life. She lifted up my spirits no matter how haggard and battered I was from the campaign trails, lifting her up in my arms spurred me to continue to press on …

Mr Muntanga: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: … so as to contribute towards securing a better future for the children of Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, in my last years in the Public Service, I served as Town Clerk for the City of Ndola and, during the official openings of Parliament, I used to be in the procession of mayors and town clerks. We sat upstairs in the gallery and, on each of those occasions; I would look down with a great sense of admiration and honour on the hon. Members of Parliament.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, it made me resolve to complete my Public Service by descending from the gallery to this Floor.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Ironically, this is one of those rare places where you descend down in order to ascend to a higher level. I thank the Almighty God that this has come to pass ten years after my retirement.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, Bwana Mkubwa, like every other urban constituency on the Copperbelt, faces many challenges. There is the lost glory of a vibrant industrial hub facing massive levels of unemployment, poor access to health, the HIV/AIDS scourge, poor access to education, inadequate housing, poor water and sanitation and a poor road network, among others. Of all these, the closest to my heart and to those of the people of Bwana Mkubwa is unemployment and inadequate water supply and good sanitation.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President’s Speech takes care of issues close to our heart, as people of Bwana Mkubwa, by assuring us that the Government will provide more money to councils. In so doing, the Government will restore local authorities’ capacity to deliver socio-economic services to the public.

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech did not only give hope to the people of Bwana Mkubwa, but also to this House and the people of Zambia. It assured the people that the PF Government is committed to bettering their lives within the shortest possible time. Changes have started not only in the streamlining of the Government and the Civil Service, but also important actions are being taken to enable people get more jobs.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear! Ema Minister aba.

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, removing distortions in the energy sector and reducing the price of fuel puts money in people’s pockets, including those of hon. Members of this House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, commercial banks across the country have started reducing their base lending rates, making it easier for our people to access loans.

Mr Speaker, the President informed the House that skills training for youths will be at the Zambia National Service camps, which will now be turned into the Zambia Youth Training Service. Zambia needs a vibrant artisan class in every sector in order to improve her economy. The skilled youth will not only access employment, but also be able to generate opportunities for self-employment.

Mr Speaker, skilled youths are also key to the growth of the agricultural sector, which, in turn, is key to the development of this country. The President did state that Zambia has a huge agricultural potential which, if fully exploited, can significantly contribute to employment and wealth creation for our people. This sector has the potential to put more money in people’s pockets and reduce poverty levels. It is for this reason that it is at the core of the PF manifesto.

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

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, agriculture is at the centre of our lives. Many people in Zambia depend more on this sector for their livelihood than any other. Therefore, when the sector registers growth, the whole country’s economy grows too.

Mr Speaker, the new Government will harness Zambia’s comparative advantage in agriculture and take advantage of the looming world food crisis to make Zambia the food basket of this region and Africa as a whole. All we need to do is to introduce clear and effective agricultural policies. It is in this respect that the President’s Speech is unprecedented in that it lays the agricultural policy framework for us to build on. It also contains clear proposals that reflect the core attributes of the PF Administration.

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech addressed all fundamental aspects needed to drive the agricultural sector and the economy forward, such as:

(i) adequate inputs;

(ii) access to land;

(iii) livestock disease control;

(iv) compulsory dipping and vaccination;

(v) construction of dip tanks;

(vi) livestock production and restocking;

(vii) diversification;

(viii) aquaculture;

(ix) game farming;

(x) agro processing;

(xi) value addition;

(xii) research;

(xiii) appropriate technology use; and

(xiv) public-private sector partnership.

Mr Speaker, the agricultural sector, under the PF Government, will not be viewed as the employer of the last resort, into which people retire after working in other sectors of the economy. Agriculture is a business like any other. Even in the rural areas, experience has shown that those with better education perform better in agriculture.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government will endeavour to provide appropriate education and skills training to our people in order for them to excel in agriculture. Additionally, while placing emphasis on the poor, especially youths and women, in the agricultural sector, the PF Government will also address the plight of the agricultural worker, who is poorly paid and a victim of casualisation.

Mr Speaker, having rendered my support to the President’s Address, allow me to highlight to the House the situation in the agricultural sector. As regards crop marketing, as at 14th October, 2011, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) had purchased 1.621 million metric tonnes of maize worth a value of K2.108 trillion and 993 tonnes of paddy rice valued at K1.488 billion. The total maize, under the FRA, is K1.927 million metric tonnes of which 306,000 metric tonnes are carry-over stocks from the 2009/2010 Farming Season. The maize is in the seventy holding depots and 1,317 satellite depots throughout the country.

The Ministry of Finance and National Planning has released K1.674 trillion while the FRA has sourced for K278 billion through private commercial borrowing. The Government has further released the K335.58 billion outstanding balance which is to be paid to the farmers.

Hon. Opposition Members: When?

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, the Government has authorised the FRA to sell the excess maize stocks over and above the strategic reserves between prices ranging from US$135 to US170 per tonne, depending on the crop location. The reduction in the price has been necessitated by the eminent rains which are threatening to destroy the unsecured maize. We, as a Government, want to salvage as much as we can from the maize harvest of last season.

Mr Speaker, the Government has also decided to resolve the problem of inadequate storage facility by building more sheds in the long-term. Intermediary measures, such as engaging transporters to haul the maize to the line of rail, acquiring more tarpaulins, renting additional storage space and the purchase of additional empty grain bags for repacking purposes, has already been done. Additionally, a task force on the security of maize which will work in-conjunction with the district co-operative marketing committees will also be constituted.

Hon. Opposition Members: Now you are talking.

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, most of my colleagues from the rural areas will be pleased with the 2011/2012 Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP).

The 2011/2012 FISP will be implemented using the same terms and conditions that existed in the 2010/2011 Agricultural Season. The programme has targeted 914,670 beneficiaries for this agriculture season. All the inputs are already in the country and have been distributed to holding depots in the districts.

Contractual arrangements for the supply of these inputs were instituted by the previous Government which left an outstanding balance to suppliers of close to US$100 million. Despite this, the PF Government has already started negotiating with the suppliers of these inputs to allow our farmers to immediately access the fertilisers while efforts are being made to source for funds to complete the payments.

Mr Speaker, in the future, we will streamline the FISP in line with the PF manifesto in order to de-politicise the programme and to include the representation of the chiefs and village councils in the selection process of the beneficiaries.

Mr Muntanga interjected.

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, I would like to briefly address the concerns raised on the Floor by hon. Members on the issue of the Government being the buyer of last resort. This issue was ably addressed by His Excellency the President during his address to this august House when he said that:

“We shall, as a matter of urgency, review the operations of the Food Reserve Agency and the relevant legislation in order to rationalise its management and functions, including its role in maintaining strategic reserves and enhance its sustainability.”

Mr Speaker, it is the intention of this Government to ensure that the economically disadvantaged small-scale farmer is given a guaranteed market as provided for in the PF manifesto. The Government will encourage private sector participation on fair trading terms. This will not only widen the scope of their market participation, but also ensure sustainability.

Mr Speaker, there is an urgent need to expedite the process of enacting new agriculture marketing legislation, which has been dragging since 2003. This is highly anticipated by the private sector and the co-operating alike, as it is expected to bring predictability of the Government policy towards domestic and international agriculture trade. In this regard, my ministry, in close consultation with the Ministry of Justice and other stake holders, will work together to ensure that this piece of legislation finally reaches this House.

Furthermore, the recently enacted Agriculture Credit Act will be brought into operation so as to ensure that the agriculture sector benefits from the operations of the warehouse receipt system. The warehouse receipt system is aimed at facilitating the borrowing of money by our farmers based on the security of the agriculture commodities held in certified warehouses.

Mr Speaker, I would like to assure this House, especially my colleagues on the left such as Hon. Request Muntanga, that the merging of the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Department is aimed at reducing administrative costs. However, the PF Government will ensure that …

Mr Muntanga: On a point of order, Sir!

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister, who is addressing us extremely well, in order to forget to inform the country what the Government is going to do to mitigate the effects of the impending drought? What has he told the farmers to do in order to handle this situation? Is he in order to forget to tell us such things?

Mr Speaker: I am sure that Hon. Muntanga is fully aware that what he has said does not constitute a valid point of order. Please, continue, hon. Minister.

Laughter

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, the PF Government will ensure that equal attention is given to co-operatives, fisheries and livestock in terms of expertise and resource allocation.

In conclusion, I want to inform the Zambian people that more money in their pockets means hard work by all. Let us brace ourselves for an agriculture revolution. Our President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, is a hardworking and resilient man. When we work together, the agricultural sector will excel to greater heights since our farmers are hard working.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chenda: Mr Speaker, I also urge all hon. Members of this House, irrespective of their political affiliation, to unite and work together. I have no doubt in my mind that with the help of my colleagues on your left, we will improve the lives of our people to levels better than the present ones.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Health (Dr Chikusu): Mr Speaker, I am grateful to be given this time to deliver my maiden speech in this august House and also to contribute to the debate of the inspirational speech of His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, President of the Republic of Zambia.

Sir, to begin with, allow me to congratulate you for a well-deserved election to the position of Hon. Mr Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia. In addition, I wish to also congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House for being elected to their respective positions.

Further, I wholeheartedly congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia for his historic victory. I appreciate his generosity which made him appoint me to serve in his Government. I also congratulate the hon. Members of Parliament, both on the left and right, for having made it to this august House. More so, I congratulate the hon. Members on the right for showing tenacity, consistency and endurance, which are the qualities that made it possible for them to form the Government.

Mr Speaker, I now turn to my constituency, Katuba. I am grateful to my wife, Edah Mulenga Chikusu, and all the people of Katuba for the confidence they showed in me by giving me an overwhelming vote. I also wish to thank my party for adopting me.

Hon. Opposition Members: Which party?

Dr Chikusu: The party is the MMD. The vote which the people cast in my area was to do away with retrogressive elements as they realised that Katuba had delayed in developing. The things which the people in Katuba are looking forward to are those which are common to most rural constituencies. These are roads, bridges, clean water supplies, improved education facilities, health facilities and diverse agricultural services.

Mr Speaker, let me now discuss the President’s Speech. The speech was inspirational and paved the way to get Government programmes into operation. Let me highlight the workable issues on health as other matters have already been taken care of by my relevant colleagues.

Mr Speaker, the campaign to increase awareness on health issues by the PF Government is centered on the theme, “No woman should die while giving birth.” This theme was also contained in both the President’s Speech during the inaugural ceremony and official opening of the Eleventh National Assembly. The theme is focused on the need to improve service delivery amidst inadequate resources going towards the health sector, thus resulting into shortages of key inputs and processes required by the ministry for it to achieve its mission to deliver adequate and cost effective quality health care services as close to the communities as possible. The lack of proper Government health facilities also increases the number of households who opt to seek alternative sources of health care. It is the Government’s intention to provide a health care which is clean, caring and competent. It is a well-known fact that the removal of user fees and reduction in the disease burden will result in good health care and more money in the pockets of the Zambian people.

Mr Speaker, the PF Government has placed emphasis on good health as an essential prerequisite to national development. The focus of the Ministry of Health, which is in line with the PF Government’s wishes, will be to promote health, prevent disease and injury as well as to treat and rehabilitate the sick and injured. The health care system consists of seven main domains, namely service delivery, human resource, medicines and technology, health financing, health information systems, leadership and governance. Our work will focus on these domains so that we can address the challenges currently faced by the health sector which have resulted in the following:

(i)  poor and insufficient provision of essential health care;

(ii) inadequate, overworked, poorly remunerated and demotivated human resource;

(iii) a massive brain drain;

(iv) frequent shortages of essential medicines whose procurement is riddled with gross irregularities;

(v) dilapidated health structure;

(vi) discriminatory financing mechanisms;

(vii) manual and outdated health information system; and

(viii) an organisational structure ill-fitted to deal with the critical and worsening health challenges.

The Ministry of Health has aligned its plans to the manifesto of the PF Government by working towards addressing the challenges found in the main domains which I talked about earlier and which have, for a long time, denied the people of Zambia quality health services.

Mr Speaker, one of the focus areas of the PF manifesto is to increase the budget allocation of the Ministry of Health while at the same time exploring alternative financing mechanisms such as the introduction of social health insurance and abolishing of user fees and co-payments which have been well- known as the main factors inhibiting the sick patients from utilising health services. The ministry has been working around the clock to develop a concept note of the social health insurance initiative as well as to start the process of setting up its secretariat. A team of experts within and outside the ministry is already working on this in line with the PF Government’s aim of providing basic health care based on need and not ability to pay. The ministry also intends to extend the abolishment of user fees to the rest of the remaining eighteen urban districts. This move is supported by the notion that poverty is not only in rural areas, but also found in the main areas surrounding the low density residential areas such as Mtendere, Kanyama, and George Compound to mention, but a few, where poor people are subjected to pay user fees resulting into less money in their pockets and reduced access to services contrary to the promises of the PF.

Mr Speaker, in order to improve service provision in line with the PF Government, the Ministry of Health is working with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to significantly increase the budget for drugs. This will not only increase the availability of drugs in the health facilities, but also ensure that there is a reduction in drug shortages, which, in most times, are brought about by high dependence on external support for the procurement of drugs.

The ministry has also placed much emphasis on the rehabilitation of health infrastructure, providing of adequate staff at all levels of health care and establishment of intensive care units that will be fully equipped and staffed for emergencies and specialised cases so as to drastically reduce the need for referring patients abroad. In line with the PF manifesto, the ministry is also working towards scaling up effective interventions for the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and the screening of cancer of the cervix, breast and prostate. In fact, the ministry has already been working on increasing male circumcision services which is a well known intervention that can lead to a reduction in the spread of cancer of the cervix and HIV/AIDS.

Mr Speaker, as regards human resource, in line with the PF manifesto, the ministry has also been working with other partners within the sector to effectively improve and manage the human resource and enhance retention strategies, both monetary and non-monetary ones, in order to stem the brain drain and promote continued professional development. The ministry also hopes to provide in-service training as an integral part of skills upgrading and life long career development. Training is very important. Therefore, the ministry is making deliberate efforts to improve in this area. The search for new and retired staff to fill the vacant posts is also being enhanced. The results of all these interventions will soon be seen.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I reiterate that the ministry is working very conscientiously to remove the user fees quickly.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Sakeni): Mr Speaker, I am grateful that I have, once again, stood on the Floor of this House after staying away for five years.

Hon. Opposition Member: You lost!

Mr Sakeni: I lost and I am proudly back. I also know why I lost.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, before I get into the details of the President’s Speech, I wish to join all my colleagues who have spoken before me in congratulating the President, His Excellency Mr Michael Sata, for his resounding victory despite various manoeuvers by the former MMD Government to stop him from winning the election in spite of the support he was enjoying from the electorate.

Sir, I wish to congratulate you on your election as Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly. I also congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House.

Mr Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the people of Mansa Central who gave me overwhelming support. For those who do not know, I was firstly the hon. Member of Parliament for Chifunabuli Constituency, in Samfya District. In rural areas, it is very rare to shift from one constituency to another and make it. I did it and the people of Mansa voted for me overwhelmingly. I am grateful to them.

I would like to thank my campaign manager, my family, the churches, especially the Catholic Church to which I belong and which helped me morally and spiritually, and all the other Christian organisations.

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech delivered on 14th October, 2011, to this august House was inspiring and brought out major policy issues which will ensure that the dreams of Zambians become a reality.

Mr Speaker, there has never been such a joyful mood on the Zambian streets as there was when His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata was declared the fifth President of Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni:  The people celebrated the fall of the MMD and its leadership, which had buried its head in the sand believing that the bicycles and the chitenge materials they distributed where going to do magic for it.

Laughter

Mr Sakeni:  Mr Speaker, how can one describe as hollow a policy pronouncement that seeks to uplift the standards of living of our people who are living in abject poverty? How do you describe as empty an oration that brings out policies to enhance freedom of expression? How do you describe as baseless a homily that postulates a new constitution in the shortest possible time?

Hon. Government Member: Hammer!

Mr Sakeni: The PF Government is committed to ensuring that all Zambians live in a peaceful environment that guarantees full enjoyment of fundamental rights. To this end, the Government has already embarked on a programme to promote professionalism through the restructuring of the security institutions in the country. The PF Government is now building an independent security service that will protect the law of the land with dignity and impartiality.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, building a professional and independent security service calls for various interventions. The PF Government will ensure that the conditions of service are improved and necessary pieces of legislation such as the Immigration and Deportation Act are reviewed. We will also ensure that the operational requirements are at the disposal of the security services.

Mr Speaker, it is a known fact that most infrastructure, such as detention cells, prisons, border posts and police stations, is in a deplorable state. Therefore, we shall ensure that the pace of the completion of the construction works that were initiated by our colleagues is fast enough to urgently address this challenge. Consequently, Sindamisale, Namafulo, Kilwa and Imusho Border Controls will be completed before the end of this year. That, I can assure you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, before I conclude, let me assure some of my colleagues on your left, who have alleged that they are being victimised by security institutions in the country, that the police have a mandate to act in an independent and professional manner within the confines of the law. This Government will ensure that the law is applied fairly.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: There will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption and other crimes.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: Therefore, your lamentations, my colleagues, will do no good to anybody.

Hon. Opposition Member: Who are you talking about?

Mr Sakeni: I am talking about most of the hon. Members of Parliament who were Ministers in the previous Government who are lamenting that the police are following them. We are not going to victimise you if you are innocent. However, if you broke the law, it will visit you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: The same applies even to my colleagues on this side of the House. Whoever breaks the law will be visited by it. My colleagues, please, …

Mr Speaker: Order! Address the Chair.

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, I am sorry. I can assure the innocent that they will be protected.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: The police have a mandate not to harass anybody who is innocent, but to probe those suspected to have committed any felony.

The PF Government will, in no way, drag the security services into victimising any citizen of this country to settle political scores like the MMD used to do. There were cases of people who were detained for flimsy or no offence at all. To date, the PF has not detained any of you. None of you has been detained, especially those claiming that we are victimising them. The MMD used the police to arrest and prosecute its perceived enemies day in and day out. So far, the PF has not done so to any of those who are making unsubstantiated claims of being victimised nor will it do so in the future. We shall make sure that the law is applied fairly. The interest of the PF Government is to ensure that it implements its programmes with the seriousness and much desired velocity in order to ensure satisfaction.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.
 

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the Chair]

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, allow me to assure all my colleagues that the PF Government is committed to ensuring that human rights are observed and respected at all times.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: In this regard, all the security agencies in the country will make sure that all Zambians pursue their economic and social aspirations in an environment in which people’s lives and property are well-safeguarded.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni:  Mr Speaker, the PF Government will ensure that internal stability, peace and public order prevail in the country by providing due support to independent and professional security services. That is its mandate.

Sir, a number of my colleagues raised issues of corruption in the security services, mainly the police service, immigration and passports office. I can assure you that the PF Government, which the Zambians elected, is working around the clock to actually instill a sense of discipline in its security organs so that the Zambians are served in a dignified way when getting a passport or applying for anything. When a case is reported to the police, it must be handled fairly.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, the interest of the PF Government is to ensure that it implements its programmes with seriousness and the much desired velocity in order to ensure satisfaction of the general populous. This will make it easier for us to gain the support of the populous so that, come next elections, we can sweep all the seats in Zambia, including those in the Southern Province where we have no seat.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: I can assure you that we are coming there in 2016. Magoye will be the beginning of the fall of the Southern Province to the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sakeni: I can see that some of my colleagues who debate on top of their voices are not here. They are in Magoye. We are coming.

Laughter

Mr Sakeni: Mr Speaker, we are going.

Sir, I wish to end here and call on my colleagues to feel free. There should be no lamentations. If you are a free person, the law will not visit you. However, if you stole, it will visit you.

Laughter

Mr Sakeni: I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

 

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 1835 hours until1430 hours on Wednesday, 9th November, 2011.

__________