DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FIRST SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Friday, 28th October, 2011

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS – MEMBERSHIP

Mr Speaker: I have an announcement to make. Hon. Members, I wish to inform you that, after consultations using the normal channels, the following hon. Members have been appointed to represent the Parliament of Zambia on two international parliamentary organisations namely, the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF).

Pan African Parliament (PAP) (5)

Mr L. Mulusa, MP;

Ms D. Kazunga, MP;

Mr D. Mwango, MP;

Mrs C. Mazoka, MP; and

Mr P. Mucheleka, MP.

SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC-PF) (5)

Mrs Kabanshi, MP;

Ms Imenda, MP;

Mr Mwimba H. Malama, MP;

Mr G. G. Nkombo, MP; and

Dr Musokotwane, MP.

The details on the two international parliamentary organisations may be obtained from the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly. There are desk officers in the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly who deal with the matters relating to the two organisations.

I thank you.

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BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

The Minister of Home Affairs and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Mr Sakeni): Mr Speaker, I rise to give the House some idea of the Business it will consider next week.

On Tuesday, 1st November, 2011, the Business of the House will commence with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. The House will then resume the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

On Wednesday, 2nd November, 2011, the Business of the House will start with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Then, the House will consider Private Members’ Motions, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

On Thursday, 3rd November, 2011, the Business of the House will commence with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Mr Speaker, on Friday 4th November, 2011, the Business of the House will begin with His Honour the Vice-President’s Question Time. This will be followed by Questions, if there will be any. Then, the House will deal with presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will resume the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

I thank you, Sir.

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MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

The Deputy Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism (Mr Tembo): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, which he presented when he officially opened the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly on 14th October, 2011.

Mr Speaker, before I go any further, let me join other hon. Members of this august House who have spoken before me in congratulating you on your well-deserved election. Your election is testimony of the confidence hon. Members of this House have in you. I also extend heartfelt congratulations to the hon. Deputy Speaker and hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on their elections. With you and your team in the Chair, the Business of this House is in capable hands.

Mr Speaker, I congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, and the Patriotic Front (PF) on winning the 20th September, 2011, Tripartite Elections.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: I also congratulate and commend the former Republican President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, on the orderly and exemplary manner in which he handed over power to his successor, President Michael Chilufya Sata. Over and above, hearty congratulations also go to the people of Zambia, our masters, for turning up in their millions to cast votes for the leaders of their choice during the 20th September, 2011, Tripartite Elections.

Mr Speaker, I thank the electorate and my family in my constituency, Nyimba, for their support and electing me as their hon. Member of Parliament for a second five-year term. With the additional responsibility of hon. Deputy Minister the President has bestowed upon me, I pledge to do my best in serving my constituency and my country at large.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, let me also congratulate all political parties that took part in the election because, together, we made this election a success and envy of the world. The peace that characterised the electoral process from start to finish confirmed, once again, Zambia’s global stature as an oasis of peace and democracy.

Since elections are over. We should now close ranks as Zambians and rally behind the new Government of His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, in developing our economy.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, as regards the speech, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata set the tone and pace for transforming Zambia from a society with corruption to one with integrity; from selfishness to patriotism; and from poverty to prosperity. The speech and vision therein clearly shows that the people of Zambia have a bright future under the able leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, our role, as representatives of the people in this House, is to be objective and support the President’s agenda in building a better Zambia. That does not mean that we shall always agree, but it also does not mean that we should disagree all the time. Let criticism and credit be given where they are due. That is what will move our country forward.

By appointing hon. Members from the Opposition, such as me, into his Government,  President Sata has shown that he wants to work with everyone regardless of their political affiliation in rebuilding the country. Unlike what some have said, I joined the Government without rebelling against anyone. I, therefore, cannot be called a rebel because I am a true patriot.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, as a representative of a rural community where agriculture is the mainstay of the people’s economy, I commend His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Sata, for giving agriculture centre stage on the national development agenda. To this effect, I note, with happiness, the President’s commitment to revamp the agricultural sector through market guarantees and extension services towards production of specific crops. This is taking into account weather patterns and natural resource endowment.

Mr Speaker, I also note, with delight, the President’s commitment to complement the private sector by being a buyer of last resort and also ensuring that the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) benefits the intended small-scale farmers.

Sir, President Sata’s pronouncement on road rehabilitation and construction throughout the country can also not go unappreciated. Once implemented, a good road network, including feeder roads, is key to accelerating social and economic development.

Mr Speaker, the development needs of this county are huge, and yet achievable. Of prime importance, besides all else, is the need for us, as a nation, to change our mindset and realign ourselves towards the national agenda set by the new Government. This is the agenda of hard work, patriotism and zero-tolerance for corruption. The Government alone cannot achieve these and other benchmarks without the support of each of us.

Mr Speaker, the Government of His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, is committed to delivering on its promises. In the media industry, for example, where His Excellency the President has privileged me to serve as hon. Deputy Minister, results are there for all to see. Unlike in the past, news coverage on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and other public media is no longer a preserve of those in the Ruling Party and the Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: The Government, through my ministry, has taken immediate and visible measures to decontrol and depoliticise the newsrooms in the public media. We, as a Government, have made changes at management level at the State-run media namely, the ZNBC, Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia in line with our vision of attaining a free and professional media which will meaningfully contribute to national development.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! No more Chanda Chimba.

Mr Tembo: The journalists in these institutions are now working freely, independently and professionally in informing, educating and entertaining the public. The feedback from the public is overwhelming.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: They have openly told us that the three public media are now serving the purpose for which they exist ─ to serve the public and not partisan interest. The Government’s stance on the media is very clear. The media is not a vuvuzela for the Ruling Party, but for the people of Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Tembo: Mr Speaker, I have a lot of examples to give but, for now, I will only give one example because of the constraint of time. It is not so long ago when Hon. Hamududu was given enough air time on public television to talk about his party and other issues.

Hon. Government Members: One hour.

Mr Tembo: That is just one example.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, deserves commendation for his wise decision to merge information, broadcasting and tourism into one ministry. This will enhance the profiling and marketing of the country’s vast tourism endowments. Already, Zambia, a few weeks ago, in South Korea, won the bid to co-host, with neighbouring Zimbabwe, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2013. This is not a mean achievement and is a sign of more and better things to come in the development of our tourism industry.

Mr Speaker, finally, the re-designation of Livingstone as a tourist capital by relocating the provincial capital to Choma is another milestone in the Government’s efforts to reposition and refocus the tourism industry as an engine of economic growth and wealth creation.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Quality!

The Deputy Minister of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection (Mrs Banda): Mr Speaker, I am greatly honoured and privileged to, once again, stand in this august House as the hon. Member of Parliament for Chililabombwe and deliver my Maiden Speech.

May I take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election as the Head of State of this great country. May I also, through this House, express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Chililabombwe for re-electing me as their representative to this august House. I convey a message of congratulations and goodwill from the people of Chililabombwe to you, Mr Speaker, on your election as Hon. Speaker of this august House.

Mr Speaker, following the inspiring and challenging speech to this House by His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, I was glad to note that, in his speech, he clearly outlined the key issues facing the nation. I am greatly cheered and challenged by the President’s quote of the PF’s vision to this House:

“The citizens of this great land not only deserve better lives, but are also entitled to better lives.”

The President challenged this august House to put people first in its national development programmes. ‘People First’ is also abbreviated as PF. This is, indeed, a very inspiring call from the President to which we all should aspire to transform our nation into a viable economy and give our people dignity in the socio-economic areas of their lives.

Mr Speaker, allow me to highlight some of the major issues that we, as Chililabombwe community, are faced with. These have been caused by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Banda: Chililabombwe has high levels of poverty and unemployment, especially among the youths; poor social service delivery systems at the local government level; poor road network; and lack of a district hospital. Therefore, the vision of my constituency is to improve the quality of life of the people.

Mr Speaker, Chililabombwe is located in the northernmost part of the Copperbelt and borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It lies on the Zambezi Congo Watershed at an altitude of 1,373 m above sea level. The climate is typical of the tropical grasslands with a cool and dry wet season and hot and dry season. We receive enough rainfall with an average of 1,341 mm per year. Even in periods of drought, we receive enough rainfall for the major crops to grow. Chililabombwe has great agricultural potential.

In addition, the district has abundant vegetation and forest reserves of 102,000 hectares, out of which 30,000 is a forest estate.

Mr Speaker, Chililabombwe contributes greatly to the economy of our country. The major economic activity in Chililabombwe …

Mr Mwiimbu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament, who is an hon. Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection,  in order to speak in the manner she is, as a private Member of Parliament, instead of speaking on policy issues and answering questions that have been raised by hon. Members of the Opposition? She is speaking as if she is not a Member of the Cabinet.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member, obviously, is entitled to render a Maiden Speech but, in so doing, she should be very brief and focus more on her mandate in a given ministry.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Banda: Thank you, Mr Speaker, for that protection.

Interruptions

Mrs Banda: I was saying that the major economic activity in Chililabombwe is copper mining which comprises 70 per cent of the economic activity. The main copper mines are Konkola Copper Mines Plc (KCM) and the new Konkola North Copper Mines (KONNOCO) which starts production in September, next year. Chililabombwe is destined to be the future of mining on the Copperbelt. The other main activities in Chililabombwe are transport, trading and agriculture.

We, therefore, eagerly await the new national taxes sharing formulae for taxes collected within the district in order to strengthen the revenue base for our local council. This will promote effective delivery of essential services. In addition, the district needs to benefit from mining activities.

Mr Speaker, let me now talk about the elections. The PF’s victory in the general elections is a victory for the people of this great nation of Zambia.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mrs Banda: Despite the widely published opinion polls that the PF would not win the elections, the opposite happened. The PF is in favour of a free electoral process. The Government, under the able leadership of His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, should be given enough time to establish a free and popular electoral system. In order to rebuild what I may describe as a broken system of governance, the PF Government will formulate policies that are in line with its manifesto. Politics need a renewal to allow new ideas and visions to emerge.

Mr Speaker, in his speech to this august House, His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, stated that the biggest challenges our country faces are the high poverty levels and unemployment. The much talked about economic growth, under the MMD regime, failed to improve the well-being of the people. The other challenge this country is faced with is competing in the new global economy. In trying to overcome this challenge, we must not ignore the plight of the people. It was evident, under the former Ruling Party, that foreign investment was for the benefit of foreigners at the expense of the Zambian people. This must not be allowed to continue. The PF pledges to reverse the trend.

Mr Speaker, the PF’s critics on the left are unhappy with the Government’s emphasis on the citizens of this great country not only deserving better lives, but also being entitled to better lives. They are dismissing it as mere politicking. We, in the PF, wish to bring about a new style of politics that is different from the political style of the former MMD leadership.

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

Mrs Banda: It is a learnt lesson by all of us, today, that the people should not be taken for granted. In the PF, we believe in service to the people through empowerment as evidenced by the President’s commitment to improve living standards with lower taxes and more money in the pockets.

Mr Speaker, the PF is in favour of reforms to cut taxes. It is essential to reduce taxes and improve employment and wealth creation in order to enhance our economy’s competitiveness. I do not think it is sensible to deny the fact that it is the PF that has made specific pledges on tax reduction. I believe that if the current trend of high taxation is allowed to continue, it has the potential to work against our pledge of more money in the people’s pocket.

Sir, the PF pledges to develop policies to make the health system more efficient, effective and patient-centred. It cannot be argued that, under the MMD regime, the tax burden was at its highest ever in the history of this country.

 

Mr Speaker, with regard to education, our policy direction is well-elaborated in the PF Manifesto. The Government would like to reverse the poor education system so that our children receive quality education. The PF is in favour of the Education Policy review and its reform, believing that the current approach does not work. The PF, as a party, will offer support in the area of education reforms. I have come to know that there was something fundamentally wrong in the way the MMD managed the country. If equality of opportunity does not begin in the school system, it begins nowhere at all.

Mr Speaker, the second fundamental challenge we are facing lies in our nation’s education system. Education is both a tool of social justice as well as a fundamental driver of economic development. I believe that the nation needs a revolution in its education system. We have State curricula of highly valuable quality, and yet we see a decline of critical subjects such as science. We have a demoralised teaching profession whose energies are now concentrated on school administration rather than in syllabus delivery. We have Government, not to mention non-Government systems, collapsing under the sheer weight of the funding requirement for the comprehensive introduction of information technology in the curriculum, syllabus and daily classroom teaching. As a nation, these problems need to be tackled head on. Because of the funding imperative, they must be tackled jointly by this House.

Mr Speaker, I believe we need to do something radical about teachers’ salaries and the overall status of the teaching profession. I believe we need to do something equally radical about quality assurance of school curricula. I also believe that, if we are serious about having the next generation of Zambians selling their skills across the world through every media of electronic commerce, we must, through the school system, equip them to do that. I understand that my remarks will be met by the inevitable chorus, “We cannot afford it,” but the question I ask is: As a nation, can we afford not to?

Interruptions

Mrs Banda: Mr Speaker, I believe that equity and economic development demand it. In a global economy, a first class education is one of the few forms of real security that the State can provide to its citizens.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about local government. His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia restated his pledge to review policy to seek and develop new ideas in the core programmes such as local government and housing so that the social service delivery system is addressed.

 Sir, as you may be aware, the local government is a key delivery system as it is closer to the people we represent in this House. Under the MMD Government, local government was negligent, thereby compromising the service delivery system for our people. The PF Government is committed to restoring the pride of the local authorities so that they become more enabled in tackling a series of issues such as affordable housing.

Mr Speaker, politics are about power. They are about power of the State as applied to individuals, the society in which we all live and the economy. Most critically, our responsibility in this Parliament is how that power is used. It must be used for the benefit of the many and not a few. In this my first speech, I want to speak on the fundamental principles that I believe should govern the exercise of political power and the reasons, therefore, that I am an hon. Member of the PF and why I sought to be elected to this Parliament. I want to speak on how this belief shapes my approach to some of the great policy challenges the nation is facing. I also want to speak on some of the practical problems the local community that I am now privileged to represent in this place has. I believe that ideas are important as they shape the behaviour of governments, bureaucracies, businesses, unions, the media and individuals.

As Keynes wrote in  his General Theory:

“The ideas of economies and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe they be exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slave of some defunct economist.”

Mr Speaker, debate, therefore, about fundamental ideas, particularly ideas about the proper role of the state in the economy and society is critical to an informed discussion on policy. For nearly two decades, in the MMD Government, it had become fashionable to accept the ideology of capitalism and the politics of convergence.

Mr Speaker, I believe that there is a fundamental divide between our part in the Government and the Opposition, MMD, on the proper role of the State in modern economy and society. This Government’s view is that not everything should be driven by the private sector. During the MMD Government’s reign, the market forces in the running of the economy were left to the private sector as better determinants of not only efficiency, but also equity. In effect, the Government was the enemy of freedom while failing to reflect on the fact that markets look to governments to regulate them to ensure their proper functioning.

We are all the product of our own experiences and the ideas with which we have been confronted. These are the simple experiences and unremarkable beliefs which cause me to proudly sit here rather than on the benches of those on the opposite side. I unapologetically believe in an active role for the Government. I believe that this activist role should have, as its foremost, a guiding principle to a commitment to equality of opportunity that is real than rhetoric. It is a principle that should permit all that we do in education and health. I also believe that the governments must actively look after those who, through no fault of their own, cannot look after themselves. I believe that the governments must regulate markets.

Competitive markets are massive and generally efficient generators of economic wealth. They must, therefore, have a central place in the management of the economy. However, markets sometimes fail, requiring direct government intervention through instruments such industry policy. There are also areas where the public good dictates that there should be no market at all. I also believe that governments should not just turn in on themselves but instead, have a fundamental responsibility to pursue the public good internationally in the promotion of regional and global security, democracy and economic development and the protection of the country. These are the fundamental beliefs that continue to drive the PF. Ours is a dynamic and not static movement.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mrs Banda: Our beliefs are continuing, but their application to the policy challenges the nation is faced with require creativity and experience. Our party is a combination of experience and the youths. Through this, it possesses the intellectual horsepower and the policy craft necessary to carve out an alternative vision of the nation as well as a programme of action for the realisation of our vision. In the PF, we are not afraid of our vision nor are we afraid of doing the hard policy yards necessary to turn that into reality.

The MMD Government, throughout the period it was in power, was wrestling with a similar challenge ─ the creation of a competitive economy while advancing the overriding imperative of a just society. It is, in fact, a new formulation of the new economic and social imperative.

There is, of course, if we talk about heritage, no reason for this nation to apologise for its heritage, the “One Zambia, One Nation”. We are proudly Zambian and should remain so, as one people, despite diversities in political standing. However, as a multi-party State, we need to understand how we ought to perceive each other because that helps in our behaviour towards one another. The nation cannot afford a repeat of the mistakes of the last twenty years of the MMD Government. The damage is already great and the stakes are now too high. The repair works will probably take time, but we are committed to the delivery of our promises. Not only have we prided ourselves in our achievements, but we have also been respected as an effective international citizen. This represents the cumulative capital of successive Zambian governments, ministers and officials. This requires leadership that the current President has demonstrated of being capable of providing as a man of action. Our future challenge is to build across the nation a robust domestic constituency in support of Zambia’s future, one that will not be hijacked by the outside world.

With these few words, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri (Chipata Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity you have accorded me, today, to deliver my Maiden Speech and to contribute to the President’s Speech of 14th October, 2011.

Mr M. H. Malama: Mangani is coming!

Mr R. Phiri: Firstly, allow me to thank my family, friends and well wishers for their invaluable moral and material support during the campaign period and, indeed, the period after the results were known.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: I Thank my party, the MMD, for allowing me to contest the Chipata Central Parliamentary seat.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: A big thank you also goes to all party officials, especially at the constituency level, and other campaign team members who exhibited true commitment to our campaign. I Thank the MMD President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for his able guidance to the party and, indeed, peaceful handover of power to his successor, His Excellency the President of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Finally, I wish to convey a very loud thank you to the people of Chipata Central Constituency for the big show of confidence in me by voting me into office as their hon. Member of Parliament.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: Thank you for your clean vote and I will not let you down.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: Let me also thank the former Speaker, Mr Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, and the Clerk of the National Assembly, with her members of staff, for the warm welcome accorded to us and educating us on procedures and expected etiquette and decorum of the House.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr M. H. Malama: Alisambilila ko mwe!

Mr R. Phiri: Mr Speaker, for every competition, there is a winner and, in our last election, His Excellency the President, Mr Sata, and his party, the PF, emerged victorious. To President Sata and all hon. PF Members, I say job well-done.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: Special congratulations go to my provincial Minister, Hon. Mbuzi.

Interruptions

Mr R. Phiri: I look forward to working with him as we develop our beautiful town, Chipata, for the benefit of our residents. Heartfelt congratulations go to the Opposition hon. Members of Parliament, especially the MMD, on having emerged victorious. We all deserve being in this esteemed House. Profound admiration goes to the United Party for National Development (UPND) hon. Members of Parliament for the resilience …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: … so well exhibited through the ever increasing representation in Parliament after each general election. Well done hon. Members.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: Sir, I wish to especially congratulate you on having earned the very rare and unique privilege to superintendent over this esteemed House. I extend my warm congratulations to the hon. Deputy Speaker and hon. Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House on their well-deserved election to work with you. You are persons with admirable personalities.

Sir, let me now talk about the needs of Chipata Central Constituency. Like most parts of Zambia, Chipata offers a group of hardworking food-secure people. The people of Chipata are blessed not only with good soils for agriculture-oriented activities and good rainfall patterns, but are also well endowed with entrepreneurship talents and skills. For the full potential to be realised, Chipata, like many other towns of Zambia, has many needs. Amongst these needs are the following:

(i) safe and clean drinking water supply;

(ii) good and adequate agro-storage facilities;

(iii) good schools and health facilities;

(iv) small and large agro-processing facilities for value addition to agro-produce;

(v) better roads and new roads to match the growing population;

(vi) good electricity supply other than the chronic power cuts which are being experienced now;

(vii) empowerment through low interest borrowings; and

(viii) water.

Sir, leading on the priority list is the need for the supply of adequate and clean drinking water in both the urban and peri-urban areas of Chipata. At forty-seven years of independence, a situation where people share water holes with wild and domestic animals must not be allowed. I believe that every Zambian is entitled to safe and clean drinking water. This will be my priority concern when I go back home as this is a concern in line with my election promises to the people of Chipata.

Mr Speaker, on agro-storage facilities, agro-production in Chipata for crops such as maize, cotton, tobacco and groundnuts has increased, rendering the available storage capacity inadequate. The MMD Government had promised to erect grain silos. We hope that as the PF Government embarks on construction of agro-storage facilities, Chipata will not be left out. The matter of inadequate storage capacity in Zambia requires urgent attention and needs to be given priority. About 40 per cent of the harvest in Africa is lost due to poor storage management.

Sir, with regard to agro-value addition, for most agro-oriented communities to enjoy meaningful benefit from their produce, they need Government intervention through a deliberate policy to encourage basic processing of their produce so as to add value to it. Groundnuts, for example, as we all know, will fetch a better price when sold shelled and graded. Currently, groundnuts from the Eastern Province are being exported and sold on the local market in an unshelled and ungraded fashion. You will be happy to know that the groundnuts from the Eastern Province are the best in the whole world just like the honey from the North-Western Province.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: The fact that we do not process our groundnuts disadvantages our farmers. It is, therefore, important that such farmers are grouped and assisted to procure small agro-processing plants for value addition. It is viable rural-based projects such as this that need support from the low interest borrowing houses such as the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC).

Mr Speaker, on electricity, a steady supply of electricity has, of late, become so elusive in Chipata and this is discouraging investment. Investors are now forced to increase initial outlets by budgeting for electricity generators. These big generators are not cheap at all. With the few hours that Chipata enjoys the Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO) power service, the town is subjected to low voltage. So low is the voltage that clients suffer damage to electrical properties and, in some cases, the equipment fails to switch on even when power is restored. This company needs the Government’s financial support so that it can access funds to build new hydro-power stations at sites where feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments have already been completed.

Sir, with regard to schools, most of the schools in the constituency were earmarked to be upgraded to take secondary classes. The people of Chipata will be expecting the current Government to continue with this programme because, in a number of cases, pupils have to travel long distances to attend secondary school classes. This is inimical to normal learning as pupils will normally arrive late for classes or, indeed, arrive at school when they are very tired. It is the desire of most communities to have a balance between primary and secondary schools and a similar balance between junior secondary and senior secondary classes.

Mr Speaker, let me now talk about violence. I wish to ask the PF leadership to inform its general membership, especially in Chipata Central Constituency, to calm down politically and to desist from violent conduct. It is important for President Sata to send a clear message to the cadres that violence will not develop Zambia.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: In Chipata, we are at risk of witnessing a level of cadre behaviour which, if unchecked, will soon become ungovernable. We have experienced cadres trying to take command of privately-owned business houses such as the Zambia Breweries Limited outlets in Chipata. The manager is being given directives on sales modalities. The cadres are dictating who should and should not be sold what.

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame.

Mr R. Phiri: The Office of the Town Clerk, Mr Speaker, has not been spared from these threats. Members of the business community who are perceived to have supported the opposition parties are being intimidated and abused. As a newly-elected hon. Member of Parliament, I have been targeted and have continuously been threatened with death and damage to my businesses unless I resign from my position.

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame.

Mr R. Phiri: Surely, these are not the type of politics that the PF wants to encourage. We have a petition in progress and it is important that the hon. Minister of Home Affairs is aware that the security situation in Chipata can very easily degenerate into ugly scenes. Our youths can start killing each other. The current mindset of the PF cadres is not conducive for peaceful co-existence with other political parties and this must be corrected by the PF leadership, especially the Head of State.

Allow me now, Mr Speaker, to discuss the President’s Speech. I will start with corruption. The President’s vigour to stamp out corruption is most welcome and needs our total support. I pray that the President’s allergy to corruption is contagious so that all of us can contract that allergy. The approach taken on corruption where the President continuously denounces it must, however, be extended to other areas of concern such as:

(i) drunkenness and delinquency that is ravaging our youths;

(ii) the attitude of some Zambians towards work; and

(iii) environmental pollution. The destruction and lack of care for our rivers and careless refuse disposal, especially plastics.

Mr Speaker, on the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), whilst the need for audits on past CDF usage are welcome, the President did not give a timeframe to the hon. Minister of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection within which these audits ought to be concluded. The CDF is one of the tools that will support the PF’s desire for a move towards devolution of power to the local government. Further, the President highlighted the role and importance of local government on pages 22 to 23 of his speech. With this background, I am left with no choice, but to support the general feeling of this House that the CDF be increased to K5 billion.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: Mr Speaker, I have no doubt that even the PF hon. Members of Parliament will support this suggestion.

Sir, with regard to work in progress, it was most gratifying to note that, in paragraph 2, on page 28, of the speech, the President committed his Government to completing the on-going infrastructure developmental works. For Chipata, it is important to mention the following:

(i) the Chipata/Mchinji Railway Line that now needs to be connected to the national line in order to make it realise its full potential;

(ii) facilitation of the quick completion of the Chipata/Mfuwe Road which is being tarred

We are also grateful that the President pledged to rehabilitate the Chipata/Vubwi Road and, indeed, the Chipata/Chadiza Road. I, however, wish to add the 21km Chipata/Magwero Road that requires urgent reconstruction and tarring. Magwero has a special school for the blind, deaf and dumb that was established in 1903. During the rainy season, this road literally becomes impassable. We have 874 pupils and most of them are my cousins from the Northern and Luapula provinces.

Laughter

Mr R. Phiri: Therefore, they should support the tarring of this road.

Mr Speaker, on home ownership, the people of Chipata also hope that the home ownership empowerment programme that is in progress in the district will continue. The beneficiaries are sitting tenants and most of them are teachers and nurses.

Mr Speaker, as for water management, on page 21, paragraph 2 and 3 of the speech, the President discusses a matter relating to Zambia’s rich endowment of water resource. Whilst the call for water harvesting and pro-irrigation agro-activities is welcome and appreciated, it is also important to mention the need to revisit the use of water bodies as a means of cheaper and probably shorter transportation. At any rate, the symbol for the PF is a boat and I do not know how this could have been left out. We need to improve water utility using boats.

Mr Speaker, let me now address the issue of the Government being the buyer of last resort. In the last paragraph on page 17, of the speech, the President mentions that the Government will be the buyer of last resort. However, caution needs to be exercised on this pronouncement and its implementation. The reason is that when the Government commits to be the buyer of last resort, it will be legally bound to buy designated farm produce of whatever quantity that will have remained unsold. Therefore, the Government will be legally bound to buy this crop.

Secondly, the pronouncement indicates a ready market for certain crops and this tends to stimulate and encourage production of such crops even where their cultivation has no comparative and competitive advantage. As a consequence of the above, normally, budgetary constraints come into play. I, therefore, urge the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to critically look at this pronouncement.

Mr Speaker, there was a discussion on cassava again. Cassava is produced in large quantities in Zambia. However, the biggest problem is the fermentation process that we use. This makes it lose the international appeal and no one can buy it. That is why you find sheds full of our cassava which is untouched. We need to educate our farmers on how to process cassava so that it can have international demand and appeal.

Mr Speaker, on tourism, I am sure that the hon. Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism is aware that a number of Zambians do not participate in the tourism sector. The reason is that most lodges will not host you if do not book in advance. I hope that, as he embarks on how to improve and encourage local tourism, he will address this issue.

Mr Speaker, let me now concern myself with the role of the Church. Other than on the last paragraph of the speech, the President did not mention the Church. Given that Zambia is constitutionally a Christian nation, I wonder whether it is prudent or not to think of re-establishing a desk for the Church …

Mr Ngoma: Amen!

Mr R. Phiri: … at State House or attaching such a desk at any of the ministries.

Mr Speaker, as I conclude my presentation, allow me to join the many who say ‘well-done Zambia for attaining forty-seven years of independence’. However, in saying so, I wish to bring out certain issues.

It is important that we soon erase out of our sight pupils sitting on the floor in classrooms and not on chairs. Mr Speaker, we should also not allow a situation where pupils use classrooms which are unroofed.

Mr Speaker, the same applies to the health sector. We should also not allow the primitive deaths that Zambians are facing, forty-seven years after independence. As the President said on page 7 of his speech, this is supposed to be time to improve the quality of life of the majority of the people, especially those in the rural areas.

Mr Speaker, as I campaigned through my constituency, I must mention that, at times, it was very depressing to see how some of our fellow Zambians are living. They are definitely living under unacceptable standards. This is not an issue to be shouldered in isolation by the MMD, UPND, PF, Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) or any other political party, but one that requires all of us to work towards its eradication.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr R. Phiri: We need to debate in this august House the status of our disadvantaged Zambian citizens and not trivialise such issues through finger pointing due to political affiliations.

Mr M. H. Malama: Naiwe kanshi walikwatako amano panono?

Mr R. Phiri: Mr Speaker, at any rate, a very critical analysis of our political parties will reveal a glaring absence of clear ideological differences, hence the ease with which members can cross from one party to another.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr R. Phiri: Traces of political differences, however, are just found in personalities of Presidents’ tolerance and the management of small variables such as taxes and corruption. It is with this in mind that I wish to remind us that we are here to reduce the suffering of the Zambians that we all witnessed as we traversed the lengths of our constituencies.

Mr Speaker, I thank you and may God bless us all.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to present my Maiden Speech in which I beg to contribute to the debate of the Floor of the House on the Motion of Thanks of this Assembly to the President’s Speech.

Mr Speaker, I bring warm and best wishes from the hardworking people of Mbala Constituency. Indeed, I also join them in congratulating you, Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to head and preside over our country’s Legislature.

Hon. MMD Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Once again, I join the people of Mbala in congratulating His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, the President of the Republic of Zambia, on emerging victorious in the 20th September, 2011, Tripartite Elections. I attach to these congratulations my gratitude to His Excellency the President for the clear statesmanship stance he has taken to reassure the nation that he is a President for all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, The Post Newspaper headline article of Friday, 21st October, 2011, in which the President was quoted as having said that his leadership was not for the PF or the MMD, but for all Zambians should have, by now, sent a clear message to all, including the PF members that he is now constitutionally a father of all Zambians.

Mr M. B. Mwale: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Simfukwe: The people of Mbala and I also extend congratulations to all hon. Members of Parliament.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr M. B. Mwale: I thank you, Mr Speaker, and apologise to my colleague for disrupting his debate. However, this is a point of order being raised in public interest. It relates to the headline which is appearing in The Post Newspaper.

Hon. Government Members: Which one?

Mr M. B. Mwale: Mr Speaker, in 2006, as a young Parliamentarian, the first thing I learnt was the separation of powers among the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

Mr Speaker I wish to quote The Post Newspaper of today, 28th October, 2011, which reads:

“Sata threatens to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh general elections. President Michael Sata has threatened to invoke his constitutional powers and dissolve Parliament if Opposition Members of Parliament continue voting against his government’s decisions.

“During the swearing-in ceremony of Permanent Secretaries in the Vice-President’s office in charge of administration, Annie Sinyagwe, Copperbelt Province, Christopher Mutembo and the Secretary to the Treasury, Fredson Yamba, at State House yesterday, President Sata, in reference to Opposition MMD and UPND’s voting against names of Parliamentary Accounts Committee members, said this was the first show of vote of no confidence in his government.”

Mr Speaker, is the Executive in order to threaten this House with dissolution when we are, in fact, practising our privileges ─ exercising the freedom of this House? Is it in order to ask this House to rubber-stamp an illegality?

Sir, I seek your serious ruling.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr M. B. Mwale laid the paper on the Table.

Mr Speaker: Order!

The Position of the Law is crystal clear. In terms of Article 88(6), Paragraph (c), the President does have the power to dissolve Parliament at any time.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: However, alongside that, in terms of the National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act, Cap. 12 of the Laws of Zambia as provided in Section 3, hon. Members of this august House enjoy freedom of speech.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: That freedom is not to be questioned by any Court of Law or, indeed, by any quarter.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: That is the position of the Law.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: May the hon. Member continue, please.

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

Interruptions

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, the people of Mbala and I, also extend our congratulations to all hon. Members of Parliament, both the returning hon. Members of Parliament and the new ones, on their election to represent their respective constituencies.

Sir, I am humbled and very grateful to the people of Mbala for electing and entrusting me with this honour and privilege of representing them in this august House. One of the ways I will show my appreciation and gratitude to them is by remaining a dedicated and humble servant, hardworking, development messenger and loyal God-fearing son.

Mr Speaker, I reassure the residents of Mbala Constituency that I will undertake my humble and honourable duties in harmony with all interest groups regardless of their political affiliation. I will not be an hon. Member of Parliament for just the 14,185 people who voted for me. I will embrace all constituents, including the 6,939 who voted for the other three candidates.

Sir, may I also take this opportunity to appreciate the Mambwe-Lungu Royal Highnesses. These include, Senior Chief Nsokolo, Chief Mwamba, Chief Fwambo, Chief Zombe, Chief Kela, Chief Lwimbo, and other traditional, religious, business and community leaders.

Mr Speaker, I am indebted to my family, including my thirteen children.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

He is giving his Maiden Speech.

Hon. Opposition Member: Can you emphasise that point.

Mr Simfukwe: I have been asked to emphasise.

Laughter

Mr Simfukwe: I am indebted to my family, including my thirteen children.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear! Abaume!

Laughter

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, I do not want to cause panic in the House. Only five are my biological children.

Laughter

Mr Simfukwe: I am also indebted to my granddaughter, Namunji Michelo, as well as hundreds of my relatives resident in Mbala, other parts of Zambia, and the Diaspora, for their moral, spiritual and material support.

Mr Speaker, I also pay tribute to the three fellow candidates who stood with me in the Mbala Constituency Parliamentary elections. To them I say that no one lost. It is the people who won.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Sir, I also want to express special gratitude to the MMD National Executive Committee, the former President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, and the entire party leadership in the Northern Province and Mbala for having confidence in me and adopting me as candidate for Mbala Constituency. It is a relief that the reassurances that the people of Mbala made to the party leadership have been honoured.

Sir, before I proceed to dabate the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address, may I acknowledge the new Provincial Minister for the Northern Province, Hon. Sikazwe, MP, who, despite the long distance of over 1,000 km to our province, has already travelled several times since he was appointed.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Ebaume abo!

Mr Simfukwe: On two of his trips, he has assisted at the scene of two fatal road accidents along the Great North Road. I urge the hon. Minister to soldier on. If the Mambwe language was allowed in the House, I would have said “Mutaweleli ichisila mukombe.”

Hon. Members: What does it mean?

Mr Simfukwe: It means soldier on as I said earlier.

Mr Speaker, as regards His Excellency the President’s Speech, I commend his emphasis on continuation of the expansion of the skills training centres by the Government. However, I urge the hon. Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training to urgently review the qualifications and skills-mix of persons to sit on the boards that manage trades schools.

Sir, the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) lack the resources to monitor and supervise these boards. This results in some colleges failing to submit training programmes and continuous assessment results.

Mr Speaker, several students at various trade schools, including Lukashya Trades in the Northern Province, failed, last year, because school management failed to process their continuous assessment. This went on for one year without the boards detecting the problem.

Sir, the hon. Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training should also consider directing TEVETA to regularly listen to the job market demands when developing curricular for skills training centres. Training too many carpenters in a district that has no timber will certainly not result in job creation for that district.

Interruptions

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, concerning the creation of employment opportunities, His Excellency the President on Page 8 of his speech stated that:

“The PF electoral victory achieved in the just ended elections is owed in large measure to our young generation. … We, therefore, owe them jobs by creating employment opportunities when they graduate from colleges and universities.”

Sir, statistics that I read, yesterday, in The Post Newspaper, which quoted the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning, indicate that, since 1964, formal employment has only increased by 25 per cent, and yet the population of Zambia has grown by over 400 per cent.

This is in total contrast with the macro-economic performance indicators that have, in the last few years, confirmed an on-going economic boom. We are not doing enough to monitor the employment market. I learnt that the Unemployment Statistics Bill was not passed by the House. However, I urge the hon. Minister of Labour, Sport, Youth and Gender to go beyond the need for monitoring employment statistics and consider setting up a specialised unit for employment management. I will urge the hon. Minister to also seriously consider setting up a jobs unit or employment council to identify and monitor the jobs market. This unit could assist the PF Government with quantitative and qualitative data on jobs and implement measures to formalise informal jobs.

Sir, on a related matter, I also urge the hon. Minister of Labour, Sport, Youth and Gender, as we pursue equity in the sharing of wealth, to remember not to lose the air under the wings of the MMD-inspired economic boom by frustrating the goose that is laying the golden eggs, which is the private sector. Unfortunately, most political statements that impress the unemployed citizens may, if not well-presented, at the same time send negative or wrong signals to the private sector. This, in the long run, could undermine the source of our economic growth.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, nations are built by great visionaries. Those patriots who dare to change the future and leaders who undertake programmes on behalf of future generations. I, therefore, support the President’ Speech on page 10 where it is states:

“Medium and long term planning will continue to be the guiding framework for the country’s national development with priority given to key programmes aimed at poverty reduction and wealth creation.”

Sir, in the same vein, I urge the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to embrace the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) and the Vision 2030 as documents that can shape the lives of future Zambian generations.

Mr Speaker, on page 16, the speech refers to crop diversification in agriculture. Agriculture worldwide can only survive when governments share in some of the responsibilities of the sector. The market requires guarantees and only governments have the capacity to guarantee such a large sector. The need for government support to agriculture is even more important when we want to export crops. I give the example of Brazil whose government supports its agricultural sector and, as a result, the country is making billions in agro-business. I, therefore, implore the PF Government, through the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, to continue where the MMD left by remaining in the business of supporting agriculture.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Sir, I also support the speech of the President on pages 23 and 25 with regard to the creation of the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs. This will certainly create breathing space for the Ministry of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection both financially and administratively. I trust that the creation of this new ministry will help us end the ever-growing succession wrangles in the various chiefdoms.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, I urge the hon. Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs to allow officers to work out succession rules and procedures for each respective chiefdom.  These procedures should be such that whoever is next in line should be known way before the incumbent dies or vacates the throne. Such clarity of succession, if legalised, can minimise litigations that have become common whenever a chief dies.

Mr Speaker, there is reference, on page 24 of the speech, to the commitment to give more funding to the National Water Supply and Sanitation Programme. Although this is good, I implore the hon. Minister of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection, whose Permanent Secretary chairs this programme, to instruct that all funding be allocated to the districts which should budget for those funds. This programme has got a top-down budget system that turned it into a financial black hole, resulting in a lot of financial wastage. The hon. Minister should also review the overhead cost of running this programme, especially at its Lusaka Headquarters. In my view, the overhead cost should not exceed 15 per cent of the annual budget.

Sir, on behalf of the people of Mbala, who are the highest maize producers in the Northern Province, I commend the President for re-affirming his Government’s resolve to complete construction of the Nakonde/Mbala Road. The people also expect the Mbala/Kaseshya Road and Mbala township roads to be upgraded to tarmac standard. Feeder roads in Mbala will continue to require periodic maintenance, especially with the large tonnage of produce that needs to reach storage facilities or get exported to other districts.

Mr Speaker, on page 4, the President’s Speech refers to commerce and industry as a strategic job-creation sector. Twenty-one years after we stopped being a socialist or centrally planned State, time has come to rethink the structure of our ministries. In fact, in supporting the recent abolition of some ministries, the nation needs to go beyond cost-saving. We should also re-align the ministries, especially productive ministries, to industry needs. Our ministries were created shortly after Independence and mostly along socialist ideology. The Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry is one example of ministries that need to be re-aligned to become specialised departments in every economic ministry to champion the needs of the private and public sectors in each economic sector.

Sir, in supporting the President’s Speech on the need to enact a new Constitution, the people of Mbala expect the new Constitution to finally include provisions for dealing with situations where one party does not have a decisive majority in Parliament. Legislating for a coalition Government in such eventualities will take our democracy to an even higher level than it has already impressively reached.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, that is already going on in Britain and Germany.

Sir, I support the President’s sentiments regarding tourism because the people of Mbala look forward to development of infrastructure in their constituency. This will attract tourists to the world-famous Kalambo Falls, Motomoto Museum, various historical monuments and archeological sites, including the great Lake Tanganyika. The Mbala Airport Civilian Terminal will not cost more than K8 billion to construct. We need to take advantage of the beautiful runway at the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) base. I, therefore, invite you to Mbala because it has the best climate in Zambia. It is never too hot or too cold.

A new high school is also needed as there has been none built in Mbala since 1968.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, I would be failing in my duties if I did not pay special tribute to some of the eminent persons who have, in one way or another, shaped my life. I pay special tribute to some of the former Mbala Constituency hon. Members of Parliament in whose big shoes I will endeavour to fit and walk over the next five years.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Mr Speaker, these include the first post-Independence Member of Parliament for Mbala and former  Member of Central Committee (MCC) in the United National Independence Party (UNIP), Mr Rankin Sikasula; the late former Member of Parliament for Mbala, eminent lawyer and first hon. Minister of Education in Zambia, Mr John Mwanakatwe; Mr Biness Chitala, my uncle and a freedom fighter, who fought Cha Cha Cha in the northern part of the Northern Province and died whilst serving his second term of office; the former hon. Member of Parliament for Mbala, who is a political intellectual, and the son of Mr Biness Chitala, Mbita Chitala; and the late Dr Ronald Penza, who is noted to have been one of the best Finance Ministers in the world and bravely unleashed ‘penzanomics’ and irreversibly changed the Zambian macro-economic paradigm.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Sir, I also pay special tribute to His Honour the Vice-President, Dr Guy Scott who, in my early years, after leaving university, groomed me professionally and encouraged me in my field of Agricultural Economics. I remain indebted to him for encouraging me to apply for a job with the European Union (EU) as adviser to the European Development Fund (EDF), a job I initially feared was too serious for my age then. I held that job for seven years, three years more than is the norm in the EU system. 

Sir, I pay tribute to all twenty-one hon. Members of Parliament in the Northern Province from all the thirteen districts for supporting me during my tenure as Permanent Secretary for this large province.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Simfukwe: Sir, I also include Hon. Mwansa Kapeya, Member of Parliament for Mpika Central, the hon. Member of Parliament for Chinsali, Mr Mulenga and Hon. Malama for Mfuwe Constituency. These people always checked on me to make sure I was not being partisan.

Laughter

Mr Simfukwe: Sir, I also pay tribute to Hon. Namugala, Hon. Simbao, Hon. Mutati, Hon. Mwango, Member for Kanchibiya, and all hon. Members in the province who gave me total support as their Permanent Secretary.

Mr Speaker, last, but not least, I want to thank my brother, the immediate past Member of Parliament for Mbala, Hon. Gaston Sichilima, who was in this House for two terms. He kindly supported me to continue from where he left off.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo (Lukulu West): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to be heard today. First and foremost, honour and glory be given to God ...

Hon. Opposition Member: Amen!

Mr Mutelo: … for the forty-seven years of peace that Zambia has enjoyed and continues to enjoy. All our neighbours have had refugees. Even in this day, Zambia has refugees coming from the neighbouring DRC as well as Namibia.

Mr Speaker, Zambia is a basket of peace and we beseech all those ascending to the highest throne to ensure that this peace continues.

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

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, we have come a long way with it and we should continue on this path.

Mr Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to my political mentor. When I was twenty-one years old in, 1996, …

Mr M. H. Malama: When I was!

Mr Mutelo: … a colleague, Mr Dean Namulya Mung’omba, opted to adopt me as a parliamentary candidate for Lukulu West on the Zambia Democratic Congress (ZADECO) ticket. This was at a time when most of his colleagues were leaving the party. I lived with this man until 18th April, 2005, when God set us apart. After ZADECO, I joined the Zambia Alliance for Progress and later the MMD under the late President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, SC..

Hon. Opposition Member: Quality!

Mr Mutelo: I had the chance to join other political parties, …

Ms Siliya: Hammer!

Mr Mutelo: … but I stuck around with Dean, even during the time he was in Chimbokaila, until his day came.

All of us here are true witnesses to the fact that Mr Dean Namulya Mung’omba was the only man who did not want to be taken to South Africa for treatment. He was Zambian and wanted to be treated by Zambian professionals. He wanted to take the same medicine that the people of Lukulu West would take.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: It is very lare.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo:  It is very lare in between.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo:  Very lare, Mr Speaker. Very lare.

Laughter

Mr M. H. Malama: Very rare!

Mr Mutelo: It is very rare for a person facing death to decline better facilities.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: He, however, said no. He was born a Zambian who died in Zambia.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: Posthumously, I pay my tribute to him.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, he knew everything about Lukulu West. He knew everything about Kaputa even though he is no more.

Mr Speaker, if I know that one plus one is two and my headmaster comes to tell me that it is actually five and wants me to support him, I will refuse.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: This Parliament has been threatened with dissolution because we have said one plus one is two. If the PF has to get the Lukulu West seat, the Kaoma/Lukulu/Zambezi Road has to be tarred within ninety days.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, the MMD did its part. It carried out feasibility studies and gravelled the road. It had good intentions for this road.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: I am glad that the President mentioned it. I wish it would be worked on within ninety days.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: With the onset of the rains, travelling on this road will be a nightmare. The Lusaka/Mongu and Mutanda/Chavuma roads also need to be worked on. The children of Lukulu do not know what a tarmac is, forty-seven years after independence.

Interruptions

Mr Mutelo: Having come this far, I know that those who are saying that they have never been MMD members are, in fact, former members of the party.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: Who was not a member of UNIP here? Who was not a member of the MMD in this Parliament?

Interruptions

Mr Mutelo: Any party after the MMD is an offshoot of the party.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: You cannot insult your parents, just like we cannot insult UNIP.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: We are all here for one common goal which is to develop Zambia.

Mr Speaker, we have to make this Zambia become green.

Mr M. H. Malama: Green?

Mr Mutelo: We have to …

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: … bring back to Zambia those who left the country for greener pastures.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: People have left the country in search of greener pastures. They have been offered better conditions by other countries. We can do the same to attract them back to this country and also attract those who attracted them.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: I think that the Eleventh National Assembly could be the answer if it would properly provide checks and balances on the work of the Government.

Hon. Opposition Members: They will refuse!

Mr Mutelo: You cannot run away from the history of this country. President Kaunda ruled Zambia for twenty-seven years. President Chiluba ruled it for ten years, President Mwanawasa, SC. for seven years and President Rupiah Banda for three years. How can you refuse to accept the fact that all those things happened?

Laughter

Hon. MMD Members: Hammer!

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, the former President, Mr Rupiah Banda (RB), as he is commonly known lost the 2011 Elections. To lose an election is one thing and to concede defeat is yet another. To hand over power is totally another …

Interruptions

Mr Mutelo: … thing, especially if you are the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It is difficult to hand over power. Bidding farewell to a crowd which will be jeering you is yet another thing.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: The democracy which we have in Zambia should not be toyed with. After independence, Zambia was a multi-party State. Eight years down the line, it became a one party participatory State. Then, after a good number of years, it became a multi-party State again. We do not want to become a one party State again.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: After having done all we have done, the world will laugh at us.

Ms Siliya: Yes, hammer that point. Hammer!

Mr Mutelo: Sir, I would like to urge this Government to work on the Mongu/Kalabo Road, build storage sheds in Lukulu West and a bridge at Watopa. The Government should also work on the Lukulu/Mongu Road and the opening of the Ngimbu Secondary School which was left by the MMD Government.

Mr Speaker, since most people have been talking about the twenty years rule of the MMD, allow me to also talk about it. We have Manda Hill and Arcades shopping centres which were built within the twenty years rule. We also have the microphones which we are using in this House which were put in place under the MMD. The usage of a cellular phone was also introduced within the twenty years.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: What was wrong with the twenty years?

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: Rupiah Banda just ruled for three years. Would you not want to be part and parcel of the successes?

Interruptions

Mr Mutelo: Like Hon. Situmbeko said, development has no finishing line at all. The PF should build on what we did.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: May Rupiah Banda be honoured …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: … nationally and internationally.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Hon. Government Member: Talk about your constituency!

Mr Mutelo: Yes, I will talk about Lukulu West. The MMD was building the only high school …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1135 until 1100 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Mutelo: Before business was suspended, I had also been wanting to say that the traditions of this House should be maintained. Sir, you are coming in as new as I am, but you are fitting in.

Interruptions

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, I would like to implore the Government to consider turning in Kakulunda and Mitete Basic schools into secondary schools. The building of secondary schools should continue in Lupui and Muyondoti. The pupils who will be in Grade 8, next year, should be the last Grade 9s. We need more boarding schools in the area since a lot of our rural children are unable to continue going to school because of the long distances that they have to cover. We need to plan on how this transformation shall take place.

Sir, the growing of rice is booming in my constituency. Therefore, I wish to commend the PF for wanting to encourage crop diversification. In Lukulu West, there are a lot of plains. Given ploughs and other necessities, Lukulu West could be producing a lot of rice. There is also a need to construct storage sheds at Lupui, Mitete, Lutembwo and Chinonwe.

Mr Speaker, regarding the Baroste Agreement of 1964, I am aware that a commission of inquiry was put in place to establish what caused the recent fracas in its regard. The inquiry, which is welcome, should be in a position to establish the real causes of the fracas and provide answers to …

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: … us settling all the issues raised surrounding the 1964 Barotse Agreement. The solution to this problem is either granting Barotseland independence or putting in place a deliberate policy which shall, one day, allow a person from that area to become President of Zambia.

Laughter

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mutelo: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the people of Lukulu West for the love and trust which they have shown in me today. I am the fourth hon. Member of Parliament to be elected to this House since the constituency came into existence. There was the late late Mr Simon Ngombo, Mr Simasiku Namakando and Ms Eileen Imbwae. I wish to thank them for the services they rendered to the constituency. I shall carry on for the time that God will enable me to be here, even if it is two months.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: I also wish to extend my thanks to my dear mother, Rosemary Kavui, my brothers, my late father and wife, Pauline Limata.

Interruptions

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: Of course, she is Mrs Pauline Limata Mutelo

The cardinal point is that we should have policies, values and ideals which will help us all to build Zambia. Promise much and implement less ends up in doom.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: Promise less and do much ends up in boom.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo: I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister for Luapula Province (Mr Mwila): Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to present my Maiden Speech as well as contribute to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Mr Speaker, I stand here as a proud person in the sense that I do not do so as an Opposition hon. Member of Parliament, but as a hon. Provincial Minister in the Ruling Party, the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, I will speak as an hon. Member in the Government and not as an hon. Member in the Opposition.

Mr Speaker, firstly, I will begin by congratulating His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on being elected the fifth President of this country for the next five years.
 
Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: I recall that, on the Floor of this House, there were some hon. Members who said that His Excellency Mr Michael Sata could not be President. Some of them are Hon. Kunda, SC. and Hon. Shikapwasha. I would like to say to them that God is for all of us and I would like to thank Him for bringing us to this side of the House.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, the PF Government is a people’s Government, which was elected by the majority of the people who are poor. I would also like to congratulate you on being elected Hon. Speaker of this House. I extend my congratulations to the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Mkhondo, even though he is not in the House, and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House, Hon. C. K. B. Banda, SC.

Mr Speaker, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, has made a commitment to work for the people of Zambia. My President is the people’s choice and, as such, the people of Zambia must benefit from his leadership.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, I wish to extend my thanks to the people of Chipili Constituency for giving me a second mandate to represent them. It is not easy for one to come back to the House for the second time. I also want to thank my party, the PF, for adopting me as a candidate to stand in Chipili Constituency and also wish to thank all hon. Members of this House who emerged winners, including Hon. Dora Siliya.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, I will also include Hon. Maxwell Mwale, who is always screaming. I do not know whether it is because of the bicycles or what.

Laughter

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, my President will fulfil the expectations of the Zambian people, regardless of where they come from. The people of Zambia have given us the mandate to govern this country for the next five years.

Hon. Member: Why do you want to dissolve Parliament then?

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, as a Government, we will not segregate in terms of development. We will accommodate Hon. Mwansa Mbulakulima, although he is a loner in the whole province, because he is one of us.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, I now move to the Speech by His Excellency the President on page 20 on fish restocking:

“… My Government notes with grave concern the rapid depletion of the fish stock and species in our rivers and lakes thereby depriving many of our local people of their source of livelihood. To reverse this trend, my Government will review and strengthen the institutional framework and streamline the management of fisheries …”

With that pronouncement, the people of Luapula are very happy.

Mr Speaker, the pronouncement that His Excellency made was the commitment to tar the roads in the Luapula Province which are appearing on page 29 of the speech and these are Samfya/Musaila/Luwingu Road; this means that the people of Luwingu will benefit from this. The other roads are Kawambwa/Mporokoso and this means that the people there, including Hon. Mutati, will benefit. The other road is Mansa/Chipili/Luwingu, meaning that the Mansa, Mwense and Luwingu districts will benefit. The next road will be Nchelenge/Lunchinda, which means that the districts from Nchelenge up to Chienge will benefit. The people of Luapula, including the chiefs, are very happy with the pronouncements by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata. Come 2016, I can assure this House that Luapula will be 100 per cent PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: I know our colleague, Hon. Mwansa Mbulakulima, will join us.

Interruptions

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, you will recall that, for the last six years, the MMD Government did not tar any road in the Luapula Province. We talked about this many times on the Floor of this House, but our colleagues did not want to listen. However, the able leadership of His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata has made a commitment, both outside and in this House, to look into this matter and our people in Luapula are very happy.

Mr Speaker, I am a man of few words but, before I sit, there are two or three achievements of the current Government that I want to talk about. This is because some people are talking about the ninety days within which we have committed to bring change to this country with spite. Firstly, it is a fact that, in less than thirty days of being in power, the PF Government reduced the price of fuel by 5.5 per cent.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Bebe.

Mr Mwila: I repeat that, in less than thirty days, the PF Government reduced the price of fuel by 5.5 per cent and I challenge the MMD to deny that. Secondly, during the campaigns, we promised our people to reduce the number of hon. Cabinet Ministers when we came into Government. In less than thirty days, His Excellency the President of the Republic has delivered on his promise.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Man of action.

Mr Mwila: What else do people want?

Mr Speaker, our colleagues in the past MMD Government must be ashamed for having spent K135 billion of people’s money on the constitution-making process because this money has gone to waste. However, our Government, through the able leadership of President Michael Chilufya Sata, has promised the people of Zambia to have a new Constitution. That is a very big commitment.

Ms Siliya stood up to leave the Chamber.

Interruptions

Mr Mwila: Do not go. Mr Speaker, I need protection because Hon. Dora Siliya is running away.

Laughter

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, the issue of more money in people’s pockets is a matter of simple arithmetic. One plus one is equal to two.  The President has issued a directive to the Ministry of Labour, Sport and Youth to review the minimum wage. What this means is that if the minimum wage is now at K419,000, in ninety days, if it is reviewed or increased to K700,000, the K281,000 will be additional money to go into people’s pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: That is a very simple interpretation. Secondly, when we say that we will lower taxes, though I will leave it to the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to say by how much the reduction will be, people will have more disposable income. If, for example, the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) is reduced by K100,000, that amount will be extra money in someone’s pocket.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: That is very simple and straight forward. What else do you want, Hon. Ntundu?

Laughter

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Tourism talked about the ZNBC. When our colleagues on your left were in the Government, news coverage on both public radio and television was only about Mr Rupiah Banda, Hon. Shikapwasha and Chanda Chimba.

Interruptions

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, you will agree with me that, this time around, the people of Zambia are able to watch numerous news items on the ZNBC.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: This has happened in less than twenty days and credit must go to this Government, especially the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, and his two Ministers, Hon. Given Lubinda and his hon. Deputy. That is the way we work.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: Some people have failed to accept that we are now in the Government and are in it for the next five years.

Interruptions

Mr Mwila: Even Mr Hakainde Hichilema is now seen on the ZNBC television every day.

Interruptions

Mr Mwila: Mr Speaker, there is one issue which I want to talk about because you guided us to respond to the concerns raised by the Opposition as a Government. There were three or four hon. Ministers that stood to say that they were being harassed.

Hon. Government Members: Former hon. Ministers.

Mr Mwila: Yes, former hon. Ministers. These include Hon. Situmbeko Musokotwane and Hon. Namugala. I want to remind them that, in the past, some of us slept in the cells for more than five days for no apparent reason. However, no one on your left has slept in the cells yet.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwila: So, they should not talk about harassment. Secondly, on the Floor of this House, Hon. Chishimba Kambwili, who is now hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, advised our colleagues to rehabilitate our prisons because all of us here were potential prisoners. They did not listen. It is no wonder that they are now screaming.

Laughter

Mr Mwila: They are scared. So, let them be cool as we have not come into Government to harass them as they are our citizens.

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

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for according me this moment to speak to this House for the first time. I feel honoured to stand before this august House, firstly, to congratulate His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata for his victory as President of the Republic of Zambia. Secondly, I would like to congratulate you for having been elected Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly. Further, my congratulations go to the hon. Deputy Speaker and hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House.

May I also pay tribute to the immediate past President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for his commitment to the peaceful handover of power to the new President, His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata.

Interruptions

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, most importantly may also I deeply thank my party, the UPND, and in particular my party president, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Antonio: … for having adopted me to contest the hotly contested Parliamentary seat of Kaoma Central. This constituency was held by one of the MMD’s strongest men who had all along been regarded as invincible. I also thank my campaign team for having defeated the ‘Don’t Kubeba’ driven candidate of the PF party. The ‘Don’t Kubeba’ slogan worked against both the MMD and the owners, the PF, …

Mr M. H. Malama: But we are here.

Mr Antonio: … who failed lamentably to win my seat. I thank the people of Kaoma Central Constituency for the confidence shown in me by electing me as their representative, with a view of achieving their long awaited aspirations.

I would also like to thank the same residents for having understood and accepted our campaign message which brought hope for favourable changes in their way of lives. I also want to imitate my fellow parliamentarians, who thanked their families from the beginning to the end. Let their sentiments be mine also.

Last, but not the least, may I congratulate all the current crop of parliamentarians in this House on having emerged victorious in the last elections which called for stamina, consistency and perseverance. I would like to combine the challenges in my constituency with the Speech by the President.

Mr Speaker, Kaoma is the main food basket of the Western Province. For this reason, we urge the new PF Government to render the peasant farmers the support they require to sustain the level of production of various cash crops grown alongside the main one, maize. The shortfalls, which the new Government has to rectify, include increasing the amount of farmer inputs so that they meet the demand of the people in my constituency. At the moment, we have received 17,000 packs of farm inputs with a shortfall of 10,000 packs which should be taken care of immediately by the new Government to avoid hunger and starvation in the province.

Mr Speaker, the second one is the delayed payments to farmers.

UPND Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Antonio: The current trend is such that our farmers get their money late from the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) and this affects their planning for the next farming season, resulting in poor yields. With reference to the Presidential Speech on agriculture on Page 17:

“My Government will, therefore, complement the private sector by being a buyer of the last resort.”

Contrary to the President’s Speech, I submit that the idea of the Government buying as a last resort shall expose our peasant farmers to unscrupulous exploitative businessmen and women. I would like to urge our colleagues in the PF Government to make sure that they buy all the crops from our peasant farmers. In view of this, I propose that the Government buys the farm produce side by side with the private sector.

Mr Speaker, let me now talk about infrastructure development. May I bring to your attention that all feeder roads in my constituency are in a deplorable state. For instance, Njonjolo Road was last worked on twenty years ago. The others are the Lombelombe and Kalumwange Mwimba roads and all the township roads that will need to be tarred. I, therefore, urge the new Government to quickly put behind promises by actually getting on the ground to start performing because the people of Kaoma Central Constituency are highly expectant knowing that the ninety day deadline for development, which the current President committed himself to, is closing up.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, on health, I would like thank our partners from the Netherlands who have initiated the construction of a new hospital complex. I still urge the PF Government to complete the few incomplete works left by the MMD Government, after which my request is for the Government to finally commission the hospital and let it start serving the people of the constituency. This is because the current hospital is in a deplorable state.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about education. There are some schools in my constituency which need to be refurbished, others need to have the number of classrooms increased and then we need new infrastructure to meet the growing population of the constituency. The existing schools need to be furnished with desks, books and various teaching materials to enhance the literacy levels in my constituency.  Further, a number of schools do not have adequate accommodation for our teachers.

Mr Speaker, as regards youth empowerment, the youths in my constituency are many and they are not self-reliant nor are they in employment because of the unemployment factor affecting the nation at large. It is a fact also that the youths of my constituency are part of the many youths countrywide that voted for the current President from whom they have a lot of expectation such as more money in their pockets.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Antonio: Mr Speaker, I, therefore, urge the PF Government to fulfil its campaign promises on youth empowerment such as job creation, skills training and providing financial resources to enable them engage in self-employment ventures.

Mr Speaker, of particular importance in my constituency, under the energy sector, is the water reticulation system whose pipe structure, which was laid many years ago, has been subjected to corrosion. Leakage is the order of the day and this has resulted in water shortages, and yet water is critically required in situations like hospitals, schools, markets and prisons. I, therefore, urge the new Government to quickly address the water blues.

Mr Speaker, finally, let me echo the sentiments of a lot of my colleagues who are advocating for the increase in the amount of the CDF allocation. I also suggest that the figure be raised to K5 billion.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to present my Maiden Speech in this august House since my glorious election as hon. Member of Parliament for Katombola Constituency on 20th September, 2011. It is my treasured joy to express my heartfelt appreciation to the people of Katombola Constituency and my party, the UPND, for giving me such a clear mandate in the elections.

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

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, let me join my colleagues by congratulating you, the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to your esteemed positions. I also wish to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election, hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

Mr Speaker, special thanks and appreciation go to my party, the UPND, and its President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, commonly known as HH, for not only spearheading the campaign with total commitment, but also having been meritorious in the actual campaign. My gratitude also goes to the entire UPND National Management, the Southern Province Management Committee, the Kazungula District Committee, Katombola Constituency Committee, the wards, all the branches and, indeed, the good UPND membership and supporters. You, indeed, did a commendable job and I thank you so much.

Mr Speaker, special thanks go to my constituency Chairperson, Mr Teriford Lisapo, who directed the campaign until victory was attained. I also wish to take this opportunity to thank friends, relatives as well as well-wishers, who supported me during the campaign materially and spiritually, the Church of Christ leadership, that is the beloved elders, deacons, evangelists, women and youths, to my parents, Mr Joseph and Jane Livune, my in-laws, Mrs Gladys Ngwenya Sikendwa and, indeed, Mr Mike Sikendwa posthumously, and to the most beautiful woman, Zandy Livune. I have not heard any man here talk of having a beautiful wife.

Laughter

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, I have the most beautiful one in this world and to my two daughters, Memory and Mutinta, I say thank you for everything, too much to mention.

Mr Speaker, Katombola Constituency was fairly covered by the media during the elections. Thank you, the ZNBC, for the Race to Manda Hill Programme, Radio Sky and Radio Mosi-O-Tunya for the broadcasts.

Mr Speaker, I also pay gratitude to the electoral officers, observers and security officers who did a commendable job to ensure that the election was generally fair.

Mr Speaker, I wish to thank all the candidates from our party as there were about nine candidates in the primaries. I also wish to thank the candidates from other parties who participated in the final, 20th September, 2011, race for putting up a spirited fight. It was, indeed, a reflection that democracy is gaining maturity in our Republic.

Mr Speaker, I will be failing in my duties if I do not recognise the good works done by my predecessor, Mrs Regina Musokotwane and, indeed, those who were Members of Parliament for Katombola Constituency before her. These were Mr Siamani, Mr Sikiti, Mr Kebby Musokotwane, Mr Aggrey Kanchele and Mrs Joyce Nondo Musokotwane.

Inspiring me more is the fact that I am an hon. Member of Parliament in a constituency which was under the able leadership of the great son of this land, a Cabinet Minister, Prime Minister and, indeed, a Diplomat. This was Mr Kebby Musokotwane, may his soul rest in peace. This man deserves to be remembered by naming some infrastructure after him and I am sure President Sata is listening.

Mr Speaker, Katombola Constituency is in Kazungula District in the Southern Province and is one of the largest constituencies in this country. Kazungula District shares boundaries with Zimbabwe on the south east and Botswana and Namibia on the south west. The district completely surrounds Livingstone except for a short stretch where Livingstone shares the border with Zimbabwe.

Mr Speaker, the district stretches along the Zambezi River to share the border with Sesheke District to the west, Kaoma and Itezhi-tezhi to the north west and Kalomo to the north.

Mr Speaker, this district, which has one constituency, is home to five chiefdoms, namely Nyawa, Musokotwane, Sikute, Mukuni and Moomba.

Mr Speaker, I will be combining the requirements of my constituency with some highlights from the Presidential Speech to this hon. House.

Mr Speaker, on Education, I am going to be careful because this House was informed of a shift in policy. Currently, we have the basic and high school systems.

Mr Speaker, the question I have in mind is the roadmap to the achievements of this or revert to secondary system of Grades 8 to 12. However, currently, Katombola Constituency is in dire need of many secondary schools. You will recall that, under the current basic school system, nearly all the schools have gone up to Grade 9, but with the introduction of the secondary school phenomenon, we shall require a systematic removal of some of these basic teaching classes. Coupled with that, our teachers in most of these basic schools have been trained to teach Grades 1 to 9. With the shift in policy, we are yet to see how it shall work. We need the roadmap on how this will be done by the hon. Minister of Education, Science and Vocational Training.

Mr Speaker, currently, in our constituencies, most of the schools are community schools, a system which I do not subscribe to. The schools do not have quality staff because the teachers are not qualified to teach young people. As such, we are looking forward to seeing a Government that is going to empower the people that have dedicated their lives to teaching young people.

Mr Speaker, on page 15 of the President’s Speech, the President talked about health. I, therefore, challenge the Government to build proper health centres or mini hospitals in all the five chiefdoms that I mentioned earlier. The people of Katombola suffer a lot in accessing medical care. People in Chief Nyawa’s area, for example, have to access medical attention in Zimba, which is almost 60 km away from the place of residence while in Chief  Mukuni, one has to walk from Siamasimbi to the health centre, which is not less than five-eight hours walk. Is this surely fair?

Mr Speaker, as regards agriculture, this is the only valuable source of income for my people. I challenge this Government to pay all the farmers without further delay. Those of you who watched the ZNBC yesterday saw Kazungula residents gathered at the provincial office in pursuit of their hard-earned money.

Mr Speaker, the farming season has begun, but my people have not yet been paid. So, when are they going to start preparing for the farming season? As their representatives in this House, we are doing this for their sake because they cannot speak for themselves. Therefore, this Government must pay without delay. The time to accuse other people is long gone. It is time to act.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: My people need to be paid and the only amount of money required is K27 billion, which can be paid without delay.

Mr Speaker, on page 17, the President said that the Ministry of Finance and National Planning shall, over the years to come, provide development funds in agriculture. This is too open a statement. Therefore, I challenge the hon. Minister to be realistic enough to give us an appropriate timeframe within which the funds could be accessed by farmers.

Mr Speaker, making promises is one thing, but fulfilling them is another. We want to be objective. I would like to hear a statement with a benchmark on how long are we going to access these funds? I need to get this information so that our people can be adequately informed. I look forward to the statement which is going to cover this very important subject the President brought to the Floor of this House  from the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock.

Mr Speaker, on food security, I challenge the PF Government to ensure that all the maize is properly stored and secured so that farmers’ efforts or the tax-payers’ money is not wasted. Maize is almost being soaked and rotting in most sheds across my constituency and the country as a whole. I also want the PF Government to come out clearly on the fertiliser support so that people can be informed correctly.

On livestock, I challenge the Governnment to create counting centres across the country so that people are able to account and know how many animals in each category exist as per geographical set up. Further, I challenge the PF Government to build dams in my constituency to alleviate the suffering of animals with regard to drinking water. In many areas of my constituency, animals drink water once in two days.

Mr Speaker, on local government and housing development, I will use my council, Kazungula District, as an example. This district was born some thirteen years ago. Since its inception, it has had many challenges such as housing. Therefore, the proposed introduction of a social housing scheme that will empower councils to construct low cost houses from Government granted loans is welcome. I challenge this Government to do this in ninety days.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, I further wish to encourage the PF Government to closely work with these institutions, and this is free advice. If it wants, it can take it or leave it.

Hon. Government Members: We will leave it!

Mr Livune: The cost of ignoring good advice may be disastrous. This country has institutions such as the Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS) and National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) that are going to help this Government bring the social housing scheme that will empower councils to construct low cost houses to fruition. As I said, the advice is free.

Mr Speaker, coming to infrastructure development, Kazungula, as I said, is one of the biggest districts in this country. It is important to know that this district is a low income and high poverty stricken one. The roads are in a horrible state, and yet the district has a lot of potential in agriculture, mining and tourism. In calling on the Government to speed up the construction of the Kazungula Bridge at the border of Zambia and Botswana, it is important to realise that Kazungula Border Post is one of those points where the Treasury collects substantial amounts of money for many programmes that the PF Government intends to introduce.

There is a need to rehabilitate the Simoonga/Makunka/Chief Moomba’s Palace/Ngwenzi Road. This road branches off from Sesheke Road to Chief Sekute’s Palace through Ngwenzi via Chief Moomba’s Palace up to the other side of Sichifulo Game Management Area. This is a wonderful place. I wish this Government could see the opportunities there and, therefore, do what is important and required by the people. The Zimba/Nyawa Road is another priority to which the Government must attach great importance because it goes up to the other side of the Sichifulo Game Management Area. The other roads can be rehabilitated only if the Government attaches priority to the acquisition of graders. I think once a grader is acquired for Kazungula District, most of the roads will be worked on without exerting unnecessary pressure on the Government. The district needs to have some interconnectivity in terms of the road network to all the five chiefdoms which is a problem now.

Sir, the other serious need is the Mulobezi Railway Line.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, it would be unfortunate for any well-meaning Zambian not to attach importance to this railway line. This railway line is a means of transport to the people of Kazungula and Mulobezi as you heard from the previous speaker. It is also important for agriculture as well as tourism. At one time, there was talk of connecting this railway line to Namibia. Therefore, I urge the Government to pay serious attention to this project so that the country benefits.
 
Let me also discuss the issue of social protection. I solemnly request the Government to attach great importance to the Sichifulo issue as highlighted by the hon. Member for Dundumwenzi so that the people can be alleviated from their misery. They should be enabled to go and look after the graves of their ancestors.

Mr Speaker, social protection is in two dimensions. Let me now address the aspect which is the formal sector. This has to do with social insurance which plays a big role in the days of people’s unemployment. This is also a key component of human life because when one stops work, life changes. Therefore, it is important, when in employment, to store for the future.

At the moment, the PF Government is responsible for the citizens who are out of unemployment. That is why there are about three or so institutions that play a part in this role. There is the Public Service Pension Fund, Local Authority Superannuation Fund and the National Pension Scheme Authority. As such, hon. Members should pay particular attention to these legislations. If you focus closely, you will realise that the Local Authority Act, Public Service Act and National Pension Scheme Authority Act are all statutes of Zambia. There could be some sort of undermining of one another. Therefore, it is important for this Government to state clearly and remove the ambiguity so that we have a basic pension and create room for pension schemes so that they exist alongside the national pension scheme. I, therefore, urge the Government to deal with this matter without malice by looking at the Pension and Insurance Act of 1996 so that it is brought in line with the demands of other pension schemes on the market.

As regards labour, Mr Speaker, I would like to advise the PF Government to play a very important role in the administration of labour issues. Let the Government play the role of referee. Let the workers and employers’ associations do what is best for the labour market. Let the Government protect the ones who are weak. The promotion of tripartite relationships is important.

On the issue of the Minimum Wages Act, I also wish to appeal to the Government to graduate the minimum wages to apply to various sectors when it deals with this matter. I know very well that there are people who have employed domestic servants and others who run Tuntembas, among other things. There must be a difference between those who make more money, such as those in the manufacturing sectors, and those who have employed domestic servants. Therefore, I urge the Government to distinguish the two.

Mr Speaker, with these remarks, I thank you.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr N. Banda): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to present my Maiden Speech.

Mr Speaker, firstly, let me congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his victory to the highest office of this country. I also congratulate you, the hon. Deputy Speaker and hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House.

Mr Speaker, my names are Nicolas Kumbukani Banda, hon. Member of Parliament for Kapoche Constituency, in Petauke District, of the Eastern Province. I am also hon. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock.

I wish to take ...
 
Mr L. J. Ngoma: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr L. J Ngoma: Mr Speaker, it was not my intention to disrupt the debate of my brother, the hon. Member of Parliament for Kapoche and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock. However, as a matter of national interest, I rise on a very serious point of order on the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Is the hon. Minister in order not to inform this august House about the circumstances that led to Finance Bank Zambia Limited to be, to quote the President’s words, “returned to its owners” without following any lawfully laid-down procedure?

Hon. Government Members: Ngelyo mwalepoka?

Mr L. J. Ngoma: Mr Speaker, on the 10th of December, 2010, the Bank of Zambia, which is the custodian of depositors’ interests in banks and financial institutions and charged with the duty of safeguarding the banks by ensuring that they are run in a safe and sound manner, did exercise this right, by the powers vested in it by virtue of Section 81 (1)(c)(i) and (ii) of the Banking and Financial Services Act Cap. 387 of the Laws of Zambia. This action was taken to safeguard depositors and the Zambian financial sector from total collapse.

In the enforcement decision and order, the Bank of Zambia stated as follows:

 “A public document …

Mr Speaker: Order!

I have to intervene. First and foremost, this is not a point of order.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Secondly, an appropriate substantive question should have been raised. Thirdly, there is an inquiry under way and fourthly, I am aware that there are certain matters before the courts of law.

May the hon. Member on the Floor continue.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, I wish to extend my forgiveness to my neighbour for the disruption. His constituency and mine are neighbours and, therefore, it is normal that he felt that he should also be on the Floor.

Laughter

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the people of Kapoche for electing me their hon. Member of Parliament and for placing their confidence in me to positively deliver change in Kapoche Constituency.

Mr Speaker, you may wish to know that, in 2006, I was elected hon. Member of Parliament for the same constituency. Unfortunately, I lost my seat in this House through a petition when the High Court nullified my election victory.

Mr Speaker, I also wish to take this opportunity to thank the MMD for adopting me as their candidate for Kapoche Constituency …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: … and for the standard of campaigns that it exhibited in Kapoche. This has given me the opportunity to become an hon. Member of this House, something I was denied in the 2007 By-election.

Mr Speaker, I congratulate the former President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, on handing over the instruments of power in a peaceful manner to His Excellency Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, as well deserved.

Further, I sincerely thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, for appointing me to the position of hon. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock. Sir, I will use this opportunity to serve the people of Zambia in his administration. It is an honour and privilege to serve my country and help to take it to greater heights.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, the people of Kapoche Constituency, like many rural constituencies, are faced with a number of challenges as highlighted by many of my colleagues in this House who have spoken about rural constituencies. I have no doubt that these issues will be adequately addressed by this enthusiastic Government.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, as I comment on the speech of the President to this House, let me start by acknowledging that agriculture has the potential to become the backbone of the country’s economy. Therefore, the PF Government, under His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, has set its mandate and is committed to improving household and national food security.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: It is with this backdrop that the new PF Administration, through the new Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, will continue to develop the agricultural sector and generate farmer incomes through enhanced livestock fisheries and crop production, productivity and sustainable agriculture.

Mr Speaker, in his opening address to this august House, His Excellency the President provided policy guidance clearly stating that the Government would tailor subsidies, market guarantees and extension services to the production of specific crops in particular areas of the country, taking into account the weather patterns and natural resource endowment.

Mr Speaker, this pronouncement has re-emphasised the need for agricultural crop diversification in Zambia. I heard one hon. Member saying diversion. It is diversification. I hope that it goes well with him.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulenga: Ema Minister, aya!

Mr N. Banda: My ministry will work to identify key crops that are endemic to each province and concentrate on their cultivation to boost production. This, in turn, will create the much-needed specialisation in crop cultivation in agricultural production.

Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock will scrutinise several strategies that were adopted in the National Agriculture Policy to ensure comprehensive and sustainable food security among the majority of our people. These, among others, include:

(i) strengthening and facilitating the provision of agricultural services to increase productivity, particularly among small-scale farmers;

(ii) diversification of agricultural production and utilisation;

(iii) promotion of irrigation development;

(iv) facilitating the availability of and accessibility of land for agriculture and development of infrastructure in potentially productive agricultural areas.

(v) promoting and securing access to agricultural products for both local and international markets; and

(vi) controlling livestock and fisheries diseases of importance to the national economy and promoting of sustainable livestock and fisheries and husbandry practices.

These strategies, when implemented efficiently and effectively, will drive Zambia’s agriculture sector out of the doldrums it is currently in.

Mr Speaker, the official opening address by the President brought out the fact that farmers in areas such as the Southern, Western and parts of Lusaka and Northern provinces have had their herds of cattle wiped out by livestock diseases, thereby depriving them of their source of livelihood.

Mr Speaker, there have also been tremendous post-harvest losses of the crops produced. It goes without saying that agricultural production in Zambia has been increasing over the past few years, but mainly promoting mono-crop production that emphasises maize growing.

Sir, the PF is determined to address these issues. It will also work to control livestock diseases to allow the livestock sector to reach its full production potential and enable the sub-sector compete regionally and internationally.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, the PF Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, will give the crop production as well as the livestock and fish sub-sectors the necessary support that they deserve so that our economy can grow to acceptable levels.

Sir, on Page 19 of the President’s Address to this House, the pronouncement is made that the new Government will continue to prioritise livestock restocking. It will also make dipping, vaccination and treatment of diseases of all cattle compulsory. Additionally, on Page 21 of the President’s Speech, the Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening the institutional framework and streamlining the management of fisheries as well as promoting commercial and small holder aquaculture.

Mr Speaker, there is also a need for concerted effort by all Zambians to support the momentum of increasing diverse crop production. We will make an effort to look into the FISP to curb the corrupt practices that the system had previously encountered from the source of the inputs up to the beneficiary.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: Sir, let me assure this august House that a revolution has just began in the agricultural sector in Zambia, with the commitment of the PF Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Michael Chilufya Sata, who is a workaholic President.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear! Ema Ministers aba!

Mr N. Banda: I have no doubt that this sector will record drastic improvements and our country will, one day, be referred to as the food basket of Southern Africa.

Sir, I would like to conclude by urging the hon. Members of Parliament in this House to be united and work together.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Member: We are family.

Mr N. Banda: The tripartite elections are now history. There are no losers or winners. Let us be patriotic Zambians and develop our country. It is now time for us, as hon. Members of Parliament, to serve and show the Zambian electorate, who brought us to this House, that we can take this nation to greater heights.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr N. Banda: I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda (Lumezi): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to give a vote of thanks to the President’s Address to this august House. The first part will be my Maiden Speech while the second will be my contribution to the President’s Speech.

Sir, first of all, let me thank the people of Zambia for turning in large numbers on 20th September, 2011, to vote for the leaders of their choice. This led to the formation of a new Government of their choice, which demonstrates a growth of democracy in our nation.

In this vein, Mr Speaker, let me thank the number one victor of the elections, who is now the President of this nation, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, for his election to the highest office of the land.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda: Sir, let me not leave out all the PF hon. Members for putting a good fight in the campaigns that made them drivers of this nation.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda: To that effect, Sir, let me advise them that, now that they have assumed a parental position as fathers and mothers of this nation, they should treat every Zambian equally regardless of their political affiliation.

Mr Speaker, let us all forget about the conflicts that may have existed during the past election period and treat one another as brothers and sisters. Let us emulate our leaders who celebrated together the country’s forty-seventh Independence anniversary, thirty days after the elections, even before the election wounds could heal.

Sir, in elections, it is either you win or you lose, but the choice of the people should be respected.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda: I am very thankful to the former President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, who demonstrated his true democratic credentials by accepting defeat in the elections and attending the inauguration of the new President and accepting the invitation for the Independence celebrations. This kind of approach is a fatherly one. I suggest that he be commended by all peace loving people.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda: Mr Speaker, this should be the spirit of all of us here, to live happily with each other after elections.

Sir, let me also congratulate you, the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to your respective offices. I have no doubt in my mind that your monitoring of duties of this House will be unbiased. May God guide you throughout your term of office.

Mr Speaker, at this time, let me thank the great people of Lumezi Constituency for voting me into office for the second term of five years. I am very grateful to them. I promised them that I would try by all means, through the PF Government, to meet their aspirations in terms of development.

Sir, I cannot go on without thanking my MMD Party President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda. In fact, I should say, Dr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda: … and his National Executive Committee (NEC) for adopting me to stand on the MMD ticket in Lumezi Constituency. They adopted the right choice for the people of Lumezi. That is why I was given a landslide victory.

Mr Speaker, during the past five years, the MMD Government did a number of projects for the benefit of the people of Lumezi Constituency. These include road, education and health infrastructures to mention, but a few.

Sir, some of these projects, such as the Chipata/Lundazi Road, which is completely being overhauled to bitumen level, have not been completed. The first lot of 90 km was done in 2009 while the second lot of 84 km is still being worked on.

Mr Speaker, I ask the new PF Government to take it up from where the MMD Government left it and facilitate it with all required resources so that it is completed as quickly as possible. The other roads under rehabilitation are the feeder roads like the Chikomeni/Mwanya, which is a stretch of 95 km, but only 60 km was worked on while 35 km is pending.

Sir, this road is economically important because tourists use it as they go to view game in the Lukusuzi and Luambe National Parks. Here, we need the new Government to finish working on the remaining 35 km. The second feeder road under construction is the Mthila/Kubiri to Chief Kazembe. The first lot of 70 km is being worked on and there is a need for more resources to complete the second lot of 15 km.

Mr Speaker, I am happy that the new Government has pledged to complete these works before embarking on new ones. If these roads are completed, the tourism industry will be boosted and that will bring money into people’s pockets, hopefully within the ninety days.

Mr Speaker, the MMD Government was undertaking the construction of new classroom blocks in a number of schools in Lumezi. In the health sector, we have health posts such as Katube near the Katube Open Air Prison, Chanyalubwe, Chasela and Yakhobe in Chief Mwanya’s area. All these need monitoring, evaluation and financing by our new Government so that they are concluded and commissioned.

There is a need for people to access health services as close to their homes as possible. Currently, the people of this area travel long distances in order to receive health services. For your information, most of these projects are funded through the CDF. This is why I join the rest of the hon. Members in requesting the President to increase the CDF from K720 million to K5 billion.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr I. Banda: Sir, I also agree with the President’s sentiments that the audit and review of the CDF should be done before the next one is disbursed.

Sir, also totally agree with His Excellency, the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, when he says on page 3, paragraph 2 of his speech that:

“Now that the elections are behind us, it is time for us all to focus on forging ahead with the development of our country.”

Mr Speaker, the statement of the President should not end with the hon. Member of Parliament alone, but should be extended to all our party members, including those who supported us as well as those who lost elections as Members of Parliament and Councillors. The election euphoria and vengeance still fills the minds of our cadres, especially our friends who are in the Government for the first time, the PF. This is why you may hear many stories about PF cadres harassing those in Opposition parties such as the MMD. Our supporters from different political parties should be free to be anywhere they like. They should be free to wear their party attire of choice without being questioned by anybody.  This is a free country that we should make a haven of peace. People should not live in fear of anyone. Supporters of Opposition political parties should not be subjected to intimidation by those in the Ruling Party. Let us work together and develop our mother Zambia. Let us, as individual political parties, here and outside advise our supporters and those who lost in the just-ended elections not to come up with many petitions against each other. In an election, there should be a winner and a loser. Many petitions may lead to many by-elections, which is dangerous for our economy.

Mr Speaker, the money that the Government has should be channelled to useful projects that will benefit our people and reduce poverty levels. It should not be used on unnecessary by-elections.

Mr Speaker, as regards job creation, I was gratified by what the President said about job creation in line with his party’s promise to put more money in our people’s pockets within ninety days. Our hon. Ministers on your right must make sure that they walk the talk of the President. It should not just be a promise on paper because our youths are expectant. They are waiting for jobs so that more money can be put in their pockets. During the MMD Government rule, many skills training centres were built across the country. The new Government has also pledged to turn all the Zambia National Service (ZNS) Centres into skills training centres so that many of our youths can acquire the required skills. That is a most welcome idea. I equally commend the President for that. When our youths graduate from colleges, they mostly face the challenge of lack of employment because industries are few and do not employ every day.

Mr Speaker, I want to encourage the new Government to allow investors to come and invest in Zambia. This will allow many projects to be implemented and it will open up more job opportunities for our youths. The Government should also make sure that small-scale agro-industries are created to add value to the many agricultural products that our people produce. That will also create employment. I also urge the Government to lower the cost of doing business so that our people can make profits that will expand their businesses and even create more jobs.

Mr Speaker, I agree with the President that crops to be promoted and supported by the Government in each province should be identified. I support this because the people of my constituency are divided by geographical conditions. We have the valley area where crops like rice and sorghum are grown as main crops. These crops are favoured by climatic conditions of that area. This is the area where we need great indulgence by the Government so that people are encouraged to grow more of these crops and provide markets for the surplus produce. The other group of people in Lumezi lives on the plateau. This area favours the growing of maize and we have had two bumper harvests in the past two seasons. I urge the Government to continue with the FISP and improve on it so that we do not reverse the bumper harvests that we have been having.

Sir, I also support the issue of weaning off and evaluation of programmes, each year, because, in the past, the same farmers benefitted from the support. The exercise should be treated as a starter capital so that many of our youths and women also benefit from it, especially the widows and school dropouts. Let me also urge this Government to invest more in this programme because it promotes self-employment for many of our people thereby preventing the rural-urban drift that makes our cities full of uncontrollable street vendors.

Mr Speaker, the Government should introduce livestock in favourable areas, instead of only working and funding the livestock restocking programme in known areas. In the Eastern Province, we have many areas where we need the support of the Government in introducing livestock and effectively controlling livestock diseases. This way, our people can benefit.

Mr Speaker, I think the President just forgot to talk about one road in the Eastern Province that he has great passion for─ the Great East Road. At one of his campaign addresses to the people of the Eastern Province, he was saddened by the many road accidents that take place on this road. He said that he needed this road to be a dual carriage way. Now that he is President, the people of the Eastern Province are seriously waiting for that promise to be honoured. This road should start from the airport roundabout, here in Lusaka, and go up to Mwami Border.

Interruptions

Mr I. Banda: Sir, in conclusion, let me congratulate all hon. Members seated here on their election to this House in the just ended tripartite elections. May God be with us all.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, may I thank you for according me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Floor of this House. Allow me to begin by congratulating you, the hon. Deputy Speaker and, indeed, the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to those positions. May I also congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament and His Excellency the Republican President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, for emerging victorious in the hotly contested elections. However, credit should also go to all Zambians for maintaining peace under that very trying moment. This is the hallmark of Zambians’ collective character. Peace and unity should be preserved at all costs and we should thank God for our special ability to do so.

Mr Speaker, allow me to also thank the people of Luena for electing me as their representative in this august House. This is a rare opportunity because, out of the thirteen million plus Zambians, they saw it fit for me to be amongst the 150 hon. Members of Parliament. I thank them profoundly and wish to assure even those who did not vote for me that I will not disappoint them. I wish to state that I will be very objective in my debates. I will criticise where criticism is warranted. On issues and practices that deserve condemnation, I will condemn. Those that deserve commendation, I will commend.

Mr Speaker, first and foremost, I would like to thank God, who answered my prayers and all those who prayed for me. Indeed, he is a high and holy God.

Secondly, I would like to thank my children, my mother, boma Mutu Mukatimui, my aunt, boma Imbula, my relatives and all my friends for their material and moral support. I also want to thank my church members. 

Mr Speaker, I also wish to pay tribute to my late father, Mr Imenda, who always encouraged me to compete, not with anybody, but with hundred per cent.  Special tribute is paid to my late husband, Collins Mwendaweli Muteletwa, who would have been very proud of me had he still been alive.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, a special tribute goes to a special person who played a role in my political development in my earlier years, a man of integrity and discipline who I had the privilege to serve with in the University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) Executive. He was Vice-President and I was Vice-Treasurer at the time. This is no other than, Dr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, SC., the late President of the Republic of Zambia.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Special mention should also be made of some of my former lecturers and class tutors at the University of Zambia (UNZA) then. These are Dr Jacob Mwanza, who was also my first managing director when I started work, and current Chancellor of UNZA, Dr James Fry, wherever he is, and Professor Moses Musonda.  I also wish to thank Mr Friday Ndhlovu, the current Chief Executive Officer of Investrust Bank, who together with Dr Jacob Mwanza decided to send me to the United Kingdom (UK) for further training, and thus, changed the complexion of my professional career.

At this juncture, I also would like to thank the entire leadership of the Alliance for Development and Democracy (ADD) led by the gallant Charles Lubasi Milupi for adopting me as their candidate in Luena Constituency. I shall not let them down. I shall uphold the principles of the party which are in our manifesto. Some of our principles have even been adopted by the PF Government.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I now wish to mention that the Western Province has been neglected since independence by successive governments to such as extent that some people there wonder whether they are part of Zambia. The Western Province at independence had the highest literacy levels, but now has the lowest. It was relatively wealthy, but now the poorest. It was among the highest in terms of cattle population which has since dropped drastically.

Mr Speaker, I now want to deal with the issues pertaining to my constituency, Luena.  Like the rest of the Western Province, Luena has been neglected in terms of development by successive governments since independence. However, I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, who is also the President of our party, ADD, Mr Charles Lubasi Milupi, who in the space of five years as hon. Member of Parliament for Luena gave hope to the people of Luena.

Mr Speaker, Luena has the potential to contribute significantly to the economic development and growth of Zambia if its resource potential is properly harnessed. Much of the now famous and most sought after Mongu rice is grown in Luena.

Furthermore, if supported, the Western Province, in general, and Luena, in particular, can have thriving agriculture. With good infrastructure, it can be the headquarters of agro-processing industries for items such as fruit juices as well as cashew nuts, which can compete favourably on the international markets.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}
 
Ms Imenda: To date, however, the people of Luena lack infrastructural development. Luena faces a lot of challenges. There are no roads in Luena, not even to Ushaa, the nomination centre. In 2010, the MMD Government abandoned the road construction exercise in the area after losing the by-elections. There are no communication facilities, bridges and high schools. There is also no electricity and drinking water. The schools in Luena have grass thatched roofs with mud walls. The list of problems is endless.

Mr Speaker, there is a need for a road to be constructed from Malala via Ndanda, Simaa and Sikusi to Sikeenge. There is urgent need for a bridge at Nangandu. People lack transport because it takes the whole day to walk from Sikusi or Sikeenge to the Kaoma/Mongu Road where you can get transport, and yet this is one of the most productive areas in Zambia in terms of rice production.

Mr Speaker, may I now turn to a very unpleasant day in the calendar of the people of the Western Province, Mongu, in particular, who were traumatised by the events of 14th January, 2011, when, through the riot police, the Government which they had voted for shed the blood of innocent citizens …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: …who were in pursuit of their constitutional right of expression and movement. 

Some people were ferried in containers to Mumbwa, 400 km away, from witnesses and parents, just to ensure their longtime incarceration. This is why we welcome the establishment of a commission of inquiry to delve into certain activities of that day, some of which I think border on genocide.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, a well-trained police force would use means such as tear gas, short batons and even rubber bullets, but not live ones. I watched the coverage of the so-called riot. I did not see it except uniformed police all over the place, a few burning tyres, a couple of hearses with smashed windscreens and a few youths that had been rounded up. In my life, I have seen serious riots in Zambia, especially those by UNZA students of which I was a part. However, the Mongu issue strikes me as a calculated move to commit murder by the authorities because of the subject matter at hand. What was their crime? Pressing for the enactment of the Barotseland Agreement.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Allow me, Mr Speaker, to touch on this issue a bit. We must acknowledge that this is a problem which has been simmering for some time and unless we honestly and truthfully address the causes, we will not have solved anything.

Mr Speaker, there are certain issues which are unpleasant to deal with, but have been dealt with. For example, nobody liked the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but we still implemented it. In the same vein, peace has a price tag. I trust that our President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, will solve all the issues surrounding the Barotseland Agreement once and for all, in the affirmative of course.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I, however, must hasten to mention that to solve the underlying problem, we should learn not to deal with its effects only as doing so will only have a placebo effect. Instead, we should address the causes. There is a need to examine the agreement so as to establish what has made the people aggrieved for so long.

 May I also state that, thus far, the commission inquiry set up by the President seeks to probe the Mongu shooting and not the implementation of the Barotseland Agreement. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: I am calling for clarifications regarding the Barotseland Agreement. I am demanding for the appointment of a commission to deal with this matter.

Mr Speaker, may I also correct the wrong impression of the few who did not even read the Barotseland Agreement that it is not about secession.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: It is about implementing what is contained in this important agreement which gave birth to the unitary State of Zambia. 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!
 
Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, I would like to mention that we are not the first in the world to have a territorial agreement.

May I remind the House, Mr Speaker, that our neighbour Tanganyika and Zanzibar formed the Republic of Tanzania; and the little island of Hong Kong was leased to Britain in agreements that were solved amicably because there was political will.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Sir, may I now contribute to the comments regarding the President’s speech. I wish to commend the President for stating that his Government shall eradicate all forms of discrimination against women. May I echo the last Speaker of this House, Mr Amusaa Mwanamwambwa’s, sentiments of disgust at the dwindling representation of women in the House. We seem to be moving further away from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol. How does the President reconcile his statement during his Address to Parliament with the fact that the Constitution gives him the right to nominate eight hon. Members and all these were men?

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: On infrastructure development, it is comforting to note that, in his speech, the President is committed to the completion of on-going projects. I trust that this man of action will make sure that works on the now familiar Mongu/Kalabo and Senanga/Sesheke roads will be completed. However, I note with concern that the President did not state that Mongu, Lukulu, Kaoma and Sesheke will be linked by any proposed road network unlike what is proposed for the Luapula and Northern provinces.

There is need for a road from Limulunga to Ushaa which has been designated as the elections nomination and totalling centre for Luena Constituency. The road can be extended to connect Mongu to Lukulu.

Sir, on the creation of the tenth province, the issue of examining inter provincial territorial boundaries should not be done in a hurry and haphazardly.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: I would suggest that a delimitation commission of experts be set up to look at the provincial boundaries in the whole country.

Hon. Opposition Members: Yes!

Ms Imenda: Yes, Mr Speaker, the Northern Province may be the largest, but the Western and North-Western provinces are the second largest and also face similar challenges.

The implications of creating another province out of the Northern Province include the giving of a double portion of the national cake to that area and the creation of more constituencies to this province. If it is so urgent to divide the Northern Province for whatever reason, why can some districts bordering the Luapula Province not be annexed to Luapula so that we still remain with nine provinces?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: On education development, the review of the education system and policy is welcome. However, I wish to point out that there is a need to look at deficit areas such as the Western Province which has no girls only boarding school. May I quickly mention that it is the only province which does not have such a school. The Southern Province has Njase and St. Joseph’s; the Lusaka Province has Katondwe and Mukamambo, the Eastern Province has St Monicas, in Chipata, the Northern Province has Lwitikila and Kasama Girls; the Copperbelt Province has Ibenga and Fatima, the Luapula Province has St. Marys’s and Kawambwa; the North-Western province has Mukinge and Central Province has Mpunde.

To make matters worse, Mr Speaker, the Government has, of late, after the so-called Mongu riots, planted some lonely policemen along the paths where these day scholar girls pass through in the dark. Should I say more regarding the consequences which may arise?

Hon. Member: Oh oh!

Ms Imenda: Mr Speaker, on mining, we demand the reintroduction of the windfall tax while we still have the opportunity to take advantage of high copper prices. We have already lost an opportunity to earn US$660 million from windfall tax.

May I also urge the Government to explore for other minerals like diamonds and oil in the Western Province. We are surrounded by diamond producing countries. I do not believe that the diamond belt from Botswana and Namibia would have ended at the Zambian border only to resurface in the DRC.

Regarding forestry, Mr Speaker, I am appalled at the rate of deforestation by timber fellas and merchants going on in the Western province, especially in Luena. It is very alarming, and yet the locals do not even benefit from the indiscriminate cutting down of trees. The locals preserve these forests which they use in the production of biogas manure. Biogas manure made from cow dung was first used in the Western Province. We have been using that manure to preserve our trees. Is it right for the Chinese and other people from some other areas to come and cut down our trees?

Mr Speaker, I support the President’s desire to fight corruption. I must state that it is not witch-hunting to investigate cases of corruption.

Hon. Members: hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: An investigation is about ‘what happened’ and if there is a ‘who’ or ‘where’, let them explain what happened.

Hon. Members: hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Regarding the CDF, I propose that it is increased to K5 billion.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: In conclusion, I want to congratulate our party president, Mr Charles Lubasi Milupi, for producing one hon. Member of Parliament. History has shown that one hon. Member of Parliament for a new party is a divine roadmap to State House.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Therefore, the next president is Mr Charles Lubasi Milupi. Sir, watch this space.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga (Kabushi): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you most sincerely for according me this rare privilege to address this august House through the presentation of my Maiden Speech.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Sir, I wish to congratulate you on your election as Speaker of the National Assembly. I also wish to congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House as well on their election to their respective offices.

Mr Speaker, allow me to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: … for winning the 20th September General Elections overwhelmingly.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, I will be remiss in my speech if I do not thank my mother, Mrs Violet Kazunga Banda, my daughters, Mwimbe Mulenga and Naomi Mubanga Mulenga, my sons, Ali Mulenga and Kashiba Mulenga, and my granddaughter, Susa Makombe. I also wish to extend my sincere thanks to Change Life Zambia, particularly, its Executive Director, Father Frank Bwalya, for supporting me.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Sir, I would also like to express my deepest gratitude, especially to my party President Mr Michael Chilufya Sata and the central committee members for the confidence they showed in adopting me.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: I would also like to pay tribute to the district constituency committees and the entire membership of the party in Kabushi Constituency for the support they rendered during the elections.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, I stand here a very happy and proud hon. Member of Parliament for Kabushi Constituency because I am hopeful that all the failures of the MMD Government, in the last twenty years, will be a thing of the past.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, all the problems will be attended to by the PF Government. This is a Government which was elected by a majority of the Zambian people. It is a Government which will support your aspirations today and tomorrow.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr D. Mwila: Ema MP aya!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, at this juncture, allow me also to congratulate all the hon. Members of this House for having been elected, especially the new entrants like myself.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Sir, before I highlight the numerous problems being faced by people in my constituency, allow me to pay tribute to my predecessor who did what he could for Kabushi Constituency. I also wish to thank him for the assistance he rendered during my campaign.

Mr Speaker, Kabushi Constituency, in Ndola, is a small, but highly populated constituency. According to the 2010 Census, it has a population of 95,639.

Sir, in densely populated areas, the provision of social amenities and all related services is always a big challenge. It is as a result of these challenges that the people of Kabushi Constituency voted for change.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, let me now look at some of the major problems of Kabushi Constituency in detail.

Sir, the biggest and oldest market in Kabushi poses a great threat to the health of the people in the area because of its poor sanitation. All the traders at this market, mostly who come from as far as Ndola rural, the Luapula and Northern provinces use makeshift toilets.

Mr Speaker, we have four clinics in Kabushi which are not only inadequate, but are also poorly equipped in terms of staff and medicines. It is, therefore, saddening to note that twenty years of the MMD rule has seen people die recklessly because of lack of access to facilities such as medicines, doctors, nurses and ambulances to ferry the sick to the clinics.

Mr Speaker, in Kabushi, there is a mini hospital under construction which is to house a mother’s shelter, laundry, kitchen and other facilities, but its works have stalled because of lack of funds. I am, therefore, appealing to the hon. Minister concerned to source for funds to complete the project.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, 95 per cent of the youths in my constituency do not have jobs. They just languish day and night waiting for their mothers to put food on the table. It is, therefore, gratifying to note that His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, has put measures in place which will address this problem once and for all. For example, some of these measures are the creation of more jobs, less taxes and more money in the pockets.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, most roads in Kabushi Constituency are in a deplorable state and, as such, require urgent attention to bring them to bituminous standard. Some of these busy roads that people use everyday are Muyombe Drive, Dola Hill Road and One Way Road. Some of the roads have been turned into plots for tuntemba because no vehicles use them because of their deplorable state.

Mr Speaker, water supply and sanitation is a concern in my constituency as most households go for months without access to water due to erratic supply by the Kafue Water and Sewerage Company. Sanitation is also terrible as human effluent flows anyhow and poses a danger to the lives of the people in areas like Mangwana, Mine Masala, Main Masala, Mukuba and Dambo to name, but a few. There is a need to look at the Bwana Mkubwa Quarry which would provide a good source of water to the area.

Mr Speaker, street lighting is almost none existent in my constituency and this has led to unprecedented levels of criminal activities as thieves thrive in darkness. The crime rate in Kabushi is high that, on a daily basis, someone somewhere is attacked and, sometimes, lives are lost through these attacks. It is a known fact that you do not move about at night in Kabushi.

Mr Speaker, in order for us to quickly reduce the poverty levels of the people, we need an increase of the CDF.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, the CDF is the only money our communities have control over and any increase will be noted and appreciated.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, allow me to now comment on the Presidential Speech. The President’s Speech, on the manufacturing sector, has inspired the nation. The Speech gives hope to many constituencies. The President, in his Address, said:

“The reckless privatisation programme carried out under the previous Government that gave away most of our strategic national industries contributed to the demise of our manufacturing sector. This has resulted in massive job losses among our people and contributed to the current poverty levels.”

Mr Speaker, as you are aware, Ndola used to be the hub of manufacturing industries. This guaranteed social security and sustainable income to residents, most of who were able to access employment and feed their families as well as send their children to school. With the closure of industries by the MMD Government in the early 1990s, Ndola communities have been subjected to misery and abject poverty, as the majority of breadwinners lost employment and I was one of them.

Hon. Government Members: Shame, shame!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, the proclamation to revamp the manufacturing sector by the President in his Speech has given hope to the people of Ndola. The President made it clear that whilst appreciating the benefits of international and regional trade, Zambia will no longer allow herself to be used as a dumping ground for goods that our own companies and enterprises can produce locally.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, it is common knowledge that if we allow and encourage local enterprises to own businesses locally, we will give rise to employment opportunities in Ndola. This will enable breadwinners to, once again, be able to sustain their families’ livelihoods. It will also enable the Government to address the income side of the National Budget through realisation of more revenue through taxes, hence the Government will be able to deliver services such as education and quality health.

Mr Speaker, I would like to also comment on youth employment which is on page 33 of the President’s Speech. As you are fully aware, the youths constitute roughly 68 per cent of our national population. This poses a mammoth challenge to our Government, especially that even the majority of voters in the recent tripartite elections were youths, the majority of whom are unemployed. Most of them have poor education, lack formal skills and, consequently, are unable to earn a living. This scenario incapacitates them in terms of contributing effectively to national development. Ultimately, the youths have been reduced to delinquents who have resorted to excessive beer drinking and other vices.

Mr Speaker, in order to reverse this trend, the President, in his Speech, stated clearly that the PF Government will, among other things, enhance the capacity of the ZNS by transforming it into the Zambia Youth Training Service so that the various camps throughout the country are turned into non-military skills training centres.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Kazunga: Mr Speaker, there is no doubt that youths in my constituency will benefit immensely from this initiative. Many of them will be able to access training and receive life-sustaining skills that will enable them work on their own and later on also provide employment to others. As a consequence, we will be able to reduce poverty levels in my constituency. Parents will be able to send their children to school and there will be a reduction in crime and other social vices such as reckless beer drinking and theft which are rife in my constituency.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Order!

(Debate adjourned)

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The House adjourned at 1255 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday 1st November, 2011.