DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FIRST SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Friday, 21st October, 2011

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

SESSIONAL COMMITTEES – MEMBERSHIP

Mr Speaker: I wish to inform the House that in accordance with Standing Order No. 131, the Standing Orders Committee has appointed the following Sessional Committees for the First Session of the 11th National Assembly:

Committee on Agriculture (8)

Mr B. Hamusonde, MP;
Mr R. Muntanga, MP;
Mrs A. Munshya, MP;
Mr K. Chipungu, MP;
Mr N. Mutale, MP;
Mr M. Ng’onga, MP;
Mr P. Njeulu, MP; and
Mr H. Chansa, MP.

Committee on Education, Science and Technology (08)

Ms S. Sayifwanda, MP;
Mr M. M. B. Mwale, MP;
Mr B. Mutale, MP;
Mr D. Livune, MP;
Mr C. Miyanda, MP;
Mr O. Chisala, MP;
Mr L. Chabala, MP; and
Dr R. Kalila, MP.

Committee on Lands, Energy and Water (08)

Mr G. G. Nkombo, MP;
Mr R. Siamunene, MP;
Ms D. Siliya, MP;
Mr M. Mumba, MP;
Professor G. Lungwangwa, MP;
Mr M. Muteteka, MP;
Mr J. Kapyanga, MP; and
Mr N. Chilangwa, MP

Committee on Labour, Youth, and Sport (08)

Mr L. J. Ngoma, MP;
Mr H. Sililo, MP;
Ms V. Kalima, MP;
Mr R. Phiri, MP;
Mr S. Masumba, MP;
Mr M. Katambo, MP;
Mr B. M. M. Ntundu; and
Mr L. Kazabu, MP.

Committee on Tourism, Information and Broadcasting Services (08)

Mr M. Kapeya, MP;
Mr R. Taundi, MP;
Mrs C. Mazoka, MP;
Mr J. Chishiba, MP;
Mr K. Pande, MP;
Mr S. Chungu, MP;
Mr S. Kapyongo, MP; and
Mr E. Belemu, MP

Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs (08)

Ms S. Sayifwanda, MP;
Mr C. Bwalya, MP;
Mrs E. Kabanshi, MP;
Colonel J. Lungu, MP;
Reverend Lieutenant-General R. Shikapwasha, MP;
Mr M. Simfukwe, MP;
Mr R. Taima, MP; and 
Mr S. Sianga, MP

Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Welfare (08)

Mr C. Mweetwa, MP;
Colonel G. A. Chanda, MP;
Mr I. Banda, MP;
Ms C. Namugala, MP;
Mr P. Mucheleka, MP;
Brigadier-General Dr B. Chituwo, MP;
Mr R. Mwewa, MP; and
Mr L. Mufalali, MP.

Committee on Legal Affairs, Governance, Human Rights, Gender Matters and Child Affairs (08)

Mr J. J. Mwiimbu, MP;
Mrs E. Kabanshi, MP;
Mr M. Malama, MP;
Mr C. Miyutu, MP;
Mr D. Mumba, MP;
Mr L. Mulusa, MP;
Mr S. Mushanga, MP; and
Mr S. Chisanga, MP.

I wish to reiterate that if any hon. Members of the backbench finds that they do not belong to any Committee, they should inform the Office of the Clerk accordingly. However, I emphasise that they should wait until the Public Accounts Committee has been approved next week on Tuesday, 25th October, 2011, after which they can approach the Office of the Clerk.

We had a number of Members approaching the Office of the Clerk yesterday and I hope that this clears the point.

Thank you.
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BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

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

On Tuesday, 25th October, 2011, the Business of the House will commence with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. Thereafter, the House will debate the Motion on the Membership of the Public Accounts Committee. Then the House will resume debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Sir, on Wednesday, 26th October, 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.

Mr Speaker, on Thursday, 27th October, 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.

Sir, on Friday, 28th October, 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 the presentation of Government Bills, if there will any. Thereafter, the House will continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.
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HIS HONOUR THE VICE-PRESIDENT’S QUESTION TIME

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, the key pronouncement of the Government is more jobs and less taxes, but this is being eroded by policy uncertainty, euphoric and disruptive regulation laced with industrial unrest. Can His Honour the Vice-President indicate to the House what pragmatic steps he is going to put in place to implement the key policy pronouncement of more jobs and less taxes in order to reinstate business confidence and trust? Secondly, can His Honour the Vice-President indicate to the House when the Secretary to the Treasury was sworn in?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, this is like facing a firing squad.

Laughter

The Vice-President: Sir, I am sure Hon. Kunda, SC. feels for me. I think I will confine myself to the second part of the question regarding the Treasury and the Secretary to the Treasury. The post of Secretary to the Treasury continues to exist. It is filled by the person who happens to be Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning because there was redundancy in the ministry. Therefore, all the normal information flow and authorities from the Secretary to the Treasury are taking place.

I find the first part of the question a little confusing. This reminds me of the former Canadian Speaker who was consultant to the Parliamentary Reforms five years ago who said that it was called question time because it was for questions and not answer time. However, I will try and answer.

Laughter

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I think the euphoria is understandable. People think there is great change. They know there is great change coming around the corner and they may be jumping the gun a bit. I think things will settle down, especially once the Government starts to operate on a routine basis with Cabinet meetings and so on and so forth. I do not want to give a long speech on the subject of how to create jobs. The first way to create jobs is to look at everything through the length of job creation …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: … unlike looking at it through the length of foreign investment which is largely labour replacing investment rather than labour creating or job creating investment.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mooya (Moomba): Mr Speaker, Zambian football is experiencing ups and downs. There are quarrels, hiring and firing of coaches and participating in tournaments for fourteen times without winning a cup. May I find out from the Government what the way forward is with regard to this issue?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, at this early stage in the life of this Government, I think I will be justified in asking the relevant hon. Minister, Hon. Shamenda, to make a statement to the House at some suitable time in the next two or three weeks once he has got his head round the problems as well.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kunda, SC. (Muchinga): Mr Speaker, under what circumstances, under the laws of the Republic of Zambia, is single sourcing of goods and services allowed in the procurement of goods and services? Is your Government going to allow single sourcing of goods and services?

Interruptions

The Vice-President: Sir, I think the problems that the former Government experienced with regard to single sourcing should be sufficient to indicate to us that we should either avoid it altogether or use it only in events or through circumstances which can be defended.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, will His Honour the Vice-President indicate to this House and the nation what measures will be put in place to accommodate the ever increasing encroachments on forestry and game management areas, particularly game management area No. 14 of Mumbwa where there are more than 5,000 households. Can he, please, indicate clearly what measures he has in place, taking into account that the population at independence was only 3.2 million and now there are 13 million inhabitants of this country.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, again, the question is such that I must answer with my opinion rather than with Government policy. I am saying so because Government policy comes through Cabinet collective responsibility and thereafter, comes to this House as legislation.

Hon. Government Members: Quality!

The Vice-President: Sir, at this very early stage in the life of the Government, we can only make statements of intent rather than cast in stone principles, but I happen to know the Mumbwa case. The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) board was dissolved yesterday. As one member of the board put it after it was dissolved, ZAWA was intended to manage people with game as the secondary objective. It was not intended to manage game and ignore the people.

Sir, in the Mumbwa case, I think what has happened is that the Danish Government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) pumped in a lot of money to try and wean people from poaching. This, instead, caused migration of farmers from outside the area into the area, thereby actually exacerbating the problem of pressure on the game rather than achieving any intended result. So, I think policies of integration with traditional leadership at the grassroots level and policies of decentralisation generally would lead to a revised view of encroachment on game management areas. I must say that if the previous Government has not made arrangements for the displacement of people, for example, from Sichifulo, this does not help at all. It will have to be human centered, but nonetheless economic in the sense of conserving wildlife and forest policy that we have.

I thank you, Sir.

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

Mr Taima (Solwezi East): Mr Speaker, may I find out from His Honour the Vice-President what the road map is on the Constitution adopting process by this Government given that a pronouncement was made very clearly that within ninety days which, by the way, is now less than sixty days, we are going to have a new Constitution adopted. Further, is there consensus from the people of Zambia on that road map?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I think the first stage is the appointment of a Committee of Experts to look at the previous constitutional review commissions (CRC) and come up with a white paper on the subject on how we want go forward.

Interruptions

The Vice-President: Blue paper or white paper?

Laughter

Mr Kambwili: Red Paper.

The Vice-President: Sir, a red paper. Our view at the moment is to go for a referendum initially and then come to Parliament for final enactment. That is as far as I am aware.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to ask His Honour the Vice-President a very pertinent question that regards the immunities and privileges of Members of this House.

Mr Speaker, at the expense of getting into the details of the example I will give, which may be sub-judice, I would like to find out from him whether his Government, through the relevant ministry, informed your office before the arrest of the hon. Member of Parliament for Mangango in the Western Province, as the privileges and immunities of hon. Members of Parliament dictate.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the case is in court.

However, I would like to say that the Government, in general terms, has no desire to involve itself in police and security investigations. Therefore, we do not want to block the enquiry and we do not want to create it out of thin air either.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chipungu (Rufunsa): Mr Speaker, this Government has now started creating new provinces, for instance, Muchinga. I wish to find out from His Honour the Vice-President when this Government will create another province by the name of Chongwe …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chipungu: … to separate the capital from the rural districts, namely Chongwe, Kafue and Luangwa. 

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I have no witchcraft skills that will enable me to foresee in a crystal ball or otherwise ...

Laughter

The Vice-President: …when the Government will create another province.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Ms Namugala (Mafinga): Mr Speaker, this Government ascended to power on the promise of more jobs for our young people.

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Ms Namugala: I would like His Honour the Vice-President to give us a clear answer regarding how many jobs will be created in ninety days as promised. How many days?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I think that is probably jumping the gun, considering that the Hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning …

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

The Vice-President: …will be presenting the National Budget, hopefully, three weeks from today, which will include various targets such as job creation, expenditure and taxation. It is not right for me to try and pre-empt what will be coming then.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Therefore, all we need is a little bit of patience and we can have the firing squad up again.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo): Mr Speaker, can His Honour the Vice-President inform this House and the nation when his Government will restore the Barotse Agreement?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the Commission of Inquiry, which should look into the Barotse Agreement, is already in existence. It has been sworn in and it is doing its work. I, therefore, think that it has been set up within ninety days, …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: …just like the Times of Zambia and the Post Newspaper have been writing, in less than ninety days.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: It has been set up and it will do its work as expeditiously as it can.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President whether there are any intentions by this Government to introduce new diplomatic missions abroad and, if so, does this not negate the good intentions of reducing costs by downsizing Government?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, my only answer to that question can be that it is open to variation on a case by case basis.

Opposition Members: Why?

The Vice-President: I have no knowledge of any missions that have been created, Mr Speaker. That is my final answer to the question.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from His Honour the Vice-President whether it is by intention or coincidence that three commissioners on the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) Enquiry are married in the same family.

Laughter

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, if the hon. Member would send me the family tree, I will study it and respond to his question at a later date.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Habeenzu (Chikankata): Mr Speaker, can His Honour the Vice-President tell this House how the PF Government intends to create an independent Office of the Auditor-General, both financially and operationally, so that it can work efficiently?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, we are waiting for a Cabinet decision on that matter, I am afraid.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kalaba (Bahati): Mr Speaker, I would like to ask His Honour the Vice-President to indicate to this House that, in fact, some of the pledges that the PF Government made are already being fulfilled.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

Mr Kalaba: Sir, I said can His Honour the Vice-President inform this House that, in fact, some of the pledges of the things to be undertaken within ninety days …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kalaba: …that the PF Government made, have already been fulfilled.

Mr Speaker: Order!

I would like to remind the hon. Member that this is Question Time. Therefore, questions should be put.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I understand …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member for Mpongwe, please.

Mr Namulambe (Mpongwe): Mr Speaker, can His Honour the Vice-President state what the Government is doing concerning the striking workers in Chambishi Mines- NFCA, especially that about 2,000 people have been fired?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Mines and Natural Resources and the hon. Minister of Labour, Sport and Youth will be there later today and they will take the matter up. This is as much as I know, Sir.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, the first Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) Government came into power in 1991 and the current President and Vice-President were part of that Government. The immediate former MMD Government …

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Pande: … had cordial relations with Angola which culminated into the establishment of a Joint Permanent Commission. What has necessitated the apology by this Government to Angola? Is it something you did in the first MMD Government?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, my memory has trouble going back that far. However, I do recall that there were rumours …

Hon. Opposition Member: Rumours?

The Vice-President: … of arms dealing involving the MMD Members here and I think there is certainly a situation that needs cleaning up, smoothing and harmonising …

Laughter

The Vice-President: … just as there is a need to do likewise with other neighbours of ours. 

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, since October is the beginning of the agriculture season and we are talking about the 2011/2012 agriculture season, I wish to find out how much the small-scale farmers will contribute towards the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), that is in the form of fertiliser and seed.

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, there are two on-going exercises in the countryside. One is the finalisation of the payment and securing of the 2010/2011 season’s crop which is expected to be finalised this month. I expect the hon. Minister responsible for agriculture to come with a very detailed statement fairly soon because, with questions, this topic will take up half an hour on its own. I think it is more reasonable that we do it that way.

There are 182,000 tonnes of fertiliser in the country which are meant for over 900,000 people. I believe this is the largest amount for the FISP so far. This is set to be distributed and is already in rural depots or, in most cases, rural centres such as Mpika within ninety days, I would say.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

Mr M. B. Mwale (Malambo): Mr Speaker, could His Honour the Vice-President inform this House and the nation at large what set the late Mr Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe apart from the late Arthur Wina, Humphrey Mulemba, Nalumino Mundia and Reuben Kamanga so as to result in naming Ndola City Airport after him?

Interruptions

Mr Mwila: Tatulafwa!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I was not responsible for the renaming of any airport.

Laughter

The Vice-President: My trust in my President’s judgment is such that I leave it to you to write to the press if you do not like what happened.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Ms Siliya (Petauke): Mr Speaker, the PF Government says it is a Government of laws and in one of his answers, His Honour the Vice-President stated that the police is not the Government. Going by some of the pronouncements we have heard senior members of the PF make, including the President himself, accusing  people of corruption over various Government transactions, including the infamous bicycles …

Interruptions

Ms Siliya: … how can we have confidence that the PF Government is, indeed, a Government of laws if already it is making pronouncements before the due process? I would like His Honour the Vice-President to give a very clear answer on this matter.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, my answer is, watch this space.

Laughter

The Vice-President: We are now in power and we had elections thirty-one days ago. The formation of the Government was more like twenty-five days ago. The independence of the various arms of the Government is a very major concern and objective of the PF. If you read our Manifesto and our track record of speeches in this House, you will know that proper separation of powers is what we want and one of the legacies we will leave behind, if at all we will ever leave.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Therefore, I would advise the questioner to be clear. I do not know what infamous bicycles she referred to, but the bicycle dealer has just arrived in the House.

Laughter

Dr Musokotwane entered the Assembly Chamber.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Therefore, maybe, he could clarify the issue.

Laughter

The Vice-President: We are saying, wait and see.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, the Government of His Honour the Vice-President has made a pronouncement that the provinces will be manned by …

Dr Musokotwane: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, His Honour the Vice-President has said I am a bicycle dealer. Is he in order to make such an insinuation and mislead the nation? Mr Speaker, I beg your ruling on this matter.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: There were no names mentioned in his debate.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

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

Mr Mbulakulima: The PF Government has made pronouncements that the provinces will be manned by full police commissioners, a position which is equivalent to major-general in the army. The criteria across the globe is that these positions are based on the span of control. For example, in Nigeria, the police force is over 450,000 and is manned by a full commissioner. In South Africa, it is over 150,000 police, in Zimbabwe, it is over 60,000 …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Mbulakulima: … but, here in Zambia, we have less than 13,000. Are these cosmetic changes you are trying to make going to be in concordance with the improved conditions of service? If they are not cosmetic, is it not a contradiction of your concept of reducing the cost of running the Government?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, firstly, let us note that both Nigeria and South Africa have much larger populations than Zambia. Therefore, they probably deserve another layer of command in their police force. As it so happens, I have discussed this matter with the police force. It is felt that the proposed structure that we are putting in place should be the one to give us the maximum management effectiveness for the most bands for the buck. I would also expect the hon. Minister of Home Affairs, when debating the budget, if not at any other time, to explain this decision.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, may His Honour the Vice-President be honest and specific whether there is a Secretary to the Treasury or not? If there is, what is his or her name?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, there is a Secretary to the Treasury.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kampyongo (Shiwang’andu): Mr Speaker, the previous Government embarked on a number of projects just before the elections. We all know that these projects were unbudgeted for. When we queried the source of the funds, it gave conflicting responses. The President told us that the money was from a consortium of financial organisations, but the former Minister of Finance and National Planning told us that he got the money from taxes from the mines he never mentioned. May we learn from His Honour the Vice-President where the source of was?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, this is not the only source of concern. For example, we had, for this year, an election budget with greatly increased budget lines for electorally or politically sensitive items such as buying maize. That budget line was exhausted and there is now an overrun of about K700 billion that we have to find in order to pay the people in Zambia and from neighbouring countries who deposited their maize with the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).

Likewise, these so-called Formula I roads, as far as I am aware, were not in the budget. They were an excess over and above what had been planned for and approved by this House in 2010. Of course, we are looking into this matter. We are interested in knowing where this extra money came from when it was not even budgeted for.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Scott: Mr Speaker, there will be a statement to the House on that at an appropriate time.

I thank you.

Mr Chishimba (Kamfinsa): Mr Speaker, I would like to know from His Honour the Vice President if there are any politicians who have been harassed as claimed by Hon. Namugala yesterday.

Dr Scott: Mr Speaker, I am not aware of any harassment, but I know of allegations …

Interruptions

Dr Scott: … made by MMD cadres of their being pushed out of markets. They say we are pushing them out when, in fact, it is the council and the police enforcing the law. Much of this has been exaggerated because, at one stage, we had Comrade William Banda sobbing on the phone to a European Union representative that he was under siege in Chipata. Sorry, but that is how it is.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

___________{mospagebreak}

MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr Hamududu (Bweengwa): Mr Speaker, allow me to begin by thanking the people of Bweengwa for electing me, their servant, for a second five-year term in Parliament. I am humbled by the favour they have bestowed on me.

Mr Speaker, I remind hon. Members in this august House that we are elected to the position of servant to serve our people to the best of our abilities so that, through us, every citizen can truly be happy and proud to be Zambian. The celebrations after the tripartite elections are not for the elected councillor, hon. Member of Parliament or the President, but for the electorate because it is their victory. As for us, elected leaders at various levels, the difficult work began when we were declared winners. As such, we should spend more time deeply reflecting what must be done to change the course of our country for the better and avoid the temptation of swimming in meaningless pomposity.

Secondly, I thank my party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), for giving me the opportunity to stand on its ticket. Let me also take this opportunity to thank my party leadership, starting from the President, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, who has led the party from strength to strength from twenty two Members of Parliament to twenty eight. We are on the rise despite being in a hostile political environment. Together with him, we will continue going forward in providing checks and balances on the Ruling Party and creating an alternative Government platform for Zambians. This is the role of an opposition political party in a democratic dispensation that we chose for ourselves, as Zambians, in 1991, in case some people have forgotten, are not aware or are simply pretending to have forgotten.

Mr Speaker, above everything else, I thank the Almighty God for the opportunity he has given me to serve others. Allow me also to pay tribute to those who have served as hon. Members for the great Bweengwa Constituency, starting from the first hon. Member of Parliament, Mr Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula, from 1964 to 1978; Mr Amon Rex Natala, from 1978 to 1988; the elegant Dr Elimelech Hanakumbo Bulowa Mwanang’onze, from 1988 to 1991; the great Baldwin Mwanakumabu Nkumbula, from 1991 to 1995; Edgar Nalukombo Keembe, from 1995 to 2001; and Japhet Chibulo Moonde, from 2001 to 2006. I thank them for serving the people of Bweengwa with honour and dignity.

Mr Speaker, allow me now to address some of the pressing issues in my constituency, one of which is the outstanding 71 km Monze/Niko Road. The Monze/Niko Road is an outstanding project from the rule of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) and MMD and I am happy that most or some of the leaders in the PF were in these Governments. This important road passes through Namwala, Itezhi-tezhi, Bweengwa and Monze Central.

Mr Speaker, the volume of traffic on this road is so heavy that the gravel cannot sustain it. What we need there is a tarmac and I hope this Government will look at this issue, especially His Honour the Vice-President, who was in this House remembers the road from when the late Baldwin Nkumbula was here and told him that it needed to be tarred.

Secondly, Mr Speaker, the feeder roads in my constituency are in a deplorable state and this is common in most constituencies represented by hon. Members here. We need to find a formula to fix the feeder roads in the country. Later, I will suggest what we can do to address this problem.

Mr Speaker, I bring to the attention of the Government the issue of the Lochnivar National Park which is located in Bweengwa. This park has been neglected for many years despite being very unique and rich in fauna and flora and boasting a large population of endemic species like the Kafue Lechwe and the highest concentration of bird species in the country, hence the name, ‘the bird watcher’s paradise’. Something should be done to make this national asset viable as a tourist destination so that jobs can be created for the people.

The other challenge in my constituency is the need to extend the electricity power line along the Monze/Niko Road. This corridor is economically active, but lacks power to spur greater economic activity. The previous Government must be given some credit for extending the power line from Monze to Nteme. What remains is for us to pull the line from Nteme to Niko through Mbeza. I hope this Government will not fail the people of Bweengwa on this matter. If it does, I will easily retain the seat like I have done in the last two elections.

Mr Speaker, let me, now, talk about the gypsum mine in Lochnivar National Park. I understand that we import gypsum from a neighbouring country when we have it in Lochnivar and elsewhere in the country. There is a mine called Nabombe where we can get our own gypsum from and supply to the various industries that need it. Those who hold rights to this mine must be asked to surrender them so that we can find more serious investors to mine this resource and create jobs for the people.

Mr Speaker, allow me, now, to turn to the President’s Address to this House. In the area of socio-economic affairs, the President observes that the recently pronounced economic growth characterised by the classification of Zambia as a lower-middle income country is meaningless if it has a limited impact on poverty reduction amongst our people. He goes further to say that his Government has a challenge to improve the lives of our people, especially those in rural areas. This statement is not new as every other past President has said this, but no tangible and effective policy measures have been put in place to remedy the situation. I hope measures will be brought before us to address this anomaly in our country once and for all. 

Mr Speaker, the second issue the President touched on was that of the National Budget. The President made indications, especially on the expenditure side of the Budget, but he did not address the other side, which is more important, and that is the revenue side. I think the President was supposed to set the tone on the ambitions of this Government to raise enough revenue to finance this Budget. As the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) put it after his Address, what was loudest was his silence on windfall tax. It is very strange that the President could not say anything about the windfall tax when this was a topical issue during the campaigns. I remember, and the records are there, that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government promised that the windfall tax would be restored.

Mr Speaker, in the short run, the greatest elasticity to raise revenue to finance our Budget lies in mining taxation. Of course, we can look for other means in future. For now, what is feasible is the mining taxation. We are lucky that we are enjoying high metal prices on the world market. If we do not get the money from mining taxation, we will not be able to achieve those ambitious pronouncements that the President has put on the table.

Mr Chikwanda interjected.

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, what we are saying is that at least when there are high metal prices, we should be able to capture that either through high mineral royalties or the sharing of that windfall revenue. Of course, when the prices are below a certain threshold, we can suffer together with the mining companies but, when there is a windfall, we must also feel the taste of that windfall. So, this is a particular window of opportunity we can take advantage of. This window can evaporate and we will remain licking our wounds for not having got an enough chunk of this money so as to help diversify our economy. So, this is a special window and, therefore, a blessing that we must take advantage of.

Mr Speaker, in the area of education, the President was not very ambitious on this issue. I think ambition must be set out from the throne when the President comes to this House. One of the problems that we have in this country is that we are not ambitious and, therefore, we cannot transform the country with this kind of approach. The laissez-faire approach cannot really make any significant change in national development.

The provision of education in this country cannot be comprised. This country needs free education from Grade 1 up to university. Sir, it must be understood by everyone that education is one of the most important social services that must be availed to every Zambian because it is through education that we can create an enlightened population. Education is the most empowering factor that can lift our population from poverty more effectively and sustainably. Therefore, access to education by every Zambian should be a right. For that right to be actualised, education must free.

Most of us in this House must thank the United National Independence Party (UNIP) Government for making the right decision to give free education because the son of a farmer, a miner in Chipulukusu or a domestic worker in Kalikiliki was enabled to come to this House. I am a son of a farmer and if it was not for the free education in the UNIP era, I was not going to be where I am today. Every Zambian child must be given the same opportunity to have the highest possible achievement that they can.

Mr Speaker, if you are following the events around the world, you will have heard of the issue of the occupation of Wall Street. People are rising against corporate executives and politicians who have connived with corporate organisations to deny people services. This will come to Africa very soon. The divide between those connected to government and the poor people is becoming wider. All of us here can afford to take our children to the best schools. Our children are better off than the children of those people in the compounds who voted for us. I, therefore, repeat that education must be free from Grade 1 to university. If it means hon. Ministers going back to driving Toyota Camrys like during the UNIP regime, they must do that.

Mr D. Mwila interjected.

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, a Toyota GX today costs about US$100,000 and a Toyota Hilux double cab is about US$36,000. If, for example, the current hon. ministers can down scale to the lower version of vehicles, we can save at least K30 billion just on the purchase of vehicles at one point.

Mr Kambwili interjected.

Mr Hamududu: I have no problem with that. If you want to drive the latest Mercedes Benz, go to the bank and borrow money, but do not use taxpayers’ money to drive very expensive vehicles. Even hon. Members of Parliament should go to the bank and borrow and pay back.

Interruptions

Mr Hamududu: Yeah, drive it and put a flag there even it is your personal vehicle.

Laughter

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, I want to wind up by touching on a few issues. First of all is the issue of local government. I want to say that we are all agreed that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) must be increased to K5 billion per constituency. This fund is a means of fiscal decentralisation. Can you imagine what would happen if K5 billion was allocated to a constituency like Kafue as CDF. The constituency would be able to buy its own grader, borehole drilling machine and give money to women and youth clubs through CDF. Therefore, CDF is the most effective way of empowering our people across the whole country, including in Pambashe.

I want to tell you that the current Budget is about K20.5 trillion. If we gave K5 billion to each constituency, the hon. Minister of Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection would be the most popular hon. Minister in this House. If we multiply K5 billion to each constituency by 150 constituencies, the total is K750 billion. That is only a 2.7 per cent of the Budget, if that was done this year. This is a very small percentage of the National Budget that can change the face of this country.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, the CDF is an empowerment fund. With CDF, a hon. Member of Parliament can actually categorise the expenditure by saying that K3 billion is for infrastructure such as the rehabilitation of schools and clinics, K1 billion for women empowerment and K1 billion for youths. The whole country can be busy and working.

Mr Speaker, the problem of a unitary State is that all the money is concentrated in the capital. Unfortunately, I am a believer of a federal kind of government where money goes to provinces and people begin to plan where people are. Our centralised type of government is retrogressive. If we gave this amount of money to constituencies under the CDF, we will help to take the money where people are. I can give you an example of Monze which has three constituencies. If we gave K5 billion CDF to each constituency, we will be sending K15 billion to Monze district. What is the impact of this on the hardware shops of those struggling small business people? What would be the impact on the mending of bridges and repairing clinics in the area?

Mr Speaker, even with the K700 million CDF that I was given this year, my campaign was so easy. When I went to campaign near a school, people just used to point at the projects that were done with the CDF such as teachers’ houses. Therefore, there was no need for me to say anything for them to vote for me. What I did was that I said in the five years of my previous mandate, the CDF would only be spent on clinics, schools and roads. I am telling you, that little money has made a big impact in Bweengwa Constituency than the central Government funding. Therefore, if the CDF is increased to K5 billion, we can change our country.

Mr Speaker, today, if you contract a company from Lusaka to drill a borehole, you would be charged about K25 million to K30 million. This is how much these companies charge to sink a borehole, and yet a borehole is a very simple thing. If we have our own borehole drilling machines in our districts, we can drill as many boreholes as possible because a borehole would cost something like K10 million, that is for pipes and everything else that is required. 
 

Mr Speaker, the next step to be taken by the Hon. Minister of Finance and national Development, after reducing the cost of doing business, is to increase the CDF to K5 billion, come this budget, which is 2.7 per cent only. Kenyans have done that. They are at US$1 million which has made it possible for them to change the face of the country. If you allocated K10 billion to Luanshya, you will even come back to this House instead of going away.

Laughter

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, finally, let me now talk about national unity. Any new Government, let us say in Africa where there is so much poverty brings, along a lot of excitement. During that excitement, some people begin to go beyond their rights and infringe on the rights of others. It is the duty of the President and his team to stop those excesses. You are not the first new Government. In 1991, what you are doing was also done. The excessive excitement was not good such that it even led to the formation of the Caucus for National Unity within the MMD. They were even fights at the National Assembly Motel. Please, provide leadership because this country is for all of us.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, today, we are just at the eve of the death of Gaddafi. Despite him being a strong man, the people in Libya reached a time where they said enough is enough. The minority can rise.

Mr Muntanga: Yes.

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, let us unite the country because there is no one stronger than the others. I am just giving you advice which you should listen to. I do not know what is wrong with being in Government. The moment people are in Government, they stop listening to others.

Laughter

Mr Hamududu: Mr Speaker, I want to encourage my brother, Colonel Kaunda, to continue with the work of the Zambian Peoples Pact because it is the people’s forum. That time it was on the MMD and now it must be on the PF.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamududu: If you do not do that, you will have betrayed the people. We must check these excesses. We cannot give you a blank cheque because you are not angels.

Laughter

Mr Hamududu: That is why we will continue criticising you from day one right from the first minute because it is our duty to do so. Please, be ready for us the critics. For now, I am a bit soft.

Interruptions

Mr Hamududu: Your Honour the Vice-President, we are ready for you. Please, can you provide leadership? The Civil Service must be depoliticised. You should not just remove the MMD cadres and replace them with PF cadres in the Civil Service. The President dissolved the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO), appointed a Managing Director (MD) and then he fired the directors without the board. What corporate governance is that?

Interruptions

Mr Hamududu: Zambia is for all Zambians. With these few words, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima (Ikeleng’i): Mr Speaker, for those who do not know where Ikeleng’i is, let me take this opportunity to tell them that it is formerly Mwinilunga West. It shares the border with Angola and Congo.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to add my voice to that of the many that have spoken before me on the important speech given by His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, at the Official Opening of the first session of the Eleventh National Assembly on 14th October, 2011. May I take this occasion also to congratulate our Republican President on wining the 2011 Presidential Elections. May I also extend my congratulations to you Mr Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to those important positions. I wish to also applaud my fellow hon. Members of Parliament, both new and returning ones, for winning their prestigious respective seats that ushered them into the august House.

Mr Speaker, my colleagues seated on the Back Bench on your right should not be debating like hon. Ministers. Being an hon. Member of Parliament is all about lobbying. If you maintain the stance that you have taken, you will be shocked in 2016.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, we should be bold enough to interact with the Government of the day. It is not made up of people who are different from us on this side. I know what I am talking about.

Hon. Government Members: Address the Chair.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, we are here for serious business. Before I delve into analysing the speech by the President, let me take this opportunity to also commend the Zambian people for taking a bold step to uphold the legitimacy of our democracy. I also wish to thank the people of Mwinilunga and Ikeleng’i districts who upheld democracy by electing the MMD Member of Parliament speaking right now.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, I will not fail them. I greatly appreciate their deeds. I also appreciate the former President for recognising that there was need to create another district called Ikeleng’i. I also appreciate President Sata regarding his plans to create a new province.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, it is my wish that the new districts will receive the same attention as the old ones. The MMD had an agenda for Mafinga and Ikeleng’i districts. I hope this Government will not push that agenda aside. The MMD Government was a serious Government, …

Hon. MMD Member: Tell them.

Mr Muchima: … as can be seen from the quality of the hon. Ministers it had … 
 
Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr C. Mulenga: Ninshi mwaponene nga ni quality.

Mr Muchima: … and how the former Vice-President was responding to questions.

Mr Kunda, SC.: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, the people of Zambia will be comparing the work of the PF against that of the MMD.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima drank some water.

Laughter

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, it is good that we are here for serious business. We need to be serious about the way we stand up and respond to the questions being asked by the Zambian people. We left a big boot which requires a proper foot to fit in. If you will be mediocre, you will be dealt with in 2016.

Interruptions

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, the level at which our democracy has reached is not a mean achievement. The countries surrounding us are admiring us. We should treasure our democracy. We have shown the world that we have a credible democracy which we are able to manage by ourselves. Indeed, my colleagues on the other side should not take our democracy as a simple matter. They should not harass their fellow Zambians. God is watching them.

Hon. Government Members: God is also watching you.

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, this democracy  …

Mr Muchima drank  some water.

Laughter

Mr Muchima: Do not be jealous, just drink your water.

Laughter

Mr Muchima:  Mr Speaker, the level at which our democracy has reached was not an easy task to achieve. During the elections, Zambia proved the world wrong and demonstrated that she can rise above the autocratic politics which have infiltrated the African Continent.

Mr Speaker, let me also hasten to mention that this legacy could not have been achieved without the great leadership demonstrated by Zambia’s fourth President, His Excellency Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, and our party the MMD.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, we conceded defeat and handed over power to our brothers and sisters in the Opposition. I also wish to congratulate my brothers on the right on the rare patience exhibited over the last ten years …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: … sitting on the sidelines before taking up this enormous task of leadership.

People like GBM (Hon. Mwamba) should take the role they play in the governance of this country seriously.

Laughter

Mr Muchima: Mr Speaker, through you, let me borrow from the great book of wisdom which states that “Before you remove the speck in your brother’s eye, look at the rock in your own eye.” When my party was in government, in the eyes of our colleagues, now on your right, the MMD had the biggest rock that required removing. Now the tables have turned, the PF Government has the opportunity to remove their own rocks while taking into account the great expectations which it evoked among the Zambian people during the campaigns.

Interruptions

Mr Muchima: We heard you talk a lot about the mistakes which you saw us make. Hon. Kambwili, we heard you talking a lot and our memories are still fresh.

Mr Kapeya interjected.

Mr Muchima: The people of Zambia are watching and want to see the real change that has come to Zambia. As we have already seen, it is easier said than done.

Mr Speaker, let me talk about the development projects for the newly-established Ikeleng’i District. I wish to commend the President for talking about the Kabompo/Mwinilunga Road in his speech. He, however, completely ignored the T5 Road connecting Zambia and Angola. I hope that this was just an error and that the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication is cognisant of the importance of that road. We would like the hon. Minister to start touring the country. Let him start with the North-Western Province, bearing in mind its terrain and that it is already raining heavily in that part of the country. I recall the Republican President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, when he visited Mwinilunga and Ikeleng’i districts promising the people that when he assumed power, he would tar the Mwinilunga/Jimbe Road, which is a T5 international road, connecting Zambia with Angola.

This road is very critical in opening up our country to trade with our Angolan counterparts. This is especially so in light of the recent pronouncements regarding our plans to source some of our petroleum products from Angola. Closely tied to this is the once much talked about railway connection to Angola through Jimbe. The economic benefits to be drawn from such infrastructure cannot be overemphasised and requires the Government’s deliberate resolve and commitment.

Mr Speaker, the President also pledged to connect the Mwinilunga and Ikeleng’i districts to the National Electricity Grid. These projects were already planned for by the MMD Government. I recall that our newly elected President pledged to continue with the development projects which were started under the previous regime before embarking on new projects. In holding the new Government accountable, the people of Mwinilunga and Ikeleng’i would like to see these projects fully implemented in the shortest possible time, if anything, in ninety days.

Mr Speaker, you will note that the whole North-Western Province, with the exception of Solwezi and Kasempa, is supplied by diesel power generators, which are very expensive sources of power. This is despite the region being greatly endowed with hydropower potential which is yet to be tapped from the the Chikata Falls in Kabompo, the Chavuma Falls in Chavuma and Muzhila and Kakoba Kane falls in Mwinilunga District.

When my brother, Hon. Konga, was Minister of Energy and Water Development, he really worked on these projects. He left work in progress. I am glad that my other hon. Colleague who has taken over the running of the ministry will continue with the programmes of the MMD Government.

The PF Government is on record of having called for a reduction in Government expenditure by reducing the number of Cabinet portfolios, among other things. This principle could also be extended to the electricity sub-sector by phasing out diesel powered generation and developing hydropower generation.

The presidential policy direction which was provided in the speech is well appreciated. However, the onus is on the hon. Ministers to turn the pronouncements into reality. I, therefore, implore the Ministry of Lands, Energy and Water Development to seriously look at the power generation issue. I also wish to urge the Vice-President to be serious when talking about the projects which the Zambian Government is involved in.

Mr Speaker, contrary to the views of some hon. Members of the Ruling Party who would wish to concentrate development projects in the PF strongholds, our democratic rule of law demands that there is equal distribution of wealth to all the parts of the country without discrimination.

Interruptions{mospagebreak}

Mr Muchima: This point was also emphasised by the President in his Speech. Surprisingly, some hon. Members here are going contrary to that rule of democracy. I, therefore, do not know how we are going to work.

Mr Speaker, it is shameful to support such discriminatory tendencies. Such disruptive views would not only destroy our growing democracy, but also contradict the rule of law which our President and, indeed, ourselves pledge our allegiance to uphold.

Mr Speaker, the MMD set an exemplary precedence by spreading development projects throughout the country without exception. Most of these projects are still on going and we are confident that the PF Government will uphold democratic principles and ensure that the projects continue. The projects should be completed to the expectation of the people. The Zambian people are not interested in knowing where the money comes from, but in the Government delivering on its promises.

Lastly, I note, with concern, that the President did not talk about the minimum wage in relation to the cost of production. Zambia does not need a situation where automated machines take up the jobs of manual labour. We want the PF Government to come up with clear policies for managing this dilemma.

In conclusion, I wish to commend our Republican President for his emphatic resolve to provide a better life for all Zambians regardless of their ethnic or political affiliation. This is the spirit upon which our democracy should be based just as my colleague, Hon. Hamududu, said. When all is said and done, we must forge ahead in unity for the betterment of our country. The MMD shall be close at hand to provide constructive criticism to help remind and steer our PF brothers towards the promises made in the various pronouncements which were made during the election campaigns as well as in the Presidential Speech.

Mr Speaker, those who think that the MMD will come back to power are not dreaming. Among us, hon. Members of Parliament, are some people who were on recess for five years. Today, they are back.

Mr Muntanga: Recess!

Mr Muchima: Such hon. Members include the hon. Minister of Home Affairs as well as Hon. Nkandu Luo and my brother, Hon. Sichinga. Let me take this opportunity to tell you that the MMD is not sleeping.

Mr Nkombo interjected.

Mr Muchima: We are in pain because we lost power. We want to take advantage of the mistakes of our colleagues so that we can come back to power. We are busy reorganising ourselves. You can even see the leadership – congratulations Hon. Mutati.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muchima: We are bringing in new blood so that we can come back and continue developing the country. Zambians are interested in the peace and infrastructure development. It does not matter that certain infrastructure was constructed during elections. The most important thing is that the ultimate beneficiaries are the Zambians. We need to create a proper legacy for ourselves.

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

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa (Solwezi Central): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my very first Maiden Speech.

Sir, I bring hearty congratulations from the people of Solwezi Central to the Republican President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election victory. I also wish to congratulate you on your election to that position. I congratulate the hon. Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House. I sincerely would like to thank my family and all those who made it possible for me to come to Parliament. I would be failing in my duties if I did not mention the contribution of the late Mr Benny Tetamashimba. I relied greatly on the campaign machinery that he left behind for me to come to Parliament.

Mr Speaker, in four days’ time, Zambia will remain with only three years before turning fifty years old as a nation. This calls for reflection on how we have performed against the promises that we have been giving our people, from time to time, for the last forty-seven years. The position of underdevelopment in which we find ourselves, today, is a reflection of our performance against previously set goals since independence. There is a need for this generation of leadership to give a gift to posterity. A gift we can give to posterity is the transformation of our country from a poor State characterised by a mono-product economy and merely known for copper mining into a private sector-led upper middle-income country built around eight pillars, namely:

(i) suitable economic and social infrastructure;

(ii) mining activities with local beneficiation and wealth retention;

(iii) sustainable agriculture with a developed agro-processing industry;

(iv) tourism activities with local beneficiation and wealth retention;

(v) enhanced participation in the economic value chain of our base products;

(vi) developed financial services that should underwrite participation of our citizens in the economic activities within our borders and beyond;

(vii) sustainable strategies for youth revitalisation; and

(viii) revitalised efficiencies in our education and health system to produce generations of well-trained, healthy and competitive human capital and middle class consumer groups to achieve the above.

Together, Mr Speaker, we should be committed to achieving the above because this will represent a decent legacy of this generation of leaders.

Mr Speaker, while celebrating our political successes, we should be more mindful of the challenges that Zambian people still face and which have slowed our progress towards the achievement of the desired goals. Acceptance and acknowledgement of our previous mistakes and the challenges our people face is the foundation for successful future policy formulation. The nature of our challenges also needs to be seen in the successes of other nations. We need to closely examine the successes of those nations which, at the time of our independence, were on a par or ranked way below us.

Mr Speaker, why are we this far when, at independence, our gross domestic product (GDP) was equal to that of South Korea and Malaysia? Yet, today, these countries are industrialised while we struggle to attain middle income status that comes with real values of such status. What can we learn from this fact and many other examples of success? China lifted 150 million people from abject poverty over a period of fifty years and, today, is the second biggest economy in the world. What underlines this phenomenal achievement? What lessons can we draw from the successes of China? What are we not doing right?

In commenting on the various promises contained in the President’s Speech, I have this to observe. We have 45 per cent of the fresh water endowment in the sub-region, and yet our taps run dry throughout the country. We have a rich mineral resource endowment, and yet benefits to the nation are below optimum. We do not even have and have never had a single Zambian mining magnet. We have enjoyed unprecedented peace, and yet we have not achieved unity of purpose. We have a strong and dedicated domestic consumer base, but we have not managed to grow our industrial base to feed our domestic consumption. We have a highly trained human capital, but innovation is non-existent. We have crafted some of the best policies any developing nation should use to achieve development, and yet unemployment remains high.

Sir, the lack of access to finance for entrepreneurship remains a conspicuous characteristic of our economy. Poverty as a consequence of these negative factors remains permanently enshrined in our midst. We have allowed education, a universal remedy to underdevelopment, to become a commodity only afforded by a few. We are a loving and caring people, and yet our family values are crumbling and beloved children are becoming street children in our midst. Physically challenged members of our society are faced with unbelievable challenges on a daily basis. Our retirees enter a life of misery due to delayed terminal benefit payment and, in most cases, no payment at all. Our youths are not absorbed in the formal sector as fast as they graduate into employable status. All these negative attributes about us are fast developing in my constituency, Solwezi Central, where mining activities are growing in intensity without any corresponding strategies to create a modern sustainable town using lessons from the Copperbelt where ghost towns developed within weeks of mining closures.

I do know that Solwezi Central Constituency is badly sought after by the PF Party as it provides them with an opportunity to enter the North-Western Province. You have an opportunity to do so by announcing a comprehensive strategy to get the town out of its present status of being a big one-street shanty township without a modern sewerage and water reticulation system that matches a rapidly growing population. The PF should show us what it is made of in Solwezi. Solwezi provides it with an opportunity to prove its capacity to deliver from a greenfield project.

Mr Speaker, I would like to request all the ministries to create a task force to show that what the United National Independence Party (UNIP) and the MMD would not do on the Copperbelt, you can do in Solwezi by creating a modern sustainable city which will remain prosperous beyond the lifespan of the mines. For example, gold was last mined in Johannesburg fifty years ago. Today, the city is the commercial and industrial centre of Africa with a GDP bigger than most African countries’ GDPs, including that of Zambia.

Mr Speaker, what is happening to Solwezi is a crime against humanity. First Quantum Minerals Limited, which owns Kansanshi Mine Plc, within my constituency, contributes K7.5 billion to our Treasury every day. Over the last five years, since 2006, the miners contributed K6.5 trillion to the fiscus. Despite that, Solwezi never saw its only hospital rehabilitated by the Government, its only one original high school taken care of nor its one urban clinic upgraded. The Chingola/Solwezi Road, which delivers the K7.5 billion daily contribution to the fiscus, did not even deserve Presidential mention. This is sad. I must mention, here, that, almost on a daily basis, there is a fatal road accident on that road. Two years ago, Hon. Bob Sichinga lost his son on the said road because of its poor state.

Mr Speaker, children in my constituency attend schools that cannot give anybody hope of a better life amidst mineral riches. Women in the rural outskirts of Solwezi die while being transported on bicycles to rural health centres to give birth because these centres are far apart.

Hon. PF Members: Shame.

Mr Mulusa: Yes, it is a shame. This is not a campaign speech. These are facts on where you must deliver. When a mine within cycling distance contributes K7.5 billion to the fiscus everyday, Solwezi receives nothing. My people have been let down for too long and I urge the PF Government to hasten development. 
My people are anxious to receive the benefits of hosting a mine in their constituency. One most important element to achieve economic development is that local people must be major participants in the economic processes that bring about economic growth. Although foreigners can be, and inevitably are involved as well, they should not be the whole story. Participation in the process of development implies participation in the enjoyment of the benefits of development as well as their production. If growth only benefits a tiny wealthy minority, whether domestic or foreign, it is not development at all.

Mr Speaker, all of this calls for real reflection. The next three years, before our nation turns fifty, are a time for collective reflection. It is also a time to refocus collective efforts, resources and time for a new paradigm. It is time to implement policies that are dispassionately crafted with productive outputs and measurable outcomes that are strategically linked to our aspirations. It is time to implement these policies accompanied by strengthened monitoring and evaluation tools to underwrite tangible outputs. It is time to ensure that those policies work for the good of our nation. It is also time to ensure that these policies are our own because we are the ones who are in touch with the challenges that we wish to overcome.

Mr Speaker, as regards elections and parliamentary affairs, while the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner, ...

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Mr Mulusa: … the violence that followed, perpetuated by the PF members, was unfortunate, …

Interruptions

Mr Mulusa: … especially that the leadership took no initiative to either condemn or stop it.

Mr M. B. Mwale: Yah, bwekeshapo.

Mr Mulusa: We risk enshrining violence as a permanent feature of our future elections. We, in the MMD, did not stand up either to protect our people against the harassment they faced.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa: Mr Speaker, as regards Floor crossing, we, the MMD are at a loss regarding members who crossed the Floor and what the consequences should be. We started this practice and benefited from it greatly. Today, we are at the receiving end.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa: Parliament needs to take leadership on this practice. We campaign on the political platform of various political parties or, indeed, as independent candidates and are elected based on the messages that we tell our electorates. They vote accordingly, but shortly thereafter, we do not think twice to change our positions throwing our promises to our electorate to the wind. Apart from cheating our electorate, we defeat the ends of democracy.

Mr Speaker, at the moment, petitions are being filed right, left and centre with a view to the Ruling Party to gaining as many seats as possible.

Interruptions

Mr Mulusa: We should be reminded here of the need to let the political landscape remain the way it is. We are the envy of Africa due to our seemingly mature political disposition. Since we are now receiving sovereign credit rating, our political disposition speaks volumes in terms of bringing down political risk premium related to the cost of borrowing from both the domestic and foreign capital and financial markets. Our ability to change governments peacefully can underwrite goodwill that can quickly make our country a preferred destination for foreign capital that is looking for stable political and predictable policy environments for destinations of capital flows.

The PF seems not to appreciate this position and neither does it know how to realise the numerous benefits that can come with our political achievements. Wanton harassment of Opposition members, including unnecessary petitions, will send wrong signals to those who now believe in our political maturity.

Interruptions

Mr Mulusa: Mr Speaker, with our current political disposition, we also stand a good chance of maturing our financial sector so that it has a depth of reach and broadens its portfolio base. Currently, foreign capital inflow is mostly in the form of equity investment. Unless our domestic market grows other forms of capital inflows such as cash, local corporate bonds, sovereign and sub-sovereign bonds, including export credit guarantee facilities, we will not grow our funding options for infrastructure and industrial development needed to create employment opportunities that should assist us reduce incidences of poverty in our country.

Instead of starting a widespread exercise to nullify election results, we can look at the positive side of our Parliament and use it to let the world gain confidence in our economy and help the Government earn confirmation of policy relevance. The decision by the PF to simply petition all the seats it lost is an indication that it does not understand what to do with this victory.

Interruptions

Mr Mulusa: The PF’s immediate reaction is to just want more of it, but then God is great. You have refused to thank the Lord for this gift and you want more. The PF wants more seats in Parliament through petitions instead of getting to work as soon as possible.

Interruptions

Mr Mulusa: Let me warn you, the PF, for not being thankful to the Lord and being greedy. President Kaunda served for twenty-seven years, President Chiluba for ten years, President Mwanawasa, SC. for seven years and President Banda for three years. I wonder how long you are going to serve.

Laughter

Mr Mulusa: Mr Speaker, on national development, the President spoke extensively on the national development agenda, but there is no discernible development strategy. There is a need for the PF Government to craft an accelerated shared growth strategy for meaningful economic growth which will be the unifying strategy for all the pronouncements contained in the Presidential Address. This will also assist the nation to determine how realistic the ninety-day target is.

 Mr Speaker, in order to deal with challenges of inadequate social and economic infrastructure, unemployment and poverty, the Government needs to start by identifying binding constraints to achieving accelerated shared growth for our country. This will enable the Government embark on an ambitious development strategy that will involve identification and harnessing of new drivers for economic growth. These strategies are already reflected in the general theme of the mandates of the Development Bank of Zambia (DBZ), the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) and the Citizens’ Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC). Specifically, the ZDA and the CEEC can assist transform Zambia using a five-pronged approach.

Mr Speaker, to ensure that this happens in the way it is hoped, certain measures need to be put in place. We need to ban the importation of second hand cars to stimulate the development of the domestic car industry and bring back companies such as Livingstone Car Assemblers.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa: Mr Speaker, in other manufacturing sectors, we need to reconsider the importation of second hand products such as clothes popularly known as salaula in order to recreate our textile industry and promote agriculture crops such as cotton. This will create a multiplicity of job opportunities. We need to reconsider the importation of second hand car tyres in order to bring back companies such as Dunlop.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa: We have enough internal demand to achieve this. To re-establish our industrial base, the financial sector needs to identify with the strategic direction as a matter of urgency and play the critical role of providing finance for entrepreneurial development. Keeping interest rates unbelievably high and failing to complement the Government’s fiscal achievement of bringing down the inflation rate to single digits will stall or reverse strides made to achieve shared economic growth. This is the way to do things, PF. You do not start by announcing targets without dealing with your binding constraints and identifying growth drivers within a broad development strategy, which you do not have.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulusa: For instance, how do you hope to create employment opportunities without first growing your energy headroom to attract and accommodate new industries? How do you create new industries without ensuring that access to capital is increased and tenure of funding is suitable to achieve long-term and affordable funding? How do you hope to achieve local entrepreneurial participation without pronounced strategies to deal with the lack of entrepreneurial culture? Lastly, how do we hope to grow micro, small and medium enterprises when we do not even talk of the use of incubation programmes?

Mr Speaker, due to the time constraint, I will comment on the national Budget. As Zambia’s economy becomes more integrated into the world economy, policy formulation should become more dynamic and complex, calling for care and caution. More than ever, it should become important that fiscal policy supports stable long-term investment. This means our fiscal policy being countercyclical in nature through state-driven capital expenditure programmes. This will mean creating employment in times of recession using savings built up in good years. There are many other policies to a successful economic growth and development strategy. Direct Government intervention in the economy should be encouraged and this should be in the form of complementing private sector initiatives.

Mr Speaker, the Budget must ensure that there are no gaps between our annual Budget objectives, the objectives of our five-year national development plans and the Vision 2030 destination assuming that this still fits in well with the development strategy of the PF Government which we are yet to see.

Mr Speaker, the Budget must contain solutions which are our own because we are the ones who are in touch with the challenges we wish to solve.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for affording me this opportunity to address this august House. In the same breath, I would like to congratulate you, the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House and, indeed, the Republican President, on your successful elections.

Sir, I recognise, with gratitude, the fruitful orientation exercise conducted by the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff, especially for us first termers. I pledge to observe the etiquette and decorum of this House at all times.

Mr Speaker, I feel humbled and honoured by the confidence the people of Namwala have reposed in me. This time around, the people of Namwala raised their voices and made a decisive choice to be represented adequately in this House. I am aware that the responsibility placed on me is enormous and the electorate of Namwala has bound me morally.  Henceforth, I shall deliver according to their expectations.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, I also wish to extend my profound gratitude to all those who played a role in my adoption and election, especially my family and premier opposition party, UPND, and our leader, Mr Hakainde Hichilema.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, having travelled around Zambia, I have seen that the challenges faced by the community are uniform. They all relate to education, agriculture and infrastructure. In short, most of them have already been highlighted by the previous speakers. It is now time for us to put the elections behind. The people of Zambia have entrusted us with the responsibility to serve them with diligence, honesty and integrity.

Sir, as an opposition Member of Parliament representing a premier opposition party, I shall share the view that we are an essential group of Government, looking after public interests through constructive control and criticism of Government actions. We should, therefore, engage in constructive and mutual debate by putting the country first. We do not deserve to be called hon. Members of Parliament if we fail to deliver to our masters who elected us.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: We need to collaborate and devote our energies towards recovery of the economy, fighting corruption and other social anti-governance upheavals with great courage. Through this process, we shall win the hearts of our masters, the people we represent.

Mr Speaker, it is now time to challenge ourselves and create a common vision and effort. Let us put Zambia ahead of our agenda and face the challenges that stifle our potential. Zambians have great expectations. At the end of five years, all hon. Members of Parliament should evaluate themselves to see if they will have served the people of Zambia with honesty and integrity.

Sir, the President made several pronouncements in his Speech which would redeem Zambia from its socio-economic challenges. We are all aware that the majority of our people, particularly women, live in grinding poverty. I believe that all Zambians are shareholders of this country. As such, we must work together towards the advancement of our nation.

Mr Speaker, the President mentioned the need to create more job opportunities. I believe that it is a duty of the PF Government to create employment opportunities for many Zambians out there. The task of job creation is a very serious business, particularly for the youths of Namwala who feel let down by the immediate past Government. They never enjoyed anything from the Youth Empowerment Fund. We owe our presence in this House mainly to the youths and women who cast their votes.

Sir, with regard to infrastructure, it is common knowledge that good infrastructure is a prerequisite to development. The Republican President, in his Speech, made pronouncements of constructing various road networks, especially in the Northern parts of the country. Indeed, road rehabilitation is very important as it links people to a lot of opportunities. Namwala is a rural constituency. I agree that the road network is very important for the development of the rural communities as it links them to agricultural market opportunities.

Mr Speaker, during his campaign trail, the Republican President talked about the importance of the Monze/Niko Road which goes to Chief Muchila and links Muchila to Kalomo and Mapanza.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1045 hours until 1100 hours.

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, when business was suspended, I was saying that the Monze/Niko Road is very important to the people of Namwala. The people of Namwala are looking forward to having this road worked on. Unfortunately, the President did not mention this road in his Speech, and yet it was part of his campaign message.

Sir, as regards education, it plays a critical role in the development of any country. It is, therefore, important that the proposals that the President made in his Address are taken seriously. The whole education system needs a complete overhaul.

Mr Speaker, I feel that while it is important to have a critical review of the education system, it is necessary to create a sustainable industrial base that will absorb the youths who are graduating from colleges and universities. While I appreciate the President’s efforts to turn some of the colleges into universities, it is also necessary that the Government puts in place mechanisms to ensure that people graduating from those universities serve the people in those areas instead of coming to Lusaka in search of jobs. This will ensure that rural areas develop at the same pace with urban areas

Sir, regarding health, a healthy nation is the foundation on which any country is built. Namwala is a rural constituency with a population of about 101,000. Therefore, there is a need to accelerate the provision of health services and build capacity, especially in rural areas. No woman must die while bringing life into the world.

Mr Speaker, with regard to agriculture, Zambia is a rich country endowed with vast natural resources and good rainfall patterns. It is sad that forty-seven years after independence, the agricultural sector is still not maximised. Some of the employment challenges that our people are facing could be solved if the agriculture sector is exploited and well managed. Therefore, the Government needs to identify new areas of opportunities in the agriculture sector. We can have an indigenous Zambian ginnery in the agriculture sector and strengthen existing ones and revise old production sectors such as factories in rural areas. A good example is the pineapple processing plant in the North-Western Province.

Sir, Namwala Constituency is one of the high cotton producing areas with committed and dedicated cotton farmers in Chief Muchila’s area. Unfortunately, they have not been able to realise their full potential and have not benefitted from their labour. In most cases, they have remained poor because the eight foreign-owned ginneries in the country dictate selling prices to cotton farmers.

Mr Speaker, I would like to urge the ministries of Agriculture and Livestock ,and Commerce, Trade and Industry to explore means of increasing participation in the value chain of cotton production. This is because they can get lint, cooking oil, animal cake, gun powder, candles, to mention but a few, from cotton.

Hon. UPND Members: Yes!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, Zambia exports 200,000,000 kg of lint. The 300,000 small-scale cotton farmers in this country create a million jobs out there in the textile industry because the Zambian textile has gone to sleep.

Sir, in view of the aforementioned, it is the duty of the legislators of this august House to look at this industry in a critical manner and ensure that the FISP includes cotton production inputs.

Mr Speaker, the poor farmer in Chief Muchila’s area only enjoys the fruit of his produce when it comes back to him five years later as a second hand item of clothing, popularly known as salaula.

Sir, furthermore, there is also a need for the Food Reserve Agency to expedite payments to farmers to enable them prepare adequately for the forthcoming farming season.
Mr Speaker, this House has a lot of work to ensure that corruption is fought from all angles. I fully support President Sata’s concern that corruption poses a heavy burden on the conduct of business.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: As such, efforts to revise the country’s economy will remain a pipedream unless they are supported by stern and decisive action to eradicate the scourge of corruption which has now reached alarming levels. There should be no sacred cows seeking to hide behind the banner of their social positions or political affiliations.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, it is my hope that during the year, the aspirations of women will be well taken into consideration by the PF Government. Zambia has a good history of having more women who participated in the struggle for independence, and yet the number of women in strategic positions is small. This House should take a keen interest in the advancement of women in decision-making positions using the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union protocols. It would have given me joy if, at the time the Republican President was nominating the eight hon. Members of Parliament, he had nominated women but, unfortunately, he only nominated men. Even the two who were dropped were men.

Sir, there is also a need to domesticate regional and international instruments that Zambia has ratified and ensure that their provisions are enshrined in the new Constitution which will be ready within, if I am to borrow the words of the hon. Member of Parliament for Petauke, “the margin number of ninety days.”

Mr Speaker, particular attention should be paid to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and the African Union Protocol on Gender,  among others.

Mr Speaker, I strongly feel gender matters deserve to have full ministerial status with a full Cabinet Minister. I have noted, with keen interest, that Zambia is now lagging behind the rest of the SADC Region on gender equality measures, especially in decision making. It is sad that Zambia has been a pioneer in the region and now, we are the last at a time when regionally and internationally gender is treated as a key area of national development.

Sir, allow me to pay tribute to the gallant women candidates who participated in the just ended general elections. Although some of them are not here with us, their bravery and love to serve their country will inspire many other women and girls to get into politics.

Mr Speaker, Zambia is a very rich country with minerals. It is also on record of having been moved from least developed to middle income. Why is this the case? This is because Zambia has managed to benefit from the increasing copper prices at the global level. However, the President, in his Speech, on page 27, third paragraph, acknowledged the fact that Zambia has little to show in terms of contribution to infrastructure development and Government revenue.

Mr Speaker, it is in this vein that the windfall tax should be reintroduced so that the common man and woman is able to benefit from the mining sector. It is an open secret that this was a campaign issue for the Opposition, then PF and UPND.

Sir, last but not the least, hon. Members in this august House should protect our democracy. This means that we have to remain leaders of integrity, who are accountable to our core values and not move with the wind in search of jobs. We need a strong Opposition to provide checks and balances to the Government of the day.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to urge all hon. Members of Parliament to rekindle the spirit of national pride and self belief as we strive to build a strong united prosperous Zambia. Let us exert our full effort towards raising our country and its flag. We have only got one Zambia.

Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Namwala, I thank you.

Mr Sianga (Sesheke): Mr Speaker, firstly, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to deliver my Maiden Speech to this august House. Let me join my colleagues in congratulating the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election to this very important office. I also wish to join other hon. Members of Parliament in congratulating you, the hon. Deputy Speaker, the hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House and all hon. Members of Parliament on your election to this House.

Mr Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank the people of Sesheke whose vote was, indeed, an expression of hope and trust that I will represent their needs and aspirations in this House. I further thank my family, my mum, Elizabeth Tebuho Mwiya, my sister Iness Namukolo Mwauluka, my sons, daughters and my wife, Giveness Siamuche. It would not have been easy for me without them.

Mr Speaker, special thanks go to my own party, the UPND, the President of our party, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, for all the support I received from them during the campaign and adoption process.

Sir, I wish to thank all the candidates from the opposition parties for putting up a spirited fight. It was, indeed, a reflection that our democracy is gaining maturity in our Republic. 
 
Mr Speaker, may I now turn to the main issues affecting my Constituency. Sesheke Central, being a rural constituency and one of the less developed constituencies, is faced with a lot of problems. The soil in Sesheke is generally sandy and much of the rich soils have progressively lost their natural fertility mainly due to the current agricultural practices. This situation, therefore, has made it very difficult for the farmers to engage in productive farming. This problem has further been compounded by erratic rainfall patterns with incidences of either drought or heavy rains possibly due to the reported global warming.

Mr Speaker, related to the above problems is the issue of deforestation mainly due to the demand for wood used as fuel and timber. As you are well aware, Sesheke is the number one producer of timber. Despite it being the hive of timber production in the country, there are no forward and backward linkages that have been created by past regimes in the industry to increase the value of the products.

Mr Ndalamei: Bulela!

Mr Sianga: Mr Speaker, in this regard, I am pleased to note that in his Speech, His Excellency the President touched on these issues when he assured the House that his Government would not allow anything to be exported until an evaluation of the true value of such export is made.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: Mr Speaker, just like in most rural constituencies in the Western Province, infrastructure in Sesheke needs to be attended to, especially feeder roads, bridges, water supply, electricity or some other form of energy, as well as health and educational facilities which are either in bad shape or inadequate.

In the light of the foregoing highlighted infrastructural problems, let me mention specific projects that need immediate attention in Sesheke Central Constituency.

Mr Speaker, the construction of Sesheke/Namibia and Imusho Border Post has been an on-going project for sometime now. Despite the construction works reaching an advanced stage, there still remains some works to be completed for the border post to become fully functional such as the following:

(i) roads leading to and from the border post;

(ii) parking areas for trucks; and

(iii) fencing of the border post.

Mr Speaker, I would like to appeal to this action-oriented Government to expedite the completion of the Sesheke/Namibia Border Post as this is one of the most strategic import and export points that links Zambia to the outside world, thus making it a very important revenue collection point for the Government.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: Further, Mr Speaker, the border post is also one of the viable employers in the area.

Mr Speaker, Imusho Border Post needs to be electrified. There is also a need to put up water pumps or boreholes with tanks.

Mr Speaker, as you are aware, where there is a good road network, development follows naturally in the sense that there is fast movement of people and easy access to markets.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: Mr Speaker, the roads in Sesheke, as well as in other areas of the district, however, remain in a dilapidated state.

 In this regard, Mr Speaker, I am appealing to the new Government to complete the construction works on the Sesheke/Senanga Road …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: … and Maziba Bay Bridge which connects Sesheke to Senanga. I am also appealing to it to construct the Imusho/Sesheke and Sesheke/Luampungu Road as well as a shorter road from Sesheke via Sichili to Kaoma.

Mr Speaker, the construction of the above-mentioned road will open up Sesheke Central Constituency and its surrounding areas to investment opportunities, tourism and ultimately create employment for the local community and Zambia as a whole.

Mr Lubinda: In ninety days.

Mr Sianga: In ninety days, I would say.

Mr Speaker, the issue of good health facilities has long been neglected in Sesheke. Currently, the constituency only boasts of one hospital which cannot adequately cater for the health needs of the population. With a growing population in the constituency, there is a need, therefore, to upgrade Yeta Hospital to general hospital status and build some more hospitals and health centres closer to the people.

Mr Speaker, most of the schools in my constituency are below standard. For instance, most of the school structures at primary and secondary levels are still grass-thatched and lack adequate qualified teaching staff. Therefore, there is a need to build permanent up-to-standard school infrastructures and deploy more teaching staff to improve the delivery of education in the area.

Mr Speaker, the Government has to consider building a college or a trades training institute for skills development for the youths who, beyond secondary school, have no access to tertiary training opportunities. This will add to the human resource base of the constituency, …

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: … as it will no longer be dependent on imported trained personnel from other areas.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: Further, having an educated population will help alleviate poverty in our community by giving its members an opportunity to be employed and create employment for others by engaging in other entrepreneurial initiatives.

Mr Speaker, the issue of water and sanitation is still a sad story in my constituency as the majority of our people do not have access to clean and safe drinking water. The people in my constituency are attacked by crocodiles day in and day out.

Hon. UPND Member: The people are now being cropped.

Mr Sianga: They draw water from the river to cater for their needs.

Mr Speaker, I am, therefore, urging the current Government to look into this issue seriously within ninety days.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: In this regard, the Government needs to consider sinking more boreholes and explore the possibility of delivering piped water to the people. Water and sanitation are key to good health and a healthy population is key to national development.

I thank His Excellency for raising the issue of auditing the use of the CDF in the past. Mr Speaker, I would like to briefly touch on the issue of the CDF. The current ceiling of the CDF is too inadequate to bring development to any area. It would thus be prudent for the Government to consider increasing the fund to acceptable levels of about K5 billion.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: … and approving it in ninety days.

Mr Speaker, related to this is the issue of the Citizens’ Economic Empowerment Fund administered by the CEEC. I believe that very few vulnerable people have been able to access these funds due to the strict conditions thereto attached. For instance, most of the youths in my area have not been able to access these loans because they do not have any form of collateral that is usually needed by the commission to grant someone a loan. If this facility is meant for the poor and vulnerable Zambians, there is an urgent need, therefore, for the Government to consider revising the conditions attached to loan acquisition.

Speaking on behalf of my constituency, there is a need for the Ministries of Lands and Natural Resources and Local Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection to issue title deeds to land and property owners, especially the youths, so that they can use it as collateral to access business loans.

Mr Speaker, as regards communication in my area, I sometimes think that I live in Namibia and not Zambia because the only digital television we get to watch clearly is the Namibian one. There are no Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) or Parliament radio signals from the Zambian side. After forty-seven years of Independence, Sesheke still does not have the NBC signal for both radio and television. We believe that the PF Government is not a Government for the PF supporters only, but for all Zambians, thus development in this regard, should not be selective, …

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

Mr Sianga: … but taken to all areas where there is a need such as my constituency, Sesheke Central. 
Mr Speaker, I am appealing to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to come and open mines in the Western Province, particularly in Sesheke District. It is not fair to concentrate more on one side of Zambia. I am saying so because we are sharing the border with a country whose economy is better than ours because of the diamonds, copper, iron ores, oils and other minerals.

Mr Speaker, related to this problem is the issue of deforestation mainly due to demand for wood that is used as fuel and timber. As you are well aware, Sesheke is the number one producer of timber. Despite Sesheke being the hive of timber production in the country, there are no forward and backward linkages that have been created by past regimes in the industry to increase the value chain in the product. In this regard, I am pleased to note that His Excellency the President touched on this issue when he assured the House that the Government will not allow anything to be exported until an evaluation of the true value of such export is made.

In my constituency, there is a need to construct a modern market to enable free trading because my constituency shares borders with three countries.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: Mr Speaker, I just want to comment on the issue that one of my colleagues raised on the other side of the House. I do not think it is fair for the PF members who lost the elections on 20th September, 2011 to petition all the seats, including those in my area.

Hon. Government Members: No!

Interruptions

Mr Sianga: I want you to believe me. I gave your party in Sesheke a whitewash.

Interruptions

Mr Sianga: I got 4,741, but the PF Candidate got 1,227.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: So, petitioning is not a sign of a true and mature democracy.

Interruptions

Hon. Member: Nkala pansi, wena!

Mr Sianga: If only these issues I have raised could be addressed, the lives of the people of Sesheke and Zambia as a whole would be improved.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sianga: With these few words, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamudulu (Siavonga): Mr Speaker, thank you for affording me this opportunity to deliver my maiden speech. I feel very proud to stand here today in this honourable House in my capacity as the properly and undisputed elected hon. Member of Parliament for Siavonga Constituency.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamudulu: Sir, may I begin by congratulating you on your election as Speaker of the Eleventh National Assembly. Similarly, I wish to extend my congratulations to the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on their election to those respective positions.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to congratulate my fellow hon. Members of Parliament on their election, especially those who, like me, are in the House for the first time. It is my sincere hope that we shall come, yet again, in the next term.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, it is also befitting for me to congratulate ourselves, as the people of this great country, Zambia, on the enviable manner in which we, as a nation, conducted ourselves, before, during and after elections. We have set ourselves a high standard that many a troubled part of our continent will learn from. I pray to the Almighty God that He continues to steer this great nation to higher heights in the area of democratic governance.

Mr Speaker, allow me also to put on record my sincere appreciation to the people of Siavonga for the faith, trust and confidence that they have placed in me to represent them in this honourable House.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamudulu: The proportion of votes the constituents gave me not only inspires me, but also adds a strong sense of obligation for me to effectively represent them in this House. I am extremely humbled.

In the same vein, I also appreciate the trust accorded to me by my great party, the UPND …

Hon. Government Member: Aka Banda!

Mr Hamudulu: … and the leadership for selecting me to stand on the party’s ticket. To this, I say, “viva UPND!”

Hon. UPND Members: Viva!

Laughter

Mr Hamudulu: Sir, a closer look at the composition of this House will show that the UPND has twenty-eight Members. However, the UPND has more youthful Members than any other party.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Hamudulu: I think this should be commended. We must commend the party for this.

Interruptions

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, may I also acknowledge the encouragement and support that my campaign team gave me. Allow me to also pay special tribute to my wife, Beatrice, son Miyoba and daughter Tarisai, who offered the moral support I so dearly needed during the campaign period. May I ask you to be forbearing as I learn and acquaint myself with the parliamentary etiquette even as I debate?

Mr Speaker, before I contribute to debate on the Motion on the Floor, let me briefly describe my constituency in order to bring out the issues that are cardinal in my debate.

Siavonga lies on the border with Zimbabwe in the Southern Province. It is endowed with many natural resources such as beautiful landscapes, trees, rivers, fish, wild animals, minerals and, above all, very hardworking and honest people. The district boasts of two very important international border posts, namely Chirundu and Kariba. We also host part of Lake Kariba and the Kariba North Bank Power Station, among other contributors to the National Treasury.

Sir, despite the foregoing and forty-seven years of Independence, the people of Siavonga have not gained much from these resources. I urge the PF Government to be responsive enough to efficiently manage these resources and equitably share the revenues generated from them to bring tangible socio-economic development to Siavonga. We, the people of Siavonga, want to fully benefit from the activities and products that this very rich district offers and I am determined to help in the realisation of this hope. During my tenure as hon. Member of Parliament, I will do everything possible within my jurisdiction to achieve this. I submit myself to working with all the stakeholders in ensuring that the full potential of my constituency is exploited and that the local people are given a fair share of the benefits that they deserve. This, I know, will be a pipedream if I choose to work in isolation. It is for this reason that I intend to vigorously engage all the stakeholders in the campaign for the realisation of this dream.

The challenges that we face in Siavonga at the moment are many, but let me mention some of the important ones that I look forward to addressing during my time as hon. Member of Parliament and I hope this honourable House will hear me out.

Mr Speaker, my constituency is conveniently sandwiched between two big rivers, namely Zambezi and Kafue, with natural waters which are not fully utilised by the people in Siavonga due to a lack of means of harnessing this great resource. I would like to appeal, yet again, to the PF Government to help make this abundant resource beneficial to Siavonga by harnessing it to be used as drinking water, for sanitation, real agriculture irrigation and transport.

Mr Speaker, the water and sanitation problem in Siavonga is two tiered; one in the very rural parts of the district and the other in the urban built parts, both of which present specific and different challenges, thereby requiring different solutions. Surely, should we be talking of water problems in a place like Siavonga which is surrounded by vast natural water reservoirs? I leave that question to the new Government to answer, hopefully, within ninety days.

Laughter

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, our roads are in bad shape. Some of the pre-independence roads have not been worked on due to the fear of landmines left over from the Zimbabwe liberation war. This fear does not hold any more because the landmines have been cleared by our security forces. I, therefore, urge the PF Government to consider us in this regard. I am talking about feeder roads that may only need grading not tarring. These repairs should include construction of bridges and culverts across the rivers and streams. If worked on, the roads will enable transporters to provide safe transport to people and goods across my constituency.

Apart from the feeder roads, may I make mention of the much-talked-about Bottom Road. The need for this road to be worked on cannot be over-emphasised. I know that a number of previous speakers have touched on this issue already and I can only urge the Government to consider this matter very seriously. Much as we would like this to happen soon, we are reasonable enough to know that it cannot be done in ninety days. So, we shall be patient enough to give the Government a realistic timeframe in which to work on the road. We are not excited and, so cannot be hoodwinked by the ninety days promise.  

Mr Speaker, having described my constituency, you will agree with me that a suitable programme on tourism needs to be developed to make Siavonga a real tourist destination. This programme should involve the improvement of the necessary tourism facilities and social amenities in appropriate areas. Siavonga has always been considered a tourist destination by the past governments, but most of the developments that can be seen in the constituency are mostly attributable to private individuals and businesses that have taken advantage of the lack of serious Government participation. I totally agree that the private sector has a big stake in this industry, but my bone of contention is the degree of Government involvement which is so low that it is denying the country the much needed income from the industry. I am glad to note that the President made reference to this matter in his address to this House when he opened the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. I hope the pronouncement will be followed by appropriate action. After all, it was made by a man of action, as we are often told.

Laughter

Mr Hamudulu: Mr Speaker, coming to the speech by His Excellency the President, there are a number of pronouncements that I would have wanted to comment on. However, keeping in line with the view of the norm of maiden speeches being non-controversial, I will painfully restrict myself to a few positive comments. Firstly, I note, with a sense of expectation, from the speech, in the last paragraph of Page 23, that there will be an appropriate formula devised for sharing national revenue collected at the centres within the jurisdictions of every local authority in order to strengthen the revenue base of local authorities. For us in Siavonga, this move is very welcome because our two international border posts collect a lot of tax revenue from which we get nothing to write home about. It is our hope that this appropriate formula will significantly increase the resource allocation to spur the economic development of Siavonga. In the same vain, I would like the Government to consider extending this measure to other resources that are generated in our various localities. For example, I would like to see a situation where electricity generated in Siavonga is offered to the locals at nominal costs. Currently, we just see power lines passing over our villages and settlements without using it although this commodity is produced within our constituency.

The President also mentioned the issue of human-animal conflict. Mr Speaker, I just want to echo his observation and sadly inform this august House that, in Siavonga, the wildlife has not only ravaged people’s crops, but also human life. Last month, one person was killed in Simaundu area while two others are hospitalised with serious wounds after being trampled on by elephants. Those animals are still at large and could strike again at any time. May I request the hon. Minister responsible for tourism to address this issue with the seriousness that it deserves before more lives are lost.

In conclusion, Mr Speaker, may I take this opportunity to address the new Government. Dear colleagues, it is time you realised that you are now in the hot seat and you cannot run away from criticism. Refusing to be criticised will not help you in any way because we will not stop doing so. The best you can do is to analyse the issues raised and choose what to ignore and what to embrace. Despising those who are criticising you will only call for more criticism. You criticised the MMD Government when you were on this side of the House, but you are on the other side now and we also want to come that side. All we are doing is following your footsteps. One thing we will not copy from you is criticising for its own sake. When you bring something positive on the Floor of the House, you can count on us for support. We will not criticise for the sake of it. However, if you bring anything retrogressive, you will meet a full opposing force. The catch phrase is ‘checks and balances’.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga (Chavuma): Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for allowing me to make my maiden speech to this First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. Allow me to also congratulate you on your election as Speaker of the House. I am very confident that you will discharge the responsibilities of this very high office in a very impartial manner. In the same vein, allow me to also congratulate the Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on their deserved election to these equally important positions. I equally heartily congratulate all new, returning and nominated hon. Members of Parliament on their election. Finally, and equally important, allow me to congratulate His Excellency, President Michael Sata, on his election to the highest office of President of the Republic of Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: We wish him well and God’s guidance as he leads the people of Zambia. Following the swearing-in ceremony, during which he took oath of office, President Sata is now President of all Zambians.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: This means that he is the President for the ones who voted for him and those who voted against him.

Sir, the challenging task ahead of all of us now, is how to effectively contribute to the development of our great country, Zambia. I cannot, therefore, agree more with President Sata when he said, at the official opening of the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly that, for both the Ruling Party and Opposition, it was time to put Zambia first in the interest of achieving social and economic development.

Mr Speaker, allow me to also heartily thank the former President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for the smooth transition of power. In the African context, few magnanimous leaders are able to do such a thing. As President Sata correctly put it, this peaceful change of Government is truly a reflection of the further entrenchment of democracy in our country. I equally echo the view that we should be proud of ourselves, as Zambians, for such a remarkably peaceful transition.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to thank the MMD leadership at all levels for adopting me to stand as hon. Member of Parliament for Chavuma. I would like, in the same breath, to most profoundly thank the people of Chavuma for re-electing me as their representative for the next five years. I feel greatly honoured and humbled by this confidence that the people of Chavuma have in me and can confirm that I will live up to their expectations by working with the Government to ensure that development programmes are delivered to the constituency and the people.

Sir, allow me to borrow the debate of the hon. Member of Parliament for Liuwa, Hon. Dr Musokotwane, as mine and reiterate that social and economic development does, indeed, have a start but not a finishing line. While appreciating the development efforts of the MMD administration in the areas of infrastructure development and the commitment by the PF administration that priority will be given to the completion of the on-going projects involving the construction of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges and many others, I would like to appeal to the new administration, especially through the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, that the Yekasumbi/Nguvu Road be considered for upgrading …

Interruptions

Laughter

Mr Konga: … into an all-weather road to open up the west bank of the constituency.

Mr Mwenya: Where were you?

Mr Konga: Continuity, hon. Minister. Development does not end with a change of government. There is no finishing line.

Mr Speaker: Address the Chair, please.

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, I thank you for your guidance. As I said, Chavuma is a border town and, therefore, the people of the constituency expect the PF-led administration to carry on and complete the projects started by the MMD administration.

Mr Mwenya: Which ones?

Mr Konga: These include the construction and upgrading of the police post in the constituency into a fully-fledged police station, thereby contributing to improving the security situation in the border town.

Sir, I agree with President Sata’s assertion that energy is a prerequisite to the proper functioning of all sectors of the economy and that the energy sector in this country has not been developed to its full potential. The people of Chavuma, therefore, expect the PF Administration to continue from where the MMD left in developing and constructing the Chavuma Falls Hydro Power Station so as to positively contribute to the pace of industrial development and improve the standard of living of our people in the country.

Mr Speaker, one of the proposed measures to reduce the cost of petroleum products in the country is for the country to explore and develop its own oil fields. To this effect, the people of Chavuma will expect the PF administration to engage in public-private partnerships involving the local people as they explore and drill for petroleum products in the Nguvu Yatanda Yambingila areas of the West Bank of Chavuma where evidence of petroleum has so far been established.

Mr Speaker, Chavuma has many wide plains that the local people use as grazing land for their cattle. However, most of the herds of cattle have since been wiped out by livestock diseases such as the Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP), which is very prevalent in the area. Although the MMD administration provided resources and made efforts to establish a cordon line between Zambia and Angola to prevent the spread of this disease, this has not yet been fully realised. 
 
The people of Chavuma, therefore, expect the PF Administration to quickly restore the cordon line so that the few remaining heads of cattle in the area can be saved. After the cordon line is in place, the people in the area also expect to benefit from the Livestock Restocking Programme which was talked about by President Sata in his Address.

Mr Speaker, it is gratifying to note that President Sata, in his Address to the nation, affirmed the PF Government’s commitment to good governance, the rule of law and social justice. It is, therefore, mind baffling that while the Head of State makes these commitments in one breath, the PF Administration in the next breath breaches the ethics of good governance. Cases in point include the removal from office of constitutionally backed office bearers. Some of these removals require a two-thirds parliamentary resolution. The nation expects the PF Administration to walk its talk.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the President, in his Address, indicated that the elections were behind us now and that it was time for all of us to focus on forging ahead with regard to developing our country. I, therefore, request the PF Administration to stop the witch-hunting …

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Konga: … and intimidating actions against hon. Members of the Opposition.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the hon. Members on your right must acknowledge that they have taken over a well-functioning Government system.

Interruptions

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the MMD Administration left a very successful FISP which led to bumper crops for two consecutive years.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the MMD administration left behind a single digit inflation rate. It also left behind a very stable exchange rate and reserves in excess of US$2 billion.

Hon. MMD Member: Do not steal.

Mr Konga: It also left behind an unprecedented gross domestic product (GDP) growth level of over 7 per cent and a very stable labour force. There are many other positive economic indicators which I can talk about to support my argument. The onus is on the hon. Members on your right, Mr Speaker, to keep the fire burning. Of course, the shoes they have inherited are big, but their feet must grow in size in order to fit into the shoes.

Lieutenant-General Shikapwasha: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: The honeymoon is over. They had better get to work immediately and stop making reference to what the MMD did not achieve. They are in the Executive now in order to provide leadership and not to play the blame game.

Interruptions

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, they had better get to work immediately otherwise, the masters who put them in office will withdraw that authority. Before they know it, they will be back here where they were before.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Masumba (Mufumbwe): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this chance to speak in this august House. Where I come from, my name means the giant killer.

Interruptions

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, I battled with giants from the adoption process stage right up to the elections.

Hon. Opposition Members: Tell them!

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, I mention their names, starting with Hon. Mushala from the PF who is a former hon. Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2006. He held that seat for ten years and he tumbled. From there I also competed with the popular Kamondo Elliot who also tumbled this year. There was a certain gentleman who stood on the United National Independence Party (UNIP) ticket who also tumbled. I am not going to say too much of amalumbo because these people …

Hon. Members: What is amalumbo?

Mr Masumba: It means praises. Mr Speaker, I know that our friends on your right hand side understand very well what amalumbo means …

Laughter

Interruptions

Mr Masumba: … because they are all from the Northern Province.

Mr Kazabu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member in order to use terms that we do not understand in this august House? I seek your serious ruling, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: May the hon. Member please translate what he is saying in English.

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, I think the hon. Member is not listening to the debate on the Floor of the House because I have already explained the meaning of the Bemba term which I used. I have already stated that amalumbo means praises. Maybe, it means something else to you, hon. Member.

Laughter

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, I am delighted to deliver my maiden speech to this august House of the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. Allow me to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on winning the election.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Masumba: I knew.

Laughter

Mr Masumba: It was not easy for him. We should thank God  for that faith, trust and determination which has been the key to his success. Let me also take this opportunity to commend our former President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, …

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Masumba: … for handing over power in a smooth and honourable manner.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, this is clear evidence that we are the true founders of democracy in Africa. The elections have taught us a number of lessons, especially for the upcoming young politicians such as myself. Through perseverance and hard work, I can also become the Republican President one day.

Hon. Government Members: Where?

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, allow me to extend my congratulations to you, the most distinguished and learned Judge, your Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House on your election to those important positions.

Mr Speaker, let me also congratulate all the parliamentarians present here on winning the 20th September, 2011 General Elections.

Furthermore, may I also take this opportunity to highlight a few observations which I have noticed more especially from the people on your right. When we congratulate the President or Speaker, most of the times, hon. Members on your right say, “Why are you congratulating the Speaker or President as if you voted for him?”

Interruptions

Mr Masumba: Congratulating somebody does not mean that you voted for that person. This is just another way of appreciating what God has given us at that particular time.

Hon. MMD Members: Tell them!

Mr Masumba: Personally, I never voted for President Sata and, of course, without beating about the bush, I also want to be honest by stating that I did not vote for you, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, I am trying to be honest to this House. I know that …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

I do appreciate that the hon. Member is a very candid person, but it is not necessary to bring the Chair into his debate.

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

Let me now talk about the behaviour of the hon. Members on the other side. We expect our friends on your right to be humble because the positions which they have taken up are quite challenging. However, it looks like they are using their ministerial positions to demean or threaten others. Mind you, these positions have been there for many years. Many people have passed through the offices which you are currently occupying. Humility is important for hon. Members in the House and the people out there.

Mr Speaker, of late, some people’s walking styles have even changed.

Laughter

Mr Masumba: In fact, others are even saying that nabamena ifipute. They have completely changed their walking styles.

Hon. MMD Members: Kambwili!

Mr Masumba: I have also learnt, with deep sadness, that others have decided to start calling themselves Boma, meaning they are the Government. To the contrary, the Government is made up of three arms, namely the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. As parliamentarians, we belong to the Legislature, meaning that we are part of the governance system. I, therefore, wish to urge those with the wrong behaviour to change. We have to work as one so that we can meet the expectations of the people who voted for us.

Mr Speaker, I also wish to thank God for making it possible for me to be adopted by the MMD leadership, starting from the lower organs right up to the National Executive Committee of the party. As can be noticed from the MMD hon. Members chanting the word ‘quality’, my party believes in quality representation.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Masumba: The adoption process in the MMD is not as easy as it is in other parties.

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

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker, I also wish to thank the people of Mufumbwe who confidently decided to send me here for me to ensure that their challenges are addressed. Let me also say thank the able leadership of my friend, Mr Cabby Munsaka, and his team for the moral and material support which they rendered to me.

Mr Speaker, let me now comment on a few things which I noticed in the speech by the President. I am not going to say much regarding the President’s Speech because most of the things have already been talked about by other hon. Members.  I will begin this part of my debate by talking about the roads which connect the North-Western Province to other parts of the country such as the Kaoma/Kasempa Road which was mentioned by the President in his address. The President was not clear as to whether the Government was going to do some works on the already existing road or construct a new one.

The issue of the CDF has been exhaustively talked about. I am sure those from the Government have heard clearly that we need this figure to be increased to about K5 billion. That is the ideal figure.

Mr Speaker, allow me to state what should be done to overcome the following challenges in Mufumbwe:

(i) equipment and accommodation is needed for the newly constructed hospital;

(ii) the shortage of drugs is an issue that needs to be addressed;

(iii) the people of Mufumbwe are still waiting for the hospital to be officially opened.

How I wish the hon. Minister of Health was here. It is unfortunate that these people have all run away.

Laughter

Mr Masumba: Mr Speaker,

(iv) there is also a need to build a clinic at Lalafuta which is very far away from the Boma in Mufumbwe; and

(v) there is a need to build a clinic in Shukwe Ward, which is also far away from the main hospital.

Mr Speaker, with regard to the education sector, all the projects that were started in the MMD Administration must be continued. The construction of Mufumbwe Boarding Secondary School should continue. High schools such as Kalende, Kaminzekenzeke, Kashima and Mufumbwe have no adequate houses for members of staff. So, we need more houses to be built.

Mr Speaker, the police have no office of their own. I hope the hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Sakeni, is listening. The Police in Mufumbwe still sleep in the old-fashioned houses commonly known as minovas. I hope you understand that, Hon. Sakeni. There is a need to construct police posts in some strategic areas where they have not existed to date, as the people of Mufumbwe are vulnerable without these security services.

Mr Speaker, as regards infrastructure development, Lalafuta Bridge needs to be constructed in the Miluji area. During the rainy season, people are cut off from the activities of the outside world because the road leading to this area is impassable. There is also a need to construct Musebenji Bridge, as money was allocated for this by the previous Government. There is also a need to construct Kabanda Bridge.

Sir, these are the few out of the many challenges in Mufumbwe Constituency. God bless Zambia and Mufumbwe.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zimba (Kapiri Mposhi): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to deliver my maiden speech.

Mr Speaker, as I deliver my maiden speech, the first thing I am sad to note is that most of our hon. Ministers are not here.

Interruptions

Mr Zimba: That is not a healthy start. They must be here when speeches are delivered. The MMD side is intact and well-disciplined. Since the PF has just assumed power, the hon. Members are supposed to be in the House at all times. Therefore, I urge the Ruling Party, from today, to improve upon this.

Interruptions

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, let me congratulate you on your deserved victory in the election to this important position in this House. Allow me, also, to congratulate the Deputy Speaker, Hon. M. D. Lungu, and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House, Hon. C. K. B. Banda, SC., on their election to their respective positions. In addition, I wish to congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament on their election to this House. The task before us now, as hon. Members of this House, is to effectively contribute to the development of our great nation so as to meet the aspirations of the people who voted for us to this House and not fail to deliver. We shall be judged by the campaign promises and how we shall implement them within five years. For the PF, it is within three months.

Mr Speaker, allow me now to introduce myself properly. My names are Lawrence Zimba, Member of Parliament for Kapiri Mposhi Constituency. I am married to a beautiful wife by the name of Grace.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: I have eight children with her, four girls and four boys. I do not know how God blessed me with the gender balance among these children. I thank God for my family which was very supportive during the campaign period. I am also a proud farmer who has continued to contribute to the food production of this nation. I also wish to thank my campaign team and party for the support they rendered to me during the competitive campaign.

For your own information, let me just put it on record that my winning was not dubious. It was very straightforward because the MMD is a party of discipline. Do you know how many votes I got?

Hon. PF Members: No.

Mr Zimba: I got 16,775 votes against the PF and that is not a joke. I will not mention my other colleagues because they are on the other side. The PF only got 9,000 votes, half of what I got, and I do not think it can even think of petitioning. It is impossible.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: Let me mention to the hon. Members in this House that most of them pass through my constituency, Kapiri Mposhi. As you may be aware, it is right in the centre of the country. It is very strategically located for development. I would, therefore, like to invite hon. Members from the North-Western, Copperbelt, Luapula and Northern provinces to know me very well because I matter to them a lot.

Interruptions

Mr Zimba: I would not mind looking after you when you are stranded. This is regardless of your political affiliation. I am an hon. Member of Parliament for all Zambians. This is “One Zambia, One Nation.” You just have to know who Hon. Zimba is. Please, take advantage of the geographic location of my constituency, hon. Members. You are all welcome.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, let me dwell on my maiden speech by thanking the people of Kapiri Mposhi, in particular and the Zambian people, in general, for electing me hon. Member of Parliament to represent them for the five-year term. Though I am coming to this House for the first time, I would like to promise my people, whether they supported me or not that, with their co-operation, we shall work together. Any advice from them is welcome so that we can deliver development as a team.

Mr Speaker, Kapiri Mposhi Constituency is among the three largest constituencies in the country with a population of more than 400,000 people. You can imagine the number of people I am leading. It has a radius of more than 500 km stretching from the east bordering with Mkushi. On the north is Mpongwe, in Ndola Rural, on the south is Chibombo right through Kabwe to Kapanda, while on the western part is Kafue River all the way to Chief Ng’abwe bordering with Kasempa. The constituency has five chiefs, their royal highness’ Chief Nkole, Chief Mukonchi, on the east, Chief Chipepo and Senior Chief Mukuni, Chief Mukubwe and Chief Ng’abwe on the western side. We have more than 85,000 registered voters. This means that I have a very big task of meeting many people’s needs. For this reason, I need a lot of support from the Ruling Party for me to achieve my goals.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulenga: Tawakaimone.

Mr Zimba: That is why, on a serious note, I am also proposing that the CDF must not be less that K5 billion.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hammer!

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, having mentioned that, Kapiri Mposhi, with its natural boundaries of rivers, roads, railway line and chiefdoms, can be easily divided into more than three constituencies with the proposed names such as Lunsemfwa Constituency, on the eastern side, Kapiri Mposhi Central Constituency, in the central part of Kapiri Mposhi, and Lukanga Constituency, on the western side. This has already been agreed upon by the people and all I need is support to implement the idea. This will result in better supervision and effective representation of the people which will make it easier to deliver development to them. The residents have been calling for this for a long time.

Mr Speaker, Kapiri Mposhi is centrally located. To the south lies Lusaka and Livingstone. To the north lies the Copperbelt and further, the Democratic Republic of Congo. To the east is the Republic of Tanzania. Further, the town can be accessed by both road and railway. Due to this, it has become one of the fastest growing towns in the country and in the region, but it is yet to develop. Kapiri Mposhi has the potential to become the capital city of Zambia one day.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zimba: This is not a joke. It is well-placed and I only hope that every hon. Member can support this historical proposal.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: If other provincial capitals such as Livingstone can be shifted to Choma, why can we not turn Kapiri Mposhi into the capital city in a few years to come? This is very possible when we plan well. I am, therefore, urging the PF Government to plan well in this regard.

Hon. Opposition Member: In ninety days.

Mr Zimba: If you can make it in ninety days.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, the point to note is that there is a need for enhanced communication and infrastructure development. This includes the establishment of travel infrastructure such as airports. Others are infrastructure such as stadiums. Owing to the geographic location of Kapiri Mposhi, it can give chance to the people in the country and the region to host tournaments for different sports disciplines.

 There is a need to revamp all industries that existed before, such as the former glass factory, the Kapiri Glass Factory (KGP).  Being the only glass manufacturing company in the country, the market for flat glass, container glass and motor vehicle screens cannot be overemphasised. Revamping such industries will create the much-needed job opportunities and, thereby, put more money in the people’s pockets.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, I also appeal to the Government to conclude the issue of the Kapiri Glass Products (KPG) retirees before all the former workers become destitute. The factory closed in 1998, which is thirteen years ago, and you can imagine how the people are suffering.

Mr Speaker, let me also mention the other problem of the Tanzania-Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) retirees and others who have not received their terminal benefits. Kindly look into these people’s plight. I wish to appeal to the ministries concerned to work with me in resolving these issues urgently.

Mr Speaker, there is a need to establish other factories in Kapiri Mposhi such as a honey treatment factory, tomato processing factory, fertiliser factory, sand processing plants, just to mention a few.

Furthermore, Kapiri Mposhi has mineral resources like manganese, copper and others yet to be exploited to create more jobs for the residents. All the factories mentioned above can be supported by the availability of raw materials locally. To give a specific example, honey is available in the Luanshimba area near Kabwe. Tomatoes are grown in the farms around Kapiri Mposhi and I must mention that I am one of the many tomato growers. Sand of different grades is in abundance and this makes it easier for these factories to be set up.

Mr Speaker, allow me to comment on the Presidential Speech delivered by his Excellency the President, Mr  Michael Chilufya Sata.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zimba: I hope I have pronounced it well.  As I am running out of time, I will only talk about a few issues. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the President on his deserved election victory as the President of the Republic of Zambia. I humbly request him to be impartial as he discharges his duties as he is above partisan politics now that the campaigns are over.

Mr Speaker, our people want development. As the saying goes, “Where two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” In this case, however, I do not know who the elephants are. However, the issue is that we must not fight in here. We need to have a sense of wanting to see development.

Interruptions

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, I thank the former President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for conceding election defeat and for the smooth transition of power which has become a symbol of our democracy. We should be proud of such achievements as a people. The PF must appreciate that. It is not easy to transfer power.

Hon. Government Members: He lost. When you lose, you give up power.

Mr Zimba: Whatever happened, the power was given to you on a silver platter.

Interruptions

Mr Zimba: I will support all progressive policies such as the constitution-making process as long as they are meant to benefit our people. I would like the fifty plus one vote to be included in the Constitution.

Hon. Government Members: Your party refused that. You are on the wrong side.

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, as regards socio-economic affairs, let me quote on page eight of the speech as follows: 
 
 “Offering employment opportunities for our people, especially the many young men and women leaving educational institutions in our country is critical to the fulfillment of the manifesto which promises job creation and putting more money in our people’s pockets.”

While the idea of job creation and putting money in people’s pockets is a good one, it is contradicted by this Government’s proposal to increase the retirement age from fifty-five to sixty-five. Increasing the retirement age will block the younger ones because the older ones will not pave way for them. Therefore, we first of all need the older ones to go so that we can create more money in the pockets of the younger ones. Otherwise, there will be less jobs and no money in the people’s pockets. Therefore, this proposal on the retirement age must be reversed to reducing the retirement age from fifty-five to fifty. I need support on this, hon. Members.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, seeing as time is not with me, I just have to jump a bit.

Laughter

Hon. Member: Jump my brother.

Mr Zimba: Listen. I have jumped to a very critical point.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: We can improve the food security in the country and I have a proposal to make. I wish to propose that you increase the CDF from four bags to eight bags.

Hon. Members: CDF?

Laughter

Mr Zimba: I am sorry. I mean the farmer inputs under the FISP. I got carried away with the issue of the CDF.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: I was saying that the point I have reached is very critical.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Members: Hammer!

Mr Zimba: Mr Speaker, this point regards building of more silos. This is very serious. The MMD Government built many sheds. You should, therefore, think of building silos. I want to emphasise that as we build silos, a lot of maize will be stored for as long as ten years.

Interruptions

Mr Zimba: In case of a drought, you will remember me.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: What is happening now is that we are not storing enough maize. Everything is being consumed. So, make sure that you build silos. One day, you will remember me in this House. That is a fact.

Laughter

Mr Zimba: There are more things I should have mentioned here, but I will come back another time. Do not worry.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Mushanga (Bwacha): Mr Speaker, in making my maiden speech, I would like to congratulate you on your timely election. I wish to express how proud I am to associate myself with your well-deserved victory.  I also wish to congratulate the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Mkhondo Lungu, and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole House. I am very convinced beyond doubt that you will carry out your duties with profound diligence and maximum impartiality.

Sir, in the same vein, I also wish to congratulate His Excellency the President, Mr Michael Chilufya Sata, on his election as the fifth President of the Republic of Zambia. The election of Mr Sata is a calling from God.

Hon. Opposition Members: Which God!

Mr Mushanga: He is the Joshua of Zambia.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mushanga: I also wish to thank God who, through his infinite wisdom, granted me grace to fulfill the dream that I have had all my life, to contribute to the development of Bwacha Constituency and this beloved nation, Zambia.

Mr Speaker, I further appreciate, with humility and courtesy, the great honour that the people of Bwacha Constituency have shown by electing me as their representative. I am greatly indebted to them. I promise the people of Bwacha maximum performance, service and visionary leadership.

Sir, I am thankful to the entire PF leadership for the confidence they had in me to allow me to stand on the Party’s ticket.

Mr Speaker, allow me, at this point, to also thank my wife, family, friends and the church for the support rendered to me. I come to this House as a humble servant of God and the people of Bwacha Constituency.

Sir, I can speak with intense satisfaction that I am the right representative of Bwacha because I have been in Bwacha Constituency all the thirty-five years I have lived on planet earth.

Mr Speaker, I was born on 26th April, 1977, in Bwacha. I went to Ben Kapufi Primary School. Thereafter, I did my junior secondary school at Mukobeko and Bwacha secondary schools, respectively. At the tertiary level, I did the following courses; Power Electrical, Information Technology, Micro-Finance, Community Work, Psycho-socio Counselling, Financial Management, just to mention a few.

Mr M. H. Malama: Mwaiche, mwimulowa!

Mr Mushanga: Mr Speaker, my involvement with the community cannot be overemphasised. I faithfully served as a Co-ordinator for the Community Home Based Care under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lusaka, particularly in Bwacha. Through this project, I helped to save many lives.

Sir, I also once worked as a pre-school teacher at Angelina Tembo Girls’ School and was Co-ordinator for Kara Counselling and Training Trust Project at Sables Drop-in Centre which is meant to help in transforming street children.

Mr Speaker, my political ambition started when I was still a young boy. I remember purchasing a UNIP Membership Card when I was in primary school and I still keep it for memory’s sake. 

Hon. PF Members: Souvenir!{mospagebreak}

Mr Mushanga: Sir, what mainly inspired me to join politics was my passion for the poor and the service that I wanted to render to the people of my community. That is why I have not come to Parliament to secure a seat for myself, but as a humble servant of the people of Bwacha. I always feel that God has called me to help find solutions to problems of the poor. In 1997, I joined the MMD where I served as Ward Chairperson for Bwacha and as Secretary for the Constituency Youth Development Fund (CYDF). I have been residing in Bwacha for thirty-five years, as earlier mentioned.

Sir, in 2008, I felt it inevitable to leave the MMD and join the PF, a party which was offering a better alternative to the MMD and one which shared my desires and aspirations. My views on issues are always based on common sense and my personal experience as a resident of Bwacha Constituency. I won the seat largely due to my passion for the downtrodden and hunger for the transformation of Bwacha for the better. Therefore, I will not rest until Bwacha is transformed and developed.

Mr Speaker, I thank all my predecessors for their contributions to Bwacha Constituency because I believe that development is a house which is built by many blocks. In this case, all former hon. Members of Parliament for Bwacha have contributed, in their own way, to the development of Bwacha. Nevertheless, I feel a lot more still needs to be done. I have a moral right to work with the people of my constituency to establish a better Bwacha. This will be done with the help of God, the PF Government and other partners. I have a very strong conviction that it is not impossible to transform Bwacha Constituency for the better.

Mr Speaker, I would like to say a few words about my pre-occupation and the challenges the people of Bwacha are facing. One of the major challenges that Bwacha Constituency is facing, like many other constituencies in Zambia, mainly relates to socio-economic development. The majority of people in Bwacha Constituency wallow in abject poverty coupled with high unemployment levels amongst youths. I think you have heard from the many speakers who have spoken before me that there are appeals coming from other political parties to the PF Government that it should consider a number of development projects. This means that there is a problem where we come from.

Mr Speaker, the people in Bwacha have no access to safe and clean water and sanitation is extremely pathetic. I think my colleagues on your left side, especially those who have passed through Kabwe, can tell you what they have seen. In this 21st Century, it is not the right way to live. I feel that the people deserve a more decent life.

I will work with the Government and other stakeholders to ensure that communities such as Makululu, one of the largest shanty compounds in Africa, Munyama, Munga, Chinyanja, Makupu and Mubobo East are upgraded to modern communities with better roads, good sanitation, safe and clean drinking water and better health facilities.

Mr Speaker, I would like to dwell, at great length, on the need for infrastructure development which I view as key to socio-economic transformation. It is the fervent prayer of the people of Bwacha that industries such as Zambia-China Mulungushi Textiles, which was closed by the MMD, and it is no secret, Kabwe Industrial Fabrics Limited, Kabwe General Pharmaceuticals, National Milling, Kabwe Milling, Zambia Railways, which had its offices relocated from Kabwe to Lusaka, Kabwe Tannery in Mukobeko and many more industries are rejuvenated.

Mr Speaker, it pains me to see young people indulge in immoral activities due to lack of employment and  social recreation activities when we have facilities like Muleya Stadium which is now only a white elephant owing to misplacement of priorities.  

Mr Speaker, despite being endowed with numerous natural resources and being strategically positioned, Central Province has no airport. The last time the runway in Chililalila Ward was graded was the time President Mwanawasa died. Kabwe, which is supposed to be the hub of the Central Province, has only a run down runway.

Mr Speaker, I am justified in stressing that our poverty levels in Zambia are artificial because, instead of having a dilapidated runway, we are capable of having an international airport that, in turn, and I am very convinced about this, can create employment through trade and service delivery. I know that the PF Government has the capacity to achieve this.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mushanga: We shall lobby the Government to consider building at least, two more hospitals in Bwacha Constituency beside Kabwe General Hospital and upgrade clinics such as Bwacha, Makulu and Munyama into mini hospitals so that our people can  access health services easily.

We shall also ensure that these facilities are not only built, but also well stocked with drugs and staffed by skilled workers. The mandate is five years up to 2016, and not the much talked about ninety days.

Mr Speaker, markets like Chimanimani, Bwacha and Kamanda are in a deplorable state. We shall ensure that they are renovated as soon as possible.

Schools such as Kalwelwe, Hamududu and Munyama need to be upgraded into high schools and be well staffed.

Laughter

Mr Mushanga: Furthermore, Munga and Mubobo East primary schools should be converted into basic schools. I know that, with the able leadership of the hon. Minister of Education, this will be done. We shall improve on infrastructure in Bwacha, Chimanimani, Ngungu, Kawama and Mukobeko. All we need is support from the well-meaning residents of Bwacha Constituency since an hon. Member of Parliament cannot work alone in fighting poverty, creating jobs and transforming the lives of the people.

Mr Speaker, in a nutshell, Bwacha is in need of a complete overhaul. For this reason, my doors will remain open to any partner who shares my resolve to see Bwacha holistically developed and transformed.

Mr Speaker, allow me now to debate the President’s Speech presented on the Floor of this House on 14th October, 2011.

Mr Speaker, I am very surprised that some people are not able to understand such a simple and straight forward presentation. In my humble opinion, the speech was well articulated by our President.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mushanga: His Speech captured most of the sensitive issues affecting the majority of our people.

   Mr Speaker, the speech by the President effectively addressed matters to do with education, health, youth unemployment, agriculture, tourism and the economy. It also touched on infrastructure development in terms of roads and other social infrastructure. These are areas which the previous Government never attended to. That is why there are so many appeals from them today which need the attention of the Government. This is despite them having been in Government thirty days ago. The hon. Members of Parliament on your left side are now appealing to us to assist them with development projects. Who is to blame? Who was in Government thirty days ago? I am confident that the Government will bring into reality the projects which were talked about by the President in his Speech. I have no doubt that President Sata’s presidency is a leadership you can trust and believe in. It is leadership which has come to serve and not to be served.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mushanga: In my conclusion, Mr Speaker, I will not end without thanking you and the hon. Members of this august House for patiently listening to my debate. Lastly, allow me to emphasise that I am indebted to the people of Bwacha Constituency for allowing me to be their representative. This is the beginning of another life for the people of Bwacha. I will provide leadership which the people can believe in and trust. I hope that the people of Bwacha are listening to what I am saying. I pledge to fulfil their aspirations and hopes as I represent them. May God bless Zambia and the people of Kabwe.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mulenga: Walanda ifya mano sana!

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to present my maiden speech for the third time.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Sir, first of all, I would like to thank the people of Zambezi West for sending me to Parliament for the third time and making me Zambezi’s permanent representative to the National Assembly of Zambia.

Laughter

Hon. UPND Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: I would like to thank the people of Zambezi West in particular, because it is not easy for an hon. Member of Parliament to stand on an Opposition ticket three times and win. History has been made in Zambia by the people of Zambezi.

I would also like to thank my party the UPND for adopting me for the third time because not many people get adopted on the same party ticket three times. Hon. Lubinda will recall that he had to switch political parties in order to be adopted.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, I would also like to thank the members of my family for supporting me during the elections and, in particular, my dear wife, whom Hon. Muntanga always admires everyday, for the hard work that she put in to ensure my success.

Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia. I would also like to congratulate the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly as well as the Deputy Chairperson of the Committees of the Whole House on their election …

Mr Speaker: Order!

ADJOURNMENT

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

Question put and agreed to.

_________

The House adjourned at 1255 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 25th October, 2011.