Debates- Friday, 1st October, 2010

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DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE FIFTH SESSION OF THE TENTH ASSEMBLY

Friday, 1st October, 2010                                                  

The House met at 0900 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

The Minister of Finance and National Planning and Acting Leader of Government Business in the House (Dr Musokotwane): Mr Speaker, I rise to give some idea of the Business the House will consider next week.

On Tuesday, 5th October, 2010, 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 continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address.

Sir, on Wednesday 6th October, 2010, the Business of the House will begin with Questions, if there will be any. This will be followed by presentation of Government Bills, if there will be any. After that, the House will consider Private Member’s Motions, if there will be any. The House will then continue with the debate on the Motion of Thanks. 

Mr Speaker, on Thursday, 7th October, 2010, 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. The House will then conclude debate on the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address. On this day, I intend to move a Motion to suspend Standing Orders No, 19 and 20, to enable the House to meet at 1415 hours on Friday, 8th October, 2010, to allow the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to deliver his Budget Address for 2010. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT 

MAINTENANCE SHUTDOWN OF INDENI PERTOLEUM REFINERY

The Minister of Energy and Water Development (Mr Konga): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to brief the public through this august House regarding the fuel situation in the country in view of the maintenance shutdown of the refinery from, today, 1st October to 15th November, 2010. 

As hon. Members are aware, we had some challenges in 2009 during the refinery shutdown. Unlike 2009, when we had supply constraints, including inadequate storage capacity, the situation this year is different. 

Using the Government’s own resources, we have finished the construction of a 40 million litre diesel storage tank in Ndola. Further, two tanks, each with a 14 million litre capacity, have also been rehabilitated at the Ndola Fuel Terminal. The Government has also entered into hospitality arrangements with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation to release some of their redundant storage facilities at Luano where 3.6 million litres of diesel is being stored. 

In addition to the above, the Government has since January, 2010 been importing fuel to supplement what was being produced at the refinery. As of today, 1st October, 2010, the following are the fuel stock levels through out the country:

(a)    75 million litres of diesel, equivalent to 47 days of national consumption at the rate of 1.6 million litres per day, is available in the country;

(b)    34 million litres of petrol, equivalent to 55 days of national consumption at the rate of 600,000 litres per day, is also available;

(c)    2.4 million litres of kerosene, equivalent to 49 days of national consumption;

(d)    5 million litres of Jet A1 fuel, equivalent to 41 days of national consumption at the rate of 90,000 litres per day; and

(e)     29,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil (HFO), equivalent to 165 days of national consumption.

Mr Speaker, from the above figures, the Government is convinced that there will be sufficient fuel supply during the refinery shutdown. In addition to the above, fuel imports will continue during and beyond the refinery shutdown to supplement and replenish the stocks that will be depleted.

As a way to continue securing our fuel supplies, the Government will continue with the programme of rehabilitating and building storage tanks. The next phase of this programme will see the expansion of storage facilities in Lusaka, Solwezi and Mongu. A new storage facility will also be built in Mpika which will be the supply hub for the Northern Province. Thereafter, storage facilities in other provinces will be rehabilitated or expanded. The bulk of these works will be completed before the end of 2011.

Having briefed the nation through this august House on the fuel supply situation in the country during the Indeni Refinery shutdown, I wish to take this opportunity to assure all fuel consumers that the fuel already in the country will be enough to supply the country during the refinery shutdown. The continuation of fuel importation is meant to replenish what will be used when the refinery is not operating.

Mr Speaker, therefore, no fuel consumer should have any anxieties about the supply of fuel during the refinery shutdown.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order! Hon. Members may now ask questions on points of clarification on the statement which has been given by the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development.

Mr Muyanda (Sinazongwe):  Mr Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister of Energy and Water Development why the shutdown of Indeni happens at a time when preparations for the  farming season are about to start.
   
   Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, indeed, as the hon. Member has rightly observed, the refinery goes for annual maintenance from about September to November. As I have indicated, this is to facilitate the rehabilitation of some of the parts which wear down during the course of the year when the refinery is operating.

Of course, it was not planned that the refinery will be going for maintenance when farmers are planting their crops. From the time that the refinery starts operating after refurbishment, it takes about eleven to twelve months before the next maintenance exercise. During the twelve months of operations, the parts wear down such that if the refinery does not go for maintenance, it will compromise the refining of the products that it produces. Therefore, to avert such a situation, the refinery must be shut down in order for the maintenance exercise to take place. However, it not our desire that the maintenance works take place at a time when the farmers are preparing their fields. As I have indicated, although the refinery will shut down, the supply of petroleum products will not be affected at all. Therefore, farmers and indeed, any other fuel consumers will still be provided with petroleum products during the refinery shutdown.

 Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kambwili (Roan): Mr Speaker, last year when we had a closure of Indeni, we had assurances from the hon. Minister that there would be no shortages and yet, there were shortages. I would like to know what is going to happen if we have shortages. Is he going to resign?

 Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the Government on Tuesday, through the Ministry of Energy and Water Development, went with a group of media people from both the electronic and print media to verify and ascertain the figures of petroleum products at both the Luano Storage Facility and Ndola Fuel Terminal. I have just given a statement regarding the fuel stocks.  I would like to request your Committee on Energy, Environment and Tourism to go to the facilities I have mentioned to verify that the stocks that I have talked about are available. Based upon the consumption patterns of this country, I can safely say that we have enough stocks to last us through the refinery shutdown period.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Lumba (Solwezi Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister if the Government is going to give any company a contract to import crude oil during the Indeni shutdown period and, if so, which one it will be?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, crude oil is imported by the Government through its agency, the Tanzania Zambia Mafuta (TAZAMA). During the period of the Indeni shutdown, it does not make sense to import crude oil because it is refined at the same refinery. 

As I have indicated in my statement, the Government will continue the importation of other finished petroleum products such as petrol and diesel.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr D. Mwila Chipili): Mr Speaker, Hon. Kambwili asked the hon. Minister if he was going to resign if shortages occur during the shutdown period. The filling station opposite the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) is already experiencing long queues. Are you going to resign, hon. Minister?

Hon, Government Members: Why?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, if there is a queue at one filling station, it does not imply that there is no fuel in the country. The hon. Member should be aware of that. He is free to request your Committee on Energy, Environment and Tourism to verify the figures which I have talked about. Therefore, if you find that there is no fuel at a particular filling station, it does not imply that the Government does not have any fuel stocks available.

 I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Kapeya (Mpika Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has mentioned that the country has enough fuel stocks to last three months. In case other filling stations such as the one which was mentioned by the hon. Member for Chipili Constituency run out of fuel, what action will be taken by the ministry? 

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, there are different reasons certain filling stations, sometimes, run out of fuel other than the lack of the availability of the products at the terminal. One of the reasons is when a particular dealer has no money to buy the product from the refinery.

Ms Cifire: Hear, hear!

Mr Konga: As a result, they can have fuel shortages at such filling stations. This does not imply that the product is not on the market.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mushili (Ndola Central): Mr Speaker, what is the anticipated total capacity of the storage facilities in Zambia following the completion of rehabilitation works on provincial storage facilities? What are the minimum stock levels that the Government is expected to hold on to at a particular time?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, at the moment, we have only rehabilitated the storage facility at Ndola Fuel Terminal. Upon completion of the remaining tank at this terminal, the Government intends to increase the storage facilities in Lusaka from 2.4 to 24 million litres. Thereafter, it will undertake rehabilitation works and increase the storage facilities at Solwezi from 2.4 to 14 million litres. After that, the Government intends to rehabilitate the storage facilities in Mongu. 

Mr Speaker, at the moment, the Government has not yet embarked on the rehabilitation of provincial storage centres.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chanda (Kankoyo): Mr Speaker, how much will it cost to rehabilitate the Indeni plant?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the rehabilitation of Indeni will cost about US$2 million.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mrs Musokotwane (Katombola): Mr Speaker, is it possible to change the cycle of maintenance of this plant from October/November to, maybe, May/June so that the farming activities are not disturbed?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, I have just indicated in my ministerial statement that fuel consumers, including farmers, should not have any anxieties about the supply of fuel. There is enough fuel for farmers to undertake their farming activities. I mentioned that the cycle is dependant on the time at which the refinery needs rehabilitation. If we were to do that within six months, the equipment would not have been worn out to an extent of needing rehabilitation.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Milupi (Luena): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister accept that the reason we have these prolonged shutdowns, every year, is because Indeni Refinery is no longer fit for the purpose it serves and, therefore, needs to be replaced? Would he indicate whether the Government has plans to replace this refinery?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, the Government, through the public-private partnership (PPP) unit and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, advertised through the public media for interest to be expressed on the various modes of supplying fuel to the country. The objective was to take the best option of supplying fuel to the country whether to continue with the existing mode of refining crude or to supply fuel which is already refined into finished products such as petrol, diesel and kerosene.

We are still undertaking the study and, depending on its outcome, the Government will decide which mode to go for. If it decided that it still continues with the existing mode of refining crude, indeed, the Government will consider improving the refinery. As I speak now, there have already been expressions of interest by private investors that would like to set up refineries in various parts of the country. So, the Government will consider that option once the study is completed.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mukanga (Kantanshi): Mr Speaker, since the hon. Minister has said that the Government may allow fuel dealers to import finished products during the shutdown period of the refinery, can he assure this House whether the pump price per litre will remain constant and will not change as result of this move?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, I said that the Government would continue to import finished products to replenish the stocks that will be drawn down during the shutdown period of the refinery. However, I cannot confirm the change in the pump price because, as you are aware, the price of fuel is predominantly determined by the cost of the product on the international market and the exchange rate. That is what determines the local price of fuel on the market here. 

So, if the cost of the price of the product suddenly goes up, it will be difficult for the Government to say the prices will not change or, indeed, if the product on the international market significantly goes down, we also benefit from such a price movement. Therefore, at this stage, it will be difficult to state that the Government will maintain the status quo.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out what the Government will do or has done to most oil marketing companies (OMCs) that have flouted the statutory requirement of stocking energy for fifteen days.

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, it is true that some OMCs have flouted the requirement that they keep stocks which can last for fifteen days. This matter is in court at the moment. It is difficult for me to comment any further regarding the matter.

I thank you, Speaker.

Dr Chishya (Pambashe): Mr Speaker, my question has already been answered by the hon. Minister.

Mr Sikota, SC. (Livingstone): Mr Speaker, if oil importations will continue, can the hon. Minister, please, tell this House if any measures have been put in place to ensure that this imported fuel will not by-pass border areas and only to be re-transported from depots far away from these border areas. Is there a mechanism to rationalise how this imported fuel is offloaded?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, that is a valid observation. The Government, through the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), ensures that once the trucks carrying fuel cross the border at either Nakonde or Chirundu, there is verification through the surveillance system and other documentation at the discharge point which is the Ndola Fuel Terminal. This is done to make sure that the trucks which left the port of Dar-es-salaam have their papers verified at the entry point, either at Nakonde or Chirundu using the documents available before being discharged. If it is discovered that a truck is missing, then an alarm is raised by the Government because we also get a schedule of the trucks entering the country.

Mr Speaker, if a particular truck is not discharged, we raise a query and also have a surveillance team of officers going along the route to ensure that there is no breakdown or, indeed, nothing else happens because we are alive to the fact that we need the fuel and that everything that has left Dar-es-salaam is accounted for at the Ndola Fuel Terminal.

I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Phiri (Munali): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister if he intends to remove the K152 per litre which was slapped on the fuel pump price that was intended to build the fuel reserves.

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, I have just catalogued the measures the Government is taking to increase the capacity of the storage facilities in the country. Therefore, the K152 is still required. The Government does not intend to remove this levy at all.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, the viability of the TAZAMA Pipelines is dependent on the operations of Indeni Oil Refinery. What would be the fate of the TAZAMA Pipelines be considering that the Government has indicated that Indeni is no longer viable and that it is looking at options?

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, a question about the viability of the TAZAMA Pipeline was recently answered in this House and it was indicated that either way, whether the Government continued with the status quo of importing crude oil or whether it opted to import finished products, the cost effective way of delivering these products on the market was through the TAZAMA Pipeline. Therefore, the future of the pipeline is still vibrant.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Shakafuswa (Katuba): Mr Speaker, I just want to emphasise the question by the hon. Member for Livingstone on the efficiency in the administration of the delivery of fuel. I want to know if the hon. Minister understood the question by the hon. Member for Livingstone regarding the efficiency in the delivery of fuel. At present when we import fuel using a border like Livingstone, it first goes all the way to Ndola for off-loading and then it is taken back to Livingstone to be sold. He wanted to know whether the Government could improve on efficiency by actually off-loading the fuel in Livingstone instead of Ndola, thereby making fuel expensive.

Mr Konga: Mr Speaker, I have indicated in the statement that the Government is, currently, rehabilitating various storage facilities throughout the country. The objective of this rehabilitation, among others is, of course, to address that situation because, at present, there does not exist, in the various provincial centres, facilities where fuel can be discharged for the oil marketing companies to acquire it from such sources. Once the rehabilitation of the various storage facilities is completed, the Government does, indeed, intend to supply these provincial centres with fuel to cut down on the high cost of the transportation of the commodity.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

 I would like to guide the hon. Members of the Executive to make ministerial statements as often as they can on matters that affect the people of Zambia. It is through these statements that both this House and the people at large are made aware of what is happening in the Republic. So, we are expecting more statements to come out of the hon. Ministers. In so doing, however, it is not procedural for an hon. Minister, especially if he or she has indicated that they would like to make a statement in the House, to pre-empt it by doing so through the media. That is not procedural.

You should start from here and if you wish to give details out there, then you can go to the media.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

POLICE OFFICERS IN SOLWEZI

60. Mr Lumba (Solwezi Central) asked the Minister of Home Affairs:

(a)    what the total establishment of police officers in Solwezi District was;

(b)    how many police officers were accommodated by the Government;

(c)    when the construction of staff houses would commence; and 

(d)    how many houses would be built.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Taima): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the total establishment for the whole district is 230 police officers broken down as follows:

Establishment            No. of Houses    

Divisional headquarters                         91
    District headquarters              7
    Solwezi police station            61
    Chawama police post             29
    St. Dorothy police post             12
    Maheba police post            17
    Mutanda police post             13
    Total                             230

The total number of officers accommodated in Solwezi District is seventy-four as per available institutional houses.

The ministry will commence the construction of additional houses in all police stations in the district during the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) implementation period, which is between 2011 to 2015, once funds are made available.

Mr Speaker, a total of 150 houses are planned to be constructed in the district once funds are made available in the period stated above.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lumba: Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister, how many officers are employed out of the 230 who are required by the establishment.

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Lungu): Mr Speaker, when these questions are asked, we give an answer to the specific question asked. We have been asked to indicate how many police officers are employed, therefore, that is a new question to which we may give wrong information. Thus, I would appeal to the hon. Member for Solwezi Central to put the question in writing so that we give him a researched answer.

Thank you, Sir.

Mrs Phiri (Munali): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister of Home Affairs if accommodation is considered when police officers are being deployed to new stations, especially that they are paid low salaries. 

Mr Lungu: Mr Speaker, that question is new and is not relevant to the question on the Order Paper.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Chisala (Chilubi): Mr Speaker, based on the answer given by the hon. Deputy Minister, could he indicate the actual number of police officers who are currently serving the people of Solwezi.

Mr Lungu: Mr Speaker, I have answered that question.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr C. B. K. Banda, SC. (Chasefu): Mr Speaker, does the ministry intend to construct a new police station in Solwezi District and if so, will it come with the construction of houses for police officers?

Mr Lungu: Mr Speaker, in our response, we indicated that for the period 2011 to 2015, houses are in our plans and we intend to build more once funds are available during that period.

I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Sinyangwe (Matero): Mr Speaker, looking at the numbers, it is certain that we have a shortage of police officers. When are we going to have adequate police officers, considering that it takes a short time to train them?

Mr Lungu: Mr Speaker, we will have them as soon as funds are made available.

Laughter 

Mr Lungu: I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda (Kabwata): Mr Speaker, can I find out from the hon. Minister of Home Affairs when this establishment of 230 was set and when he intends to revise it, given the fact that there is so much development taking place in Solwezi that is, therefore, being associated with crime. I hope it is not a new question.

Mr Lungu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member for Kabwata knows that he was asking a new question.

Laughter 

Mr Lungu: So, he is pre-empting it by saying he hopped it was not a new question when it is a new.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mukanga (Katanshi): Mr Speaker, sometime back, we were told by the hon. Minister of Home Affairs that they intended to procure brick-moulding machines which they would send to all districts so that they may help in the construction of accommodation and other buildings for the police. I would like to find out how far the hon. Minister has progressed in that direction.

Mr Lungu: Mr Speaker, it may be seen as if we are trying to evade the questions, but that question has really nothing to do with the question on the Order Paper. The moulding of bricks and Solwezi District are two different things.

Laughter 

Mr Lungu: I think let us be focussed with our questions, then we will receive proper answers.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter {mospagebreak}

NATIONAL POLLUTION EMISSIONS INVENTORY

61. Mr Mukanga asked the Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources:

(a)    when the national pollution emissions inventory was last conducted in Zambia; and 

(b)          which areas were the most polluted.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources (Ms Tembo): Mr Speaker, allow me to start by defining the term ‘emission’ which refers to discharges in different media such as air, land and water and in different states such as gas, liquid and solid. Having defined this term, I wish to inform this House that a countrywide inventory of pollution emissions has not been made. However, the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), through the Copperbelt Environmental Programme, has developed a national programme for monitoring the emissions. The monitoring programme, once put into effect, will also cover emission inventories.

Mr Speaker, since a national pollution emissions inventory has not yet been made, it is not possible to state which areas are the most polluted.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, based on the hon. Minister’s answer that the national pollution inventory has not been made countrywide, I would like to find out how this Government will know the magnitude of the problem in Kabwe and Ndola which are lead polluted areas. 

The Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources (Ms Namugala): Mr Speaker, indeed, a nationwide inventory has not been done, but there have been a number of studies that have been carried out that targeted places such as the Copperbelt and, in particular, Kitwe and Mufulira.

Mr Speaker, the targeted studies were on air, water and soil pollution. We know, for instance, that Kabwe is polluted heavily because of lead mining. We also know that because of the technology that the mining companies were using in the past, there is a lot of air on the Copperbelt which is polluted with sulphur dioxide. However, we have insisted that all new mine owners must ensure that they meet the emission levels and many of them have had to modify their technology or, indeed, apply new technology so that they meet the emission levels that we require them to meet.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mushili (Ndola Central): Mr Speaker, in various reports of the ECZ, Ndola City is among those areas that are most polluted because of Lafarge and Ndola Lime. What is the ECZ doing in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, I referred to the issue of technology in my earlier response precisely, that we are requesting all the owners of the mines and other businesses to indicate to us how they will address  pollution and environmental management in general. Where we, as a Government, see that there is massive pollution and that the people’s health is at risk, we take such operators to court. Where there is a case of an individual being affected because of activities of a particular operator, that individual can take that operator to court.
I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda: Sir, the hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources in Zambia has been very loud in sensitising people on the effects of climate change. She led a big delegation to …

Mr Speaker: Order! What is your question?

Mr Lubinda: Sir, can she indicate why, to date, there has not been any inventory taken to inform the nation on Zambia’s plan to reduce climate change effects and when she intends to make this inventory?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, indeed, we have been very loud and will continue to be so, so that we indicate that the greatest polluters in this world are not countries such as Zambia. It is the industrialised countries that cause so much pollution that contributes to the problem of climate change. However, I would like to say that undertaking a nationwide inventory is not cheap. We are looking for resources, as a country, to ensure that we undertake this very important exercise.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mrs Mwamba (Lukashya): Mr Speaker, from the answer given by the hon. Minister, it is very obvious  that the Government understands the magnitude of the problem of pollution. Why is there no deliberate policy on the reduction and management of pollution?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, we do realise that this is a problem and we have asked the owners of the mines, especially on the Copperbelt, to come up with environmental management plans. I would like to inform the hon. Members of this House that there is also an economic incentive in the sense that if the mines are able to capture the sulphur dioxide that is normally referred to as senta, they can produce sulphuric acid that they can use in producing copper through leaching.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Scott (Lusaka Central): Mr Speaker, following up on the earlier answer given by the hon. Minister about legal action against corporate polluters, can we have her specific assurance that the next time the Konkola Copper Mine (KCM) releases toxins into the Kafue River, it will be sued and punished by the courts? 

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, there are always levels that are generally acceptable to the Government. The Government undertakes monitoring to ensure that if these levels are exceeded, action is taken. We continue to monitor the activities of mining companies, especially the one referred to.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Ms Kawandami (Chifubu): Mr Speaker, one type of pollution is noise. What is the Government doing about noise pollution in the country?

Interruptions 

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, all pollution must be controlled. The hon. Deputy Minister indicated that the fact that when we say that there is pollution in an area, there must be a pollutant in the vicinity which is a situation which should not be allowed to continue. In the case of noise pollution, depending on the area that the new hon. Member of Parliament is talking about, we urge her to come and give us information thereon so that we are able to measure the noise pollution that she is referring to.

I thank you, Sir. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Kambwili (Roan): Mr Speaker, may I find out from the hon. Minister whether carrying out an inventory of the emissions is a statutory requirement and, if so, why is it that we are abrogating the law by not undertaking this inventory?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, Zambia is a signatory to many multi-lateral agreements and some require that we undertake such an inventory. However, we know that we have to do that within the capacity of the country. If we do not have the capacity, we will not be able to do it. We will be able to take this inventory when we have the resources and capacity.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

TREE PLANTING IN KANKOYO

62. Mr Chanda (Kankoyo) asked the Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources:

(a)    when the tree planting exercise in Kankoyo township, in Kankoyo Parliamentary Constituency, would commence;

(b)    which companies had offered to participate in the exercise;

(c)    whether the Government would mobilise school children to be part of the exercise; and

(d)    what the total cost of the exercise would be.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources (Mr Mwangala): Mr Speaker, …

Hon. Opposition Members: Obama! Obama!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Laughter 

Mr Mwangala: … the national tree planting activities start from 15th December to 15th January every year. Therefore, in Kankoyo, tree planting activities will be conducted during this period. The reason for restricting tree planting to the earlier part of the rainy season is to ensure that the trees planted have been consolidated at the end of the rainy season. This is because most people do not have access to adequate water to continue watering the trees after the rainy season. So far, no company has offered to participate in the exercise.

Mr Speaker, it has been the Government’s policy to mobilise school pupils every year so that they can participate in the tree planting programme. This is done to both sensitise the pupils as they are the future citizens of the country and to increase coverage for awareness and participation in the tree planting exercise. The expected cost of the tree planting exercise in Kankoyo Constituency is  K40,000,000, which includes the cost of raising seedlings by the Forest Department, land preparation in the selected schools and silvicultural tools for tendering the tree seedlings.

I thank you, Mr Speaker. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chanda: Sir, I am always amazed by the answers given by the hon. Minister. May I find out if the Government is considering planting special trees in this area since it is still under heavy pollution of sulphur dioxide.

Hon. Opposition Members: Answer, Obama.

Laughter

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, we have experts on the ground in Kankoyo and they will be able to advise which particular species we should plant.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr Speaker, I want the hon. Minister to tell me in which locations of Kankoyo Parliamentary Constituency these trees will be planted and assure me of the quantity of the trees to be planted.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, tree planting is supposed to take place in every part of the country. A responsible hon. Member of Parliament should ensure that it takes place in his or her constituency. I want to take this opportunity to offer 500 tree seedlings to each hon. Member of Parliament to plant this year and ensure that they grow and are looked after.

I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Phiri: Mr Speaker, I am sure the hon. Minister is also concerned about this, especially that there is no vegetation in Kankoyo Constituency apart from ulunsonga, which is a cactus type of plant. Is the Government considering relocating the people of Kankoyo to a place where there is no pollution?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, I want to express my gratitude to the hon. Members of Parliament who have shown interest in tree planting. We all know that trees act as carbon sinks. Therefore, we must work very hard to improve the vegetation cover of not just Kankoyo, but this country as a whole. The people of Kankoyo and Zambia, in general, need to change their attitude towards looking after the environment.

Mr Speaker, there are countries that ensure that a family plants a tree every time a new child is born.

This is a good culture, especially bearing in mind that here in Zambia there are many babies that are born every day.

Mrs Phiri: Twalileka ukufyala!

Ms Namugala: In short, I am trying to encourage hon. Members of Parliament to encourage the people in their constituencies, in turn, to plant a lot of trees. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chimbaka (Bahati): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister when and where the seedlings shall be collected from, especially that this exercise is long over due for some of us and she knows it.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, we have the district forestry officers in every district and we are building their capacity for them to adequately be able to support hon. Members of Parliament should they decide to join the ministry in this exercise of planting trees. We are going to make sure that each district has enough seedlings.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Shakafuswa (Katuba): Mr Speaker, I would like to find when we are going to learn from the Malawian Government embarked on a tree planting programme and declared a tree planting day as a national holiday. If you went to Malawi today, you will find that the forests have re-grown. When are we going to learn such a lesson in Zambia so that we make it mandatory for everybody to plant a tree?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, the tree planting season for us in the ministry is a very important one. I want to thank the hon. Member for Katuba for raising this issue, but we need to do more. I agree that we cannot do more without the participation of the members of the public. I want to start with the hon. Members of Parliament so that they can come on board with the 500 trees seedlings each that we would like to give them. This way, we will be making a difference.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr C. K. B. Banda, SC.: Do I take it that the donation of 500 tree seedlings to each hon. Member of Parliament is an indirect launch of a tree planting exercise by your ministry?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, I want to say that it is the beginning of big things to come in this area of improving our vegetation cover. Again, I want to appeal to the hon. Members of Parliament to come on board.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ntundu (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister the species of tree we are going to get. Are we going to have an opportunity to choose the type of trees we want to plant, looking at the soils that we have in different constituencies?

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, I take it that most hon. Members of Parliament are not experts in this area. So, I want to encourage them to work with the experts on the ground so that they can decide whether they are going to plant indigenous or exotic trees, but they will be guided by the officers on the ground.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, the offer is obviously appreciated. However, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister how this new programme will relate with the already existing programme in the ministry which is community based where there is money allocated for communities to be involved. Is she taking money from that programme to support hon. Members of Parliament or is this a parallel programme which hon. Members of Parliament, obviously, would like to get involved in?  The hon. Deputy Minister should be able to remember that I participated in the planting of tress in Kabwata Constituency. 

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, this is a parallel programme and the reason is that as an hon. Minister, I do not see enough participation by hon. Members of Parliament in the community-based programme. So, I want them to take this as their exercise to plant trees.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, during the official opening of the Fourth Session of the Tenth National Assembly, His Excellency the President, Mr Rupia Bwezani Banda, announced that the former President, Dr Kenneth David Kaunda, was appointed ambassador for tree planting. I would like to know how many trees have been planted so far and in which areas.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, I do not recall His Excellency the President saying that Dr Kaunda will be planting trees. What I remember is that His Excellency the President did announce that he had constituted a panel of eminent persons to assist in the issue of environmental protection and, in particular, to deal with the issue of deforestation. I am happy to say that following that directive, the ministry has drawn up the terms of reference for this panel of eminent persons who are working very hard to help us in creating awareness on the need for us to avoid deforestation.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, I would like to find out when that committee of eminent persons will put whatever they are writing on paper into practice because we want to see them at work.

Ms Namugala: Mr Speaker, this committee is expected to help the Government in creating awareness on the need for us as a nation to plant trees and to avoid the indiscriminate cutting of trees.

I thank you, Sir.

ZSIC 2009 TURNOVER

63. Mr Kambwili asked the Minister of Finance and National Planning:

(a)    how much money the Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZSIC) recorded in the 2009 financial year as turnover;

(b)    how much was paid as claims to various clients;

(c)    what the net profit for the year was; and

(d)    how much was paid to the Treasury in the form of taxes.

The Deputy Minister of Finance and National Planning (Ms C. M. Kapwepwe): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that according to the draft financial statements for the year ended 31st December, 2009, which are yet to be approved by the board and annual general meeting, the gross premiums written in the 2009 financial year were K240.9 billion.

The claims and benefits incurred by ZSIC in 2009 amounted to K85.27 billion. 

ZSIC recorded a net profit of K1.1 billion for the year ended 31st December, 2009. 

With regard to the payment of taxes, I wish to inform the House that ZSIC paid to the Treasury a total amount of K8.121 billion in the form of taxes.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kambwili: Mr Speaker, it is clear that ZSIC recorded K240.9 billion from premiums and paid only K85.27 billion. Why does it take long for ZSIC to indemnify clients when they have accidents?

Ms C. M. Kapwepwe: Mr Speaker, I have difficulties to follow the question by the hon. Member because there is no correlation between the gross premiums and claims. That is how the insurance business works. Payment is made towards a situation where there is a need to claim. If the need does not arise, then it becomes profit for the insurance company. So, to say that because K240.9 billion was recorded as the gross premiums then there must be the same level of claims, is really failing to understand the business of insurance.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order! 

The hon. Member used a wrong word, ‘indemnify’. That does not agree with the terminology used in the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. 

Mr Mukanga: Mr Speaker, why does it take long for the ZSIC to pay people who claim whenever they have problems?

Ms C. M. Kapwepwe: Mr Speaker, I think there are various claims that come up and, obviously, there are procedures which have to be followed in paying the claims. An adjustment has to be done and there are procedures to be followed because there are various types of claims and some may be more straightforward than others. Suffice to say that I am sure that ZSIC is committed to paying claims as quickly as possible.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, may I find out from the hon. Minister why the recorded net profit is only K1.1 billion, and yet the claims paid out are only a third of the total turnover at K85 billion as opposed to K240.9 billion. What is the reason for such a small profit when there is such a huge turnover and relatively low claims?

Ms C. M. Kapwepwe: Mr Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for that follow-up question. The net profit anywhere depends on the operational expenses for the corporation. May I point out that this was the year when ZSIC underwent restructuring as per new legal requirements such that it could no longer operate under one entity for general and life insurances. ZSIC had to create separate bodies to deal with these two types of insurance. So, part of the reason could be that there were special one-off restructuring costs which were incurred in this particular year.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lumba: Mr Speaker, there was a net profit of K1.1 billion and K8 billion was paid as tax. How can tax be more than the profit?

Ms C. M. Kapwepwe: Mr Speaker, I think that the K8.1 billion is the amount of all forms of tax which was paid by this particular entity. The K8.1 billion encompasses all the taxes that were paid on all the transactions that the company engaged in.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Nkombo: Mr Speaker, there is a direct relationship between premiums and claims. I would like to find out why ZSIC is deemed to be inefficient in the settlement of claims compared to other insurance companies in the country.

Ms C. M. Kapwepwe: Mr Speaker, I think I have already spoken about the process of paying out claims. There are different types of claims and some are more straightforward than others. I also pointed out that ZSIC is probably the biggest single insurance company. With the restructuring, the company has now been divided into different divisions and we hope that with this kind of action, we will see some added efficiency in the way the company will be conducting its business. 

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

POVERTY REDUCTION FUNDING

64. Dr Chishya (Pambashe) asked the Minister of Finance and National Planning:

(a)    how much money was channelled through non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands for poverty reduction in Zambia in the years 2008 and 2009;

(b)    which specific poverty reduction projects funded at (a) were successfully implemented; and

(c)    which NGOs were responsible for the projects implemented successfully.

Ms C. M. Kapwepwe: Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that my ministry wrote to the Netherlands and United Kingdom (UK) to furnish it with information since it is not involved in the process of the donors funding the non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The UK responded and the Netherlands requested that we give it more time. 

Mr Speaker, money that was channelled through NGOs by the UK for poverty reduction in Zambia in the years 2008 and 2009 was £2,773,580 and £601,465 for those years respectively. The details are as follows:

Non-governmental organisation        Project            2008        2009
                                   (£)                       (£)

          

Zambia National Aids Network        Zambia HIV/AIDS     8,999             -         
                    Programme

Civil Society for Poverty Reduction    Support to CSPR                  66,250                   132,500
(CSPR)

CARE International            Partnership Programme          -                        132,500
                    Agreement

CARE International            Partnership Programme          -                         454,038
                    Agreement

Programme Against Malnutrition        Malnutrition Emergency    39,371                           -
                    Intervention

Foundation for Democratic Process    Support to monitor 2008      8,427                            -
                    Presidential Bye-election

Zambia Centre for Inter-Party        Support to monitor    34,813                             -
Dialogue                By-elections

Press Freedom Committee        Support to monitor      2,832                             -
                    2008 By-elections

National Democratic Institute        Support to monitor      9,404                             -
                    2008 By-elections

Tropical Health and Education Trust    UK/Zambia Workforce             -                        12, 918
                    Alliance
  
Total                                                                                                    2,773,580                    601,456
 
Mr Speaker, according to the UK, all the poverty reduction projects under part (a) of the question were carried out satisfactorily. All the funds that were issued were properly accounted for in accordance with the agreements surrounding their allocations.

Mr Speaker, according to the UK, all the funded NGOs contributed to poverty reduction in accordance with the agreements surrounding their allocations.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Chishya: Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister indicate to this House, and the nation as a whole, whether the Government monitors the execution of poverty reduction programmes by the NGOs. In the same vein, I would like to know whether NGOs carry out projects in line with Government programmes and policies or they carry them out randomly.

The Minister of Finance (Dr Musokotwane): Mr Speaker, the Government monitors the programmes which are carried out by NGOs. However, in doing this, the Government is faced with certain difficulties and this is the reason it has decided to bring the NGO Bill to Parliament, to ensure among other things, that as the NGOs execute their various development programmes, they are in line with the programmes of the Government as outlined in its national development plans. 

Mr Speaker, additionally, through the NGO Bill, our intention was to make the NGOs accountable and ensure that the money provided ton them is used for the intended purposes. We felt that it was important that the Government satisfied itself, not through reports submitted to the donors, but through reports given directly to the Government that the money is being utilised for the purposes indicated.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Simuusa(Nchanga): Mr Speaker, the donor community differentiates between poverty reduction and poverty alleviation. I would like to know the Government understanding or policy on that difference and whether the funding mentioned went towards poverty alleviation or poverty reduction.

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, we understand poverty reduction as the reduction of poverty. On the other hand, poverty alleviation is to accept that poverty exists, but that measures are taken to make the life of the people as comfortable as possible under the prevailing circumstances.

Mr Speaker, with regard to the second part of the question, I would like to refer to my earlier statement about the need for the Government to ensure that anyone who receives public funds is accountable regardless of whether the funds are from the Government or donated. This accountability is not just in terms of financial accounting, but adherence to programmes that are intended.

Mr Speaker, we brought the NGO Bill to the House so that it could facilitate accountability and satisfy the Government that money is used in the manner intended.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chimbaka (Bahati): Mr Speaker, I would like to find out whether, besides monitoring programmes and activities of NGOs, the Government looks at their reports of accounts. If it does, I would like to know which office does it and how it gets satisfied that NGOs spend money on the intended programmes.

Dr Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, the Government has mechanisms of receiving reports from any NGO because all NGOs are registered. However, sometimes, there is a tendency to think that when money is provided by an outsider, the recipients want to think that they can only be accountable to the provider of the funds than to the Government, hence the Bill that we brought to Parliament and passed with overwhelming support to ensure that we now have a stronger legislation that enables us to summon any NGO to account irrespective of who gave them the money.

I thank you, Sir.

_________ 

MOTION

MOTION OF THANKS

(Debate resumed)

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, the Motion is very clear that the thanks of the assembly be recorded for the exposition of public policy contained in the President’s speech. 

Mr Speaker, I was interested to look at the policies that His Excellency wanted to be recorded as the exposition of public policy. I had difficulties finding what policies he wanted the nation to follow.

Mr Speaker, going through the speech of His Excellency the President, I concluded that it contained projects he wanted to highlight as success stories. However, the success stories that he wanted to tell the nation have been contradicted by what is happening on the ground.

Mr Speaker, when the late President, Mr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, SC. died, he left the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP). When the current President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, came into power, he promised to continue with the late President’s policies and programmes.

Mr Speaker, those plans and programmes are contained in the FNDP. However, during the two and half years that President Banda has been in leadership, he has lamentably failed …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: … to implement the programmes that were left for him by the late President, Mr Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, SC.

Hon. Government Members: Where?

Mr Kakoma: Those programmes are contained in the 2009 Annual Progress Report of the Fifth National Development Plan which has been laid on the Table of this House and I will demonstrate how. Thanks to the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning for tabling this document on the Floor of this House because it clearly shows that during the few years that the President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda has been in office, he has lamentably failed to implement the plans and programmes left for him by the late President Mr Mwanawasa, SC.

As shown on page 10 of the 2009 Annual Progress Report of the Fifth National Development Plan, many of the projects, policies and programmes that were outlined have not been worked on. 

On page 4, the 2009 Annual Progress Report of the Fifth National Development Plan shows that at the macro economic level, all the key performance indicators have been below par. For example, the domestic borrowing as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) has failed to achieve its target. 

Mr Speaker, with regard to the stock of domestic suppliers’ debt, the late President Mwanawasa, SC. said we should pay all our suppliers, but this Government has failed and ultimately, it is President Rupiah Banda who has failed to pay all the suppliers.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Sir, according to the 2009 Annual Progress Report for the Fifth National Development Plan, the Government has failed to meet the demand in the key sectors such as education, health, energy, agriculture, infrastructure and water and sanitation.

Mr Mabenga: Who told you?

Mr Kakoma: I am reading your own document.

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: This Government has also failed to make the domestic revenue as a good percentage of the GDP.  The Government had a target of putting forty-eight ministries and agencies on the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). However, not even one such institution has been put on the IFMIS. 

Mr Speaker, the late President Mwanawasa, SC. left an elaborate plan for irrigation in the agricultural sector. The 2009 Annual Progress Report of the Fifth National Development Plan, says on page 10 that the Government has lamentably failed to implement that irrigation programme. Let me now give you examples. In Lundazi District, the Tionge Irrigation Scheme has not started. In Chongwe, the Kanakantampa Irrigation Scheme has not commmenced. In Sinazongwe, the Nzenga and Sinazongwe irrigation schemes have also not started. This is according to the 2009 Annual Progress Report of the Fifth National Development Plan document.

Mr Speaker, this shows that this Government has lamentably failed although the President came here with the Presidential Speech to tell the nation that his rule has been a success and that because of this success story he is going to be re-elected in 2011.

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mr Kakoma: Sorry, the facts on the ground will speak for themselves.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker, let me quote from the President’s Speech on page 37:

“2011 will be an election year, Members of this House and I, as President, will face re-election. Contrary to some rumours, the election date has not yet been decided. I have not confided in anyone, not even my cousin, Mr Sata. I can assure those who might believe such rumours that only a fool would vote on the 1st April; so do not fall for that old joke.

“In 2008, I asked the voters to look at what the candidates had actually done for Zambia and not at what they said they had done. I stand by those words. I will urge voters to look at what we have achieved since 2008; at the schools, the teachers, the hospitals, the doctors, the roads, the bridges, the number of new jobs, the billions of dollars in investment and trade, and our highest ever foreign currency reserves.

“I will ask the people to judge deeds and not words. The Government is proud of its achievement and of its plans for the future. We will fight hard for our mandate because there is still too much to do for Zambia.” 

Mr Speaker, I was looking for the policies in the President’s Speech, but looking at what I have quoted, you can tell like I was able to see that there were no policies that were outlined in the President’s Speech. Actually, the President used the Floor of this House as a campaign platform in contradiction with the rules of this House. The President also used the Floor of this House to attack individuals who were not in the House to defend themselves. This is the first time, in the nine years that I have been in this House, that I have heard the President talking about individuals in a negative way.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: The President’s Speech should discuss policies and not individuals.

Mr Lubinda: Yes!

Mr Kakoma: When the President comes here, he is supposed to outline the policies of the Government and not attack individuals in his speech who cannot defend themselves.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: From what I have quoted, can I see any public policy in discussing Mr Sata, President of the Patriotic Front (PF)?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: What is public policy in discussing the President’s cousins?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: We have nothing to do with the President’s cousins. What is policy in discussing fools who will vote on 1st April?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: What is policy in discussing election rumours? 

Mr Speaker, I find that speech very embarrassing to this nation.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: However, if the President wants to urge voters to vote for him, based on the records since 2008 regarding what he has done in schools, hospitals, on our bridges and the jobs he has created, then I like his strategy because it will enable us, in the Opposition, to clearly demonstrate to the Zambian people that this Government has lamentably failed.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Sir, for example, we are going to demonstrate how this Government has failed in the education sector. Many schools in this country have inadequate teachers. Most schools have one teacher teaching pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 7 or two teachers teaching pupils from Grade 1 to Grade 9, and you are telling me that you are going to ask people in such areas to vote for you because you have provided teachers. They will boo you. 

Mr Speaker, in many schools in Zambia, children are sitting on the floor. Are you, therefore, going to tell the people of Zambia that you have performed in the education sector when their children are sitting on the floor whilst learning? They are going to boo you. There are many schools where pupils are learning under trees and teachers are actually occupying classrooms because of no accommodation. If this is the record the Government is going to use to campaign and win the next elections, I welcome its campaign. 

Mr Speaker, as regards the health sector, in many hospitals now, we do not have enough nurses, doctors and drugs. At Chiyamalitapi Rural Health Centre, there are no drugs and the chief of that area has even written to this Government to express his displeasure about this. Are you going to tell the people of that area to vote for you because you have performed well in the health sector? We welcome you. 

Mr Speaker, in many parts of this country, the feeder roads are in a deplorable state and you are boasting about your performance in the road sector. In Zambezi East Constituency, which is represented by a senior Cabinet Minister, my sister, the hon. Minister of Gender and Development, this Government has failed to work on the Nyakuleng’a Road. The Government started works on that road when there was a by-election in that area, but it has now been abandoned and the equipment has since been withdrawn. Are you going back to tell the people of Zambezi East Constituency to vote for you because you have worked on the road? Those people will laugh at you and they will not give you their votes.

Mr Speaker, in Zambezi West Constituency, the Government appointed a Namibian contractor, Roads Contractor Company Ltd (RCC), to put up bridges. What they have done is to dismantle those bridges and abandon the project. People cannot cross those rivers. Is that a record you want to take to the people out there to demonstrate how you have performed in this Government? We welcome your election strategy. 

Mr Speaker, the Government wants to demonstrate to the Zambian people that it has created jobs. On the contrary, the economic growth rates of 5 per cent to 6 per cent that the Government has been boasting about, every year, have not created any new jobs. The economy has been grown without development and employment creation. At 5.6 per cent growth rate, the employment level has remained static at around 500,000 for the past five to ten years. You cannot, therefore, boast about creating jobs because you have been achieving the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate. 

Mr Speaker, this Government has lamentably failed in the area of good governance and in the fight against corruption. This is because, basically, this Government has reversed the good policies on good governance and the fight against corruption that the late President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, SC. had started. Good or bad as they may have seemed to be in the view of this Government, the people of Zambia appreciated the policies of President Mwanawasa, SC. in the fight against corruption. This Government has been reversing everything that was initiated by late President in the fight against corruption. For example, President Mwanawasa, SC. did not like thieves, plunderers,…

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1045 hours until 1100 hours.

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, I was saying that the people of Zambia are becoming disillusioned by the MMD Government because it has abandoned the fight against corruption that the late President Levy Mwanawasa, SC. effectively started. They are disillusioned because they have seen that many of the things that the late President put in the fight against corruption have been abandoned or reversed. We can clearly see that some of the things he put in place such as, for example, the Task Force on Corruption, has been dissolved and many of the plunderers have been set off the hook. 

Mr Speaker, the State has inhibited the appeals against acquittals of high profile cases on corruption, especially those involving the former Head of State, Dr Chiluba. The Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General have been relieved of their duties and these were fighting corruption effectively. The Chairperson of the Task Force was dismissed. The contracts of private prosecutors have been terminated. All these things are giving an impression to the Zambian people that this Government has effectively abandoned the fight against corruption. That is going to eat up this MMD Government in 2011. 

Mr Speaker, the President came to this House and deliberately omitted telling the Zambian people on the way forward in the constitution-making process. This Government has spent a lot of money on the Constitutional Review Process, but His Excellency’s speech was silent on this topic. When you look at the Constitution, the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) referred a lot of clauses to a referendum and we were expecting the President to tell us whether we are going to have a referendum this year or not. Looking at the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, there was no provision for the next three years for a referendum. Now, what is going to happen to that Constitution and the provisions that were referred to the referendum? This clearly shows that this Government is not committed to having a new Constitution.

Mr Speaker, finally, I want to inform the nation and the Vice-President of this country, the acting President, who is wondering where President Hakainde is, that he is now in Namwala drawing huge crowds of people. A lot of cattle are being slaughtered in his honour and he is geared for the 2011 Elections.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. UPND Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale (Chipangali): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Floor. 

I wish to start by joining His Excellency the President in thanking you, Sir, the Hon. Madam Deputy Speaker, the Deputy Chairperson of Committees and the Clerk of the National Assembly for the manner in which you have handled the business of this august House. I would also like to thank the mover of the Motion, Hon. Chisanga, for ably moving this Motion and the seconder, Hon. Chongo. 

Mr Speaker, the speech by His Excellency the President gives a lot of hope to this country. It is a speech assuring young people in this nation of employment. It is giving hope to mothers, farmers, people living with HIV/AIDS and everyone else.  

Mr Speaker, we have heard many speeches in this House delivered by Presidents. Usually, after their presentation, such speeches are branded with all sorts of names by hon. Members. Last year, the speech delivered by His Excellency the President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, was branded as being hollow. Almost all the hon. Members of Parliament on your left said that the speech was hollow. 

This time around, they have nothing to say against the speech. The only thing they have to say is that the President, in his speech, talked about developmental projects initiated by his predecessor. As such, they want to make it seem that he is merely living off the glory of his predecessor. They are forgetting that the late President, like Hon. Mabenga said, was a member of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) and that whatever he implemented was the manifesto of the party, formulated by the people on your right.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, hon. Members on your left have seen that this speech is full of developmental programmes which give hope to Zambians. 

Sir, I would like to debate this speech in relation to the attainment of the millennium development goals (MDGs). I went through the speech and I noted that everything that the President talked about aimed at attaining the MDGs that the world is actually looking forward to. The MDGs are the only widely supported developmental goals the world has ever seen. 

Mr Speaker, the No.1 MDG is the eradication of poverty and hunger. In the President’s speech, from page 6 to 7, His Excellency talked about eradicating hunger. He talked about making sure that Zambia grew enough food to feed itself and that it stopped importing food. This is in line with the first MDG. The President did not just talk about eradicating hunger, he has shown us, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives by the bumper harvest we just had, that we can sustain and feed ourselves. 

Mr Speaker, I heard one hon. Member on your left say that the bumper harvest was not due to the inputs that we are giving, as a Government, but due to the rains. Really, I find that argument cheap. 

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

Mr V. Mwale: How many countries in the world received normal rainfall and had bumper harvests? It is the policies of the MMD that have made this country produce 2.7 million tonnes of maize. It is not by accident. 

Mr Speaker, the people of Chipangali are now listening to Parliament Radio, thanks to the Danish Government. They are able to listen to debates of this House. They know who is against the distribution of inputs. They know who, when in power, will not support farmers. They know who believes that it is only the rains which bring about bumper harvests. The people of Chipata are listening right now. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: They know that when a certain group of people comes into power, farmers will be threatened. They will not be able to get the inputs they are getting now. It is the effort of the Government plus the rains that give bumper harvests. 

Mr Muyanda: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker:  A point of order is raised.

Mr Muyanda: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament for Chipangali in order to praise the Danish Government instead of the Zambian Government, which is governing us, for what it has done? I would like to know who is governing Zambia. Is it the Zambian Government or the Danish Government?

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member for Sinazongwe, in his point of order, actually confirms something else. It is on the Floor of this House that all of you may debate freely. Unless you stray out of the rules, nobody will interfere with the flow of your debate. 

The hon. Member for Chipangali is referring to Parliament Radio. As you may remember, I announced that the listeners in Chipata and surrounding areas are now listening to our live broadcasts. I did add that this was thanks to the technical assistance of the Danish Government. This is what the hon. Member for Chipangali is talking about.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: He is free to continue debating. 

You may continue. 

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, I thank you for your protection. 

Indeed, the people of Chipangali are listening. They have heard so many things said in this House. They have heard someone say that the United National Independence Party (UNIP) is ruling in the background. This Government, which will soon clock twenty years, is not discriminating against UNIP, which ruled this country for twenty-seven years. When you put the two parties together, there is no party that can beat the two. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: However, when you put together two parties …

Laughter 

Mr V. Mwale: …that have been struggling for power, each losing three times in general elections, you get six-time losers. 

Laughter 

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, someone on your left said UNIP is ruling. Well and good. We even want those listening in Chipata to come and join us. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: We will welcome them to be part of us. 

Mr Speaker, the time for the people on your left to share mpukunya matobo has not yet come …

Laughter 

Mr V. Mwale: …because they are still fighting among themselves. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Meaning?

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, we learnt, in this House, that mpukunya matobo is actually cake. 

Laughter 

Mr V. Mwale: Their time to share the cake has not yet come. After all, they are under five.

Laughter 

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, the people in Chipangali and Chipata are listening.

Dr Musonda: Hammer!

Mr V. Mwale: Getting back to the President’s Speech, I wish to state that the speech is very much in line with the attainment of the MDGs. I have already talked about eradication of poverty and hunger. Therefore, I would like to move to MDG No. 2.

Mr Speaker, goal number two is talking about providing universal primary education to our citizens. On Pages 25 to 26, His Excellency the President talked about the attainment of this goal. Mind you, these are the goals that the whole world is working to ensure that we attain. The President did not talk about anything else on this goal apart from that he was going to make sure that we attain these goals. The President talked about a total number of 2,543 newly-constructed classroom blocks, forty-five high schools and forty-two basic schools. He also talked about the recruitment of 2,500 new teachers. This is a sort of speech that we want. It is a speech that talked about how we are going to move forward, as a nation, in achieving the Millennium Development Goal Number Two.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, we are doing that. I know that the President did not just speak about education this time around, but he spoke about education as a priority during his inauguration. He said that he was going to make sure that almost every child in Zambia had access to education and that the whole country should get educated because if a nation is educated, it would be easy for us to develop, do business, have human resource and push this nation forward. He has repeatedly said that, as indicated in his speech. The number of classrooms that have been constructed is evidence enough and are all in line with what the President has been talking about. Indeed, this s a very progressive speech.

Sir, I would also like to say something about Millennium Development Goal Number Three which is talking about gender and women empowerment. His Excellency the President talked about this goal on Page 29 of the speech. He emphasised on empowering women and making sure that they depend on themselves rather than on men. He also talked about enabling women to compete with men.

Mr Speaker, on pages 21 and 22 of the speech, His Excellency the President talked about child mortality. This is in line with Millennium Development Goal Number Four which, as Africa, we are struggling to attain. This is a very crucial goal, therefore, we have to make sure that we reduce child mortality because, at present, there are many children that are dying in Africa. The President said that as a nation, we are doing something to make sure that we reduce the child mortality rates in this country. Indeed, this is in line with this millennium development goal.

Mr Speaker, another goal is on maternal mortality. The President said that no women should die whilst giving life. It is true that 500,000 women die every year in the world as a result of complications to do with pregnancies. These figures are alarming. It is like in every three seconds, a woman dies. His Excellency the President has emphasised so much on reducing the maternal mortality rate. This is found on Pages 21 and 22 of his speech.

 Mr Sikazwe: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: It is for this reason that the President, at Mulungushi International Conference Centre, launched the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) which is a  programme that is aiming at reducing the maternal mortality rate in this country. This is another millennium development goal that the President wants us to achieve. I, therefore, hope that when time comes to pass the Budget, it shall be in line with what the President wants us to achieve in this nation.

Mr Speaker, another very important goal is HIV/AIDS and the fight against malaria. This is on Page 21 to 25 of the speech. His Excellency the President talked about so many things that the Government is doing to make sure that we attain the millennium development goal. I will not talk much about that. 

Mr Speaker, another goal which is contained in the President’s Speech is the issue of environmental sustainability. Again, on page 9 and 10, the President emphasised on achieving this goal. 

My last point is on global partnership for development.

Mr Speaker, this Government is working towards the attainment of these millennium development goals. We are making strides to make sure that we achieve the millennium development goals. We may not be able to get there by 2015 but, at least, the commitment shown by His Excellency the President to this House through his speech is a very welcome one.

 On Page 37, His Excellency the President said something on this Government’s performance which has been commended by many hon. Members of this House. He said:

“In 2008, I asked the voters to look at what the candidates had actually done for Zambia and not at what they said they had done. I stand by those words. I will urge voters to look at what we have achieved since 2008; at the schools, the teachers, the hospitals, the doctors, the roads, the bridges, number of new jobs, the billions of dollars in the investment and trade, and our highest ever foreign currency reserves.” 

Mr Speaker, it is true that the people out there must judge this Government on what it has done.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: As for me, I will remember the President for this bumper harvest which we have. The people of Chipangali will remember the President when the time for voting comes for the bumper harvest which the country has. Yes, there are a few challenges that have been highlighted by some hon. Members that the new hon. Minister of Agriculture and Co-operative has to look into. Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate the new Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives. I know that you have a big task ahead of you. There are certain challenges that we are yet to communicate with you. We will remember this Government for the bumper harvest that we have achieved when time for voting comes.

Mr Speaker, I know that Zambians out there who, not long ago, saw this Government importing maize from some of our neighbouring countries, will remember that this Government has made that achievement and will want it to continue doing the same.

Sir, they will also remember President Rupiah Banda for the manner in which he handled the global economic crisis. When we had the economic meltdown in this nation, President Rupiah Banda worked very hard with his Government to ensure that jobs were protected in this country unlike how it was in other countries such as the Congo DR and others. Some countries experienced job losses in the mines and many sectors of the economy. However, in Zambia, His Excellency the President and his Government did everything possible to manage the economy. There were even former Presidents like Mr Nujoma who came to see how we were managing and preventing job losses at the height of the economic crisis.

 Mr Sikazwe: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, like Hon. Ngoma said, we will remember President Banda for saving ZAMTEL. We learnt that by this time, ZAMTEL could have collapsed. This company had huge debts. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: Like they said, ‘watch the space’. LAP-Green has taken over and they will be able to compete with the likes of MTN and Zain. Therefore, we will remember President Banda when time for voting comes for the job well done.

Mr Speaker, we will also remember President Banda, contrary to what the other people have said, for strengthening the fight against corruption.

 Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Speaker, the Whistleblowers Bill which was passed by this House is a clear testimony that we are strengthening the fight against corruption. You have also heard that the Anti-Corruption Act is also in the pipeline. I will not talk about it because this House is yet to discuss it. All in all, we are seeing a legal framework being put in place for us to be able to fight corruption in this country in the normal and right way. We will remember President Banda for all what he has done.  

Mr Speaker, the other thing which I would like to comment on is the construction of hospitals countrywide. By next month, this Government will embark on the construction of a girls’ technical school in Chipangali. The people of Chipangali have never had a Government school since independence. 

     At the moment, the Government is constructing a girls’ technical school in Chipangali. We, the people of Chipangali, are very thankful to this Government. This is a step in the right direction and the people will not forget what this Government has done for Chipangali.

Mr Speaker, on the issue of roads, I wish to inform this House that the Chipangali Road is being worked on by Wang Chang Juang Chang contractors from China. The Mafuta/Topeka and Undi/Chitandika roads are also being constructed and worked on. These have never been attended to from time immemorial. I suppose the last time they were attended to was in 1991. This time around, farmers in Chipangali are so happy that they will be able to get their farming inputs on time without transport difficulties since the roads are being worked on. Transportation of their produce will also be cheap. 

Sir, the people of Chipangali are thankful and will never forget what President Rupiah Banda’s Government has done for them. Come the 2011 tripartite elections, they will give him 100 per cent support.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka (Namwala): Mr Speaker, I am profoundly thankful to you, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to rise on the Floor of this august Assembly and register the deeper feelings of the people of the Great Namwala, as they relate to the speech of His Excellency the President, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, for the Official Opening of the Fifth Session of the Tenth National Assembly. 

Sir, I shall deal with three main areas namely, development, politics and land.

The humble people of Namwala relate most positively with a passion to a humble President …

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: … who they believe is the unifying factor of this country.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: Sir, in Ila, we have an adage which says, “Utalumba mubwa”.

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: This means that if you do not say thank you, you are a dog.

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: That is an Ila saying.

Mr Speaker, I was brought up in my father’s home, Mr Stephen Nakooze Chizhyuka, and my late mother, Nelia Ntambwa Munasheezongo.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: In that home, I was taught many things which were wise advice such as “Bomba ulye malelo” which means, you must humble yourself in order to be appreciated.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: That is what we used to do in my father’s and mother’s home. I was also taught to say, “Ndalumba”, meaning “Thank you” whenever I received something or if somebody did something good for me.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: That is what used to happen in my father’s home.

When my father bought me a pair of shoes, my mother would whisper to me and always reminded me to say thank him.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: I gladly ran to him and did so.

When my father went hunting in the Kafue Plains and brought banacisekwe, my siblings and I would rush out to offload banacisekwe from the bicycle carrier and tell our father, twalumba, thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: This was to encourage our father to provide more for us.

In my mother’s home, we always said thank you whenever we received something. I believe this is our Ila and Zambian culture too. In the Bible, we are also reminded of instances when Jesus Christ healed the sick and they said thank you. They said thank you even though it was an assignment and mission for Jesus Christ to heal the sick, restore sight to the blind and make the deaf to hear. People still said thank you.

Sir, the secret to getting what you want is to humble yourself, bomba ulye malelo. Since I became Member of Parliament for Namwala, I learnt how to ask and humble myself towards others. When I saw that I was lacking something in my constituency, I complained on the Floor of this House and begged humbly to the Government for assistance and I got visible and tangible development such as  the Choma/Namwala Road. The Monze/Nico Road that was worked on at K167 billion. This is not a small amount of money. K27 billion was spent on the Monze/Nico Road.

Ms Cifire: Tell them!

Major Chizhyuka: The Maala/Namusonde Road was worked on at a cost of K4.7 billion. A technical school for girls was constructed at Nico at a cost of K32 billion. A new basic school in Namwala Central was also built at K8 billion.

Mr Mulyata: Mention them! Mention them!

Major Chizhyuka: At the moment, there are seventeen newly-built schools, one by three classroom blocks and teachers’ houses in my constituency at K180 and K260 million respectively.

Mr Mulyata: Utalumbi!

Major Chizhyuka: Utalumbi mubwa!

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: That is what we say in Ila.

Fourteen community schools have been built. I do not know how many boreholes have been sunk and how many markets have been constructed. We have an adage in Ila that says, “Utalumbi mubwa”.

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, when I was at the nucleus of running the United Party for National Development (UPND), I was at the ‘centre of the centre and nucleus of the nucleus’.

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: My colleagues will tell you that I was at the centre of things. The fact that I humbled myself and learnt to publicly say thank you on the Floor of this House and I got more development projects in my constituency than any of my colleagues in the Southern Province.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: All the Members of Parliament who have served in Namwala Constituency, including the first Member of Parliament, Mr Liso Mungoni Liso, who was my father’s first cousin and my uncle, did not develop the area. I have done more developmental projects for my people than any of them.

Hon. Member: Yaaba!

Major Chizhyuka: The reason I got this development is because of the adage that says, “boomba ulye malelo” which means thank you. This is our Ila or Zambian or African culture.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, if someone stood on the Floor of this House and refused to say thank you, after five years, they will go back with nothing.

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: You will not see them again because this is the last time you are seeing them.

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: This is because the people they represent will not remember anything they have done for them. They have done nothing.

Sir, we all remember the First President, Dr K. Kaunda, for the good things he did for this nation such as, building the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), tarring of provincial roads leading to provincial capitals and an array of Government houses. We see these things and talk about them. That is Hakainde …

Interruptions

Major Chizhyuka: I will talk about that shortly …

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: … when I start talking about politics. That is KK! 

Mr Speaker, I think I will leave this matter alone. As far as I am concerned, the schools I have mentioned above were not built in 2008, but 2009 when R. B. Banda was President of this country. 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, the House may wish to know that, at the time when we humbled ourselves before the remains of late President Mwanawasa, it was Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda who organised the process for me to humble myself before the remains of the late President Mwanawasa.

The people of Southern Province know that the Choma/Namwala Road is a road that causes a lot of emotions, and I would like them to know that Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, the President of the Republic of Zambia has been at the centre of building it …

Mr Kakoma: What happened to Sichifulo?

Major Chizhyuka: That is why you are a liar.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order! 

The hon. Member for Namwala should withdraw the word ‘liar’.

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the word ‘liar’ and replace it with ‘this is why you are misleading the people of this country.’ Just listen and you will learn something.

Mr Speaker, it does not pay to be proud of yourself when you keep complaining about things you do not have. I am proud to say that my humbleness has paid off because my people have benefited from all the things that I have stated here today and I have said, “Thank you.” We say, “Bomba ulye nalelo.”

Mr Speaker, I now move on to politics. When we formed the United Party for National Development (UPND), Hon. Kakoma, we wanted the President of this party, to be President of the Republic of Zambia because that is why political parties are formed.

Mr Speaker, when the people of the North-Western Province approached Mr Anderson Kambela Mazoka to assume the presidency of the UPND, it was to provide alternative leadership to other regions of our country. The need for leadership to rotate in our country was the cornerstone of the UPND by the people of North-Western Province and not Southern Province. There is a perception in this country that the UPND was formed by the people of the Southern Province, and yet it was not. It was formed by these people who have …

Hon. Members: The liars!

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, now that the leader of the UPND has abrogated that desire for national leadership and has handed over that leadership which we craved for in forming that party to the north, a region which had already led Zambia for close to three decades, the UPND does not have a presidential candidate in 2011 and the people of Southern Province are listening.

Mr Kakoma: They are not.

Major Chizhyuka: You may not listen, but they are listening. The leader of my party has done a 360 degrees summersault by handing, on a silver platter, the leadership of our country elsewhere.

Mr Speaker, recent happenings have been revealed by the media. They are here in the paper for everyone to see. The UPND …

Mr Kakoma: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very serious point of order. From time to time, as presiding officer, you have guided hon. Members debating not to bring issues of their party politics to the Floor of this House.

Interruptions

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, given that the speech of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda, did not mention the UPND or president Hakainde Hichilema and given that the issue of debating our internal party politics is not part of the business of this House, is the hon. Member debating now in order to drag the issues of the UPND and Mr Hakainde Hichilema to the Floor of this House? I need your very serious ruling.

Mr Speaker: Order! 

The hon. Member for Zambezi West has raised a point of order to which I am indebted. Indeed, that point of order is correct. We cannot, in this House, dwell on issues that happen outside the House and this was why and is still why I have guided the House not to refer to pacts that have been formed between political parties. I said and I wish to emphasise that, in this House, you can refer to Hon. so and so belonging to the MMD or so and so belonging to the UPND or so and so belonging to the PF and so on and so forth, but do not bring to this House the mechanics with which you operate your various political parties because that is not for this House.

The hon. Member for Namwala is not in order. May he move from that reference to something else.

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, on page 38, the President said, and I quote: 

“I encourage Honourable Members of Parliament to consider one another as allies in the common quest for human development. There are many advantages in working together and sharing ideas as compatriots. We owe it to the people to co-operate beyond party boundaries”.

In line with that, the people of Zambia owe it to us to understand that even as we forge ahead to decide who becomes President next year, there is a chemical philosophy between a people. That chemical philosophy tells me that even the people of the Eastern Province, who are a component of this country, are also entitled to provide leadership of the Republic of Zambia.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, who said that the people of the Eastern Province are the only ones entitled to provide a three-year term? Are they not Zambians? Is it possible even when we ask ourselves from the Southern, North-Western and Western provinces that without the assistance of the other regions, we cannot provide leadership. Is it not the reason the leadership of this country has eluded us because we thought that we could attain it on our own? The mechanics of getting leadership as southerners at this stage is to co-operate with the people of the Eastern Province.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, I gave some advice in the past, but people did not listen and now things are happening.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

  Major Chizhyuka: I whispered in the ear of someone, but he did not listen. There is a proverb that goes, “He that whispers to you in your ear is your friend.”

   Hon. Government Members: Yes.

    Major Chizhyuka: If you do not listen to that whisper, you will listen and understand it when an axe is   
  over your head.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: The axe is over someone’s head …

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: … because he did not listen.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, this is why I say let us co-operate like the President is also saying. For us in the Southern Province, we have a duty because, at the time when Mr Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula was President of the African National Congress (ANC), Mr John Banda from the east was the Vice-President. One good turn is worth another.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: How nice it would be for the people of Southern Province, where I hail from, to give 100 per cent support to Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda in 2011.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: Come 2016, we are going to say, you people of Eastern Province, in 2011 we gave you 100 per cent support so, it is your turn to give us support.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: I like that bit about Luapula.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, also, the people of Western and North-Western provinces will say the same …

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: … if we agreed like that. I am glad for Parliament Radio which has made it possible for the whole country to listen in.

Interruptions 

Major Chizhyuka: If we agreed that way, on election day, by 0800 hours the voting will be over. 

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: On Election Day, the job is done man … 

Laughter

Major Chizhyuka: … so that we start talking about 2016, not wasting time talking about 2011. That is the goal and that is what brings the result for us who are seated here. Anything else just brings us problems and you have seen the problems. You still speak and call yourself part of that thing.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: When the thing is finished.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: What kind of people are you?

Mr Speaker: What is that thing?

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: Mr Speaker, the people out there are listening. That thing is finished and get out of it. Look for something that will give your people decency, … 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: … so that when 2011 comes, the people of Southern Province will be decent. We have been decent as Tongas throughout.

Mr Speaker, I would like to talk about the issue of land. This is what I will be doing. You saw what happened when some of my colleagues and I told His Excellency Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda to come to Namwala and deal with Choma, Namwala, Itezhi-Tezhi and part of Bweengwa. You saw it for yourself. I intend to replicate that.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: I intend to move in these people’s …

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: … districts and constituencies.

Laughter 

Major Chizhyuka: Then, I shall move into Mumbwa and things will start to happen and I think we are together. If my party president says he will support Mr Rupiah in 201I, then I will be the first person to give him 100 per cent support.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Major Chizhyuka: I, Robby Chizhyuka, will give him the support of a thousand voices and it is not too late. Let us handle ourselves, it is not about Robby Chizhyuka, it is not about Hakainde Hichilema, but about the people out there - those of us who come from the Tonga plateau, Gwembe Valley and Kafue Flats - it is about those millions of people there not about me and the direction for those people there is the direction towards Mr Rupiah Banda in 2011. This is what I am saying in this House and this is what I have said everywhere else.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda (Kabwata): Mr Speaker, let me start by joining the President in registering my heartfelt condolences to the families of our departed colleagues, Hon. Bwalya and Hon. Lameck Chibombamilimo.

Mr Speaker, the events following the demise of Hon. Lameck Chibomamilimo gave meaning to one song by the Glorious Band and in their song, advise society to desist from being hypocritical at the demise of another. Interestingly enough, after the demise of Hon. Chibombamilimo, we saw people who celebrated his unceremonious expulsion turning round and embracing him and calling him their dearest brother. True are the words of the song by the Glorious Band. They were about to promote him before he died. 

Mr Speaker, let me now congratulate the new entrant into Parliament, Hon. Susan Kawandami. We are very proud of her. We heard when she said she will abide by the rules and regulations of this House. That is very good. However, I would like to suggest to her, she is not here, but I am sure wherever she is, she is listening, that in following rules and regulations of this House, she must also consult people like Hon. Kambwili on what happens around here.

Mr Speaker, soon after addressing this House, His Excellency the President went to the Republic of South Africa and Mozambique to consult on his role as Chairman of the Southern African Development Community Countries (SADCC) Committee on Politics and Security. During that time, His Excellency the President sent his Minister of Defence to represent this country at the United Nation General Assembly where heads of State are considering the very important millennium development goals (MDGs).

Mr Speaker, soon after his return from Mozambique, His Excellency, being wary of the many troubles that he has made and that he continues to make, requested Zambians to pray for him and his entourage, as they travelled to Nigeria where he led a very high powered delegation to go and represent Zambians in celebrating Nigeria’s fiftieth independence anniversary. It was like the President was saying to us Zambians, pray for us as we wine and dine and as we pop Champagne and eat caviar. Pray for us so that we may not be choked by the good food.

Laughter 

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, yes, the Zambian people are going to pray, however, for the many patients who are lying unattended to in hospitals because the doctors are on strike. The Zambian people are going to pray for those Zambians who are going without food. The Zambian people are going to pray that, one day, the President will come to realise that poverty levels in this country are escalating.

Mr Speaker, it is said blessed are they who go to the House of mourning than those who go to the House of feasting. When doctors are on strike, a high powered delegation goes to celebrate the fiftieth independence of another State. Blessed are they who go to the House of mourning than those who go to the house of feasting.

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech, as it has been said by others, was a very unparalleled campaign speech. Little wonder that even some of the debates we are hearing here have become nothing but anthill campaign politics. 

Sir, you are aware that in a few months we shall be going to face the people again and, obviously, for us, hon. Members of Parliament on either side of the House, this is the time to humble ourselves before our parties for us to be adopted. There have been numerous newspaper articles concerning this matter. 

Mr Kasongo interjected.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: We will all have to reapply, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: However, you can imagine if those who have parties that still respect them have to reapply, what about those who are in the wilderness, whose parties have thrown them away? What do you expect?

Mr D. Mwila: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: They shall genuflect to the ground for them to be adopted. They shall do whatever is possible. They shall say, like my Bemba friends have taught me, “Sebana wikute”.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: This means you have to forget your principles for the sake of your stomach and that is expected after the President used this House to launch his campaign.

Sir, let me move to another matter in the President’s Speech and this is something that a few colleagues of mine have talked about. This is the issue of the paradoxes in the speech. The President lamented that there is reduced domestic revenue amidst increased economic growth. That is paradoxical. How can there possibly be reduced domestic revenue in an environment of increased growth? Secondly, how can there be reduced donor support in an environment of good international relations and governance, the tenets on which donor support is given? Why is this so?

Sir, rather than hearing lamentations from President Rupiah Bwezani Banda, the Zambian people expect the President to tell us the causes of these paradoxes. The President was expected by the Zambian people to tell us that he knows the reason for these paradoxes and he was, therefore, capable of finding the solution. You can not have a solution to a disease that you do not know and the President did not tell us the reason for the paradoxes.

Sir, some people in this House have suggested the causes for those paradoxes. One is that the investment climate in this country, ever since 2008, has become free for all. However, I personally think it has become free for foreigners. They are free to come and invest, reap and externalise all their profits without paying the necessary tax to the Zambian people. 

Mr Munaile: That is correct.

Mr Lubinda: Secondly, the paradoxes are as a result of this Government’s inconsistent tax policy. The President said in his speech that he is going to ask for a tax policy review. There is no need for a tax policy review in this country. All that is required is consistency with the implementation of tax policies. I heard, not too long ago, somebody saying that we borrow tax policies from other countries. What is it that Zambia has not borrowed from elsewhere? Everything we do we have borrowed and there is no shame whatsoever in us learning from other countries that have had tax policies that they have implemented consistently for the benefit of their nationals. There is need for consistency with tax policy implementation.

Sir, the third reason for the paradoxes is the lack of monitoring capacity. This is a fact that has been accepted by our colleagues in the Executive and yet they do not want to come up with solutions. Fourth are the numerous underhand deals which are involved in the awarding of contracts in this country. Rather than the tax going towards developing roads in Hon. Chizhyuka’s constituency, some of the money is going out of the country because of dubious deals. Those are the challenges whose solutions we want to hear.

Sir, the other cause of these paradoxes is sheer or outright insincerity. We have heard, time and again, the defence of failure and it is not strange that there is now a new notion in this country. In the defence of abuse of office, we have heard a new concept. Rather than saying, “Rampant abuse of office”, we are saying, “Systemic failure”. What systemic failure? Systems can only be as strong as the people who run them. The people who run the systems in this country are weak. They will make sure that no matter how strong the systems put in place are, they break them down to nothing. Lack of sincerity is a problem in this country and we must face it squarely.

Sir, the non-observance of the Paris Declaration principles and its sister, the Accra Agenda of Action (AAA), is another cause for the lamentation of reduced donor inflows by President Rupiah Banda. One of the major principles of both the Paris Declaration and AAA is mutual and not singular accountability. 

Sir, it has to be known that the donor money that the President is lamenting about is taxpayers’ money. It is people’s money and those people have parliaments that are respected by their executives. These parliaments hold their governments accountable, even for the abuse of their money by countries that receive it. These parliaments are not treated as though they did not exist. They are respected.

Sir, when those taxpayers realise that their money is being used to build private mansions at the expense of the dying citizens, they shut the tap. The President should have told us, here, that because his Government has failed to abide by the principles of the Paris Declaration and the AAA, problems have developed regarding the donor inflows in the health and road sectors.

Sir, mutual accountability calls for the highest standard of openness and transparency on the part of all development actors, including the donors and recipient countries. The question that begs an answer is whether the Rupiah Banda Government is truly open and transparent in its utilisation of public resources.

Hon. Government Members: Yes!

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mr Lubinda: Sir, yes, so say my colleagues on your right. They say the Government is accountable. I am talking about mutual accountability of public resources. The answer is not to be found in the saying of ‘yes’ by my colleagues on the right side of the House, but in the following. First of all, the handling of the RP Capital contract.  Was it done in an accountable manner? Second is the partial privatisation of the Zambia Telecommunications Company (ZAMTEL). When the Zambian people complained that jobs would be lost, those on your right assured us here, on the Floor of this House, that no job would be lost. Today, how many ZAMTEL employees are out on the street?  They are 2,000 workers out there …

Mrs Phiri: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: … and my colleagues say they are accountable, but to who? They are only accountable to themselves and not the Zambian people and donors. That is the reason they must not come here and lament. They must come here and give us hope and inspire the Zambian people out there and not simply shout, “Yes”.

Sir, thirdly, is there mutual accountability to be found in the Ministry of Health saga? “Yes, there is”, so say my colleagues on your right. Is there any mutual accountability to be found in the RDA issue? When we heard about that, what was the answer? We were told that there was no impropriety whatsoever and that this was simply a matter of over commitment. Less than two months later, the new board decided that some officers would be put on forced leave to pave way for investigations. Are they being investigated for over committing? The board did not say so. It said that it was going to investigate the people involved in the awarding of contracts for possible impropriety. Are we saying we are mutually accountable? If we cannot be accountable to ourselves, how can we possibly be accountable to donors?

Mr Mulongoti: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mulongoti: Mr Speaker, this House, through the Public Accounts Committee, made recommendations, which are being pursued. Is the hon. Member in order to imply that some people are guilty of impropriety before these investigations are completed? I beg your ruling, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I shall guide in a brief two-fold manner. The first is that the hon. Member for Kabwata will take note of that procedural point of order. The second is that when the hon. Minister of Works and Supply has an opportunity to debate on the Floor of this House, he should clarify exactly what the position is with regard to the follow up action in the RDA matter, if there is any. 

The hon. Member for Kabwata may continue.

Mr Lubinda: I thank you, Sir for your guidance.

Let me end this part of my debate by saying that it has become very clear that the hon. Ministers in Rupiah Banda’s Government do not even want hon. Members of Parliament to question their utilisation of resources. It has been very clear that some hon. Ministers, such as the Minister of Works and Supply, every time you raise a question on the RDA, become extremely touchy or jittery. A few times he has said to me on radio, tell Lubinda to go to hell and yet …

Mr Speaker: Order!

That word ‘hell’ is unparliamentary even if you think you are using it in reported speech. You will withdraw it.

Mr Lubinda: Thank you, Sir, I withdraw it. He asked me to go to the opposite side of heaven and yet he did not give me transport money to go there. He did not even give me the map to take me there because he seems to have been there himself. 

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: That shows you how intolerant our colleagues on your right are to Parliament questioning them. 

Mr Speaker, time is running out quickly. So, let me move on to a matter that is very close to my heart and this is the matter of corruption. I want to say to my colleagues that nobody ever suggested enacting laws retrospectively as the President stated in his speech. What we demand in the fight against corruption is consistency.

Mr Speaker, we all know that the President has hired a physical trainer. I hope that the physical trainer is not going to train him to behave like his Vice-President who is always somersaulting regarding the fight against corruption. He is the one who led the Zambian people to go and secure the London High Court Ruling and yet here back home, in Zambia, he said that he was not part of that process. That is somersaulting of the worst order. It is not a 360 degrees turn, Hon. Chizhyuka, it is 180 degrees turning the opposite direction. That is not acceptable in the fight against corruption. It is total betrayal.

Sir, we also required to allow the due process of the law to take effect in the London High Court Ruling. Why are you stopping the relevant authorities from put up the appeals when the Zambian people want them to? Allow them to do so.

Mr Speaker the President said that we cannot fashion our laws to suit foreign powers. I have also not heard anybody suggesting anything of that sort. All we are doing is to remind this Government of the important international regional and continental statutes that they have appended their signatures to. In case the hon. Minister of Justice decided not to tell His Excellency the President, let me ask the hon. Deputy Minister of Justice to go and read, to the President, Article 7 of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Protocol, Article 18 of the African Union (AU) Convention Against Corruption and Article 46(1) of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption which says: 

“State parties shall afford one another the widest measure of mutual legal assistance in investigations, prosecutions and judicial proceedings in relation to offences covered by the convention.”

What offences? Corruption offences.

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech was full of half truths. To support what I am saying I will quote an except from the speech.  The President, on page 27 of his speech, said: 
      
      “I am very happy that the Government has allocated nearly K30 billion for   
       Zambia’s first boarding school for the deaf.”

 My good heavens, I do not want to use that unparliamentary word, but that is the worst economy with the truth by the Head of State I have ever heard. For that, I would also like to blame those people on the right. They are very unkind to President Rupiah Banda, especially this colleague of mine here (Dr Puma) because this hon. Member of Parliament for Lufwanyama knows that in his constituency, for more than thirty years, there has been, in existence, a school for the deaf. 

Mr Mwaanga: High School!

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, 5,000 children go to that school for the deaf, and I hear there Hon. VJ saying high school. The speech of the President says very clearly and listen Hon. VJ …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Who is Hon. VJ?

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: Sir, the hon. Chief Whip who is vigorously disputing what I am saying because he did not read the President’s speech. The speech says: “The first boarding school for the deaf.” It does not say high school, Hon. VJ.

Mr Speaker: Who is Hon. VJ?

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: Sorry Sir, I am referring to Hon. Vernon Johnson Mwaanga, who the Chief Whip of the MMD. He is amongst those who were supposed to have advised the President, that there is already in existence, in this country, a very big school for the deaf called St. Joseph School for the Deaf in Lufwanyama Constituency. The President would not have come here to brag about half truths. This is nothing, but an anthill campaign speech.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Dr Katema (Chingola): Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to contribute to the debate on the Floor of this House.

Mr Speaker, I will touch on what the President discussed on health. The President reiterated the MMD manifesto which pledges to provide the people of Zambia with equity of access to cost effective quality health care as close to the family as possible. The President of the Republic of Zambia in his speech trumpeted a lot of success …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Do not use the word trumpet. Only an elephant does that. Find a better word.

Dr Katema: Thank you, Sir, for the guidance. The President highlighted some of the things which he feels are successes of his Government in as far as the delivery of health services is concerned.

Mr Speaker, people should bear in mind that as I am speaking at the moment, the medical doctors are on strike at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), right after the President was talking about access to health, and that the Health Facility Bill has improved the level …

Hon. Government Members: Aah (as Dr Katema puts on his glasses).

Dr Katema: Mr Speaker, providing quality health care to the people does not only entail the provision of buildings, but also the provision of highly-motivated medical personnel such as doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, radiologists and other cadre who are required. This means that when the hospitals are built, they have to be provided with the necessary health cadre. 

However, Mr Speaker, what we have on the ground is that the Government is building health facilities that are not manned. For example, there are about five health posts in Chingola Constituency which have been built. One health centre was built in 2005, but has not been opened, to date, because there are no medical personnel to run it. In fact, we have a shortage of nurses at Nchanga North General Hospital, the biggest Government institution in the district and, as a result, one nurse is running the entire Gynaecological Department just as the other wards are being manned by a nurse each. 

Mr Speaker, if the district health management team (DHMT) is facing problems in staffing the general hospital, what, then, will be expected of the peripheral health centres? Most of the health centres, to date, have not been opened because there is no one to be posted to these places. Yes, the President said that people would vote for him on the premise of what they were seeing, but people should vote for him because of the services being delivered and not the buildings they are seeing with their eyes.

Laughter

Dr Katema: Mr Speaker, the health personnel are not motivated in this country. That is why they go on strike. The Government boasts of the number of doctors employed, but you will not find them if you go to the UTH. This is because the conditions of service are bad. Most of them have left the country for greener pastures. If you went to the UTH, you would find that most of them have left their working places and are in private practice just to earn a living. A doctor earns between K600,000 and K800,000...

Hon. Members: Aah!

Dr Katema: ... as housing allowance. Which house befitting a doctor can cost this much? So, for a doctor to live in house befitting him or her, he or she has to top up the housing allowance given by either working at a private hospital or engaging in any other activity. That is why, if one visited a hospital now, they would not find any doctors there and I wonder which doctors will be working at hospitals such as the Chainama Hospital and other district hospitals being built countrywide because of the same. 

Mr Speaker, at the moment, the existing district hospitals are under staffed. So, where will the Government get doctors to be employed in these new hospitals? The reason most of these doctors resist working in district hospitals is because there is no opportunity to work in private clinics. They would rather work at the Ndola or Kitwe General hospitals or the UTH which give an opportunity for private practice as this is the only way they can survive. 

Mr Speaker, the Government should give incentives to doctors working in the rural areas. The failure to do this is what makes even the nurses demoralised. As a result, when you visit a hospital or clinic in the rural areas, you will find a nurse sowing or ploughing in the field during working hours in order to feed their families. 

Mr Speaker, health delivery is a profession which needs a lot of commitment to the point that it is not meant for somebody whose mind is preoccupied by what he or she will eat tomorrow or whether the landlord is going to evict him or her. The Government is supposed to free the health personnel from all worries and preoccupations in order for them to give cost effective quality health care to the people of Zambia.

Mr Speaker, let me now talk about the issue of mobile hospitals. The problem with this Government is that it is trying to provide political solutions to health problems. The technocrats in the health sector did not say that they required mobile hospitals to provide quality health services. Instead, they said that the Government should provide motivated doctors and nurses in health institutions. I heard that nine mobile hospitals were being acquired for the country and I assume each one of these is meant for each province. 

I have not heard about the modalities of how the mobile hospitals will be operating. Having said that, I would like to highlight that conditions which cause infant and maternal mortality are not planned. For instance, you cannot plan that in a particular month you will have maternity or surgical cases in Chadiza which will require a gynecologist or surgeon. This is because conditions requiring such services may not occur. You cannot plan that way. Therefore, how will you plan the movements of the mobile hospitals? How will they move from one village to the next and find patients? It does not make sense.

Mr Speaker, what we are supposed to do is deploy adequate, qualified and motivated nurses and clinical officers in all the health facilities that we are building. These will know which patients need specialist treatment. The health posts also require ambulances to ferry patients to district hospitals which are manned by specialists such as gynecologists, surgeons as well as physicians who can administer specialist treatment.

Mr Speaker, if a patient goes to a health post and finds no one to attend to them, they will not wait until the mobile hospital comes from the provincial headquarters. How are we going to reduce infant and maternal mortality at this rate?

Mr Speaker, the colonial office had an elaborate courier system which saw a patient of a given village being transferred to the next village for treatment upon getting a letter from the district commissioner. This letter would be issued to allow that patient to be taken from one village to the next until the last village took that patient to a district hospital. 

Interruptions

Dr Katema: It was quite effective and can be improved further by … 

Laughter

Dr Katema: … putting an ambulance at every rural health centre. It is cheaper than mobile hospitals which will be moving from village to village looking for patients. When it is on the other end of the village, it is required in the opposite direction. It is not practical to have a situation where the provincial office plans when the mobile hospital visits an area because you cannot plan to have a maternity case on a particular day. 

Mr Speaker, the Government needs to go back to the strategic plan which the technocrats wrote to see what is required. That is where the Government should put its money.

It is not right that when the President sees mobile hospitals while on tour in China, he comes back and says that we also need them. No! He has to go back to the technocrats and ask them what they require. That way, we will not have any strikes and our health system will improve.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Mr Kamondo (Mufumbwe): Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Floor of this august House.

Mr Speaker, allow me to take advantage of this time to congratulate Hon. Milupi and Hon. Kawandami who joined the House recently. I do not forget to congratulate my twin brother, Hon. Banda. I call him my twin because we were sworn in on the same day.

Mr Speaker, let me briefly add a few points that I have noted in the President’s speech. In this House, I have observed that we, sometimes, treat one another as rivals. However, I would like us to treat one another as partners in national development. That will help develop the country.

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear! Angela uleumfwa?

Laughter

Mr Kamondo: Going back to the President’s speech, I observe that we do have some challenges. The people on your left side have noted certain things they feel are not well. The people on your right also say that they have done a lot. Therefore, we have to compare who has done better than the other.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: My encouragement to our brothers is that much as they feel they have done something, they should also listen to the other group so that, where they have not done well, they can be advised to do well.

Hon. Government Member: Apopene kokolapa apo!

Mr Kamondo: That is what we would like to see as new members.

Hon. Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: We do not just want to criticise. We want to put things right. If things go wrong, people must come in and provide ideas on how to bring this country on the right track and help the people of Zambia. That is what we expect from this House. That is the type of person I am.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Mr Speaker, the President said that the exchange rate had remained stable. It is true that it has. However, the rate at which it has stabilised is not attractive for Zambians who are learning to import. Importers are not able to buy enough foreign currency in order for them to manage to import more goods which, in turn, will help boost domestic revenue.

I appeal to the Government to reduce the exchange rate to at least K4 thousand to a dollar to enable our people import enough goods for the benefit of our country. This will help increase revenue as many people will be able to import. Those are some of the solutions to our problem of inadequate finance.

When more goods are imported, duty will increase. As a result, the Government will collect more value added tax (VAT) from the imported goods on the market. Therefore, the revenue base for this country will increase. 

Mr Speaker, I have noticed that many people are evading tax because the taxes are just too high. This is causing people to evade tax. I think the Government should devise ways and means of attracting local entrepreneurs to pay tax. There is a lot of smuggling going on at the Nakonde Border because people are not using the right way of importing goods in the country. This has caused the Government to lose a lot of money in terms of tax. I am appealing to the Government to address these issues so that it can help the President and increase its tax revenue. I am saying this on behalf of importers because I have been involved in this business before. The number of cars that are being imported in this country is small because of the high exchange rate. 

Mr Speaker, let me now come to the issue of the agricultural sector. There have been sentiments about a bumper harvest this year, but if it is true, we have a bumper harvest, then that is good. In that regard, I would like to advise the Government to prepare adequately so as the number of beneficiaries is increased from 250,000 to 500,000 and, subsequently, to 800,000 as the President mentioned in his speech, corresponding amounts of money are set aside to take care of the increased harvest. We should also prepare enough money to buy the produce so that we do not experience the same problems again. This is my humble appeal. 

Sir, the other solution that I would like to offer to the Government regards the maize storage facilities. Yes, the Government has built some storage facilities, but I still feel that they are not enough because if we increased the number of beneficiaries from 250,000 to 500, 000, and moreover, there is an intention to increase the number from 500 000 to 800 000, then we should expect more than what we are calling a bumper harvest this year. Where are we going to stock this maize? I am pealing to the Government to do more than what it has done now. We acknowledge that the Government is doing something, but we would like it to do more than this because it is going to benefit the people of Zambia.

Mr Speaker, we have seen that the Government has embarked on a lot of projects now. Where I come from, there is a saying which goes Muzungu wabula kajo kumusebenzela ne. This means that people cannot work for a person who has no food.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Mr Speaker, therefore, we are saying let us have enough Kajo (food) so that people are able to work for us. 

The Luvales say mukwenu makuonga kukusanika yobe umuonge kukwitaba which means that if someone pretends to call you, you also pretend to follow him, but we do not want these things to happen. Let us be realistic and perform according to the way we are supposed to and people are going to like us because they will see our works. Please, our brothers in the Government listen to us. Not everything that is coming from the Opposition is nonsense. We are just advising and acknowledging what you are doing. If it is good, we will say well done, but if it is not according to our expectations, we will rebuke you, but you have to listen.

Mr Speaker, I would be failing in my duties, as a Member of Parliament for Mufumbwe, if I did not talk about Mufumbwe District which is a very good place. The people of Mufumbwe are very good. 

Hon. Government Members: Sure!

Hon. Opposition Members: Yes, they are very good.

Mr Kamondo: There have been some developments in Mufumbwe District. The hospital has been constructed.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Now, if that hospital has no theatre equipment and adequate members of staff, it will be a white elephant. The people of Mufumbwe have suffered a lot. There has never been a hospital since 1978, but today, a hospital has been constructed which is very good. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Why is the Government not sending doctors and theatre equipment there?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Those are the things that we are expecting from the Government.

That will prove that muzungu ujinakajo and not wabula kajo.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: I urge the Government to provide us with these few things. At the moment, there is no difference because people are still being referred to Mukinge Hospital. The hospital has been constructed, but the equipment which is supposed to be used by doctors is not there. We are appealing to the listening Government to provide these things for the people of Mufumbwe so that they do not experience the problems that they have been experiencing in the past.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Mr Speaker, let me also comment on the issue of the road infrastructure. The Mutanda/Chavuma Road is a job well done. The people of Mufumbwe are happy that the tarmac is almost reaching Mufumbwe District, but they are saying let it go beyond Mufumbwe. Those three constractors that the Government has engaged to work on that road should be supported so that they are given enough resources so that the tarmac can reach Chavuma District. That will be a job well done because the people of Zambezi are always saying nayetu tala twaizanga. Meaning that …

Laughter

Mr Kamondo: … even us, the people of Zambezi, want our road to be upgraded to a tarmac. This is one of the things that they have been missing in their lifetime. Some of them have even died without seeing this tarmac. Therefore, we are urging the Government to do everything it can to ensure that the contractors are well funded and complete the works on time.

Mr Speaker, let me mention, here, that Mufumbwe is the only district which has no boarding school since its inception in 1978 when it became a district. I am sure the people who went to Mufumbwe for campaigns saw how vast this place is. It is a stretch of about 500 kilometres. This is why there is a need to provide a boarding school which will enable pupils to stay at school until they write their examinations.

Mr Speaker, in Mufumbwe, the girl-child is in problems because she has to travel a long distance of about 300 kilometres to go and write an examination at the nearest school. Actually, most of them have ended up being impregnated which is very bad for the people of Mufumbwe.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: We are appealing to the listening Government to build a boarding secondary school.  I was not happy to learn that, last year, the Government only allocated K2 billion to build a high school instead of allocating enough money to build a boarding secondary school. This is not fair.  If you want the people of Mufumbwe to vote for the Government, work on these things. 

I am appealing to the listening Government and also the would-be players that if these things in the province are not attended to, the people of the North-Western Province will never vote for them.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kamondo: Mr Speaker, let me move on to my last point regarding the Misoneji Bridge. This bridge collapsed and cut off the people of Mushima Muwambe and Chief Chizela. In order to go to Chief Mushima Mubambe, you have to pass through Kasempa District. We are appealing to the Government to reconstruct the Misoneji Bridge. This will enable us to do our work smoothly. 

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

Laughter

The Deputy Chief Whip (Mr Mwanza): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to the debate on the Floor of this House. I would like to thank you most sincerely for the manner in which you have continued to guide and counsel this House. I have been in this House for a little over four years now and I think I am now very educated in terms of parliamentary procedure largely because of your advice. 

Mr Speaker, I would also like to thank the Office of the Clerk and her staff. As you all know, I operate from here and I would like to use this opportunity to inform this House and the nation that the staff at Parliament are the most courteous, factual and professional. When staff at Parliament give you advice, they will not look at where you come from or the type of person you are. They will give you the advice and it is up to you to take it or leave it. I think this is how it should be. I would also like their colleagues in the Government system to follow the example of what our staff are doing at Parliament.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker having said this, I would like to say that the President’s speech was visionary. This was one of the few speeches that I think all of us will learn to live with. The person who delivered the speech is a great visionary. He is also an experienced politician. President Banda is not a novice. He is a former freedom fighter and, as people know, he is also a diplomat. He was a Managing Director of a very important agricultural firm in our country. With this background, I see no reason the speech should be described in the manner it has been described. I, therefore, wish to place it on record that for us in the MMD, a working Government, the President’s Speech is already a campaign tool because our President has hit the nail on the head in terms of development prospects. 

Mr Speaker, I would like to commend President Banda in the manner he handled the transition from the Levy Mwanawasa administration, may his soul rest in peace, to where we are today. In many countries in Africa today, you will find that when there are such changes, usually, it not easy but for us in Zambia, it was one of the most important stages where the transition was so smooth up to date. Whether we like it or not, hon. Members of Parliament, this is a great achievement for our President.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, let me now turn to the issues that he covered in the speech.

Infrastructure

Mr Speaker, the issue of infrastructure development is critical. In fact, I was thinking that Hon. Kakoma, coming from Zambezi West, is a direct beneficiary of the President’s Speech. The Mutanda/Chavuma Road has been on the drawing board for over forty-six years and, today, I find it strange that Hon. Kakoma cannot talk about it in his debate. For us, in the North-Western Province, that is a big achievement and  it is a big campaign tool for our Government. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, the Mutanda/Chavuma Road is almost complete. In the next two years, the Mutanda/Chavuma Road will be complete. This is important because Mutanda/Chavuma Road was declared uneconomic over the years and it was said that there was nothing productive coming from that route. Today, the Mutanda/Chavuma Road is a gold mine for Zambia because it is through that road that we get to where we have what we are now calling the oil gardens. These oil fields are in Kabompo, Chavuma and in Zambezi districts. Therefore, this road should be upgraded to the status it has reached and I would like to commend the Government of the Republic of Zambia for the job well done. 

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I would also like to say that for us in the MMD, we are thankful to the Government of the Republic of Zambia. In Solwezi West Constituency, we have one major road which is T5. This is the Solwezi/Mwinilunga Road which goes up to Jimbe. In 2006, this road was a disaster. There were huge potholes on this road but, today, it is a pleasure to drive on. A number of hon. Members of Parliament, including Hon. Kakoma, have driven on this road to Lumwana Mine. Therefore, I find it very strange that Hon. Kakoma cannot even acknowledge the fact that this road is now an international road.

Laughter

Mr Mwanza: This road goes up to the Jimbe Border and it is, therefore, commendable for our Government to have worked on it.

Mr Speaker, in terms of infrastructure, I am very thankful to the Government of Zambia because, today, we are also a beneficiary of heavy mining activity in the North-Western Province. As you know, Zambia is now shifting from the Copperbelt to the North-Western Province. All of us who live in the North-Western Province are extremely delighted by this development. For the information of the House, Lumwana Mine is situated where my parents, relatives and I used to go hunting.

Hon. Members: Poacher!

Mr Mwanza: That is where we used to get something to eat. Today, Lumwana Mine is an important and developed area. There are huge vehicles that are double my height. What is important to note is that …

Mrs Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, on a point of order.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mrs Musokotwane: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources in order to keep quiet in this House when we have Hon. Mwanza confirming that he is a poacher. 

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Order! 

The hon. Member for Katombola is inciting the hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources to make a citizen’s arrest right here in the Chamber. I have been listening to the debate and he said he used to go hunting and not poaching.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: The hon. Deputy Chief Whip may continue.

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, I thank you for your guidance and rescue. What is important here is that for us, in the North-Western Province, we are extremely grateful to the Government of the Republic of Zambia which is now run by no other than President Rupiah Bwezani Banda. Whether we like it or not, this President has already scored points not only in the North-Western Province but also in what used to be strongholds of …

Mr Speaker: Order!

(Debate adjourned)

The House adjourned at 1255 hours until 1430 hours on Tuesday, 5th October, 2010.