Thursday, 25^th February, 2021

 

The House met at 1430 hours

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 

PRAYER

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER NO. 100

 

Her Honour the Vice-President (Mrs Wina): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that Order No. 100 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2016, be suspended from Friday, 26^th February to Friday, 5^th March, 2021, to enable the House to consider more than one stage of Bills in the same Sitting.

 

Mr Speaker, the House is expected to adjourn sine die on, Friday, 5^th March, 2021. However, the volume of work is still enormous and must be completed by the time of adjournment. For this reason, it is necessary to suspend Standing Order 100 so that the House can consider more than one stage of a Bill during the same sitting, where it is absolutely necessary.

 

Sir, Order No. 100 of the National Assembly of Zambia Standing Orders, 2016, prohibits the House from considering more than one stage of a Bill at one Sitting without the permission of the House. However, as hon. Members are aware, twenty-two Bills were presented for consideration by the House. These Bills have reached different stages of enactment, and it is important that they are passed before the House adjourns sine die. Considering the amount of time left, it is necessary to suspend Standing Order No. 100 to facilitate the consideration of more than one stage of a Bill in one Sitting.

 

Mr Speaker, this Meeting started on Tuesday, 26^th January, 2021. By adjournment, the House would have sat for twenty-four days. As of today, sixty-nine questions, some for oral answer and others for written answer, have been considered by the House. Additionally, the House has considered four Motions to adopt Parliamentary Committee Reports. Further, by the time of adjournment, the House would have debated the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency the President’s Address on the Progress made in the Application of National Values and Principles, and dealt with twenty-two Bills. Finally, nine annual reports from Government and quasi-Government Departments and four Action-Taken Reports have been tabled, so far, while eight ministerial statements explaining and clarifying Government policies on various issues have been presented to the House.

 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, let me thank all hon. Members for their hard work and dedication to duty even under very challenging circumstances. I wish them a restful recession after Friday, 5^th March, 2021. Allow me, also, to thank you, Madam First Deputy Speaker and Mr Second Deputy Speaker for the manner you presided over the Business of the House. Finally, I equally extend my gratitude to the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly and various Government departments for the services rendered to the House.

 

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

 

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to oppose the Motion that has been moved by Her Honour the Vice-President.

 

Mr Speaker, in opposing this Motion, I would like to quote Article 61 of the Constitution of Zambia, which states:

 

“61.The legislative authority of the Republic derives from the people of Zambia and shall be exercised in a manner that protects this Constitution and promotes the democratic governance of the Republic.”

 

Mr Speaker, you have to note that our responsibility of legislation hinges on consultations with the people Zambia and that the proposal by Her Honour the Vice-President denies us the right to consult with our constituents pertaining to the legislation that is before the House.

 

Mr Speaker, I recall that even at the last Meeting, when Her Honour the Vice-President moved a similar Motion, I raised objections.

 

Mr Speaker, Her Honour the Vice-President says that she is moving this Motion because of the work that is before us before we rise. However, we are in this House to deliberately debate and pass legislation prudently. We are not supposed to be rushed in passing legislation.

 

Mr Speaker, I have noted with concern the attitude of the Executive; has the propensity to present Bills that are highly contentious towards the end of the Sessions of Parliament so that when it moves Motions like the one she has just moved, members of the public and hon. Members have no time to raise objections and, if possible, make amendments to the Bills.

 

Sir, it is public knowledge that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government has presented to the House one of the most obnoxious Bills since Independence, namely the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill, which threatens the rights of Zambians and the governance of this country. That Bill is supposed to be debated tomorrow, when we would have suspended the Standing Orders, yet it is a Bill that affects the rights of every Zambian. This has never happened in the history of this country. The PF wants us to rush this Bill, which has been rejected by a number of Zambians, tomorrow so that the rights of the people of Zambia can be put in subjection and taken away.

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, the Bill Her Honour the Vice-President is presenting for Second Reading tomorrow is unprecedented. So, it should not be rushed in any way.

 

Mr Speaker, this House has had a history of passing Bills and laws that affect members of the public and, eventually, the Bills and laws also end up affecting those who passed them. That is what is going to happen tomorrow.

 

Mr Speaker, after the defeat of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 10 of 2019, this Government has been looking at ways of getting whatever intentions they had failed to achieve back on the drawing board, and it wants us, through this Bill, to allow its mischievousness to be –

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

The word “mischievous” is unparliamentary. If you consult our books, you will prove this fact.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I was thinking that because it has been used before –

 

Mr Speaker: Well, the Speaker is advising. You may want to consult –

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I have accepted your advice.

 

Sir, the Bill, which is going to affect every Zambian in a very retrogressive manner, should not be rushed through the amendment of the Standing Orders. In this regard, we give notice to the nation that we will not be party to the passing or debate on the particular Bill. Let the people of Zambia know that the people who have taken away their rights, the people who want to be eavesdropping on their bedrooms through the PF are the ones who are taking away the –

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Monze Central!

 

This is not the time to debate that Bill; it is a time to debate the Motion. You have made your point about the need for all the stages to be followed, and that is what you should focus on. To go into the contents of the Bill which, in any case, you are indicating that you will not debate, I think is not appropriate.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I value your counsel.

 

Sir, the point I was making is that if we allow the Bill to be fast-tracked in the manner our colleagues are doing, the PF will be listening in to all the conversations in people’s bedrooms, and we should not allow that.

 

Mr Speaker, I indicated that I am giving notice that, as the United Party for National Development (UPND), we shall not support the Bill –

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member!

 

I think I am repeating myself.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I meant the Motion. I am sorry.

 

Laughter

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Sir, the UPND will not support this Motion, and we are not going to be party to it. Let those who want to trample on the rights of Zambians be the only ones to support this Motion, and the people of Zambia will judge. Let her Honour the Vice-President and the right pass this Motion on their own.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

The Minister of Justice (Mr Lubinda): Mr Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to contribute to what initially appeared to be a totally non-controversial Motion, but which has attracted the controversy from my colleague, a long-serving Member of this House, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu.

 

Mr Speaker, I just want to make sure that people understand what this Motion is all about. This Motion is not meant to preclude consultation on Bills. What Her Honour intends to do is ensure that the Bills that are already before the House and are at Second Reading Stage are presented to the House and, where necessary, taken through the Second Reading, Committee and Report stages at the same Sitting. That is all this Motion is all about. It is not about precluding the public from making comments.

 

Sir, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu is one of the authors of the Standing Orders. He and I sat here when we were amending the Standing Orders, and we made it very clear that after presentation of a Bill at First Reading stage, it has to go to Committee. In this case, Her Honour the Vice-President is not saying that we should cut out the Committee Stage in the processing of the Bills, no! The Committee Stage will still be there, the people will be consulted and those who have views will go and make their submissions to the Committees. In this Meeting and in this whole Session, how many Bills have been presented here for Second Reading and gone through exactly as they were presented; without any amendments being forced, yet we have been allowing time, a week to be specific, to pass between the Second Reading and Committee stages? Not a single amendment has been proposed.

 

Sir, what Her Honour the Vice-President is saying is that we can bridge the time. For instance, yesterday, my hon. Colleagues presented Bills purely to remove Permanent Secretaries (PSs) from statutory boards, and there was not a single hon. Member of this House who opposed that. Is there any justification for us to prolong the Meeting of Parliament just for us to come and pass the Bill next week at Committee Stage when everybody has already agreed? No, there is not. This does not say that you will be time-bound; that you will curtail debates because we have said that a Bill must pass in the same Meeting. If there is any issue that the hon. Member of Parliament for Monze Central has on any of the Bills, he will be at liberty to debate that Bill here; it is his duty and right to come here and debate. So, please, let me say this: we should not try to use this Motion to hide our inability to debate on the Floor. I say this with a very clear conscience because we will not pass the Bill that he has referred to without his being allowed to debate it. He is at liberty to debate. If he wishes, he can mobilise all the hon. Members of his party to spend their five minutes debating; we will not stop them. If need be, the debate of that Bill can go on and on for days, and no one will curtail any debate.

 

Sir, the hon. Member must not create the impression that Her Honour the Vice-President intends to curtail any contribution from anybody. So, my colleagues should prepare themselves because the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill is coming. If, indeed, they have views, they should not try to create the impression that they will not debate because of the Motion moved by Her Honour the Vice-President. If they do not debate, it will be because they like to speak on anthills. When a matter is brought to the Floor of the House, they shy away and walk out. I feel very sad that an hon. Colleague of mine can say that he and his colleagues in the United Party for National Development (UPND) will not take part in the debate on the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill, yet the Bill is for them to debate.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: We will not support it.

 

Mr Lubinda: Sir, our colleagues should show their prowess and intellectual abilities on the Floor instead of showing it outside and pretending that Her Honour the Vice-President has prevented them from debating because she has not. They will have the liberty, authority and mandate to debate tomorrow when the Bill is presented. They should not use this Motion to debate a Bill that has not even been presented. I have said many times that the hallmark of a good parliamentarian is relevance, and the matter on the Floor is not cyberspace crime; it is a Motion.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: It is time up!

 

Mr Lubinda: Yes, please, be relevant.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill that will be presented to the House is being discussed all over the world, and its details will be debated in the House. However, it is not the only Bill that will be presented to the House; there will be twenty-two others, and all Bills presented to the House are meant to protect the interests and rights of Zambians. We shall wait for all the Bills to be presented to the House and then we shall have all the time to debate. If at all we fail to conclude one Bill in a day, it might be deferred to the following day for debate. So, I do not see why the hon. Member and Leader of the Opposition should be worried about the time given to debating the Bills.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank the House for the unanimous support for the Motion.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

 

Question put and agreed to.

 

Mr Speaker: There was an attempt at calling for a division and eleven indicated, but the threshold was twelve. Therefore, it is a failed attempt.

 

Dr Musokotwane: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Speaker: At the point of announcement, it was eleven.

 

_______

 

QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

144. Ms Mwape (Mkushi North) asked the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development:

 

1. when construction of the Masansa Mini Hospital in Mkushi North Parliamentary Constituency would commence; and
2. what the time frame for the completion of the project was.

 

The Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development (Mr Mwale): Mr Speaker, the Government completed the upgrading of Masansa Health Facility to a mini hospital in 2019.

 

Sir, in light of my answer to part (a) of the question, part (b) falls off.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

_______

 

BILLS

 

HOUSE IN COMMITTEE

 

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

 

THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Clauses 1, 2, and 3 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Title agreed to

 

THE CITIZENS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Clauses 1 and 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Title agreed to.

 

THE CONTROL OF GOODS (Amendment) BILL, 2021

 

Clauses 1 and 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

 

Title agreed to.

 

_______

 

HOUSE RESUMED

 

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

 

The following Bills were reported to the House as having passed through Committee without amendments:

 

The Health Professions (Amendment) Bill, 2021

 

The Citizens Economic Empowerment (Amendment) Bill, 2021

 

The Control of Goods (Amendment) Bill, 2021

 

Third Readings on Friday, 26^th February, 2021.

 

_______

 

MOTION

 

MOTION OF THANKS

 

Mr Ngulube (Kabwe Central): Mr Speaker, when business was suspended yesterday, I had started talking about good governance. Allow me to proceed by stating that the President was in order when he spoke about the need for all political parties to adhere to the tenets of good governance.

 

Mr Speaker, what we see today on the political scene is very worrying. Just yesterday and today, we have been treated to the news of Dr Kambwili being expelled from his political party. We are also being treated to news about how one of us in this Chamber –

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Kabwe Central!

 

You know our settled tradition is to avoid debating individuals, and you know the reason because it has been explained time and again; those individuals to whom you are referring will not have an opportunity to respond to the assertions you are making.

 

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, thank you for your guidance.

 

Mr Speaker: By the way, –

 

Mr Ngulube: Sir, allow me to state that –

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member, just resume your seat.

 

I have previously counselled that this Address by His Excellency the President is on National Values and Principles. Let us make sure there is a nexus between what we say and what we are discussing, which is the application of National Values and Principles.

 

You may continue.

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, allow me to withdraw my reference to Mr Kambwili and replace it with ‘one politician’.

 

Sir, as we head towards elections, we are already seeing cracks in many political parties. Undemocratic tendencies appear to be the order of the day even in political parties that have convinced themselves that they are about to form Government. We saw some senior hon. Members of this House protest the appointment of a few more vice-presidents in their political parties.

 

Mr Speaker, what I want to say is that Zambia is for all of us. Therefore, all of us must remain united and focused. Our National Values and Principles cannot be upheld if we do not follow the tenets of democracy. Our Republican Constitution clearly states that Zambia is a Christian nation, yet we see some political parties affiliating with organisations that advance the satanic agenda. We wonder why such political parties should even aspire for office in a Christian nation when they do not believe in Christian values.

 

Sir, we know that in the next few months, which is less than sixty days from now, this Parliament will dissolve to allow the country to hold general elections. In this regard, I want to state that while some people are celebrating that they are now becoming democratic, it has become very clear that they are just paying lip service to democracy. The tendencies in their parties; the accusations of tribalism being labelled at them show that they need to be repented of. So, we need to make those people repent so that they know that Zambia is not just for one region; it is for all the ten regions.

 

Mr Speaker, we also wonder why somebody who protests the appointment of someone as vice-president for his party because he wanted that position for himself can wake up and claim that there is democracy in his party. It is very clear, according to Article 60 of the Constitution of Zambia, that political parties must hold elections for officer bearers. However, what we saw in some makeshift political party was the election of only one person who then started appointing others. That is undemocratic, and we hope and trust that going forward, people will practice what they preach.

 

Mr Speaker, allow me to state that I was hoping that the Leader of the Opposing, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, would be appointed vice-president of the United Party for National Development (UPND) because he has done a lot for the party.

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Kabwe Central!

 

Withdraw that. You are debating your colleague, which you are not allowed to do.

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, I am sorry. I withdraw my reference to Hon. Jack Mwiimbu being appointed vice-president and my statement about his having done a lot for the UPND. I replace that with the words ‘they could have actually considered him for that position’.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Kabwe Central, do you have anything more to say?

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I just want to wish him well. I am sure he will be given the same position in the future.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.    

 

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to debate.

 

Sir, I have listened to the debates emanating from Her Honour the Vice-President and my colleagues on your right pertaining to governance in political parties and how elections for office-bearers are held. As a member of the Untied Party for National Development (UPND), I am very proud that we had a very successful general assembly and held elections for all the office-bearers of the party.

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, unfortunately, we have a political party in Zambia that is supposed to be leading this country, but which never holds elections. We are aware that when its members went to Mulungushi Rock of Authority, some who wanted to be presidents were panga’d out and threatened so that they could not attend the conference.

 

Mr Ngulube: Question!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Further, I am aware that the same political party does not hold elections, apart from, purportedly, for the presidency. All the other central committee members are appointees. I challenge anyone who is an office-bearer in the Patriotic Front (PF) to indicate where they were elected and with whom they contested the positions. None of them can do that. All of them are mere appointees; no elections, whatsoever, have been held.

 

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

 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

 

Mr Ngulube: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very important procedural point of order.

 

Sir, you guided us that this debate should be on National Values and Principles. However, the hon. Member of Parliament for Monze Central, who is also the outgoing Leader of the Opposition, appears to be discussing one particular political party as opposed to concentrating on the President’s Speech. Is he in order to run away from the President’s Speech and debate as if we are opening a Pandora’s box? Further, is he in order to continue debating with his left hand in the pocket, thereby threatening my peace here, as I do not know what he is going to throw at me?

 

I seek your serious ruling on this matter, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: What is happening is obvious even to the listeners out there. The listeners can follow this debate very easily. I know what season we are in now, and that there is very limited time remaining. I also know that this platform is quite effective. So, we are trying to take maximum advantage of it, but I still make the appeal to all hon. Members that we do justice to the His Excellency the President’s Speech. Let us respond.

 

Mr Mwiimbu rose.

 

Mr Speaker: I am still speaking.

 

Let us respond. The President took time to compose his speech and raised many issues. Now, to reduce it to this kind of dialogue is a disservice, and a disservice to the people of Zambia. I mean, it is obvious what is happening. We are at each other’s throats, politically. Certainly, I think we can do better than this. The whole concept behind the National Values and Principles is to ensure that there is a moral compass directing the nation, setting standards and role-modelling for the upcoming citizens. I wonder what the people make of these debates as they listen to them. Let us role-model, not pay lip service to these very noble values that have been enshrined in the fundamental law of the land. We know it is politicking, yes, you are politicians.

 

The hon. Leader of the Opposition may continue.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, I thank you for the guidance.

 

Mr Speaker, I do recall that when His Excellency the President addressed us, he talked about the equality of men and women; that men and women must be given equal opportunities to ascend to positions of authority and governance in this country. As I interrogate his speech, I appeal to him to ensure that as the PF adopts the next batch of candidates to contest as Members of Parliament, those values are reflected. We should not be seen to be repeating what happened in 2016, when the party did not adopt a single woman in Luapula, the Northern and the Copperbelt provinces. I am aware that the PF has been preaching that the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 10 of 2019 would have enabled us to ensure equity in positions between men and women but, unfortunately, the party that is supposed to lead the way is not doing that.

 

Dr Chanda: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Speaker: I will entertain this point of order from the hon. Minister of Health as the last one this afternoon.

 

Dr Chanda: Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to raise this point of order.

 

Mr Speaker, you have guided that our debates should be factual and relevant. However, the hon. Leader of the Opposition in the House is misleading the whole nation and this House by saying that the Patriotic Front (PF) did not adopt a single woman in Luapula when Hon. Emerine Kabanshi is Member for Lunga Constituency. He also said the PF did not adopt any females on the Copperbelt when Hon. Kampampa Mulenga is Member for Kalulushi, and that the PF did not adopt any woman from the Northern Province when the hon. Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs is from there. Is he in order to mislead himself, the House and the nation without presenting facts?

 

I seek your serious ruling, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: My ruling is that, first and foremost, the hon. Leader of Opposition and Member of Parliament for Monze Central will take into account those observations. Secondly, I encourage hon. Members that since this is a debate, you respond to debates and viewpoints. So, where you feel or notice that there are misdirections, factual or otherwise, you respond. That is the nature of debates. If I allow these points of order to continue at this rate, we will be debating through points of order instead of engaging one another, and that is why I tend to discourage points of order in debates. Anyway, I have already announced that for today, regardless of what happens, I will be in charge. I will not need any assistance in form of points of order. I will manage the debates alone.

 

Hon. Leader of Opposition, take into account the hon. Minister’s observations.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the guidance. I take into account the point of order. I also want to respond by stating that the hon. Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs was never elected anywhere. She is an appointee and nominated hon. Member of Parliament.

 

Mr Speaker: Order, hon. Leader of the Opposition!

 

Resume your seat.

 

Specified hon. Members of Parliament were brought to your attention who, in the point of order, it is stated that they were elected. The point here is that for them to have been elected, it means that they went through an adoption process. So, you need to respond to that as you debate. That is my direction. Of course, there is no need to debate the hon. Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs. We all know that she is a nominated hon. Member. I do not know why you want to go there. I do not understand.  

 

You may continue.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, in your guidance, you said that I should take into account the point of order and, in his point of order, the hon. Minister of Health mentioned the hon. Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs. So, I am just clarifying that she was not elected, but nominated. Further, having taken note of your guidance, I must say that the other two do not make up 30 per cent women representation required by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development; they do not constitute even 1 per cent of the number in Luapula Province and the Northern Province.

 

Interruptions

 

Mr Speaker: You may continue, hon. Member.

 

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, His Excellency failed to take advantage of his last speech ...

 

Mr Kampyongo: Question!

 

Mr Mwiimbu: ... in this House on the issue of the values of this country. One of the values he failed to appreciate is the value of unity, as engendered in the much-propounded ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ motto. He failed to unite the nation through his speech. I know he talked about unity, but that was not enough. What we have seen in this country is that people have been allowed to make statements that are very destructive and making this country no longer a ‘One Zambia, One Nation’. The President has been so loud in his quietness in condemning leaders of his Government who have been making divisive statements. In this regard, I call upon him to go further than mere statements. If a member of his Cabinet makes a very divisive statement, that member should be relieved of his/her duties because the responsibility of the Government is to unite the nation. The President failed to address that issue on the Floor of this House. 

 

Mr Speaker, the President also failed to address issues that have been affecting this nation pertaining to violence before, during and after elections. The President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and all the security wings, must not be seen to be lamenting. Instead, he must be making decisions and pronouncements on how to address the violence. We have noted that violence is escalating in this country and that it has even reached a level at which even the President’s Cabinet Ministers have been threatened, beaten and their functions as portfolio holders curtailed. We have also seen party cadres hold press briefings covered by the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) at which they threatened Cabinet Ministers, yet nothing has been done about that. What message is the President sending to the cadres and to his leaders? He is encouraging his cadres to be unruly. 

 

Mr Speaker, if a Minister is threatened by a cadre and a Minister who is supposed to be in charge of a security wing feels threatened, how about an ordinary person? What are we trying to achieve, as a nation? What value are we advancing? How can we stop violence if cadres, with impunity, are able to threaten anyone? The cadres are known, but nothing happens. The buck stops at the President, and he must not be lamenting because he has the power to stop the rot of violence in this country. We need normalcy as we advance towards elections, but the President has failed to give us that.

 

Mr Speaker, the President talked about the need to allow political parties to freely advocate their values and aspirations. Unfortunately, we have seen cadres of a known political party hacking anyone who goes to a radio station to propagate views different from those of that political party, and nothing is being done about that. This is very sad.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Mbulakulima (Milenge): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to say some few words. The people of Milenge are listening attentively.

 

Sir, for the past three years, we in Milenge have stated that one of the best things to have happened in the last few years is the inclusion of values and principles in our national Constitution, and I believe that this is a non-partisan and non-controversial issue. If there is one issue that should bring us together, it is this one. We can politick on other issues, but I believe that on this one, we should all get united, speak the same language and see how best we can improve the welfare of our country.

 

Mr Speaker, the President stated as follows on page 4, item 11, of his speech: “These values and principles provide the moral compass for our country. They guide every decision we make; every policy we formulate; and every law we enact.” In doing this, we may not be perfect. The declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation, for example, does not mean that we are holy; it is just a reminder that we must try to be upright and walk in the light of God.

 

Sir, I will only take three items from the President’s Speech due to a time constraint. One of those issues is child marriages, which is at 29 per cent, and teenage pregnancies.

 

Sir, those who were there between 1964 and 1975 will recall that there were no teenage pregnancies. The competition among girl children was in education, and there was no difference between the girl child and the boy child. They all strove to go to school. So, what has happened today is a source of concern for all of us. Where has this culture of children dropping out of school early come from? Fifty-six years after Independence, we should not be discussing this matter. So, I think the President is right, and all of us must come together. Teenage pregnancies cannot be allowed to continue, and this issue creates the platform on which we must all work.

 

Mr Speaker, the other issue is alcohol abuse. I know that Hon. Prof. Nkandu Luo, as Minister of Local Government, did a lot to stop the tujilijili, which is alcohol sold in small packs. However, we, as a country, should go beyond that. I think Zambians can agree with me that the drinking of kachasu is an issue across the country because it is the norm in every part of this country. Why have we allowed that?

 

Sir, when we go to campaign in the rural areas and compounds, we find people nababumuka, which means, ‘they are drunk,’ as early as nine o’clock in the morning. You cannot have a systematic way of planning to hold a meeting at 10:00 hours because by that time they will all be drunk. Why are we letting that take root in our county? Why do we not use this platform to fight it?

 

Mr Speaker, another issue that caught my attention is defilement. Yes, the Government has done very well in this area. We know that defilement has existed since time immemorial, but it was taboo for anyone, especially women, to talk about their children being abused. However, all these things are in the public domain now because of sensitisation and awareness raising through the Government machinery. The legal framework has also been worked on. When you come across this kind of case, you know that the minimum sentence for it is fifteen years. Some of them –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Dr Chibanda (Mufulira): Mr Speaker, thank you for according the people of Mufulira Central an opportunity to add their voice to the debate on the speech on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles, made to the nation through Parliament by His Excellency the President on 12^th February, 2021.

 

Sir, the President’s Speech encompassed a lot because it spoke to the eight National Values and Principles that are at the core of the governance of our country. I know that it was quite touching that the President was giving this speech at a time the nation is going through a critical time of a pandemic to which Zambians have succumbed. I also join him in paying my respects to the gallant men and women on the frontline of fighting the pandemic.

 

Mr Speaker, I will quickly go to the value of patriotism.

 

Sir, the President stated that, as Zambians, we need to be patriotic to our country. We only have one country, and we should be proud to defend it wherever we are. Unfortunately, there is a trajectory that has been taken by some people in this country that has, especially, been exhibited by us, the political players vying for political office; talk ill of our country when we go out. Leaders of opposition political parties are in the habit of speaking ill of the country from foreign countries, and this must come to an end because we only have one Zambia. Let us emulate other countries like America where citizens still speak well of their country even when they have a diversity of views.

 

Mr Speaker, democracy is a competition of ideas, not of blood. What we are seeing in this country is a trajectory on which people are ready to hack one another on account of wanting to go to State House. This is immoral and, as a country, we cannot sit back and keep watching that because it will become a culture. My mother used to tell me that what you make a habit grows. As Zambians, we are making it a habit that each time there is a by-election, we shed blood. That must come to an end. We will only have one leader. For example, there will only be one President, one Speaker, one Minister and one councillor. Therefore, we need to give each other time.

 

Sir, I will now address the value of integrity. There is a saying that goes, “he who comes to equity must come with clean hands”. I am speaking to Clause 57 in the President’s Speech, which states that being patriotic is also about protecting and taking care of public assets. In this regard, I know that there is a leader of an opposition political party vying for the Presidency of this country who was at one point given the mandate to preside over the assets of this country. Unfortunately, I do not know where his integrity will be even as he vies for the Presidency when he used the opportunity he was given to amass wealth for himself, which is immoral, very immoral, to the people of Zambia because people have died because of not being given their benefits from the companies that were presided over by these people. Unfortunately, they have no shame, as they are still vying for public office and killing Zambians by ripping away the rights of the people in the companies they presided over. This speaks not only to what happened, but also to what is happening. The President was simply saying that those of us who have been given the honour to look after public assets must know that we are doing it for the public, not for themselves. This was a double-edged sword because the President was not just talking about the past, but the future, too, because the past is a reflection of the future. As I said, those who have been charged to look after public assets must not look after the assets for themselves, but for the people of Zambia.

 

Sir, once again, as I said, he who comes into equity must come with clean hands. Therefore, those vying for public office must look at their values and morality as regards what they stand for in public. If you have offended the public by looting property that belonged to Zambians, where is your morality for you to vie for public office? It means that you will loot the country.

 

Mr Speaker, people must engage in introspection as they aspire for public office.

 

With those remarks, I thank you, Sir.

 

Mr Speaker: I recognise the indication from the hon. Minister of Home Affairs. However, as per tradition, I will allow the members of the Executive to debate towards the end of the session.

 

I will come back to you, hon. Minister.

 

Ms Subulwa (Sioma): Mr Speaker, thank you for according the people of Sioma an opportunity to contribute to debate on the President’s Speech.

 

Sir, may I start my debate by saluting His Excellency the President, Mr Edgar Lungu, for this timely speech. I think it speaks to a number of issues that are close to my heart.

 

Sir, a number of bold steps have been taken by the President, and I think it is in order for us to encourage him to soldier on as Republican President and father of the nation.

 

Mr Speaker, I have taken note of paragraphs 28 to 34, in which the President spoke about gender-based violence (GBV), child marriages and teenage pregnancies. The problems are more prominent in our areas in the rural areas because we do not have where we can run to report them. So, people there tend to keep such issues to themselves, and that is why I appeal to the President to ensure that fast-track courts are constructed in rural areas like Sioma in the Western Province even as he speaks about such issues.

 

Mr Speaker, also on teenage pregnancies and child marriages, how do we withdraw the girls from such marriages? If we do, where do they go next? I think that it is necessary to establish homes where the girls can go to and be supported in school when they are withdrawn from early marriages. I, therefore, encourage the Government to consider constructing homes for accommodating girls who are withdrawn from early marriages.

 

Mr Speaker, there is also a need to introduce school feeding programmes and, in this regard, I salute our co-operating partners in Sioma, such as God’s Foundation, Twelfth Mission, Ubuntu, Country Lodge and Whispering Sand, who have been very supportive to our girls. I hope the Government will come in as well to support the girls in Sioma.

 

Mr Speaker, seeing that we are going into the 2021 General Election, allow me to speak about one issue that is cardinal. The issue is in paragraph 71 of the President’s Speech, and it is about political violence.

 

Mr Speaker, in Lozi, we have the saying that litou zepeli alilwana bucwani bwa nyanda, meaning, ‘when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers’. In this case, the grass are the people. So, I appeal to both the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND) to stop the fights between them. I also urge the UPND to be attractive enough to make the public see good or hope in it. If that is not seen, then it becomes a challenge, and I speak from experience. In the 2016 Elections, I was attacked several times by this political party that claims to be very peaceful. As a young lady, I now understand why so many women actually stay out of politics; it is because of the violence that is usually experienced during the campaigns. Why can we not have issue-based political campaigns in our country?

 

Mr Speaker, in paragraph 93 of his speech, the President gave the assurance that law and order will prevail before, during and after the elections. I hope that will be the case in the forth-coming elections. The President assured the people that his Government will ensure that law and order is maintained. I hope the women who are aspiring to contest various positions and the incumbent parliamentarians who want to defend their seats will be protected by the police.

 

Mr Speaker, my appeal to the Zambian people is that we realise that there is life after politics. Therefore, we need to look at things optimistically and differently, and raise issues that build our country, not those that destroy it.

 

Mr Speaker, I also want to say that when people start calling one another names, and saying they adopted women, I was left out –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for according me an opportunity to debate the speech of the President of the Republic of Zambia, which was delivered on the Floor of this House.

 

Mr Speaker, as expected, the President was supposed to update us on the progress made in the application of National Values and Principles. However, his speech did not inspire us, the people of Zambezi, as regards progress made in the application of values as contained in our Republican Constitution. The point I am making is that we have not seen clear and deliberate moves made to ensure that political violence is eliminated from this country.

 

Mr Speaker, the President came short on naming and shaming, especially of those who have been involved in political violence, including the police. We did not hear the President clearly state the shortcomings that we have had even concerning the simple right of a person to register as a citizen of this country. People have had to struggle to get National Registration Cards (NRCs) while the voter registration process has been marred by a lot of controversy as well. People were segregated from getting voters cards. I have in mind the Western and North-Western provinces, and many other places that are perceived to be strongholds of the Opposition. People in those places were not given the opportunity to access the documents enable one to exercise one’s rights and, based on the figures we have seen, I do not see the equitable application of our values. We have had situations in which people from different walks of life have ended up acquiring our documents, and this question still remains unanswered. That is the in public domain.

 

Mr Speaker, I also have in mind the distribution of the national wealth. In the North-Western Province, we have gold at Kasenseli Mine, yet our people there still live in poverty. How, then, can we boast about applying values when those people do not even benefit from the gold that is given naturally by God in their area? As if that were not enough, the North-Western Province also has copper, which has been mined for several years, yet the roads there are still impassable. In Zambezi, there are feeder roads that cannot be talked about because they are not worthy of being used. The road to Nyakuleng’a and Mpidi are still in a very bad state, yet our colleagues in other places boast about their roads being attended to. So, where is the equitable application of values for the benefit every citizen?

 

Mr Speaker, we still have controversies insofar as the application of the law is concerned; we have seen how opposition leaders have been summoned to appear before the police at will while threats are continuously being aimed at us in the Opposition. Where is the equitable application of the law so that all of us enjoy living in this country the same way others are doing? As I speak, I am so worried that even as we go towards the elections on 12^th August, this year, we will see more of such manoeuvres, whereby the police arbitrarily call people for questioning. That is being done selectively whilst the President is watching, and I have not heard him condemn the segregative manner in which the police operate. Where, then, do we stand in terms of the application of our national values?

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this rare chance to contribute to the debate on the Motion on the Floor of the House.

 

Mr Speaker, my discussion will mainly centre on Paragraph 34 of the speech, in which the President talked about child marriages and teenage pregnancies. In this regard, I am looking at the rural areas where there are masses of children going into marriage. That is a common practice in all rural areas, and one of the reasons there is an escalation of child marriages and teenage pregnancies is a lack of educational facilities. If you looked at the educational facilities in rural areas, you would see that there are very few secondary schools. So, children have difficulties finding space in the secondary schools, and they are made to pay as much K1,000 per term in boarding fees. How many of our people in rural areas are able to pay K1,000 per term? Very few and, as a result of the inability of the rural masses to pay, children are not able to continue –

 

Mr Miyutu was inaudible.

 

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member for Kalabo Central, we have lost you.

 

 We will move on and, if need be, revert to him later. Mark his time.

 

Mr Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Nanjuwa.

 

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member for Mumbwa is not available.

 

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to also make some remarks on the speech by the President.

 

Mr Speaker, I wish to deal with two things out of the President’s Speech. The first issue is that of relevance. Is what is being said relevant to the citizens of the country? The second issue is that of sincerity.

Mr Speaker, in terms of relevance, I want to bring to the attention of this House that looking after the people of a country that one is presiding over and safeguarding or promoting their welfare is a very important principle and, there, the President’s Speech failed.

 

Mr Speaker, the cries of the people of Zambia today are very easy to understand; there is massive hunger and suffering out there. To give you an example, when this Government took over, the price of a bag of mealie meal was less than K40. Today, in most places, it is K150. That of sugar was about K11 per kg but, today, it is more than K20 per kg. Further, a small used car from Japan for young people coming on the job market that cost US$2,000 only cost about K9,000 but, today, the same car costs K45,000. This is just an example of the suffering that is out there. Some people survive on only one meal per day. Let the President not be misled by the fact that some of his members can donate buses or hundreds of thousands of Kwacha. Those are very few. The majority of the people are suffering. So, the relevant question here is: Mr President, what are you doing to deal with this massive suffering that the people are going through?

 

Mr Speaker, coming to the issue of sincerity, the people of Zambia have realised that the Patriotic Front (PF) Government likes to say things that it does not mean at heart. The “Don’t Kubeba” culture has continued; ...

 

Mr Kampyongo: Question!

 

Dr Musokotwane: ... where it says things that it does not mean. For example, we have always been told in this House that no one is above the law. However, many people have died in Zambia. There have been gun murders but, even though some of them took place in public places, the culprits have not arrested to date. A few months ago, PF youths attacked Woodlands Police Station and the police officers at that station had to run for their lives. They fled ...

 

Mr Kampyongo: Question!

 

Dr Musokotwane: ... only to come back later whispering, “Are those PF people still there?” granted, the culprit was eventually arrested, but the question is: What gave that person the audacity to mount an attack on a police station in present-day Zambia? It is the fact that for years and years, those people were being tolerated and, now, they think it is business as usual. We have seen it with our eyes how the PF people have been behaving.

 

Sir, if you go around the city of Lusaka, you will see many cars with “ECL 2021” number plates. Sometimes, you can count five to ten cars with the number plate in one place. If this is a Government of laws, why does it allow such things to happen? When those people pass by police officers, the officers even salute. Why do our colleagues allow such things to happen? It is because they are not sincere.

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.                     

 

Mr Speaker: I have also received indications on the Zoom platform from the hon. Minister of Local Government, and the hon. Members for Lubansenshi, Lusaka Central, Senga Hill and Kalomo Central. So, I will alternate between the two lists. As for the hon. Minister of Local Government, together with the hon. Minister of Home Affairs, they should wait until the Backbenchers have debated; they will respond later.

 

Mr Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Musonda but Mr Musonda was inaudible.

 

Mr Speaker: I am told we have a problem with all the hon. Members on the Zoom platform.

 

Mr Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Mulunda but Mr Mulunda was not available.

 

Mr Speaker: I will allow the hon. Minister of Home Affairs to debate.

 

The Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to also add my voice to the debate on the Motion on the Floor, which was moved for us to debate the President’s Speech, which was delivered to this august House and, through this august House, to the nation.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency delivered a well-thought-out speech as required by the Constitution. I will pick a few very important matters that he raised. As I do that, I would like to assure my dear hon. Colleague, the Member of Parliament for Monze Central, who said that the President made his last speech, that, actually, that was just one of the many more speeches to come from the President. Borrowing Hon. Lubinda’s words about consistency, indeed, Hon. Jack Mwiimbu has been consistent on such lamentations here, but it is good that he has always come back to the same position; on your left. I do not have any iota of doubt that he will be on the same side the next time His Excellency delivers his next speech.

 

Sir, His Excellency made reference to issues of gender-based violence (GBV), and we in the Government have put our effort in providing for GBV victims through the establishment of the Victim Support Unit (VSU) under the Zambia Police Service and creating a conducive environment in which victims can share their grievances. Further, we are pleased that the Ministry of Justice has equally been responsive by creating fast-track courts or one-stop facilities. However, the challenge remains for all of us, as leaders at various levels, to help our people to appreciate the ubuntu way of living.

 

Mr Speaker, His Excellency went further to assure his people that we, in the Government, will continue doing the best we can in dealing with issues of GBV. He also assured this nation that the upcoming general elections will be held in a peaceful environment. We in the Ministry of Home Affairs are preparing to make sure that the elections are, indeed, held in a peaceful environment.

 

Sir, in response to Hon. Jack Mwiimbu, I say, yes, we have had unruly characters on the political scene. The hon. Member talked about hon. Ministers being attacked, but he should also know that those who perpetrated those activities were arrested and made to face the law, with some of them serving sentences. As for the few characters he referred to, who are still out there trying to attack the hon. Minister, the hon. Minister cannot round them up, parade them and shoot them because we have systems for dealing with such. So, I assure the hon. Member that those who want to commit crimes while masquerading as Patriotic Front (PF) members or otherwise will be made to face the full wrath of the law, and that is how it is done. We cannot use any other route to satisfy Hon. Jack Mwiimbu in the way we manage these matters.

 

Mr Speaker, I would also like to respond to the hon. Member for Liuwa by telling him that the PF Government has always made pronouncements that it knows it can honour. I know that as a former Minister in the previous Government, which tried to do implement certain projects at the last minute when elections were catching up, such as the Formula One Project, which could not even mend potholes, he is able to see that we do not handle State affairs the way they used to during his time. We have been preaching only that which we are able to do, and we do not wait for elections to implement projects. We work for the people of Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, with these few remarks, I support the speech as it was made, and we are going to implement the directives that his Excellency made to all of us through that speech.

 

I thank you, Sir

 

Mr Speaker: I will try the Zoom list again.

 

Mr Speaker gave the Floor to the hon. Member for Lubansenshi and the hon. Member for Lubansenshi, but they were both inaudible.

 

Mr Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Speaker, let me just switch off one of them because they are not working.

 

Sir, I have had a problem with connectivity. However, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to debate.

 

Sir, I would like to start by thanking the President for being humble enough to accept this Constitutional requirement for him to address the House once after the Official Opening of Parliament.

 

Mr Speaker, I would like to talk about an issue the President did not talk about, but which was raised by many hon. Members of Parliament who said that he skipped the issue of corruption which, to them, was very important. If there has been a President who has been very consistent in handling this issue, it is President Edgar Lungu. We have all seen how he has sternly acted against all those who have been found wanting not just on corruption, but also in many other issues, such as poor performance, including all those people whom others referred to as having issued bad statements to the nation. We have seen how he has acted once he has verified such reports to be factual. If you look at the President’s Cabinet, it is not the Cabinet he started with; there have been many changes, and I think it is unprecedented that we have a Government that has made so many changes to members of the Cabinet. I, therefore, do not know what else people want to see. I do not know if they just want to see him overhaul every position and bring in completely new people for some reason I do not understand.

 

Sir, when the President hears a so-called whistle-blower say ‘Wolf!’, he first has to make sure that, truly, there is a wolf before he can shoot. Many people want him to just shoot from the hip, but he is not that kind of a person because he knows how much damage you can do to a person if you just act without consideration based on another person’s feelings when there is no truth. He knows that is a lifetime kind of destruction. So, I do not understand what people wanted him to talk about when they are able to see that he is acting, and actions are louder than words. Just talking will not correct anything, but when you act, people see that you are serious, and the President has been acting. There are many examples. So, I do not understand what people would like to see apart from what they are seeing right now. Maybe, that is why he chose not to even mention the word ‘corruption’; it was pointless. He is acting and the actions are showing.

 

Mr Speaker, the President also talked about violence, and I am grateful he did that because, as you may remember, recently, we, as a Parliament, participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference on the girl child. Fortunately, even before the conference, the President had spoken strongly against the vice. So, we informed the IPU how much our President is interested in ending the violence that is obtaining in this country. He does not want it, especially against the girl child, because it discourages girls even further, and this is the President of the country who is in the forefront of this fight. So, I do not see what else he can do. If he can be the first to condemn violence to the most damned point, I do not see what else they want the President to do.

 

Sir, I praise the President for being forthright on in the way he talked about infrastructure, and that is correct because if we want to market this country, we must first market its capital city. If we cannot market Lusaka, everyone else must forget about Zambia because no one is going to know Zambia. Everyone who talks about Zambia talks about Lusaka first, then they will think about Senga Hill and other places. So, if people continue condemning the President’s efforts to market Lusaka as Zambia, because that is what it is, I do not know which President would market another place apart from Lusaka.

 

Mr Speaker, it is wrong for anybody to say the President is not doing what he should for the country just because he is not doing what certain people want to see him do. Zambia has 18 million people, and we all have many expectations. So, the President cannot do everything at one time. He has to do one thing at a particular time to satisfy a particular group of people and, in doing so, he looks at the neediest people. That is what he has been doing. He has been addressing the problems of the peasants and the poor in communities or urban areas like Lusaka. The Social Cash Transfer –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

Mr Kamboni (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you of according me this opportunity to contribute to debate on the President’s Address.

 

Sir, there is a popular saying that goes, “When the rainfall is about to go, it destroys the same crops it was watering.”

 

Mr Speaker, when we talk about morals, we talk about the humane elements; fairness in the treatment of human beings and the recognition that all are equal. However, what we have seen of late leaves much to be desired. We have had a situation in our country that we had not seen before since 1964. During the gassing incidents, about fifty people were killed, some by the police and others by mobs of people. However, to date, no one has been arrested over that. Where is the morality in having so many people killed, including the one who was shot dead by police officers in Kalomo? To date, no one has been arrested. Surely, with such a big number of people having been killed, why is it that no one has been held accountable? This is why we now question the morals being talked about.

 

Sir, there have been cases that have affected even my constituency. For instance, in the distribution of fertiliser, when prices went up, people in some provinces were given eight bags of fertiliser or its equivalent in money. However, in the Southern Province, Kalomo Central, in particular, where I live, the farmers were given only three bags each. Why should there be such segregation? The President is quiet about that, yet he is talking about morals. For us to be taken seriously, what we say must match what we do. In my view, anybody who disturbs farmers, the people who feed the nation, does not mean well for the country.

 

Sir, there is a farmer in Kalomo Central at Farm No. 1921 who has really helped the local people. The local people use his bulls for breeding and his oxen to plough. He also feeds the people, who could die if he did not provide them with milk. However, the Government is causing some disturbances at the farm and even wants to grab it by force and dubious means. This does not show any morals. Our politics should not go down to levels where we get people and start doing some wrong things through them. Let us leave farmers out of politics. So, when we talk about morals and fairness, we should reflect them in the way we handle all issues.

 

Sir, let me now talk about the police. Police officers are no longer protecting the citizens of the country. Mr Nsama and Mr Kaunda ended up losing their lives because of the same farm I talked about earlier. Surely, was it really worth it? Some people are defending these things that are antagonizing citizens so much. So, there is a need to strike a balance between what we say and the moral aspect. This Government has brought a lot of pain to the country, yet in serious cases on which we expect the President to comment or do something to protect citizens, he stays mute. Then, he comes here and talks about morals.

 

Sir, how do we expect citizens to uphold the morals when there is so much hunger in the country? Prices have gone up like no man’s business. The price of fertiliser has gone up to K540. These are the things that would have made the economy tick. The Government over-borrowed. Our colleagues borrowed too much for their own sake; we have not seen any results. So, there is moral decay because people are unable to have three meals per day. If the Government wants to talk about morals, why did it borrow to an extent where everybody in the country is embarrassed because of the borrowing? Really, we cannot talk about morals because of what is happening. The Government of the day must protect all citizens, including the opposition political party leaders.

 

Sir, one hon. Member said that the United Party for National Development (UPND) president was involved in the privatisation of Luanshya Copper Mines (LCM); he was not, and we must get our facts right because when we come to this House and say things that are not correct, people will not take us seriously. If they check the records, they will find that the UPND president did not take part in the privatisation of LCM or any mine at all. He also did not privatise Lima Bank, but there are all these schemes. So, we advise our President that there is still chance for him to serve the people according to the mandate he was given.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mrs Mwanakatwe (Lusaka Central): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate that very thought-provoking speech by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles.

 

Mr Speaker, Zambia is blessed with a multitude of tribes; each with its own culture, traditions and norms. We are, nonetheless, bound by the common thread of our shared Zambian heritage and nationality. Our founding fathers, with great wisdom and foresight, adopted the national motto of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’, in part, due to the that fact they wanted the nation to unify and coalesce under a set of shared national values and principles. How, then, do we ensure that this set National Values and Principles becomes truly engrained in the psyche of all Zambians and becomes the guiding values and principles in their daily lives of Zambians?

 

Mr Speaker, in many parts of Zambia, we find what we may call insaka, a place where elders of the clan congregate to converse and discuss various issues affecting the community and individuals. The insaka has also played a pivotal role in the inculcation of a shared set of values and principles in the youth of the community, resulting in a cohesive set of guiding values and principles that members of the community are expected to adhere to and live by. I believe that those fora, which served us well in the past, are, by and large, being lost to the youth of today. So, as we seek to implement a set of shared National Values and Principles, how do we best ensure that such values and principles are taught and inculcated in our youth from an early age? It is only by so doing that we will ensure that our youths grow up to be responsible and patriotic Zambians, with shared values and principles binding them together and making them a society that will excel in all facets of development by harnessing the full extent of their shared values and principles.

 

Sir, in the Zambia of today, the insaka has been replaced by the ubiquitous mobile phones, Internet and television. If our youths are to use these media for formulating their individual and disparate sets of values and principles, I believe that we will have a problem.

 

Mr Speaker, we are surely beholden to society to put in place a well-defined and structured system that will ensure the effective inculcation of our National Values and Principles in every Zambian from the earliest stage so that they, in turn, put them into practice in their day-to-day lives. Further, perhaps, the time has, indeed, come for us to critically review the school syllabi to ensure that the National Values and Principles are taught to the youth from an early age because adults cannot be expected to suddenly buy into a set of values and principles. Values and principles must be nurtured; they must be taught and accepted from a tender age, and I believe that this matter is non-partisan. It is, therefore, my fervent hope that all the hon. Members of this House will join in the effort to find the most effective manner in which to realise this important national goal.

 

Mr Speaker, Ronald Regan, the former President of America, once said: “The greatness of a nation is measured not by just its gross national product or military power, but by the strength of its devotion to the principles and values that bind its people and define their character.” One could juxtapose the quotation with the argument that a people without common principles and values that bind them together and define their character will, probably, not attain an admirable gross domestic product (GDP) or become a military power.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

Mr Mwamba (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to debate the Motion on the Floor of the House, which is on what the President said when he addressed the nation through Parliament.

 

Mr Speaker, the President came to Parliament to discuss the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles for the fifth time. The title of his speech is the same, but the sub-topics. When he discussed the same topic of National Values and Principles last time, he outlined the sub-topics under the main topic, and he mentioned morality and ethics, patriotism and national unity, democracy and constitutionalism, human dignity, equity, social justice and non-discrimination, good governance, integrity, and sustainable development. All this time, he has been trying to explain to us how we have been able to uphold these National Values and Principles or how to uphold them.

 

Mr Speaker, we have not been fair to the President because each time he has addressed Parliament and the nation On National Values and Principles, we have found excuses to say that he should have said this or that. We have even forgotten that each time he has addressed the nation, there are certain topics that he has firmly addressed. If we get back to the last speech, we will realise that he talked about the ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ motto firmly. He also explained the need for us to maintain Zambia as one nation. He went on to speak about tribalism and hate speech. Lastly, he said that these vices have no place in Zambia. However, today, when looking at what he said in his speech this month, we are saying he did not talk about tribalism and corruption. These are things he has talked about, and we cannot expect him to talk about all these things every time he addresses us because he has to talk about new issues that come up as well. For example, he talked about social media, a phenomenon that has just come up, but it has affected the morals of Zambians. He spoke about it strongly and warned the nation that we should change our attitude.

 

Sir, the President further talked about sustainable development. He and his Government have attained many development goals in this country that we can point at, including the construction of schools, hospitals and roads. That is sustainable development we shall live to remember for years. How many things do we want him to talk about each time he comes here? When he comes here, he must break the topic of the National Values and Principles into smaller sub-topics and deal with them at a particular time. So, it is unfair to say that he has not talked about this and that. We easily forget, and this is what is worrying me. My hon. Colleagues in the Opposition, especially, easily forget that they drive on roads that the President and his Government have constructed. They drive on the roads he has constructed, yet they say he has not done this and that. So, I just appeal to my hon. Colleagues to remember that they should –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

The Minister of Local Government (Dr Banda): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the speech by His Excellency the President on the application of National Values and Principles.

 

Mr Speaker, from the outset, I would like to applaud His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on his elaborate, stimulating and progressive address to the Fifth Session of the Twelfth National Assembly on 12^th February, 2021. It cannot be disputed that the National Values and Principles are at the core of society and the nation’s well-being. Therefore, there is a need for every individual to personally uphold them diligently.

 

Mr Speaker, my ministry and I are greatly encouraged by His Excellency the President’s strong stand for morality and ethics. I, therefore, stand to contribute to, and support, His Excellency’s speech and to echo the call to uphold the National Values and Principles. Talking about morality and ethics, I was very baffled when I heard my hon. Colleagues from the Opposition try to revive the debate on the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill No. 10 of 2019 in their debates in Parliament on Tuesday. They seemed to be very interested in some of the issues that were part of a Bill they had decided not to debate on the Floor of the House, and that does not show morality. The moral aspect of being a parliamentarian was lost because our hon. Colleagues decided to go and enjoy Four Cousins and chicken wings from Hungry Lion at the expense of their moral obligation to be in the House to debate matters that would have been for the betterment of the people of the Republic of Zambia. Their absence denied over 7 million Zambians the chance to be heard on the Floor of the House.

 

Mr Speaker, I will go a little further and say that despite the advent of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and it subsequent negative effects, as a ministry, we will remain steadfast in our efforts to uphold the National Values and Principles through our mandate. In that regard, may I commend the efforts and strides made in fighting the negative practices that continue to erode our values and principles, such as gender-based violence (GBV) and early marriages. Ideally, these should not have a place in our society. It is gratifying to note the strides made in promoting morals and ethics by advocating for the ending of child marriages, teenage pregnancies, GBV, child defilement and other vices that mainly affect the youth. This objective, when attained, will enable us to make a lot of progress, as a nation.

 

Sir, research has shown that the quality of life of the people impacts adherence to national values and principles and, in a quest to improve the quality of life for our people, my ministry is enhancing the provision of services to communities through the local authorities.

 

Mr Speaker, allow me to join the rest of the well-meaning Zambians and hon. Members of Parliament who have supported the speech delivered to this House by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, on 12^th February, 2021. I also assure the hon. Members of the House and the general public of my ministry’s continued commitment to upholding the National Values and Principles for the betterment of our nation.

 

Sir, let me end by urging everybody to learn to be honest in their dealings. It would be very unfortunate to believe that a person can oppose everything that has been laid down before them by the Government through the Head of State on one day, and then, the following day, because it suits them, they want to believe that they are the ones who are supposed to drive the agenda. I think that is a very unfortunate attitude, which is not going to take us very far in the development of this country. When something is good for the people of Zambia, it is always best that we put aside our political affiliations, feelings and emotions, and do what is best to serve the people of the country, the people who sent us to this House to represent them. After all, we make laws for the people who sent us to this House.

 

Mr Speaker, we need to remember that we are here for just a time and that the time will come when we shall go back to the equal, and from among the equal, others will rise to take up our positions. Posterity will judge us.

 

I thank you, Sir.

 

Mrs Jere (Lumezi): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to add the voice of the wonderful people of Lumezi to the debate on this very important Motion of Thanks. Let me also take this opportunity to thank our President, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, for highlighting critical issues that seriously affect the moral fabric of our society.

 

Mr Speaker, it is so disheartening and disappointing to hear our colleagues from the opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) complain and whine about everything that this noble and pro-poor Government has done and is doing to ensure that all Zambians live a relatively manageable and affordable life.

 

Mr Speaker, some of the issues highlighted by His Excellency the President that really touched my heart relate to gender-based violence (GBV), teenage pregnancy and early marriages. We may be struggling to control these vices, but what is important to note is that as a result of the robust approach that the Government has taken in creating awareness among its people, more cases of GBV are being reported to the appropriate offices.

 

Mr Speaker, issues of defilement, teenage pregnancies, early marriages and GBV have negatively affected the much-desired well-being of our girl children, women and the nation as a whole. It is in this regard that I urge households, communities, key ministries and leaders to be instrumental in creating awareness on the aforementioned issues. Thankfully, the stiff punishment meted out on culprits has greatly contributed to more and more cases being reported. For this, we the people of Lumezi thank His Excellency the President, Mr ‘Walk the Talk’.

 

Mr Speaker, I implore the hon. Minister of General Education to strengthen the Guidance and Counselling sections in schools so that they can serve as a platform for information sharing and sensitisation of learners in schools. I also urge him to quickly conduct a curriculum review and enhance comprehensive sexuality education to enable our children in schools to access vital information that should help them to delay engaging in sexual activities.

 

Mr Speaker, it is the responsibility of parents, not so much of teachers, to teach their children good morals and values so that the children can grow up to be responsible citizens. As it is commonly said, charity begins at home.

 

Mr Speaker, as much as there are various forms of GBV, the creation of one-stop centres and fast-track courts has greatly contributed to a reducing in the incidence of these vices. Let me also take this opportunity to encourage the menfolk to equally report cases of GBV when they are perpetrated by their spouses. In most cases, our male counterparts feel ashamed and think that it is a taboo to report cases of GBV to the appropriate offices, but it is not taboo to do so, and we want to encourage them because we have seen in our society men go for work with scratches on their necks and faces. Therefore, let me encourage them that presenting themselves to the Victim Support Unit (VSU) is not taboo. So, they should feel free, just as women do.

 

Mr Speaker, with these few remarks, I, once again, sincerely thank our President for highlighting these very important issues.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank.

 

Mr Nyirenda (Lundazi): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate the President’s Speech, which was delivered on 12^th February, 2021.

 

Mr Speaker, let me start by commending the President for his wonderful speech. I will start with paragraph 84, where the President said, and I quote: “We believe in the upholding of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.” So, may I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow Lawmakers to take matters of the Constitution very seriously and not shoot them down anyhow, especially during amendment processes. As hon. Members of Parliament, it is also our duty to cure the lacunae in the Constitution.

 

Mr Speaker, in paragraph 96, the President said, “The Government has constructed additional sixty-nine secondary schools across the country, bringing the total number to 1,114.” This is a sign that the Government is delivering. Therefore, I humbly request the Government, if it can, to consider employing all the teachers who are currently on internship countrywide under the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development and adding them to the current number of teachers in service.

 

Mr Speaker, in paragraph 125, the President also mentioned that the Government is planning to present to Parliament the Legal Aid Bill, 2021, in order to improve legal aid services in the country. This is a good move by the Government, but let us hope that when it is enacted into law, the officers in that department will be serious with their duties like their fellow civil lawyers are in order to provide equal access to justice to poor people in society.

 

Mr Speaker, in paragraph 108, the President also mentioned that the Government has started the exercise of ending streetism in urban areas by taking the youths concerned to Zambia National Service (ZNS) camps for training in different skills. This is an excellent job on the part of the Government, but it will be good if the exercise is not abused by some civil servants who may use the opportunity to enrol their dependants.

 

Mr Speaker, in paragraph 136, the President said that the Government has started taking the services of the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) closer to the people through the local authorities and cited as examples districts like Kabompo, Mwinilunga, Kafue, Mumbwa, Nyimba and Lundazi, which is my constituency. This is also a good move by the Government, and the people of Lundazi are very happy.

 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

Mr Nanjuwa (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this very important debate so that the voice of the people of Mumbwa can be heard.

 

Mr Speaker, the President’s Speech on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles was not inspiring because it was a hollow speech that did not address the aspirations of the people. The speech was delivered just to satisfy the Constitutional obligation on the President to come to the House and deliver it. Otherwise, it carried no message.

 

Mr Speaker, I agree with the President when, on page 5, paragraph 16, he expresses concern over the declining moral and ethical standards in our country. In paragraph 17, he noted the high prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV), child marriages, teenage pregnancies, alcohol and substance abuse, and social media abuse. However, he should not only have expressed concern, but also informed the nation what progress we are making, as a nation, towards bringing down the incidence of these vices that have engulfed our country. When he came to the House, we expected him to give us the progress that has been made since the last speech he delivered. Unfortunately, he did not do that.

 

Sir, the President should also have mentioned what is causing young people to engage in vices like alcoholism. We also need to know why our youths are getting into early marriages and why there are cases of teenage pregnancies. However, the President did not say anything concerning that. The early marriages are as a result of a lack of jobs for our youths in the country. We have so many people who graduate every year, but there are no jobs for them because the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is not able to provide them with employment or provide a conducive environment for people to do business. As a result, the young people are engaging in alcoholism, resorting to early marriages and becoming victims of teenage pregnancies. These are the issues the President should have addressed; he should have stated the measures or mechanisms that have been put in place to make these vices a thing of the past. Unfortunately, he did not do that.

 

Mr Speaker, I agree that moral standards are declining in this country because we have seen unprecedented levels of immorality in some leaders, who are going round the country distributing money publicly. Money cannot be moved like that. That is immoral. There are also morals and principles in the way people handle money. However, in this country, I think there are no morals because leaders do whatever they want without remorse. That is immorality of the highest order, and it has to be condemned.

 

Mr Speaker, the President talked about social media and, yes, we see how social media is being abused. For example, many citizens of this country are using social media to insult others, and this has been going on for a long time now. So, the President should have talked about the progress being made in bringing that to an end.

 

Mr Speaker, young people have been denied National Registration Cards (NRCs). If you went to Mumbwa, you would attest to what I am saying. One place where that happened is His Royal Highness, Chief Chibuluma’s palace. Despite there having been a schedule for issuance of NRCs at a school near the palace, the people in that whole area waited for NRCs to be issued –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

The hon. Member’s time expired.

 

The Minister of Gender (Ms Phiri): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the speech on the Progress Made in the Application of National Values and Principles, delivered to this august House by his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu.

 

Mr Speaker, in his speech, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia said that the Government had challenges implementing many programmes amidst the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic has, in a way, increased the incidence of gender-based violence (GBV), child marriages, teenage pregnancies, and alcohol and substance abuse among citizens. As His Excellency the President rightly indicated, by the third quarter of 2020, 17,089 GBV cases had been reported countrywide. I would like to inform this august House that the annual GBV statics for 2020 have just been compiled, and they show that the country recorded 26,370 cases, compared with the 25,000 recorded in 2019. This shows an increase of 1,249 cases, and you can see, now, why His Excellency the President is worried; he is concerned that development is affected where there is an increase in GBV.

 

Sir, the President pleaded with his citizens and indicated that child defilement, teenage pregnancies and child marriages were worryingly increasing, year by year, which cannot be allowed to continue. His Excellency also said that we have a duty to remind the citizens that any form of crime cannot be allowed. Arising from what I have just said, my ministry considers child marriage and GBV as social evils and violations of human rights, and is working tirelessly to curb the vices by coming up with child marriage legislation and fast-track courts.

 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, His Excellency the President touched on various spheres of life. I, therefore, urge all Zambians to take his speech very seriously.

 

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

 

The Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs (Mr Sichalwe): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the address on the progress made in the application of the National Values and Principles, delivered to this august House by His Excellency Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the President of the Republic of Zambia, on Friday, 12^th February, 2021.

 

Sir, in his address to Parliament, the President restated our National Values and Principles as outlined in Article 8 of the Constitution, which are morality and ethics, patriotism and national unity, democracy and constitutionalism, human dignity; equity; social justice, equality, non-discrimination, good governance, integrity, and sustainable development. Of these, I will address myself to morality and ethics, as these are key to upholding the moral fabric of our 288 chiefdoms around the country.

 

Mr Speaker, as the President observed, it is of great concern to see the decline of morals and ethics in our country as evidenced by the increase in gender-based violence (GBV), child marriages and teenage pregnancies. My message to our traditional leaders is that they should not relent in inculcating in their subjects the morals and ethics that have been the bedrock of their chiefdoms. That way, we shall rest assured that the inhabitants of our chiefdoms will be morally upright and ethical, thereby, enhancing the moral integrity of our country.

 

Mr Speaker, I wish to conclude by expressing sadness at the loss to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of our citizens in various parts of the country and send a message of condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones.

 

 Mr Speaker, I thank you.

 

 Ms Chisangano (Gwembe): Mr Speaker, thank you for according me this opportunity to comment on the President’s Speech, made to this august House on Friday, 12^th February, 2021, which, in my view, did not bring much hope to the people of Zambia.

 

Mr Speaker, I will look at the respect we accord our national symbols, especially the Zambian Flag. I have travelled almost around the country, but what I have seen, even just from the roadside, at most of our schools and some Government offices is that many have old and torn flags. Some flags have even lost their colours so that where there is supposed to be green, there is either brown or grey. Do we really have respect for the Zambian flag? 

 

Mr Speaker, in schools, it has been left to the teachers to buy the flags.  What has happened? In the days we were growing up, we used to see beautiful flags at our schools, but that is not happening now. All we see these days are political party materials. Even when the President is addressing at a function, you will many Patriotic Front (PF) chitenge materials hung everywhere. So, one wonders whether we really value our flag more than we value the party materials that are being stack everywhere, displacing our national flag.

 

Mr Speaker, good governance is supposed to be a priority for the people of Zambia. However, what we see is very questionable. Let me talk about the issuance of the National Registration Cards (NRCs). Instead of looking at both the beneficiaries and the providers, much emphasis was given to the protection of the providers. For example, no report was given on how the beneficiaries felt when the NRCs were issued. Of course, it has been mentioned that many Zambians were left out, especially in the rural areas. It is very expensive for one coming from, for example, Chisanga to get an NRC in Gwembe Town. So, that was an opportunity for all Zambians, especially those in rural areas, to be given NRCs.

 

Mr Speaker, as regards the allocation of resources, we are seeing some sort of discrimination, especially in the distribution of fertiliser. Why should the people of the Southern Province be given only three –

 

Mr Speaker: Order!

 

(Debate adjourned)

 

_______

 

The House adjourned at 1656 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 26^th February, 2021.

 

___________