Thirteen civil society organisations today expressed disgust at the manner in which the PF government has continued to waste public resources on dubious contracts.
And the Civil Society Organisations have demanded that government publishes tender documents for all public projects starting with the fire tender and the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway.
Speaking at a joint press briefing today, chief executive officers and representatives from ActionAid, CTPD, Caritus Zambia, JCTR, NGOCC, TIZ, Oxfam, Alliance for Community Action, ZCSD, CSPR, CUTS, SACCORD and EAZ, said Zambia must wake up and demand accountability in the use of public resources.
CSPR executive director Patrick Nshindano, who read the statement on behalf of the CSOs, observed that Zambians had remained docile, while government leaders were abusing public resources.
“The problem of rampant abuse of public resources has been worsened by the attitude of not demanding for explanations and justifications on the use of public resources exhibited by most Zambians. This has allowed many leaders to take advantage and abuse public resources,” he observed.
“Government has defended the purchase claiming the trucks are custom made and deserves the $1 million per truck tag… Further to this, the construction of the 321km Lusaka-Ndola duo carriageway at the cost of $1.2 billion has also been disputed by a cross section of society as being too costly, it is suggested that on average, a high standard bituminous road in Zambia costs up to $1 million per kilometre which translates in $642 million. At the announced cost of $1.2 million, the Lusaka Ndola duo carriageway will cost on average $2 million per kilometre, double the normal cost.”
Nshindano said it was it was not far fetched to suggest that corruption was involved in the awarding of the two contracts.
“As civil society, we believe there are two aspects to this public spending, the first aspect is whether corruption was involved or not, which of course government has dismissed as unfounded including that ACC. The second issue is whether this was the optimum way of spending public resources at a time when the country is just recovering from a very weak economic performance. We are quite convinced that public resources on the two projects have not been prudently and optimally utilised. Was the fire trucks the most priority for Zambia to allow such a huge expenditure to quench fires whose sources we do not even know yet? US$42 million (approximately K420 million) is more than twice the allocation to Markets and Bus Station (K18 million) in the 2018 budget for the whole year,” he said.
Nshindano observed that the PF government had continued on a destructive path.
“As civil society we are further concerned by the fact that we never seem to learn as a country and successive governments continue on this destructive path. A similar expenditure was made on hearses and mobile hospitals against public protests. Some of these vehicles have already broken down irrevocably and yet a lot of money was spent that could possibly have been spent in a more prudent and sustainable way. Speed boats that were bought for Chavuma Districts to be used as mobile hospitals to serve communities along the Zambezi River have all broken down parked at the banks of the Zambezi River and no one even talks about them,” he said.
The CSOs challenged government to publish the tender documents.
“We demand the publication of the tender documents for all public projects especially the ones under public outcry which include the fire tenders and the construction of the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way as prescribed by law under the Public Procurement Act, to promote transparency and accountability. If the procurement was done in public interest its within the rights of citizens to see how the institutions involved arrived at the decision and their considerations,” said Nshindano.
We further urge government through the ministry of finance to quicken the process of reforms meant to enhance public financial management such as the enactment of the planning and budgeting bill, the revision of the public finance act, the loans and guarantees bill, and the public procurement bill… Lastly, we demand that members of parliament to take more interest in public affairs as representatives of the citizens and provide the necessary oversight as per their mandate and avoid politicking at the expense of the Zambian people.
During the question and answer session, ZCSD executive director Lewis Mwape called on Zambians to show their anger over the mismanagement of public resources.
“The role to demand for accountability must not just be the role of civil society, I think it should be the role of all Zambian people. As civil society organisations, we are appealing to the Zambian people is not to sleep whilst the rats and the monkeys are busy feasting on our produce in the fields. So the Zambian people have a duty. It is also the duty of a citizen to hold the elected leaders accountable,” said Mwape.
“We want to see the Zambian people beginning to become angry because when the money that you have contributed has been abused, you need to be angry as a people. We must all be angry when we see the people that we have put in place as stewards begin to act otherwise, for lack of a better term, maybe this is the word that I can find, to become thieves, robbers, daylight robbers of our resources, it will be very unZambian for people to keep quiet. Let us all demand for accountability and demand for priorities for expenditure.”
5 responses
Political parties in parliament must take a leaf from EFF and DA in SONA. They take no prisoners. To them no one is above beating. The president especially has been taken to task, including being dragged to court. And they have won.
That’s what the representatives of the do when they understand their roles and responsibilities. They don’t take over the job of the executives to placate the electorate.
Spot on Pimbilimano. However, this is the challenge we are faced with, our parliamentarians do not see things this way. Especially of the ruling party, they always think that their royality is to the President and not the people that voted them into office. The moment they come to that realisation then will they begin to act as real parliamentarians. For now, electorates are merely just a means to get to Manda Hill and they matter no more until the next election period.
288,000 dollars for an ambulance these are expenditures paliamentarians should be questioning
WASTEFUL SPENDING AND GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY OP
The Zambian intelligence also infamously known as the Office of the President (OP)has illegally acquired and is conducting experiments as well as using the following on innocent people: 1. Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Weapons – an instrument of Torture and Death;2. Biological Weapons -Poisons; 3. Chemical weapons – Toxic Gasses;4. Psychological weapons – Mental and physical Torture; 5. Planned Air and Road Traffic Accidents ; Local OP Hit Squads and Hired Foreign Assassins; Use of Satellite Technology together with EMR devices to Torture and Kill innocent people;etc
At the core of the current Political Turmoil and Human Rights Violations in Zambia, is the OP.
The OP has an Hidden Agenda the ultimate goal of which is to indirectly and then directly take over power in Zambia, just like has happened and still happening in Romania, Costa Rica, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and other countries where their intelligence exert undue influence on their governments.
The OP has undue influence on the Zambian government and the political leadership.
The OP has a track record of influencing all election results in Zambia where Popular Vote doesn’t count at all; It is the self appointed ELECTORAL COLLEGE in Zambia – on behalf of the Electorate, the OP decides who should be President in Zambia and who should occupy Strategic Ministries; It is the de facto Appointing Authority – in keeping with its Hidden Agenda, the OP only appoints those who wouldn’t be a threat to the ultimate goal of its hidden agenda; the OP is accountable and answerable to no one but itself- it is playing God; the OP has absolute power in Zambia -it more powerful than the Head of State – in fact, the OP is a State within a state.
Thus anyone, including presidents in Zambia, who interferes with or is considered a stumbling block to OP’s hidden agenda, immediately becomes an Enemy of the State,tagged as a Targeted Individual (TI), and destined for Torture, and permanent elimination.
OP’s weapons of choice against TIs, include those mentioned above and the Use of Children in OP’s Criminal activities; Disinformation, Deprivation; etc
Many people have been tortured, and killed by OP. CRUELTY and BARBARISM are the Real Dangers of UNCHECKED POWERS. The exerts absolute power in Zambia.
Some TIs died, knowing that they were victims of OP.These include the late Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe and Anderson Mazoka.
Some dead victims of OP died did not knowing what had hit them.these include the Late Presidents Sata and Mwanawasa. Both died in office – they were hoodwinked and duped to their untimely deaths by OP. Forensic postmortems would confirm foul play.
Similarly, among surviving TIs, there are those who don’t know and those who know that they are victims of OP.They are still being tortured to death by OP.
I’m one of the surviving victims of OP. I have ample irrefutable hard evidence to prove the atrocities and heinous crimes being committed against me and others, by OP.
The Dark side of Zambia’s Human Rights Record and OP’s impunity and gross human rights violations,have gone unnoticed by both National and International Communities , largely due to institutionalized Reign of Terror and Fear,perpetuated by OP.
Please join and support the campaign against OP’s Impunity, Torture, Political Assassinations, Gross Human Rights Violations, Abuse of office, and undermining democracy in Zambia.
President Lungu is not part to OP’s Criminal Activities.But this hsa created
The Zambian Intelligence also infamously known as the Office of the President (OP), is the most wasteful and extravagant in government expenditure.
With its HIDDEN AGENDA and steeped in the OCCULT, the OP. is the biggest threat to the Health and Tenure of Office of Presidents in Zambia; the Lives and Freedoms of Ordinary People, Foreign Nationals and Dignitaries in Zambia;DEMOCRACY and GOOD GOVERNANCE, HUMAN RIGHTS, RULE OF LAW and DUE PROCESS; National Security and Development.
Preoccupied with achieving the ultimate goal of its hidden agenda, the OP has illegally acquired and using the following instruments of Torture and Death, on its victims:
–ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION (EMR) WEAPONS:It is Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD);Mind Control Device; Slow Kill Assassination Device(SKAD). It produces painful, torturous and Deadly Radiation. It causes CANCER, TUMORS, INSANITY, IMPOTENCE, PARALYSIS, INFERTILITY,VEGETATIVE STATE,VERTIGO, COGNITIVE PROBLEMS -Thinking and Memory problems; Eye Sight, Hearing, and Speech impairment;Diabetes Inspidus; Irreparable damage to Vital body organs; Loss of Balance; Incurable ailments and Death.
–BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS -POISONS;
–CHEMICAL WEAPONS – TOXIC CHEMICALS AND GASSES;
–PSYCHOLOGICAL WEAPONS -Mental and Physical Torture ;
–PLANNED AIR and ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS;
–Use of SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY and EMR to track, monitor, torture and kill innocent people;
–Use of OP HIT SQUADS and HIRED FOREIGN ASSASSINS;
–RECRUITMENT, RADICALIZATION and use of CHILDREN in OP’s Criminal Activities;;
–Use of DARK FORCES or the OCCULT to achieve the ultimate goal of its Hidden Agenda;
–Disproportionate use of Human, Air (ZAF Helicopters), and Electronic Surveillance, Harassment and Torture;
Tax Payers’ money is being wasted on useless OP’s criminal activities.
The current political turmoil and human rights violations in Zambia is the making of OP.
The ultimate goal of OP’s Hidden Agenda to indirectly and then directly take over power in Zambia, just like has happened and still happening in Romania, Turkey, Egypt, Syria and other countries where their intelligence exert undue influence on their governments.
The OP has undue influence on the Political Leadership and government of Zambia.
The OP has a track record of influencing all election results in Zambia, where Popular Vote doesn’t count at all. The OP is the self appointed Electoral College in Zambia; its the de facto Appointing Authority – it decides who should be President and who should occupy strategic ministries, this is done in keeping with its Hidden Agenda – only those who are not a threat to its hidden agenda are appointed;etc
Let us,together stop OP’s impunity, hidden agenda, Political Assassinations, Torture, Gross Human Rights Violations and the undermining of Democracy in Zambia.