Choma Central UPND member of parliament Cornelius Mweetwa says President Edgar Lungu cannot be boasting about sensitizing traditional and church leaders on the dangers of alcohol abuse when it it is him who need counsel.

And Mweetwa says it is clear government has failed to run higher learning institutions, judging by how workers and lecturers are going months without pay.

Mweetwa was speaking in parliament, Friday, when he debated President Lungu’s speech on the application of national values, principles and ethics.

“Now to begin talking about…on page six, the president reported to this House that there was a challenge of alcohol abuse by young people and that in response to that, the government has taken a measure, madam chairperson, to sensitize 235 chiefs and 180 religious leaders on the dangers of alcohol abuse. Madam speaker, isn’t this a joke or isn’t this an exhibition of lack of direction? How can you go and bring church leaders to sensitize them on the evils of alcohol abuse when they are the ones who must sensitize you? Because any meaningful church is founded on the principles of morality and values. You purport to sensitize people who must be sensitizing you, does it make sense/ this is a classical example of a government that doesn’t know what to do,” Mweetwa said.

Mweetwa said there was no way the country could talk about having made strides on issues of morality and ethics when employees at various institutions of government were not being paid their salaries.

“Madam Speaker, how can we talk about ethics and morality behaviour if at the University of Zambia, lecturers are not being paid at CBU lecturers and workers are not being paid? Students have been at the University of Zambia for more than one month without meal allowances yet those in government, those in decision making are getting paid but the workers and lecturers at UNZA are not being paid [and ] you are talking of morality? That is immorality. How can we talk about morality when the workers of Zampost are going now in nine months without being paid, workers of National Housing, one year no pay, I am told workers of RTSA have gone two months no pay, councils not being paid and other institutions are struggling to get paid, then you talk about morality, making strides, which strides? So when you have failed to performed, you should not report progress, report failure and we shall celebrate,” Mweetwa said.

And Mweetwa said it was sad that the President could continue reporting about progress in terms of morals and values when high ranking government officials were still appearing in court for corruption charges.

“Madam chairperson if what President Lungu said were to assume were to be true because it’s not, how do you reconcile this statement of making strides with what society collectively views as wrong? To having a leadership superintending over national affairs where some of those leaders are appearing in court for corruption and you can’t take action on them on moral grounds. I was actually think that what is his strides? Is it going forward or its reverse like Dununa Reverse? Does it make sense to have a leadership where high ranking officials of government are reporting in court then you are reporting strides in morality and ethics, something that society believes is wrong,” said Mweetwa.