MAZABUKA Central UPND member of parliament Gary Nkombo says giving national registration cards to foreigners is compromising the country’s sovereignty.
Debate the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Defence in Parliament, Wednesday, Nkombo said the PF was only good at making sure they win elections at the expense of governance.
“I am saying the issue of the boundary of this country, and that issue is squarely in Mr Davies Chama’s arm pit, the defence forces have failed us in that manner where foreigners are coming, and I am a living example, I can give you evidence of a Congolese man, I have it on my phone, a Congolese confessing that yes, we were brought here in order to vote, that’s an erosion of a country’s sovereignty and do not even hide behind a finger, this is happening. The only thing that your party in government, honourable Chama, is good at, is making sure that you win elections at the expense of governance. One day, you are going to put this country in harm’s way, the issue of an NRC is of paramount importance, you can’t give a Polish, an American, an Indian a Zambian NRC for purposes of winning an election, it is wrong,” Nkombo said.
“There is a failure, however, on your part in terms of the sovereignty that we have discussed this afternoon. Our borders a very porous. You know very well and I am sure you know, if you do not, know from me now that your people in your party are busy issuing sovereign documents to foreigners. They are giving national NRCs to Mozambicans, to Malawians, to Congolese and yet your ministry and your defence forces are sitting here in the inner land. I want to tell you that I was a living example of taking a Congolese in Mwense who came to get an NRC to the police and he was being aided by the Zambia Police, by district commissioners, by a chief in that area. Where is the sovereignty? You yourself minister, can you get a Congolese NRC? The answer is no. In this area, we have been left porous.”
He, however, commended the defence forces for performing well and not being infiltrated as is the case with the police.
“Yes, we appreciate what the Zambia National Service does in terms of food provision, we do appreciate that. We also appreciate the disposition of your officers in Zambia Air Force, in Zambia Army and in ZNS, totally different from the Zambia Police I must tell you now. And I want to pluck an example if how your officers behave when they were deployed into the communities at the time when there was gassing in this country. They performed very well and I think that it must be kept way because the men in uniform vis a vis, ZAF, ZNS, Army, are not yet fully infiltrated as the police is. If there are cadres in your ministry masquerading in uniform, it will be very unfortunate, so far, you have lifted the flag for your ministry in a manner that is deserving to be given accolades,” said Nkombo.
