A TIME TO REFLECT AS REGARDS OUR NATIONAL ASSETS

By Chishala KATEKA….New Heritage party president

Zambia is a well endowed country. We could become a middle income country with just one of the sectors that we have been endowed with. This could be mining, agriculture, tourism, energy, manufacturing etc. We have the capacity to excel and greatly benefit the nation with any one of these, but unfortunately, we do not do any of them well at all and continue to live on the fringes of poverty.

The motive behind every decision we make as a country is the reason why we are where we are.

There is a debate regarding the Lower Zambezi and the proposed mining of the area. We must use this project as an example of how we proceed with projects that we allow in Zambia in future.

I see 4 positions being advanced:

1. Most Zambians are not for it because of the Environment/wildlife/tourism aspect etc. This is laudable.
2. The people of the area are for the opening of the mines because they say that the tourism does not benefit them. So the mines will give them jobs.
3. The Government is allowing the mining to go ahead because the courts have so ruled. – My question here is, are these not the same courts of law that sentence a person to death? Does the President not have a prerogative of mercy and pardon certain people in spite of the courts sentencing that person? Likewise in this case, is there not a law that enables the President to make a decision if that decision is in national interest? I don’t know, our learned colleagues, the lawyers, should help us here.
4. The New Heritage Party would have handled this in the following manner and looked at all the aspects relating to this. As usual we would have firstly raised questions:

• Why are the local people complaining about the fact that they have not benefited from the tourism in the area?
• What are the policies in place in that the tourism sector has, that preclude the locals from benefitting?
• What loopholes exist in the sector that disadvantage Zambia and Zambians?

With regard to the mining:

• What were the considerations the Cabinet took into account when arriving at the decision that Honorable Kalaba as the Minister in charge of the portfolio to give approval for the mining project to proceed?
• The mining project is obviously going to be undertaken under the current mining regime (mining policies). Has mining in its current form, benefitted Zambia and Zambians apart from a few jobs and the paying of very little taxes?

The truth is, we have actually been getting very little from these international mining companies apart from some jobs that have been created but which pay very little to Zambians by way of remuneration.

Before giving a go ahead for this or any other project, under a New Heritage Party Government, both the Tourism and Mining Sector policies would undergo a review to ensure that the activities to be undertaken begin to benefit Zambia and Zambians.

We have lost too much of our inheritance (God given wealth) through our own carelessness, inability to draw the line and start to do what is right for the Zambian people.

We hear and sympathize with the area Member of Parliament in the Lower Zambezi. The people need jobs…..but at what cost to the nation? We do need the jobs, however, we should get much much more than that in the projects that we allow in the country going forward! Let us not merely be happy with the crumbs. It is the Zambians, being the owners of the National Assets, that should after all be getting the bulk of the benefits.

LetZambiansWin

CHISHALA KATEKA
PRESIDENT – NEW HERITAGE PARTY