USE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS TO FORMULATE AND REVIEW POLICIES, PF URGES GOVERNMENT
….parading hungry mothers and youths during public holidays would never put food on their Table stresses Mourinho.
LUSAKA, Wednesday, March 9, 2022 (SMART EAGLES)
THE Patriotic Front (PF) party has noted the need for public holidays such as Youth and Women’s days to be used to review policies that affect women and the youth.
Speaking when he featured on Millennium radio programme today, PF Media Director Antonio Mourinho Mwanza said the country should begin to move away from the misnomer that public holidays are all about marching.
Mr Mwanza said it is for this reason that the Patriotic Front party celebrated Women’s day differently by doing community service as opposed to marching because the current government is NOT doing enough to offer opportunities to women.
He says the Patriotic Front appreciates national events and national holidays such as women’s and youth days but would not participate in marching if they are continued to be neglected.
“This is were the problem is that if you don’t go to freedom statue or arena to march, then it means you dont particpate on Women’s day.
Our refusal to participate in the marching during Women’s day is that we can’t march when this government has neglected the Women. We refused to be paraded because of the unemployment levels among women and the youths, due to poverty, price increase of commodities and high cost of living as well as for 5 women appointed as Cabinet Ministers when pf had 12 ministers in cabinet. This government is not creating opportunities for women including the Youth.
And Mr Mwanza said it would be gratifying to do away with matching and start looking at issues that affect the people such as the Youths.
He has reiterated the party’s stance that it will not take part in matching during the Youth day National events.
He said the Youths have been completely shunned by the New Daw administration as can be seen from the appointments of Ministers, District Commissioners and Directors in various parastatal boards.
“We will not match when jobs are not given to the young people. There is no youth today who holds any position in any position of government. This government has neglected the Youths we will not match. Let us use these public holidays to engage in community service to give back to society. Let us use Youth day as a moment to look at a review on the policy on women and Youths over the years whether we have made progress or not,” he said.
“The Youths voted in numbers but appointments being made at District Commissioner level do not involve any single youth. Instead, the people who retired 10 years ago are being brought back. We will not match when jobs are given to people who retired 10 years 20 years ago, ” he said.
He said it would be beneficial on labour day to look at the condition of service of employees, policies surrounding , working conditions and environment in terms of investment as opposed to wearing Printed T-Shirts to go and match.