LETTERS

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 07:08:07 +0000

Anti PF propaganda nauseating

Dear Editor,

The open attempts to sow seeds of division within the Patriotic Front (PF) through newspapers owned by thieves and tax evaders must not come as a surprise, if anything the Government should have expected this type of reaction.

The avalanche of fake news in these papers and the ones published on social media are all targeted at undermining and therefore belittling the leadership in the hope that any credibility enjoyed by the Government is lost. This is intended to prepare the ground for regime change.

They know that President elect Donald Trump beat Hilary Clinton through a very cleverly orchestrated campaign of fake news targeted at the frustrated white community, who genuinely believe he is their saviour. Even Russia joined in the disinformation campaign by timely release of e-mail and correspondence that put Hilary Clinton in bad light.

This is what propaganda is all about. It emphasises the negative and enlarges whatever weakness that may appear in the opposition.

Unfortunately Zambians are gullible readers. They will rush at anything that carries negative news, they love fake stories or indeed half-baked stories that are made from sterile gossip.

They love stories of Chishimba Kambwili making outrageous claims and attacking members of his own party. For this, he will be given headlines, or indeed magnifying threats of civil servants preparing to do battle with the Government over salaries.

They know that Government has no fiscal space and yetv they will endeavour to project an image that Government is simply being mean for not offering the Sata ty0pe 200percent wage increases, which has brought us to where we are.

The PF must expect more but must be resilient.

Dismus Mwape

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Of UPND and South Chiefs over FISP

Dear Editor,

This farming season is a critical one for Zambia’s food security.

The drought that has been ravaging the country in the recent past farming seasons seems to have come to an end. In the meantime, mind boggling evidence recently published shows that the UPND leadership in drought-prone Southern Province said that there was nothing wrong with the traditional leaders in the region to stop their subjects from collecting fertilizer and seed under the government’s Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) if the inputs were late (“UPND defends South Chiefs over FISP”, Daily Nation, December 31, 2016).

It becomes even more complicated and puzzling when viewed against the background of the people of Southern Province voting numbers and patterns in the August 11 polls. And not forgetting the post-election legal actions taken in the past four months by certain UPND honchos –with HH and GBM in the lead – to effect regime-change in Zambia outside the ballot box, whose sole goal has been to sabotage the FISP e-voucher programme and reverse any gains achieved thereof.

Unsurprisingly, however, HH and GBM’s evil intentions are to subsequently use the FISP e-voucher programme’s failure in Southern Province for blame games or political bashing rhetorical jingoism.

In this regard, the pre-election antics of HH and GBM, effectively became a kiss of death for the Southern Province locals seeking change in Zambia, especially the local UPND leadership which was the main beneficiary of the Zambian accredited Western envoys’ financial penetration actions during the August 11 general elections. Now is the time to get Southern Province upright traditional leaders to commit to a big push towards implementing effective agricultural policies like

FISP regardless, scale up public investment in agriculture, and catalyze private sector participation in agricultural development. Understandably, of the more than 10 million Zambians living in extreme poverty, 70% live in rural areas that depend on agriculture.

Remarkably, the multiplier effect of agricultural growth in Zambia is estimated to be 11 times greater in reducing poverty than in other non-agricultural sectors, such as utilities and copper mining. It is, therefore, an obscenity that so often the people who feed us are made to struggle to survive by politically compromised chiefs.

Needless to say, smallholder farmers are the people most connected to our land but can lack resources to make them thrive.

Undoubtedly, the FISP e-voucher programme is a game changer in this regard. Better irrigation, farming equipment, storage, market access, and women’s land rights could mean a brighter future for millions. Sadly, in Southern Province smallholder farmers have been ill-advised and hoodwinked by many of the UPND compromised chiefs for too long.

As such, the only government leader whose track record gives the smallholder farmers hope and comfort to lead for at least one more term of 5 years and finish the FISP e-voucher job, happens to be the man the opposition UPND wants to fail – President Edgar Lungu. Thus, the PF regime is still needed in order to make absolutely sure that the gains of the FISP e-voucher programme would not be sabotaged and reversed by outside forces using Southern Province local agents – UPND die-hard supporters clothed as traditional leaders.

Mubanga Luchembe,

LUSAKA

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Who should repair roads in Lusaka?

Dear Editor,

Who is in charge of repairing roads in Lusaka? Is it the Council or is it the Road Development Agency?

I am asking because the picture of the damaged Lumumba Road that you published.

The damage to that particular junction started from the untarred joining road. Several times good natured citizens tries to repair the developing craters by pouring stones and other materials until they have now given up because the authorities have turned a blind eye. They want to wait until a real calamity takes place before they act.

They can rest be assured that one of the heavy duty drivers unfamiliar with Zambian roads will provide the drama very soon.

Rodwell Kawesha

Israel must grow up

Dear Editor,

Kindly find space in your good paper for my comments below.

The recent UN security council resolution which for the first time in more than thirty years condemned Israel’s actions in the west bank must be commended and for once it shows that the UN is indeed a people’s organisation and not an instrument for a few powerful nations to advance their minority agenda.

The US under Obama’s administration chose to abstain and thus gave way for the land mark resolution to be passed by the 14 member security council much to the displeasure of Israel and president elect Donald Trump. The Israeli government immediately reacted and loudly complained and cried that the resolution was anti-Israel. The Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned Israel’s all time ally, the USA, for its failure to use its power of veto or block the resolution. He went as far as stating that “friends don’t take friends to the security council”.

But I must also add that ‘true friends tell each other the truth” and that is what Obama’s administration has done. Barack Obama has done what is morally correct and Israel must just grow up and stop behaving like a spoiled last born in the international community.

Israel is now a grown up adult nation and it is time it stopped hiding behind the veil of the holocaust no matter how bad it was. This Jewish nation has no right to displace other less powerful neighbours just in the name of self-defence.

Clive Maindi