Mon, 12 Dec 2016 11:15:45 +0000
When MPs nearly fight over allowances
Dear Editor,
As an ardent listener to live debates that are broadcast on Parliament Radio, I am not amused by what is currently taking place in the chambers of the National Assembly.
I am referring to the struggle for supremacy which is taking place between Parliament and the executive.
This struggle is hurting ordinary Zambians who are the real employers of these politicians whether the UPND or the Independent Members of Parliament.
What could be more shameful than the near punch-up in Parliament between PF Member of Parliament for Chitambo Constituency, Remember Mutale, and his Independent counterpart for Chipili Constituency, Jewis Chabi, regarding overtime allowances after a motion was moved to
extend the sitting hours of the House?
This parliamentary fracas aptly reinforces the critics and cynic’s belief that MPs are in Parliament to serve their own pockets other than providing service and solutions to the country’s poverty situation (“MPs in near punch-up”, Daily Nation, December 10, 2016).
At the moment, the chest thumping among politicians has resulted in the budget not getting passed expeditiously as opposition politicians insist on lengthy points of order, debates and thorough scrutiny of the budgetary allocation of ministries and government departments, as per the Constitution of Zambia.
However, if you listen carefully to the words spoken by opposition politicians while endlessly debating in Parliament, you could be forgiven for thinking that they are undeniably suffering from post-election traumatic disorders.
By stating this, I am not advocating for the violation of the Constitution because it is the supreme law of the land.
However, those opposition MPs who cherish overtime allowances rather than being patriotic should know that the budget does not only belong to Zambia’s President and his cabinet ministers but to the people of Zambia.
If these politicians don’t want to face the wrath of the people, they should look for other ways of teaching the executive a lesson without messing around with people’s lives with their delaying tactics in passing the 2017 budget in Parliament.
Could the delaying tactics be a considered case of massaging Hakainde Hichilema’s post-election bruised ego perhaps? Mubanga Luchembe, LUSAKA
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Princess Kasune Zulu inspiring
Dear Editor,
The disclosure of HIV status by Keembe United Party for National Development (UPND) lawmaker, Princess Kasune Zulu in parliament recently is inspiring.
Everyone is familiar with the adage: If you are not infected then you are affected. The first incidences of AIDS in Zambia were recorded in the early 1980s.
The acronym AIDS stands for acquired Immuno deficiency syndrome. AIDS is caused by the Human Immuno Virus (HIV) and it is transmitted in various ways.
These include blood transfusion, from mother to her unborn child, unprotected sex with someone who is infected among others.
Many people globally are living with HIV, that is, the virus that causes AIDS.
Princess Kasune said she came to know about her HIV status some 19 years ago. Since then, she has been living positively by virtue of accepting her HIV status.
In the past there was so much stigma against someone who is HIV positive unlike nowadays due to massive sensitisation.
As such, many people living with HIV are victims of stigma from people in our society. This should not be the case.
If not properly handled, stigma can cause someone to commit suicide. What is cardinal is for someone to accept his or her HIV status instead of living in self-denial.
AIDS does not discriminate in that anyone can contract it whether the person is rich or poor, young or old and the list goes on. Princess Kasune accepted her HIV status and she has been involved in AIDS advocacy programmes in Zambia and the world over.
Leaders should lead by example in all aspects that can have a positive impact on the lives of the people they lead.
Truth be told, there are some political leaders who are HIV positive and don’t want to come out in the open to disclose their status.
On the other hand, there are other leaders who shun voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) so as to ascertain their HIV status, for fear of stigma from the general public.
With the discovery of the life prolonging drugs, the antiretroviral, a person can live long by adhering to the therapy, eating balanced diet and seeking medical attention when one develops opportunistic infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), diarrhoea among others.
The Keembe lawmaker did well to disclose her HIV status in Parliament so that other Members of Parliament can emulate her stance.
Furthermore, her bold step is inspiring to other lawmakers living positively. Being diagnosed HIV positive should not be perceived as death sentence because the person cannot die there and then due to the availability of the antiretroviral drugs in the health institutions.
To our beloved mother, AIDS advocate and lawmaker, Princess Kasune thumbs up for disclosing your HIV status to your fellow lawmakers and people in general.
When you know your status, you can plan your life and live positively amid stigma that come in view of one’s HIV status. Elemiya Phiri, Lusaka.
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Abolish partisan local courts
Dear Editor,
To state that there is no justice in our local courts is an understatement because the truth is that these courts are only there to appease female reprobates in Zambia.
Here was a man who decided to divorce his wife on account of having caught her committing adultery and why the Devil advised him to seek justice from a local court, he has lived to regret.
The magistrate in his right frame of mind, at least so it was presumed, found it fit to force the offended man to part with K15, 000 to pay his adulterous wife after allowing the couple to divorce. Total insanity, absurdity, inanity, imprudence and psychosis of the vilest form.
Women today even shamelessly boast that their husbands would still reward them even if they decided to misbehave and true to their words, they are always the winners.
Just why do these local court magistrates behave like this? They seem not to see justice. Instead, they resort to punishing the innocent persons. This always, overwhelms my mind.
For me, and I also speak for my fellow men, these courts need to be shut down immediately because they have completely failed to deliver justice except promote immorality among women whom they support for very irresponsible reasons. They are truly an infamy to society.
Disgusted male local court victim
