TODAY'S LETTERS

Thu, 08 Dec 2016 12:35:24 +0000

The cartel is still very much alive

Dear Editor,

President Edgar Lungu has to consolidate his hold on power, the cartel is still very much alive.

The closure of the Post Newspaper is a festering wound and has to be dealt with firmly, decisively and conclusively.

The suspects are playing a game pretending to stand on higher moral ground and posturing like they are victims of political circumstances.

The culprits have heightened political activities that are desperate in nature.

They are using their friends in government, donor community, the church and civic society to bring an environment of a political crisis and throwing everything dirty at government.

The empire that has risen against President Lungu is a tenacious and relentless one.

It will continue to derail his developmental agenda to the detriment of the country. This clique is so desperate that it is only pre-occupied with bringing his government down.

The have upped the political tempo and are shoring up critical opposition against President Lungu.

The clique is so entrenched in government institutions and is using the same officials to betray him while they continue to hold public office and using such offices to undermine including some known wolves in the judiciary.

Without mentioning names, there are some judges currently dealing with petitions that were transferred from Kitwe to Lusaka in 2004 to handle plunder cases against the late former President Fredrick Chiluba and his former defense heads and other public officials that continue to preside over political cases with links to the cartel. Most of these joined the judiciary in 1988.

Their role is currently, mired in serious controversies and there are allegations of impropriety in how prosecutions and convictions are obtained.

We just want to advise that time for politicking is now gone and that politicians must focus their energies on building Zambia’s economy collectively.

People cannot continue talking about politics for the next five years instead of helping to develop the nation.

Edwin Lifwekelo,

Former UPND Deputy Spokesperson

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Why boycott State functions?

Dear Editor,

I was taken aback by the opposition UPND for its decision to ban all its Members of Parliament and councillors  from attending State functions until all the election petitions cases were decided by the courts of law (“UPND bans members from attending State functions”, Daily Nation, December 6, 2016).

I do believe, however, that as is the case in many African countries, the Zambian judiciary is fragile and the separation of powers is far from perfect.

A lot of work needs to be done in this area on which the political reconciliation process and economic regeneration critically depend.  Many right-thinking Zambians have been strong critics and cynics of all forms of nepotism and ethno-centricism in the recruitment of public servants including judicial officers. Competence should be the sole selection criterion.

To begin with, I share the pain of the Keembe UPND Member of Parliament Princess Kasune Zulu as we are all extremely affected by the consequences of the UPND’s decision to ban all its Members of Parliament and councillors from attending State functions.

Secondly, I would like the Zambian people to understand that politics is not a game and that mistakes and the lack of vision can lead to situations of disproportionate suffering.

They must understand the risk of a State whose foundation is built around a few men who are intoxicated by the excess of hunger for power.

It will be necessary for Zambians today to fight for a concrete

decentralisation of power as well as individual liberties. Political leaders must be servants of the people.

It is extremely important that Zambians be conscious of that, because without this awareness how would they fight for their rights to attend important functions like the one organized by ZNFU and ZAMBEEF in Chisamba?

The Zambians of tomorrow must be actors and no longer the victims of the excesses of power-hungry opposition barons.

I urge all Zambians to understand their rights and responsibilities and to radically break away from the concepts of ego-centricism, tribalism, ethno-centricism, and the cult of political power-worshipping.

Ultimately, a great society, an open society which is free, democratic, and with a people who own the heritage of their nation, is beckoning.

We must create the ties that bind us together as a people, regardless of our political affiliation.

It is about time UPND leaders and supporters rolled out the red carpet and began to treat the August 11 victorious PF president as Zambia’s current Head of State.

While Princess Kasune Zulu and the farmers from Keembe constituency were doing somebody else’s job, the UPND top honchos were comatose in far-away New Kasama of Lusaka, wining, dining and massaging Hakainde Hichilema’s ego. So, why boycott State functions?

Mubanga Luchembe,

LUSAKA

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ERB warns public service vehicles from fueling with passengers on board

Dear Editor,

The Energy Regulation Board (ERB) would like to respond to a Text Message to the editor “Let ERB explain this one – Concerned Citizen” published in the Friday 25th November 2016 issue of the Daily Newspaper. The ERB response to the issue raised is as follows:

The ERB has not advertised the campaign to stop loading of PSV vehicles widely to the nation.

The Energy Regulation Board would like to emphasize that Public Service Vehicles (PSV) are prohibited from fueling with passengers on board.

This is intended to protect passengers on board, who risk being trapped in a PSV due to limited exit points in the event of an incident.

Sensitization initiatives are being jointly implemented with the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA), an agency mandated to promote road safety under the Road Traffic Act Section 196 (1) and 196 (2) of the Laws of Zambia.

Similarly our primary interest in the matter arises because the filling stations where refueling is done are licensed by the ERB.

RTSA and ERB have embarked on an aggressive campaign in the wake of general laxity to comply with this requirement by not only PSV drivers but also passengers themselves, who sometimes resist disembarking while fueling.

The two organizations are jointly tackling this matter for enhanced effectiveness on several levels.

Some of the initiatives to enforce the requirements include joint patrols such as the Lusaka patrol conducted in October 2016 when contravening buses were impounded by RTSA.

Further, the ERB continues to remind Oil Marketing Companies to ensure that filling station attendants who are frontline staff should desist from fueling PSV with passengers on board. In addition, the dangers of fueling with passengers on board is  a  key ERB awareness  message on   various media such as TV, newspapers and radio. The latest has been a radio campaign that has been conducted on ZNBC Radio II as well as community radio stations in selected provincial centers.

This effort is of course supplemented by and is in tandem with RTSA related initiatives.

However, as awareness promotion is an ongoing exercise, the two organisations recognise the need to reinforce messages on both planned and unplanned platforms.

The ERB is therefore appealing to stakeholders including members of the public to not only spread the word but also help police this requirement whenever possible – your action could help to save a life.

Kwali Mfuni (Ms)

Manager-Public Relations

ENERGY REGULATION BOARD