Zambia Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) Vice-president Sam Phiri has said Kafulafuta Member of Parliament George Mpombo’s recent media statements are aimed at misleading the nation and dividing the people.
And a Kitwe farmer Kevin Soper has advised the donor community to stick to their primary objectives instead of being political.
Mr Phiri said the labour movement was disappointed that Mr Mpombo was always issuing statements that were aimed at dragging the entire nation into his personal battles with President Rupiah Banda.
Mr Phiri was reacting to Mr Mpombo’s statement that President Banda should not think that he could bring the donors under his armpits like he has done with State Institutions.
He said President Banda should not be condemned for his statement that donors should not blackmail Zambia because it was a sovereign State as he was not the first Republican president to have expressed such concerns over the behaviour of some donors.
Mr Phiri said Mr Banda’s statement was not targeted at the entire donor community, but was aimed at those who always wanted to interfere with the internal affairs of the country.
“I find it unpatriotic and careless for any Zambian to attack President Banda for his statement on the donors,” Mr Phiri said.
He said the concerns that Mr Banda expressed over the behaviour of some donors were not new as African leaders had raised similar concerns before.
And the MMD on the Copperbelt has given its national executive committee (NEC) a 14-day ultimatum to discipline Mr Mpombo otherwise the province will take unspecified action against him.
Provincial MMD chairperson Joseph Chilambwe who was reacting to Mr Mpombo’s continued attack on President Banda said yesterday the party could no longer tolerate the former Defence minister.
Mr Chilambwe said nobody should blame him for the action he would take if NEC fails to discipline Mr Mpombo.
[ Times of Zambia ]
ZCTU leaders ought to be ashamed of themselves. They are such a compromised lot workers are wallowing deeper in poverty.
Why Iam i not surprised that the comment is coming from a MR PHIRI?
Ba PHIRI, puliz concentrate on fighting for your worker’s better conditions of service rather han urinating in public
What the heck! ZCTU? this is a misguided tantrum
This Sam Phiri is not only urinating in public but also shiting right in front of his wife and children. Instead of fighting 4 works rights, this chi Phiri is busy licking RB’s big boots coz of poverty. Shame!!!
It is a pity that Zambians have become so negative that we criticize everything especially if it is coming from government offials especially the President. The president’s concern over the conduct of some donors boarder on interference on the sovereignty of our country. We deliberately take pronounements out of context and use them as a political tool to discredit him. It is true that some donors have involved themselves in the internal affairs of our country and have been trying to use their funding to blackmail us. We have to send a message to them that this was an unacceptable conduct. Mr Sata is a close allay of President Mugabe who has told off the interference of the Western Countries in the governance of his country. I may not support RB in many aspects, but on this one I do.
ZCTU and Sam Phiri are the ones who have gone out of their proportion. Workers are complaining and Phiri gets nichekeleko leaving the masses in pain. In fact Phiri’s response shows that he is guilt being one of the institutions drugged under RB’s armpits. Zambian who cursed you that you cant get sense out of sense but you rather get nonsense out of sense. 60% of the Zambian annual budget is funded by the donor community and how can Banda insult the donors because they have asked about how their money is being utilized? Zambia is still a colony in terms of economy as long they depend on donor fund. The first thing Zambian leadership can do is to refuse donor fund and they tell donors off. Shame for a country with more than 40 years of Independence to depend on donor fund.
Zina chabe,Phiri.Dont waste time on such tribalists.They are *****s.What is personal in Mpombo saying RB is incompetent?If Mr phiri is RBs bootlicker,he shouldnt expect Mpombo to be one as well.In any case RBs shoes are very dirty indeed.VIVA MPOMBO.
if only the nation had a lot of people like #6 this country would progress. I for one believe NO ONE and i repeat NO ONE will develop this country ZAMBIA but ourselves. Have we wondered why countries that have street vendors, street adults/children want to support such causes in our country leaving their problems unattended to? Zambians wake up and dont think everything donors do is good.
Sam phiri , how can you , the entire you , display your level of education to the whole world like this. you are so brainless.
I am sure students oof Development Studies will agree that Western countries cannot survive without Africa.We have a lot of natural resources which the West does not hve.These people give us what they call aid,But this is done in their self interest.They know that by so doing they are only feeding the cow to enable it produce more and more milk.They will never give for nothing.They give only in the spirit of give and take.Ask Kaunda; they refused to help buld Tazara. The late President Mwanawasa revealed that the west had refused to help buid a stadium…..they saw little benefit from there. A spade should be a spade.
Why do african leaders always hide behind soverignty when they are called upon to be accountable.You think people will eat sovereignty.Look at were it has taken our neighbours in zimbabwe.Lets be accountable please,tax payers money generated from within zambia abused and stolen and no one is held accountable.They now want to extended their long fingers to the donars as well,we should have a sense of shame as zambians.We are failing to generate enough resources to finance our expenditure and people help to finance the deficit you start calling them names.Just put your house in order ba government instead of exposing your ignorance and arrogance even where is it not required.You want sovereignty finance your operations 100% simple and straight forward.
A Pili or Phiri, the workers conditions of service pathetic, we have state institutions like NCZ still closed and workers owed a lot of money in un-paid salaries and retirement dues. Teachers are facing challenges as well us all Govt., workers. meanwhile you are wasting time busy condemning Mr. Mpombo’s outbursts. Well ZCTU we all know is heavily compromised, thats why they sing MMD songs and spring to it;s Defence. these ZCTU chaps need to booted out. When is the next congress.
Sam Phiri just because you are attending NCC now you want to be a champion and just because you are from the same province.just shut up you corrupt shameless greed chap.We know you,you have failed us ,when it comes to negotiations,management bribes you and you shut up.we know you.By the way dont forget to take the ARV’s.
It is now clear that anything to do with the criticism of the govt, my tradional cousins from eastern province are all out to defend the govt led by theirs. It is possible to critise the govt where criticism is due.
Equally it is not good to critise the govt when there are good things it is doing but the continuity of my traditional cousins lind support is a danger to our society.and it is making more people to thinking otherwise.Kindly cousins be objective and smart in your defence of Rupiah Banda govt.
Let not people from other provinces think negative about you. You are wonderful people and learn to withdrawal from hot issues because you will make it worse than making it good. Phiri concentrate on fighting workers conditions of service and not politicians’ mouthpiece.
It is unfair for us to condemn the donors when they ask us to be more accountable and transparent in the way we use their money and it is extremely shameful that the head of state is the one leading the attack! The president should not embarrass us in the eyes of the donors because we all know that we have failed to rule ourselves.Imagine 45 years after independence we still have shameless boot lickers like ZCTU’s Phiri,Mulongoti ,Shikapwasha etc who can not spare a moment to think about the way forward for our country.SHAME!!! Mpombo is stating inconvinient truths that we need to support.
I agree with u # 6 and # 9. Not every donor comes here with good intentions and no one can develop Zambia in the way we can ourselves. For me i support any Zambian who becomes president to bring out that positive side which we should really be focusing on as a developing nation. Tomorrow it may be Sata, HH, Milupi or whoever and i can almost predict that these people at some point would become unpopular also and the negativity would arise. So capitalizing on the positives is a much better option
Ba No. 17 i thought it is the role of government to scrutinise these donors before accepting assistance form them.They are agreements signed by the donors were the terms of all the aid is outlined and agreed so why cry foul after accepting the funds and people demand accountability.If the government has failed to uphold the terms of these agreements by siphoning the aid to support other unworth causes that are not stipilated in these agreements you cannot blame that on the donors.Blame it on the government’s inenuptitude.
if banda’s tribe will support him over everything even wrongs committed againist every citizen then his tribe is in complicity to injur us and my tribe is ready to take them on. ba wako ni wako imwe. tribe should not make you blind. look at issues objectively instead or else you will soon be fighting tribal wars. ZTCU should distance itself from this phiri’s unthinking statement.