The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has expressed concern at the many activities that government is embarking on which are not budgeted for.
The JCTR cites the creation of new districts and the rebasing of the Kwacha which were not provided for in the 2012 national budget.
In a statement released to QFM, JCTR says government out to depart from this kind of spending immediately or the country will be talking about the unusual problems of budget overrun which contributes to poor budget performance and ultimately poor service delivery.
It has since demanded that government disclose to the public the total cost of rebasing the Kwacha and the source of money.
JCTR cautions that if the country fails to instill discipline in the way public resources are being spent, the three zeros being knocked off the from the currency now will soon resurface.
And the JCTR has observed that while rebasing may enhance confidence in the currency in the short run, it is important to realize that it may fuel inflation especially in the absence of other initiatives to tame inflation.
It explains that people always have an illusionary feeling that they have lost buying power and thus tend to increase the price of goods and services.
The JCTR says the transition must therefore be managed to maintain people’s confidence in the currency by widely disseminating information on the rebasing exercise.
It further says that government’s ultimate focus should be to ensure that the convenience that comes with transacting with a rebased currency results in enhanced economic growth and economic development.
QFM
you have a point ba JCTR
Good evening
Not exactly sure whether JCTR’s concerns are justified. To me, the rebasing of the Kwacha was long overdue and this is the right move towards facilitating an economic development agenda from the national vantage point.
Zambia needs a government that is ready to act quickly in the interest of it’s citizens even if it means making decisions that are not necessarily budgeted for. People are tired of puppet governments and leaders that are controlled by external forces. It is time to rule our destiny.
Well I dont exactly agree with you. As much as it is a right move and something which was long overdue, why wasn’t it then budgeted for? The idea of having a budget is to regulate and monitor expenditure. Whats the point of having the budget when all the programmes to be implemented are outside the budget unless you tell me that the gov’t just thought of this issue now. Maybe we should do away with the budget and deal with things as they come and then see how much we will have spent by the end of the year.
#2 Nine Chale, I thought you have learnt something from where you are? How wrong I am!! Your argument is the most senseless that has ever come from you! Remove those tinted glasses and start to see things the way they are, don’t always see them the pf way. JCTR’s concerns are spot on my dear. May be they (JCTR) are coming back to their senses now to realise that the people they supported into the government are not cutting it!
JCTR now you are waking up, by the way how far have you gone drafting the new gay constitution for the constable.
@ 1 RE READY…BA PRESIDO I CHIPUBA FUSEKI ATASE,,,,IF HE COMES BACK FROM WHERE HE HAS GONE HE WILL CREAT NDEKA IN KITWE TO BE A DISTRICT…mama mia..
Ah some people thinking at last! JCTR I totally agree with you.Anyone with half a brain knows the consequences of diverting or not adhering to a budget.It also shows lack of discipline.Every successful business keeps a very close eye on its budget.Whenever the president wakes up on the ‘creative’ side of the bed he will just make all sorts of announcements which in the long run may have dire consequences.We really need a constitution ASAP that will see parliament,the judiciary and cabinet separate and presidential powers reduced.only then will we see proper checks and balances.As of now the circus is in town.
Ni zoona ba PF mwachilamo trying to please people without funding and mainly without thinking – kulota chabe. Where will the cash come from. Non budgeted for programmes always fire back nakuuzaniko chabe. Anyway what do you expect from street vendors PF government. It will always trade from the street ni-chimbwi no plan kaya lelo-lelo! I end here!
Shut up. This is a recording!
Take the budget and buy some….VITUMBUWA!
Miz, #3, you are really owesome…this night. Did you get something hard ku Italy uko?
Not Italy. Russia. # 3, miz.
Nurse 100%, doctor 100%. Other civil servants am quite sure will also gobble 100%. I mean teachers and the like. Or at least the minimum we are talking about is maybe ka 95%. Maybe MMD just left too much cash and PF is drunk with it. Tavioneraji ife mama ine ! so they are saying. Its like they were not prepared to see too much money in the government. Its a proper blank cheque for PF. I end here!
When is Zambia´s next game,my homosexual pal Mushota can´t wait to se her beloved country lift the Cup.
Grade 7. Please america, please nurses because your wife is a nurse, please the chinese because they have briefcases, please the britons because they employed you as a porter. Whatever, we shall feel the pinch of grade 7 thinking
Can you tell us what grade 7 has done in Ethiopia today. Any news on comedy?
Hahahaaaaa there was drama last nite,he said he doesnt care about pipo in the diaspora,at the dinner with Zambians he cancelled the recall of Dorcas Chileshe-press secretary on impulse (when being recalled she was issued a letter now and someone was on their way to replace her) and many more……………….we will update the drama from the meetings
whatever
A lot of sense JCTR. Sata and PF doing projects not budgeted for? It reminds me of sata castigating Nevers Mumba at embassy in Canada. Atleast Nevers used money budgeted for renovation of high commissiopners residence in Canada to even pay for bills at Embassy and banked K130 million in embassy account. This tells you that Sata just talks and talks.
It’s my opinion and I’m ititled to one. Sata is a jocker and you are headed for a dead end with him.Â
There is so much money that is an accounted for in Zambia. That is why it is easy to steal trunks of cash without anyone noticing. The president has arbitrary powers to spend money that is not on a budget. The central bank is his piggy bank. It is good to note that someone is watching. Watch this Sata fella closely.
We have expressed these misgivings and concerns for a long time now. Un budgeted huge undertakings such as creation of a province with its headquarters (Muchinga) transfer of provincial headquarters to Choma from Livingstone and creation of several districts is by no means a simple undertaking by Zambian resources abilities. Many projects began by MMD certified to benefit Zambians such as schools hospitals and health centres will require large sums of money to complete. These and other related projects were not mentioned in the budget speach, meaning budget allocation to undertake them is on a take or leave it basis, a sure sign of weakness on the part of govt. These comments are made without prejudice and meant to chide the PF govt. over its economic management.
 a group of monkeys trying to run a government with a grade 7 as their leader… Zambian u made a mistake and am so luck i left this country.
No where in the world can a grade 7 (Sub A) become a president. It can only happen in Zambia. Shows the quality of people who have been left there…. like my oz friends say, ” not even fit for compost when the die”
You are a group of losers and monkeys…
JCT who? Another “me too” NGO that opens its behind without some background research. The creation of districts will be cheaper in the long term, but you id=its can only think as far as the end of the current day.
As for the coming new currency, this too will be less costly than leaving those pieces of paper you call money. If Liato can bury that kind of money outside the banking system, there are many others who have done what he has done and are sabotaging the economy.
PF government are just doing the right thing, but people will always complain even if someone is raised from the dead.
It’s an easy question why we need to rebase. Can you calculate in your head $937.5 million in ZMK?
There is also an astronomical cost attached to mass recalls of foreign embassy staff with regard to repatrition. Cost of those taking over and those returning. Of course there is change of government, hence need to have new staff, but total clearance is costly especially for a poor Country like ours. It will be interesting to know how much will be spent on this excercise.
You must be a white Australian the Engineer Australia. Otherwise you are just as ridiculed here you shameless nigger. Just before Australia day it was reported that a record number 83,000 imigrants are leaving WA due to rascism. Yes enjoy you stay here you black c..unt as you are called here.
When do you go back? at least am white
@16 Engineer, mind your language we Chipuba iwe, why do you hate Bembas, It is very wrong mune to hold so much hate against your fellow human beings. Remember the word Bemba was just given to them . They are Human being biengs like any other. From today uyi chindike. nga mwa ikalako ku Australia you think you are in heaven, an Island of MAD people from Britain. Koswe iwe,
You Jesuits i.diots this man you and Fred Mmeembe have imposed on the people of Zambia ,this thug of yours does not have what it takes to be a leader.he’s been a catholic for over 50 years yets he was not even running a cell group for Rhodes Park now he is president of the republic of bananas!!!!You thought you could easily control this thug once hes in power with your under world tactics.Zambia is in storm drain pipe on the way to the Indian Ocean soon you blood thirsty jesuists will be running away from Zambia,the poverty levels will be unimarginable.
 @MULIKISHI hw ar u man….these pf thugs or watever… they ar stinking…becoz they don’t bath…now iam back
@ nine chale
you seem to be a very intelligent guy but because you are bemba and on that basis has been blinded to support every nonsense by sata,you have become stupid and irrelevant.i remember how you used to attack bwezani with a passion.man you are mentally eroded
@Nkoponkopo indeed Nine Chale thinks he has divine wisdom on literally everything and especially supporting the mentally challenged devil of his.Bwezani compared to Sata is 100 times better but this Bemba tribalist Nine Chale does not see it that way.Why don’t blog on Tumnweko?Nine Chale you are so boring say the least.To hell with your village wisdom.
Something sensible from the perceived supporter of Mr Sata. I totally agree. It is unplanned spending by govt that creates inflation and opens up a tap of zeros.
There is no point in looping the currency and yet leaving the tap of zeros still open. You close the tap of zeros by planned spending. As MMD we worked extremely hard to close that tap and left a stable economy and I hope you do not wreck it out of excitement.
And don’t think by giving nurses 100% salary hike will end there. All Government workers are watching and have their expectation raised. And with more money in circulation, don’t be surprised if there will be high demand for goods & services because Zambians don’t save and invest. Expect, more zeros in the kwacha
So in 2013 it will be AG Anne Chifungula versus State House. Or Anne, we don’t have to wait until next year, do you want to make your comments now?
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO INSULT? WELL AND GOOD NO ONE CAN KNOW YOU BUT IT CLEARLY SHOWS HOW DIRTY A PERSON’S HEART AND MIND IS BECAUSE WHAT YOU WRITE COMES FROM THE HEART. REPENT BY CLEANING YOUR HEARTS. IT WOULD EVEN BE DIFFICULT FOR A GOD GOD FEARING OR A NORMAL PERSON TO LIFT A HAND AND BEGIN TYPING INSULTS. GOD HELP!
#30 kabimba
I see your point and insight, how clever. Indeed if spending money outside the budget is crime, then already this government has began committing crimes. The 2012 budget report will say Government misappropriated money by creating new districts, hiking nurses salaries not catered for in the budget. Money was diverted from so and so to cover for these costs. Indeed how different will this be to what Dr Nevers Mumba did, by using some money for renovations to pay embassy for bills and bank some.
Interesting times ahead.
Indeed you can never judge a book by its cover. Where is your integrity?
Very good point. I hope they take this wise advise as well as be transparent in how they are going about the unbudgeted extras
Please stop attacking JCTR. they are just concerned about the well being of the country and its economy. Its a democracy and they have the right to voice there concerns. Rebasing is good but It wont harm GRZ to take their advise in realizing “that it may fuel inflation especially in the absence of other initiatives to tame inflation….”
Economic growth where in Zambia?Finally the Jesuit cronies are seeing some insanity in some of these pronouncement.Dropping zeros on the kwacha dont makes the food you eat any heavier or cheaper .Zambian wake up from the slumber
This statement looks so much like Word for Word Chibamba Kanyama interview on Sunrise, Muvi TV on Thursday.
I have just read an interesting paper by Emmanuel Makasa on the challenges facing medical staffing in Zambia. It is in the Medical Journal of Zambia, Volume 35 Number 3, and for those of you talking about the economic impact of payrises for medical staff, this is a sobering read. How do you reverse the low numbers of medical staff in the country? UNZA ‘produces’ 50 doctors per year, and of these, only 391 are in public service – primarily because of the poor conditions of service. Yes, the payrise might not have been budgeted for, but by switching priorities and cutting out corruption and theft of public resources it can be done – The amounts involved are not astronomical, and they will directly filter down in the local economy.
All in all, there are lessons to be learned from the losses PF has experienced in the immediate past by-elections. They have questions to ask themselves about their popularity come 2016.
One would immediately advise PF to listen and listen well to the peoples’ cries and adivice.
Pride, force, trickery, rhetoric, selfishness, loss of vision and tribal inclination in addition to the cosmetic fight against corruption are some of the negatives that are likely to cost the PF and this is happening too fast for a party that has been entrusted with the responsibility to change the manner in which this country is governed
The focus should not be ‘Get-rich-Quickly’ for the individuals that now have access to tenders or pregnant coffers. Rather the PF government must focus on projects that will live a positive development trend. To do this, the government should not be spontaneous in their approach to real issues, issues touching Super Kens popular five areas of Human Endeavour (i.e. social, economic, health, etc).
I have said before that ‘Great leaders are measured by the lives they reached, the people they motivated and the legacy of their lesson that can extend for years to come, like ripples from a skipped stone across an endless lake’.
Swallow your pride and walk the late Levy’s path.
It shall not be by might, trickery or politicking by diverting the masses from real issues, but by genuine, well planned and systematic measures that should be religiously implemented and when audited should make the PF stand with their heads high, look back and say, ‘We have done it’!
Red card or yellow card?? Which is which?
Honestly speaking, we will do well to offer constructive criticism, and the government will do us proud by demonstrating it is a listening government. Advisors are not all-wise, but there is wisdom in picking out sense from nonsense from a sea of learned or wise people that are not privilaged to rub shoulders with the president. We do not want to see the government we voted for fail or embarass us if at the end of the day we discover more corruption and abuse of office entertained in the name of unrewarding-tenders and appeasement-projects.
i agree with the concerns of Jesiuts 100%.You dont greate districts ,provinces,health posts country wide,debasing currence etc. which is not planned for .The government should be prudent in its programme executions. We can not tolerate a drunkard government in place.Even us drunkards have a limit on how we spend no matter how careless we may be.problem is everybody in this government is a yes boy to SATA.Please SATA does not KNOW even the meaning of a word ECONOMY.So be frank with him ,better he fires you on a better economic advise than keeping chewing tax payers money when you know we are digging our own grave…..STAND UP.
No.2 Well I dont exactly agree with you. As much as it is a right move and something which was long overdue, why wasn’t it then budgeted for? The idea of having a budget is to regulate and monitor expenditure. Whats the point of having the budget when all the programmes to be implemented are outside the budget unless you tell me that the gov’t just thought of this issue now. Maybe we should do away with the budget and deal with things as they come and then see how much we will have spent by the end of the year.
God help us.
A fox in sheep skin will still be a fox. A leopard can never change its spots. A Zambian in the States, Australia, UK or wherever they may be, regardless of whether they change their nationality or not, THEY WILL STILL BE ZAMBIANS. I really wonder how many patriotic people in Africa we have who love their countries and continent especially Zambians. It is better not to say anything at all than open your mouth and say something that you will regret having said. They say; North, South, East or West; HOME IS HOME. I think I have never in my life seen people who insult like some Zambians. What a shame. I am Zambian myself but what I read on people’s comments on blogs leaves me thinking whether our education and moral behaviour is really worthy of any admirationÂ
We are likely to have a huge budget deficit this year. PF has embarked on a lot of unplanned projects.
# 2 Nine Chale it seems ur mathematically bankrupt… we could as well operate in base two just using 1 and 0 but the economic value remains the same. Proportion and Ratio! dd u even pass G7? debasing has the same effect as not debasing at all. If it costs u 1000 dollars to buy a car it will still cost u the same, with debased kwacha or not… if we remove one zero from your age i.e. divide your age by 10, thats yo level of analysis. If ur 40 then u think like a 4 yr kindergaten kid. Grow up!
Are the district commissioners for Chikankata, Vubwi, chilanga etc already getting paid before any office is established?
The answer is , yes they are. The problem is, what are they being paid for ? and is that not corruption especially that they are all PF cadres?
I like the PF Govt enthusiasm in putting up developmental activities in line with their 90 days rhetoric- these are just dreams. This is one of the reasons why Africa will always lag behind- we do things hurriedly (poor planning) and fail to complete (implementation). These activities should have been laid down in the National Development Plan spread over 5 years-what is the rush? We demand to know the source of funding and how much funds these activities will cost since they are not part of the budget. PF is on record condeming such moves by the MMD Govt, we demand the same of them because it was their questioning of such decisions which won them popularity, so they should walk the talk.
@ australian engineer.
whoever you are, know that you have lost your usefulness and we dont need your shallow-mindedness here. if we are monkeys then what are you doing on our platform? happiness is an internal matter; not dependant on external factors. those who cheat themselves by thinking otherwise are hollow inside. have you ever wondered will sucide is more prevelent in affluent Japan and less in poor zambia? if you are wise you can understand.
Fellow Zambians, forget about development as long as the economy is run like a kantemba where there is no consultations and laid down plans. We love action but this should be after good laid down plans shared by all stakeholders.
The Catholics, especially the Jesuits, should rein in their monster at State House. Â So Satan also did a DONCHI KUBEBA on the Jesuits? Â How were you supporting him with slaughtered chicken sacrifices if you did not know how he was going to run govt? Â Now you know – it is truly ad hoc, govt on the fly, with no rules and regulation.
# 50 Sailing Boat. PF govt is a different animal, unable to hear your timely and appropriate advice. A simple analysis on any issue even when clearly an error is eveident will attract blind support and dare not oppose. A sure sign that something is wrong as noted. PF govt is perceived to have done nothing wrong since they formed govt, non of theirs is/has ever been involved in corruption and they consider themselves better Zambians than the rest. A recipe for chaos and undemocratic regime in the making heading for dictatorship. Signs are on the horizon evidenced by creation of huge undertakings(provinces & districts) unplanned and unbudgeted for. Its frightening seen by corruption fight to propel bad governance in the nation.
# 18. A Budget is not written on stone. It can be changed to accommodate developmental issues. You mentioned creation Muchinga Province & Moving H/Q to Choma from L/stone. Do you know that there is ZAK 30 Billion provision for that? Read the Minister’s budget address. On creating new districts. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that districts are under the jurisdiction of the council. Govt wants to decentralize appropriate functions to councils. I believe that is an excellent move. Based on that understanding the Minister increased the funding by 100% to ZAK 257.1 billion. What is the cost running a district? On the currency, G & D GmbH were contracted to print Kwacha through 2012. I did not check the entire budget. I know a budget for that is there if you want to find it.
Our government works on fika isova or fyala isova. Auto pilot tata.
@55
who is telling the truth between you and the BOZ spokesman who only yesterday was saying the advertising of the tender process for minting coins and printing notes has started?
you wonder what these old madalas are thinking of..they may die anyday..they don’t care..yaba..
BA JCTR, NAIMWE MULEFWAYA PUBLICITY? YOUR CONCERNS ARE SUCH OF A KID WHO WOULD CHOOSE SWEETS INSTEAD OF A PROPER MEAL. SO, IMWE NANGU NDALAMA SHINGI BALISHIKA YOU WOULDN’T DO SOMETHING TO CORRECT THE MALPRACTICE? KWIPUSHAKO NAGU UMUKASHI OBE ATI BUSHE IFI NALABOSA FITUNTULU?
interesting view from the Jesuits, cant reign in your ‘homeboy’ yeah? One thing that has become very clear to me is that some of my fellow catholics especially clergy can be very hateful and vindictive and will do anything to ‘fix’ a perceived political enemy. Their scorched earth ‘jihads’ include even ‘installing’ regimes they know will not be able to grasp the complexities of government and actually harm the people they claim to be looking out for – just to prove a point!.(Rwanda quickly springs to mind!) In collaboration with mmembe and the USA, Zambia too became a battleground for their HUGE ego. WELL True to form, they are now preparing the ground to distance themselves from the LUNACY that is unfolding which was fuelled by their blinding HATE. its your cake guys EAT IT!!
ZAMBIA IS HEADED FOR ECONOMIC DOOM WITH THIS MAD MAN IN STATE HOUSE.
PF can not link activities to the 2012 budget. I fear the disaster we are headed for? You need people who know what they are doing with 12 million zambian lives at stake. Let PF have a sense of direction.