Agenda for Change Manifesto 2011-16

8/7/2019 Agenda for Change Manifesto 2011-16

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[Updated: June 2010]

Agenda for Change (AfC) Party

P. O. Box 37119 / Lusaka, Zambiawww.agenda123.com / [email protected]

MANIFESTO: 20112016

PART 1:INTRODUCTION1.1 The Agenda for Change1.2 Vision, Mission andIdeology

1.3 A New Breed of Leaders1.4 Beware of IneptLeaders!1.5 A Few SeasonedLeaders1.6 Volatile Circumstances1.7 State of the Economy1.8 A Solemn Invitation

PART 2:A PEOPLES GOVERNMENT

COMETH!2.1 Devolution of Power2.2 Abolition of Sinecures2.3 Re-Deployment / Early

Retirement2.4 Competent Civil Service2.5 The National Plan2.6 Political Appointments2.7 Crime and Corruption2.8 A SmallerGovernment

2.9 Agenda for ChangePolicies

PART 3:

EXECUTIVE AGENCIES3.1 Zambia RevenueAuthority

3.2 Anti-CorruptionCommission3.3 Electoral Commission of

Zambia3.4 Human RightsCommission3.5 Labor Standards and

Occupational SafetyBoard3.6 Public Utilities andEnviron-

Mental Management

Agency3.7 Zambia PublicProcurement

Authority3.8 Drug Control Agency3.9 Food Reserve Agency3.10 Bureau of Statisticsand

Archives3.11 National HousingAuthority3.12 National Transport

SafetyBoard

3.13 National EmergencyManagement Agency

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3.14 Fire Arms and CriminalInvestigations Bureau

3.15 National Science andTechnology Council

PART 4:OTHER CRUCIAL MATTERS4.1 Democratic Governance4.2 The PIG Phenomenon4.3 Elective Vice-Presidency4.4 Funding of PoliticalParties4.5 Government NewsMedia4.6 The Barotseland Accord4.7 Abortion and HumanCloning

4.8 Capital Punishment4.9 The Issue of Land4.10 Annual Inter-PartyIndaba4.11 Face-the-NationBriefings

PART 5:BRACINGFOR CHANGE5.1 Necessity of Change5.2 Appropriateness5.3 Potential Effects

5.4 Time and Resources5.5 Citizen Participation5.6 EffectiveCommunication5.7 Open-Door Policy

Part 6:IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

PART 7:CENTRAL PROVINCE7.1 Public Health andSanitation7.2 Education and Skills

Training7.3 Culture and Local

Traditions7.4 Other Projects andPrograms7.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities

7.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 8:COPPERBELT PROVINCE8.1 Public Health andSanitation8.2 Education and Skills


Traditions8.4 Other Projects and

Programs8.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities8.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 9:EASTERN PROVINCE9.1 Public Health andSanitation9.2 Education and Skills

Training

9.3 Culture and LocalTraditions9.4 Other Projects andPrograms9.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities9.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 10:LUAPULA PROVINCE10.1 Public Health andSanitation10.2 Education and Skills


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Traditions10.4 Other Projects andPrograms10.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities

10.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 11:LUSAKA PROVINCE11.1 Public Health andSanitation11.2 Education and Skills


Traditions11.4 Other Projects and

Programs11.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities11.6 A Selection of ExistingSchoolsPART 12:NORTHERN PROVINCE12.1 Public Health andSanitation12.2 Education and Skills


Traditions12.4 Other Projects andPrograms12.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities12.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 13:NORTH-WESTERN PROVINCE13.1 Public Health andSanitation13.2 Education and Skills

Training

13.3 Culture and LocalTraditions13.4 Other Projects andPrograms13.5 Existing Healthcare

Facilities13.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 14:SOUTHERN PROVINCE14.1 Public Health andSanitation14.2 Education and Skills


Traditions

14.4 Other Projects andPrograms14.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities14.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

PART 15:WESTERN PROVINCE15.1 Public Health andSanitation15.2 Education and Skills


Traditions15.4 Other Projects andPrograms15.5 Existing HealthcareFacilities15.6 A Selection of ExistingSchools

Zambia: A Nation IsBorn!SELECTED SOURCES OFINFORMATION

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PART 1:INTRODUCTION

Today, more than ever before, our country needs to set goalsand generate policies that are comprehensive, radical and

realistic enough to significantly overhaul its socio-economicsystem so that it can adequately meet the current and futureneeds of its people. Such goals and policies should constituteour beloved countrys national agenda in the 21st century.

Good news, fellow Zambians! We, in the Agenda for Change(AfC) party, have generated such an agenda, and have studiedand will continue to studythe extent to which thegovernment can be re-organized and streamlined in order tofree enough tax-payer funds to finance the pursuit of ourcountrys long-term goals and aspirations.

The agenda constitutes our covenant with all our fellowZambian citizensin Central Province, Copperbelt Province,

Eastern Province, Luapula Province, Lusaka Province, NorthernProvince, North-Western Province, Southern Province, andWestern Province.

Fellow Zambians, there is no time to waste on politicking;we have a lot of work to do in order to redeem our Motherlandfrom the current state of decay and backwardness. And weneed to get down to work now rather than later!

1.1 THE AGENDAFOR CHANGE PARTY

The Agenda for Change is a political party whose purpose isto create a Zambian government that is truly a peoples

government. The party represents change comprehensive,well-conceived and coordinated change. It is designed to bringabout change that will unlock our countrys potential to meetthe needs and expectations of both present and future genera-tions change that we cannot afford to delay in implementingif we are really serious about redressing the chronic socio-economic problems currently facing our beloved country.

In August 2004, Ugandas Yoweri Museveni asked thefollowing question (during his State visit to Zambia) which theAgenda for Change (AfC), if given the mandate to form thenext national government, will answer by transforming ourcountry into an exemplary socio-economic system to beemulated by other developing nations:

You cannot pick a single black African country which hastransitioned from backwards to modern in the last 47

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years. Those which have been at war are backwards,those which were in peace are backwards, those which weresingle parties are backwards, the ones which were multi-party are backwards; so, what is the problem?

Let us now consider the Agenda for Change partys politicalphilosophy, the need for competent leaders and, among otherthings, a summary of the various elements of the partyspeople-centered socio-economic agenda that is befitting of ourbeloved country in the 21st century.

1.2 VISION, MISSIONAND IDEOLOGY

1.2.1 Our Vision:The Agenda for Change partys vision is to create a more

democratic, more peaceful, more prosperous, more egalitarian,and more environmentally sustainable Zambian society.

1.2.2 Our Mission:The partys mission is to seek the peoples mandate to form

government in order to attain its vision.

1.2.3 Political Ideology:We, in the Agenda for Change party, believe that:

(a) All human beings are born free and equal in dignity,freedoms and rights, and no individual should be deniedany of the rights and freedoms enshrined in theZambian constitution, and the rights and freedomsstipulated in both the United Nations Universal Declara-tion of Human Rights and the African Unions AfricanCharter on Human and Peoples Rights;

(b) Leaders are servants of the people and should, as such,serve the people in a diligent, honest and equitablemanner;

(c) Leaders have a moral obligation to create a Governmentthat is smaller, more frugal, highly decentralized, andmore responsive to the development needs of ourcountry;

(d) Leaders have a duty to create a socio-economic environ-

ment in which business undertakings can generategoods and services to meet the changing needs andexpectations of our people at lower costs and prices;

(e)The national Government needs to spearhead the crea-tion of a socio-economic environment in which ethnic,

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cultural, racial, and religious diversity is appreciated,tolerated and celebrated;

(f) Local authorities and the national Government need tocreate a socio-economic environment in whichburglaries, robberies, vandalism, and other criminal

activities can be efficiently and effectively put undercontrol;

(g) Leaders need to create a society that is compassionate,peace-loving, virtuous, and steadfastly united;

(h) The national Government and local authorities need toexercise greater environmental stewardship by seriouslyconsidering the fragile natural environment in both thegeneration and implementation of socio-economicpolicies; and

(i) Our national Government needs to work hand in handwith other governments worldwide in creating a morehumane, more affluent, more egalitarian, and morepeaceful global community.

1.3 A NEW BREEDOF LEADERS

The Agenda for Change will make an earnest effort to avail ourcountry the kinds of leaders it needs in an era of democratiza-tion, globalization, and knowledge-based economic manage-ment; that is, leaders who are:

(a) Patriotic, selfless, law-abiding, visionary, fair-minded,self-critical, and moderately flexible;

(b) Enlightened enough to make prudent and effective deci-sions on socio-economic issues affecting our nation inthe context of a highly complex and turbulent globaleconomy;

(c) Truly committed to the noble cause of redressing thedevelopment needs of our beloved country; and

(d) Capable of enlisting the advice and administrative skillsof experienced politicians in setting up administrativeprocedures and protocols.

1.4 BEWAREOF INEPT LEADERS!

Some politicians have a great deal of experience in defendingfailure and mediocrity in governance. Others have extensiveexperience in siphoning public resources for their own privateuse. There are also those who have clocked many years in

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governmental leadership positions doing nothing more thansitting idly in their offices, fattening themselves, and drawinghefty salaries from the public treasury for goofing off.

We also have individuals who have been shunted from onegovernment ministry to another as Ministers without the basic

knowledge and understanding of the core functions andrationales of the ministries involved. Besides, the politicallandscape is littered with the so-called seasoned politicianswho are extensively experienced in castigating, discreditingand demonizing other politicians who may have dissentingviews.

Mr. David Saviye, quoted by Mukula Mukula in October2001 in a Zambia Daily Mail article, summed up the ineptnessof such politicians as follows: Most politicians ... [have] heldstrategic positions in government through which they wouldhave delivered what they [may] now ... [promise to deliver].

Clearly, the kinds of leaders I have just described have no-

thing new to offer to our country because their extensiveexperience in generating and nurturing socio-economic decayand stagnation is detrimental to our quest for heightened andsustained socio-economic development. They represent an erathat should have passed long before now an era charac-terized by idol-worshipping, and an era in which the rewards oflabor are largely measured in terms of one's willingness to lickthe shoes of those who wield power rather than competenceand excellence.

If we truly love our country, and if we are really seriousabout redeeming it from its current state of decay and back-wardness, we need to renounce our interest in inept leaders by

denying them our precious votes even if they attempt to usethe massive wealth they might have corruptly accumulated tobuy our votes in a deliberate attempt to hold on to power sothat they can continue to safeguard their selfish interests. Afterall, the electability of an individual to public office needs tobe based largely on the viability and progressiveness of his orher contemplated national programs.

So my fellow citizens, the question to ask about a candidateis not whether he or she has prior experience in politics orgovernment. Rather, it is to ask whether he or she will supportthe provision of free life-saving medical care, free education upto Grade 12 at least, greater food security, rural electrification,clean water, lower taxes and interest rates, greater safety andsecurity in our communities, political and economicempowerment, and so forth.

After all, the following attribution of much of Africas plight

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to incompetent leadership by the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerereof Tanzania (in his speech delivered at the Conference onGovernance in Africa held in Addis Ababa in March 1998) doesnot exclude our country at all: [W]e cannot avoid the fact thata lot of our problems in Africa arise from bad governance.

1.5 A FEW SEASONED LEADERS

Nevertheless, we shall seek to blend new blood and a few ofthe current crop of the seasoned politicians who havedemonstrated their desire and dedication to save our belovedcountry from further socio-economic deterioration. Such ablend will enable us to zealously pursue the contemplatednational agenda and, at the same time, seek the counsel ofseasoned politicians on potential and costly blunders andmiscalculations made by previous leaders.

In November 2001, Senior Chief Bright Nalubamba in

Southern Province observed that the object of Zambian politi-cians was to acquire personal wealth by all means repugnantto society, and that the country needed leaders with a greatersense of service to their fellow citizens.

We would like to assure the Honorable Chief and all otherconcerned citizens that the Agenda for Change will strive toassemble an exceptionally potent and disciplined team ofleaders to redress the nagging socio-economic malaise whichhas persistently haunted our beloved country!

1.6 VOLATILE CIRCUMSTANCES

Socio-economic conditions in the domestic, regional and globalenvironments are changing constantly. As such, yesterday'sapproaches to the resolution of our country's problems are notlikely to do an effective job; after all, they have evidently andlamentably failed to do the job in the past!

We, therefore, need leaders who are willing to develop newattitudes, skills and strategies in order to wrestle successfullywith the complex and volatile socio-economic conditions of ourtime. In short, we shall expect all government leaders to con-sider themselves as being on job-on-training regardless of theextent of their previous experience in politics and governance.

We shall, therefore, have no room for know-it-all kind ofleaders. As past experience has taught us, political leaderswho brag about having extensive experience in politics tend tobe trapped in what is referred to as the status-quo tendencyin Management literature.

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Such a tendency manifests itself in resistance to changeamong such leaders and, thus, makes those who are trappedin it to continue to pursue and defend outdated goals andpolicies which cannot save our country from the vagaries ofthe highly complex and turbulent global socio-economic setting

of our time.

1.7 STATEOFTHE ECONOMY

Since independence in October 1964, the majority of Zambianshave wallowed in what Mr. Bill Clinton, former U.S. president,has described as astonishing poverty. A brief account of thegrim socio-economic conditions which characterized the lastseveral decades is perhaps in order at this juncture.

1.7.1 The UNIP Era:As the World Bank has observed, Zambia was the richest

country in sub-Saharan Africa at independence in 1964. Twentyyears later, however, it was one of the poorest, with nearly70% of its people wallowing in abject poverty. The decline inthe countrys socio-economic well-being was a culmination ofseveral factors described in a nutshell below.

(a) Dependency on Copper: Zambias initial failure todiversify economic activities away from the miningindustry has subjected the national economy to thevagaries of steep decreases in copper prices andproduction levels, which, together with low mining

taxes, has resulted in dwindling governmentrevenues to cater for essential public services andinfrastructure.

(b) Petroleum Prices: Unprecedented hikes inpetroleum prices by the Organization of PetroleumExporting Countries (OPEC) in 1973/74 and 1979/80resulted in a steep rise in the price of imported oilfrom US$2.50 to US$35 per barrel, thereby drainingthe public treasury and making it difficult for thegovernment to meet the basic needs andexpectations of citizens.

(c) Mismanagement: Rampant economic and public-sector mismanagement resulted in diversion ofhuman, financial and other national resources tounproductive projects and programs. For example,

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the creation of the Central Committee (a somewhatparallel structure to the National Assembly) and theposition of Prime Minister that followed theintroduction of a one-party State in 1972contributed greatly to the misappropriation of

public resources.Other examples of the mismanagement of

national resources in the country include thefollowing: the creation of sinecures like the positionof District Commissioner, unnecessary expansion ofministerial and deputy ministerial positions,excessive number and staffing of the countrysforeign missions, the recommendation by theNational Constitutional Conference (NCC) toincrease the size of the National Assembly from158 to 280 members, procurement of the over-

priced hearses and the controversial mobilehospitals, and the excessive and costly foreign tripsby the Republican president.

(d) National Service Program: The compulsoryrecruitment of Grade 12 students to undergomilitary training and engage in agriculturalproduction activities between 1975 and 1980 atZambia National Service (ZNS) camps (asmandated by ZNS Act No. 121 of 1972) contributedto the draining of public coffers. A lot of money waswasted on ZNS personnel, the construction of

facilities to accommodate Grade 12 graduates,payments of stipends to the graduates, and onprocurements of food, uniforms, semi-automaticrifles (SARs), and live ammunition and blanks fortraining purposes.

(e) Postponement of Adjustment: The postponementof macro-economic adjustment by the UnitedNational Independence Party (UNIP) government onMay 1, 1987which would have enabled us to crea-te a competitive and more productive socio-economic systemexacerbated the socio-economicproblems facing the country.

(f) Cost-Sharing Schemes: The introduction of cost-sharing arrangements in the dispensation ofeducational and healthcare services during the late

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1980s has continued to make education andhealthcare less accessible to a lot of citizens. Theunprecedented numbers of street children and thelower life expectancy obtaining in the countrytoday bear witness to this fact.

(g) Socialist Policies: UNIPs socialist policies barredboth local and foreign private investors fromcertain commercial and industrial sectors of thecountry's economy and recommended the creationof state companies to operate in such sectors of theeconomy from the late 1960s to 1991. The policieswhich former president, Dr. Kenneth D. Kaunda,promulgated through his April 1968, August 1969and November 1970 speeches to the UNIP NationalCouncilushered in an era of state enterprises.

Naturally, the monopolistic position enjoyed by

state companies in the countrys economyculminated in complacence and gross inefficiencybecause, in the absence of competition, theyapparently found it unnecessary to seek innovativeways and means of improving the quality and qua-ntity of their product offerings. The rampantcommodity shortages which the country experie-nced during the late 1970s and the 1980s werelargely a direct result of the socialist policies of thegovernment of the day.

These factors, directly or otherwise, have continued tocompel the government to borrow heavily from external sour-ces of funds in order to keep the economy and the Party andits Government afloat. During the 1980s, Zambia was engulfedin unprecedented socio-economic problems that partly evokeda nationwide clamor for a new breed of leaders. The resound-ing victory scored by the Movement for Multi-party Democracy(MMD) in 1991 was a clear reflection of such a clamor.

1.7.2 The MMD Era:Zambia, to paraphrase Wilfred Mwenya, continued to be re-

duced to a nation that could be best described as poverty-stricken during the MMD era, with everything in the countryhaving apparently fallen apart. In October 2001, MwanaMuchende provided a bird's-eye view of the socio-economicconditions that characterized such an era: access to healthcare

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services, basic material necessities of life, and education andvocational training had become almost impossible by over 70%of the population.

1.7.3 The Status Quo:

The socio-economic situation in Zambia today is,unfortunately, not much different from that described byMwana Muchende in The Postnewspaper in October 2001:

We all know that the ordinary Zambian is visibly poorerthan he has ever been. People are out of jobs, and thosewho work do not receive salaries unless the `hand thatgiveth donates. Most children under five years of age aremalnourished. Farmers who once fed ... [us] are now inurban areas begging for food. Graveyards bury tens ofbodies an hour due to the proliferation of deaths resultingfrom a deteriorating economic environment.

If this depiction of the depressing state of affairs obtainingin our country cannot compel us to seek 21st centuryleadership that 21st century Zambia desperately needs, thenconsider the following excerpt from a 2004 Social Watch report(cited by Bivan Saluseki in The Postnewspaper of July 2, 2004)with an honest heart:

Even though the country has not formally been at warsince independence in 1964, prevailing conditions affectinghuman existence are equivalent to those in a country atwar.

1.7.4 Whither Zambia?Clearly, our country is at the crossroads. We should,

therefore, remember that the choices we are going to makewhen we go to the polling booths during the forthcomingPresidential and General Elections will determine its destiny.We, in the Agenda for Change party, are exceedingly con-vinced that the entire nation is determined to redeem ourMotherland from its current socio-economic decay andbackwardness.

Compatriots, you have a historic opportunity to give your-selves a team of development artistsa team of competentand enthusiastic government leaders who will diligently serveyour interests. We are fully aware that you have all waited longenough for political leaders who will not hoodwink you intocasting a vote for them and then forget about you in their

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priorities once you have voted them into office.The Agenda for Change party has established a pool of

potential leaders who will not shun you after the electionsleaders who consider the need to deliver on their promises as avirtue in political life.

Fellow citizens, our Manifesto is unique; it is overly specificon crucial national issues, and is exceptionally comprehensive.It is unlike any other Manifesto that has ever been devised forour beloved country; it is essentially the Agenda for Changepartys game plan for redressing the seemingly elusive andself-perpetuating socio-economic problems which have torme-nted us for too long now. Simply, it is our covenant with theZambian nation!

As voters, you can play a vital role in this endeavor: youcan ensure that the people you are going to send to Parliamentas your representatives are going to serve your interests byreadily approving Ministerial budgets that will enable the

Agenda for Change party to deliver on its promises.You, therefore, need to find out if Parliamentary candidates

in your constituency stand for free education, free life-savingmedical and healthcare, enhanced food security, greater carefor disadvantaged citizens, and the other Agenda for Changepartys people-centered programs. Do not waste your vote oncandidates who do not have your interests and the long-termwell-being of our beloved country at heart!

Fellow Zambians, heightened and sustained socio-economicdevelopment will not come to our country like manna fromheaven; it will need to be adequately planned for and diligentlypursued. We have a historic opportunity to turn our country

around and set it on the right course for economic take-off.This is the challenge our nation is currently facing.

The remainder of the Manifesto will provide a summary ofthe essential elements of what should constitute the Republicof Zambias overall agenda for meeting such an enormouschallenge, and the whys and hows of the contemplatednational development projects and programs.

1.8 A SOLEMN INVITATION

At this juncture, we wish to invite all Zambians who have agenuine and profound interest of our Motherland at heart to

join us in our quest to chart a new, multi-faceted strategy thatwill improve the socio-economic well-being of all Zambiancitizens. Together, we can certainly create a more peaceful,more democratic, more prosperous, and more egalitarian

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socio-economic setting.Accordingly, our modus operandi in national governance

shall be one that shall genuinely provide for stakeholders toparticipateindividually and/or collectivelyin governmentaldecision making, particularly with respect to issues and

matters that shall directly affect them.

PART 2:A PEOPLES GOVERNMENT COMETH!

2.1 DEVOLUTIONOF POWER

We shall devolve economic and decision-making (political)power to provinces by providing for the administration ofprovinces through 9 elected provincial governors and 72district mayors. In this respect, compatriots, we have animportant message for all residents in our countrys nine

provinces: get ready to assume and exercise greater authorityover the affairs of your local communities!

The basic components of the envisaged devolution of eco-nomic and political power to provinceswhich shall be soughtupon a repeal of Article 109 of the Republican constitutionsh-all include the following: uniform application of the provisionsof the Republican constitution and national laws andregulations in all the provinces, local generation and appropria-tion of revenues, unrestricted domestic trade and investmentacross provincial borders, a common national monetary policy,and restricted external relations.

2.1.1 Law of the Land:To forestall the potential for anarchy in our beloved

country, national laws and regulations and the provisions ofthe Republican constitution shall uniformly and forever beapplied in all the provinces without exception.

We need to prevent the confusion being experienced bycountries like the USA, where some states have passed theirown laws relating to such critical matters as marriage andcapital punishment.

2.1.2 Province-Based Sinecures:The Agenda for Change will not need the services of Deputy

Ministers or District Commissioners, and other leaders whohold sinecures in provinces and/or districts, although the ap-pointment of some of these leaders is provided for in Article 47and other parts of the Republican constitution. Each and every

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government ministry shall directly perform mandated functionsin all parts of the country, and shall directly coordinate theirrespective services and operations with those of localgovernments and private institutions.

Incumbents of positions to be affected by the new political

dispensation shall be afforded the opportunity to seek earlyretirement or compete for positions in the civil service. In anycase, they shall be allowed to retain the personal-to-holdervehicles they are currently entitled to in order to maintain themobility their families have become accustomed to.

2.1.3 Local Public Revenues:Each of the nine provinces shall have the authority to

generate, as well as appropriate, their own revenues in linewith the need to attract investors and skilled labor. Potentialsources of revenue for provincial governments and the nationalGovernment shall include the following:

(a) Provincial Governments: We shall seriously consider theprospect of letting local authorities to collect their ownrevenues from businesses and residents, and to retainthe revenues for local service delivery and developmentprojects and programs. The Potential sources of suchrevenues shall include the following: water rates,municipal housing rent, commercial undertakings,provincial lottery, property taxes, traffic violationcharges, motor vehicle registration fees, personal levy,business licence fees, birth certificate fees, sale ofunclaimed impounded property, and national Govern-ment grants.

(b)The National Government: Potential revenue sources forthe national Government shall include the following:personal and business income taxes, value-added tax,postal revenues, nominal rentals of National HousingAuthority units, commercial undertakings, customsduties, passport fees, fire-arm registration fees, excisetaxes, hunting licence fees, work permit fees, citizenshipand naturalization fees, NRC replacement fees, and 25%of surplus of provincial revenues.

(c)The selling and/or buying of government bonds (by the

Bank of Zambia) through LuSE and regional stockmarkets on behalf of the government (by means ofopen market operations) shall also be an importantsource of revenue.

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2.1.4 Trade and Investment:Provincial governments shall not regulate inter-province

trade or investment, nor charge duties on commodities soldacross provincial borders.

2.1.5 Movement of People:Provincial governments shall not regulate, nor place anyrestrictions on, the movement of people wishing to seek jobsand/or residence across provincial borders.

2.1.6 Monetary Issues:

(a) Provincial governments shall not mint/coin money, nordemand payments for commodities produced in theirareas of jurisdiction and sold in other provinces in acurrency other than the national currency.

(b)They shall have the freedom to borrow capital from both

local and foreign financial institutions on terms that shallnot subject public property in their areas of jurisdictionto the risk of seizure in the event of a delinquent loan. Inthe case of foreign borrowing, ratification shall besought from the Minister of Finance and Revenue priorto the consummation of arrangements for suchborrowing.

2.1.7 Water and Electricity:There shall be direct local and national Government

involvement in the supply of both water and electricity due tosafety, cost and strategic reasons. Details concerning theissues of water and electricity supply are provided elsewherein this Manifesto.

2.1.8 Local Public Facilities:The national Government shall collaborate with local

governments in the provision and management of fire-fightingfacilities, facilities for garbage collection and disposal, andmodern sewer systems.

2.1.9 Public Libraries:Provincial governments shall be expected to provide and

run public libraries in their areas of jurisdiction. The nationalgovernment shall bolster the efforts of provincial governmentsin this endeavor through financial and material support.

2.1.9 Rural Development:

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In modern Zambia, municipal authorities are, by and large,faced with the problem of congestion in urban centers. Theproblem has particularly become more profound and mind-boggling due to the lack of adequate resources to providedecent social services and amenities to unprecedented num-

bers of people in such centers.By and large, the problem is a result of what developmenteconomists have referred to as the dual economy, that is,uneven development in the national economy between theagriculture-based rural sector and the manufacturing-basedurban sector, whereby the latter sector is relatively moredeveloped than the former. There are several situations whichcan lead to such uneven development in a countrys economy;they include the following:

(a)The general lack of transportation, recreational facilities,decent housing, healthcare, educational institutions, and

other basic facilities and services in the agriculture-based rural sector causes a drift of people to therelatively more developed manufacturing-based urbansector;

(b) Distorted government policies and incentives that aremore favorable to the manufacturing sector and lessfavorable to agricultural activities; and

(c) Relatively higher wages in manufacturing facilitated lar-gely by collective bargaining attract skilled people awayfrom the generally non-unionized and low-wage agricul-tural sector.

Larger populations in urban areas overwhelm existingpublic facilities in such areas, as well as diminish municipal au-thorities' ability to cater to the basic needs of communities intheir areas of jurisdiction. Besides, the emigration makes therural areas even more unattractive to private investment thanbefore, and discourages local and national governments fromproviding educational, recreational, healthcare, and otheressential public services and facilities in depopulated ruralareas.

The unsavory symptoms of uneven development are easyto notice: widespread unemployment, frequent outbreaks of

communicable diseases, an increase in crime and social vices,and a mushrooming of spontaneously created shanty town-ships in and/or around the towns and cities.

Uneven development will need to be redressed by localauthorities through special incentives designed to lure

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USA, the Keep Lusaka Clean campaign, the Make ZambiaClean and Healthy campaign, the Zambian Red Cross Societydoor-to-door community health-education campaign, theLusaka Solid Waste Management Project funded by the DanishDevelopment Agency, and the Resource Cities Programme

sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development(USAID).

2.1.12 External Relations:Provincial governments shall not enter into treaties,

alliances or confederations of any kind.

2.1.13 Accountability of Governors: Provincial Governorsshall be accountable to the electorate in their respectiveprovinces. Besides, the code of conduct established by theParliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act of 1994 fordeputy ministers, Cabinet ministers and members of the

National Assembly should also apply to elected localgovernment officials.

Moreover, provincial governors and provincial councilsshould ultimately be accountable to the ParliamentaryCommittee on Local Governance, whose functions would needto be altered (upon the abolition of the Ministry of LocalGovernment and Housing) to include the following:

(a) To study, report and make recommendations to thecentral Government through Parliament on the mandate,management and operations of provincial councils;

(b)To carry out detailed scrutiny of activities undertaken byprovincial governors and provincial councils, and tomake appropriate recommendations to Parliament forultimate consideration by the central Government;

(c)To consider the annual reports and any other reports ofprovincial councils; and

(d) To consider any Bills referred to the Committee byParliament and, if necessary, make recommendations tothe central Government on the need to review existingpolicies and/or existing legislation relating to localgovernment, and to the National Assembly, and shall bein attendance during Parliamentary proceedings.

2.1.14 Governors Conference:The Agenda for Change shall provide for an Annual

Governors Conference to be presided over by any of thegovernors of the envisioned semi-autonomous provinces on a

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rotational basis. The Conference, which shall be held annuallyin December to discuss and address issues affecting localcommunities, shall be attended by the Republican president(or a representative appointed by him or her) as an ex officio.

2.2 ABOLITIONOF SINECURES

To reiterate, we shall discontinue the appointment of deputyministers, provincial ministers, provincial permanentsecretaries, and district commissioners. Provinces and districtsshall be administered by elected provincial governors anddistrict mayors, respectively.

(a) Standardized organization / administrative structures fordistricts and provinces shall be devised by the Cabinet,and shall include the following positions: (i) district levelMayor, District Secretary and District Treasurer; and

(ii) provincial levelProvincial Governor, ProvincialSecretary, Provincial Treasurer, Provincial Public WorksSuperintendent, and Provincial Police CommandingOfficer.

(b) Superintendence over the civil police shall be devolvedto provincial administrations; and Acting ProvincialGovernorsto provide leadership during the transitionto Mayor-administered and Governor-administereddistricts and provinces, respectivelyshall be appointedby the newly elected Agenda for Change Republicanpresident.

(c) The central government shall be involved in theadministration of provinces through the Ministry forCulture and Community Services.

2.3 RE-DEPLOYMENT / EARLYRETIREMENT

By and large, civil servants in ministries to be abolished ormerged shall be encouraged to seek early retirement with fullbenefits. Professional and skilled civil servants shall be re-deployed in the new government ministries and agencies.

For example, professional and skilled civil servants in thecurrent ministries of Science and Technology and Sports and

Youth Development shall be re-deployed in the contemplatedMinistry of Education, Training and Sport. Those in theministries of Tourism and Mines and Mineral Development shallbe re-deployed in new Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Andso forth.

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We shall make an earnest effort to take good care of eachand every civil servant who shall be affected by thecontemplated changes in the size and functions of our nationalgovernment.

2.4 COMPETENT CIVIL SERVICE

Without a competent civil service, none of the plans stipulatedin this Manifesto are likely to be satisfactorily implemented.We shall, therefore, strive to create a smaller, more efficient,more effective, highly professional, and well-remunerated civilservice. Also, we shall earnestly provide for the independenceof the Civil Service Commission to ensure that public servicepersonnel are recruited, hired, retained, and promoted onmerit rather than on the basis of political patronage.

Further, we shall ensure that the knowledge and skills ofpublic service personnel are continually improved and

upgraded through seminars, in-house training, workshops,refresher courses, and on-the-job training. Besides, we shallstrive to improve the operations of the Public Service PensionsFund so that it can serve civil service pensioners in a timelyand equitable manner.

2.5 THE NATIONAL PLAN

Our country needs sound, formalized national planning. How-ever, such planning should not be the preponderance of agovernment ministry like the Ministry of Finance that is alreadyoverwhelmed by other equally vital functions. Also, it would

not be prudent for the national Government to create aseparate Ministry for National Planning, or any semblancethereof, to generate Zambias annual and/or longer-term socio-economic plans.

Moreover, there is no need for the National EconomicAdvisory Council (NEAC), which was established in 1999 toengage in policy articulation, advising the government and theRepublican president on the most efficient ways ofimplementing economic reform programs, identifying obstaclesto socio-economic development, and, inter alia, undertakingresearch on the application of socio-economic policies.

By and large, the capacity for generating, implementingand evaluating policies should exist within governmentministries. After all, government ministries are supposed to bestaffed with our fellow citizens who are the finest in theirrespective fields of endeavor.

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We shall, therefore, require each and every governmentministry to bear the responsibility for making estimates ofexpenditures and stipulating the projects and programs onwhich the expenditures shall be committed. Thereafter, eachministrys budget and project proposals shall be presented to

the Cabinet for scrutiny.The composite of government ministries refined budgetand project proposals shall ultimately constitute the Republicof Zambias National Plan for a stipulated period of time.Here are a few suggestions of what will need to be included ineach ministrys proposals: role of the ministry; existingprojects, progress made on them, and extenuating circum-stances (if any); contemplated projects; and any otherpertinent matters related to the ministrys mandate.

2.6 POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS

In all appointments to leadership positions, our Governmentscriteria for evaluating potential candidates shall be restrictedto individuals demonstrated competence and moral carriage,regardless of their gender, religious beliefs, ethnic extraction,political views or affiliation, and any other perceptible identity.And we shall ensure that every province is represented in theExecutive branch of the national Government by at least oneCabinet Minister and one Permanent Secretary.

Besides, we shall seek to introduce a system that willrequire Cabinet-level appointments and reshuffles, and allother appointments made by the Republican president that arenot currently subject to Parliamentary confirmation or ratifica-

tion, to be conclusively discussed and confirmed by Parliamentto ensure that only individuals with acceptable credentials arehonoured with the opportunity to serve their fellow citizens innational leadership portfolios involved.

Also, we shall seek to repeal Articles 46(2) and 47(3) of theRepublican constitution (which restrict an incumbent Republi-can president to make ministerial appointments from membersof Parliament) to provide for Cabinet-level appointments fromthe Zambian society at large. This can afford incumbentPresidents a larger pool of people from which they can consti-tute their Cabinets, as well as provide for greater separation ofthe legislative and executive branches of the government.

Appointment of Cabinet Ministers from non-Members ofParliament can also afford presidential aspirants enough timeto identify potential ministerial appointees well before tripartiteelections rather than waiting for Parliamentary elections to be

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concluded.

2.7 CRIMEAND CORRUPTION

2.7.1 The Fight against Corruption:

Corruption is a universal problem, and it is a scourge thathas tended to permeate countries worldwide throughouthuman history, irrespective of their levels of development, thenature of their socio-economic systems, the kinds of theirsystems of belief, or the make up of local ethnic groupings.

But be that as it may, the adverse effects of the scourge onfragile economies are perhaps more profound, particularly dueto the fact that it has actually compounded the problems ofeconomically beleaguered countriescountries that areoverwhelmed by a catalogue of other bottlenecks tosustainable socio-economic development, including poorleadership, economic mismanagement, bloated national

governments, and the debt burden.In Zambia, and in all other less-developed countries as a

matter of fact, these bottleneckstogether with corruptionhave diminished the countrys ability to harness its abundantnatural and human resources to meet the basic needs,expectations and aspirations of the common people.

In the fight against corruption, it is essential to understandthe causes and effects of the scourge.

The Causes of Corruption: The abuse of public office forprivate gain is fostered by a diversity of factors, including thefollowing:

(a) An unstable political setting, which can create an atmo-sphere of job insecurity, uncertainty and anarchy ingovernment institutionssituations which can temptgovernment leaders and civil servants to engage inunscrupulous schemes in order to amass wealth quicklyin anticipation of a sudden change in their employmentstatus.

(b) Regular reshuffles of political appointees, which canmake the appointees to feel insecure in their jobs and,like political instability, lead to unscrupulous schemes

designed to amass wealth swiftly in anticipation of apossible loss of employment.(c) A weak legislative system (including parliament and any

other law-making organs of a countrys government),which can foster corruption by not being able to enact

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stringent anti-corruption laws, and/or by beingparticipants in unscrupulous schemes.

(d) A weak judicial system, which can foster corruption bynot being able to adjudicate fairly, impartially andprofessionally in matters relating to corrupt practices by

government leaders and civil servants due to inadequatefinancial resources and/or lack of independence of the

judiciary from the executive branch of a countrysgovernment.

(e) Excessive, cumbersome and/or rigid administrativeroutines and procedures, which are likely to causedelays and inaction in the dispensation of public servicesand, thereby, create opportunities for public officials andcivil servants to seek or accept bribes from impatientand/or frustrated clients.

(f) Inadequate wages, salaries and fringe benefits, whichcan prompt morally deficient public officials and civilservants to engage in self-remunerating activities in theworkplace in order to meet their families subsistence.Delayed payment of wages and salaries by a govern-ment can inevitably exacerbate the problem.

(g) The desire to fulfill ones selfish motives and lack ofprofessional integrity can dispose a public official or civilservant to potential abuse of public office for privategain. An inability to live within ones regular earningscan also compel an individual to seek irregular ways ofmeeting the demands of his or her lifestyle.

(h)The general lack of professional integrity partly resulting

from inadequate professional bodies and associations toinstill professionalism and ethical behavior of members,monitor the conduct of members, and impose sanctionson unprofessional and unethical behavior has deprivedcivil servants and public officials of professional directionand basic ethical guidelines.

Effects of Corruption: Corruption can have grave effects ona country; it can, for example, subvert political processes,thwart economic growth and stability, undermine honestenterprise, discourage foreign direct investment, tarnish thecountrys image, and erode its moral fiber.

Redressing the Scourge: Corruption is, of course, not aninsurmountable phenomenon; it can actually be brought undercontrol through governmental and private initiatives. Let usconsider some of the many ways in which the scourge can be

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contained at the national, international and individual levels.

(a) At the national level, corruption can be containedthrough sustained political will, zero tolerance,streamlining of cumbersome bureaucratic procedures,

provision of adequate remuneration to civil servants andpublic officials, compulsory ethics education, and,among other measures, provision for an anti-grafthotline.

Other remedial measures which can be taken to stemcorrupt practices by business executives, public officialsand civil servants include the following: (i) passage ofstrict pieces of legislation designed to prevent conflictsof interest in institutional settings; (ii) limitation ofrecourse to immunity by public officials and businessleaders and their organizations; and (iii) fostering thedevelopment of a free press to facilitate the exposure of

unscrupulous activities in institutional settings.(b) At the international level, a country would do well to

participate actively in bilateral and multilateralconventions, protocols and declarations designed tocontain the scourge, particularly in the areas ofprevention, prosecution, asset recovery, andinternational cooperation in generating rules forextraditing alleged fugitive perpetrators of corruptpractices.

(c) At the individual level, a high sense of morals and self-respect can enable a civil servant or public official, for

example, to overcome the temptation of engaging incorrupt practices.

To elicit ethical behavior and professionalism amonggovernment leaders, the Agenda for Change shall strictlyenforce the code of conduct established by the Parliamentaryand Ministerial Code of Conduct Act (1994) for deputyministers, Cabinet ministers and members of the NationalAssembly. The Act prohibits any of the foregoing fromacquiring dishonestly or improperly any pecuniary advantageor assisting in the acquisition of pecuniary advantage byanother person by:

(a) Improperly using or benefiting from information which isobtained in the course of their official duties and whichis not generally available to the public.

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sons;(c) Exerting any improper influence in the appointment,

promotion, discipline or removal of a public officer.(d) Directly or indirectly converting government property for

personal or any other use.

(e) Soliciting or accepting transfers of economic benefitother than: benefits of nominal value including custom-ary hospitality and token gifts; gifts from close familymembers; or transfers pursuant to an enforceableproperty right of the member or pursuant to a contractfor which full value is given. And, as suggested by civilsociety organizations,

(f) A breach of any written law.

The Act also provides for any member of the general publicto file a complaint with the Chief Justice concerning anyCabinet Minister, Deputy Minister or Member of the NationalAssembly suspected of contravening the Act; a tribunal is thenappointed by the Chief Justice, consisting of members whohave held high judicial office.

The tribunal so constituted has to conduct its inquiry inpublic, which augurs well for transparency. The tribunal may,after due inquiry, make such recommendations as to adminis-trative actions, criminal prosecutions or other further actions tobe taken as it determines fit.

In addition to the enforcement of the code of conduct, weshall require all educational and training institutions in thecountry to provide basic ethics education by incorporating a

topic on ethical and professional conduct in selected coresubjects or courses. Such a measure is certainly in the publicinterest because to educate a [person] ... in mind and not inmorals, as the late Theodore Roosevelt of the United Statesonce warned, is to educate a menace to society.

In all, corruption, as The Post newspaper has advisedAfrican legislators in an article entitled African Leaders andthe Fight against Corruption of August 11, 2005, can only befought resolutely and relentlessly by people who are free fromit. In the Agenda for Change (AfC) party, we shall relentlesslyseek leaders with a high sense of morals and probity,demonstrated through their previous positions.

2.7.2 The Fight against Crime:In addition to a spirited fight against corruption, we shall

make an earnest effort to contain other criminal activities inour country. Today, every family and business has been

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directly or indirectly affected by robberies, burglaries, van-dalism, and other senseless crimes. Let us consider a fewinitiatives for addressing the cancerous scourge:

National Crime-Prevention Board.We shall create a

National Crime-Prevention Board under the auspices of anew Ministry of Justice, Prisons and Immigration to formulatean effective and efficient national crime-prevention strategy.

The Board shall be made up of police, prisons and paramilitarycommanding officers, and representatives of chambers ofcommerce and industry, private legal practitioners, relevantgovernment agencies, and civil rights organizations.

Local Control over the Police.We shall seriously considerthe prospect of transferring the responsibility over the civil po-lice to provincial governments after creating semi-autonomousprovinces to be administered by elected provincial governors

and district mayors. In the interim, superintendence over theoperations of the civil police shall fall under the jurisdiction of anew Ministry for Culture and Community Servicesin whichcase the Ministry of Home Affairs would need to be dissolved.

Close superintendence over police functions by local gove-rnments will more likely to make it possible for police officersto discharge the following duties more effectively: (a) pro-tection of life and property; (b) preservation of peace, andprevention of crime; (c) detection and apprehension of lawbreakers; (d) enforcement of laws and ordinances; (e)safeguarding the rights and freedoms of members of society;and (f) developing sound police-community relations.

Sound police-community relations are indispensable in thefight against crime. Without adequate involvement by localcommunities in combating crime, for example, police officersare not likely to succeed in their endeavors. And, in the samemanner as accused individuals are protected by thepresumption of innocence until they are proven otherwise by acompetent court of law, we shall provide for adequateprotections to both alleged victims and witnesses. Also,individuals who voluntarily report criminal activities need to beassured of adequate protection of their rights and identities ifthey are to share vital information on criminal activities withlaw-enforcement personnel and agencies.

Upon devolving the superintendence over the civil police toprovincial governments, the national government shall workhand in glove with provincial governments through the Ministryfor Culture and Community Services in providing logistical and

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other essential forms of support to the civil police.To bolster the fight against crime and other social vices

nationwide, the national government shall allocate adequatefinancial and material resources to police units in order toenhance their capabilities in terms of communications,

transportation, crime-fighting gadgets and equipment, andsecurity cameras for installation in town centers and on majorroads and streets.

Public Complaints Authority.We shall continue with theconcept of a Police and Prisons Public Complaints Authority atthe district level in order to provide an effective mechanismthrough which members of the public shall be afforded theopportunity to keep the operations and conduct of police andprisons officers in check.

A Multi-Faceted Strategy.The fight against crime involves

moremuch, much morethan rounding up alleged criminalsand/or handing out stiff punishment. It is of the utmostimportance to address the factors that induce criminal activity.Although habitual criminals cannot be easily reformed, creationof adequate jobs by stimulating supply and demand throughlower taxes and interest rates can greatly reduce the numberof citizens who are disposed to engage in criminal activities forthe purpose of obtaining financial and/or material resources inorder to meet their basic needs. And, as an age-old maximtells us, An idle mind is the devils workshop.

Police and Prisons Academy.In due course, we shall be

consulting defence and security experts to determine whetherit would be in the best interest of the nation to make thetraining of prisons, corrections, and civil police officers the res-ponsibility of the Defence and Security ministry.

(a) If such an arrangement shall be deemed to be viable, weshall convert the Lilayi training school into a Police andPrisons Academy to provide centralized, state-of-the-arttraining for prisons, corrections and civil police officers.

Training costs shall be met by the central government,while stipends and room and board for trainees shall be

financed by sponsorsthat is, provincial governments.(b) The Academy would also be open for enrolment oftrainees sponsored by local security companies, andgovernments and security companies in member-countries of the African Union (AU). Private and foreign

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government sponsors shall meet the full cost of trainingfor their sponsorees.

(c)The Police and Prisons Academy shall also provide fordriving lessons to all trainees who shall need suchtraining. Selected trainees shall be provided with

training designed to equip them with skills in operatingsecurity helicopters.

(d) The government shall purchase at least ten (10)helicoptersone for training purposes at the Prisonsand Police Academy, and the remaining 9 shall beshared among provincial governments for securityoperations by the civil police. A maintenance facility forthe helicopters shall be established in Kabwe district.

2.8 A SMALLER GOVERNMENT

We shall re-organize the government machinery in order to

make it more responsive to the needs of the people by makingit much smaller, more frugal, and more effective. The contem-plated re-organization is intended to eliminate costlyduplication of effort by government units, and to reap financialand other savings for re-allocation to critical governmentprojects and programs.

A prudently re-structured and streamlined national govern-ment shall enable us to meet the needs of education andtraining, health and medical care, agriculture and foodsecurity, infrastructure, national defence and security, andother critical national projects and programs at greatly reducedcost.

Besides, the organization of closely related governmentdepartments, functions, and programs under a single ministrycan bring about proper coordination and, consequently, theeffective execution of the functions and programs involved. Anessential requirement here shall be the creation of semi-autonomous units or departments under each ministry toensure that efficiency in the dispensation of government ser-vices is not sacrificed.

We shall re-distribute vehicles, office furnishings and otherassets to be spared through the creation of a smaller nationalgovernment to vital institutions nationwide including

hospitals, educational institutions, the civil police, governmentexecutive agencies, orphanages, centers for the handicapped,and duly registered political parties.

In 1993, Mr. Murray Sanderson echoed our countrysmisgivings regarding the excessive size of the national

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government; as reported in the Profit Magazine of July 1993, hesaid, high inflation and high taxes [arise ... from] bloated andinefficient [government] institutions which serve themselvesinstead of serving the public.

In all, nothing short of a dramatic and radical reduction in

the size of our national government will enable us toadequately meet the basic needs and expectations of all ourpeople. The savings to be made per year in this regard areenormous, as calculated below using data mainly from theMinisterial and Parliamentary Offices (Emoluments)(Amendment) Act No. 18 of 2008.

Expenditure per Government Official:

Cabinet Minister:

Salary: Special Allowance: Utility:

K75,117,124 + 26,382,673 + 26,680,000 =K128,179,797

Deputy Minister:

Salary: Special Allowance: Utility:K70,953,196 + 24,107,904 + 26,680,000 =K121,741,090

Permanent Secretary:

Salary: Special Allowance: Utility:

K102,866,638 - - =K102,866,638

Savings to Be Made:By reducing the number of Cabinet Ministers, Deputy

Ministers and Permanent Secretaries for the current 23government Ministries to 10 Ministries, Zambia would makethe following savings:

13 Ministers x K128,179,797 = K1,666,337,36143 D/Ministers x K121,741,090 = K5,194,866,87013 P/Secretaries x K102,866,638 = K1,337,266,294

----------------------Total Savings: K8,198,470,525

These savings plus savings from the abolition of the

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positions of 72 District Commissioners plus savings fromallocations of automobiles and other assets for affectedgovernment officials could be re-allocated to the provision ofessential public services and facilities.

They could, for example, be re-allocated to the Ministry of

Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Agriculture, whose2007 projected expenditures provided in the 20052007Green Paper were K535,849,654,488, K1,184,242,305,538 andK306,048,511,634, respectively.

Innovation in Government:We shall create a government that will do more with less by

fostering a climate of innovation and creativity amonggovernment employees. Among other things, we shall encour-age each and every employee on government payroll to suggestnew ideas which shall result in reduced operational and mainte-nance costs, improved quality of public services, improved

administrative efficiency, and greater levels of performance.Some of the viable initiatives which we shall introduce in thisregard include the following:

(a) Town Hall Meetings: We shall require all governmentministers together with Permanent Secretaries to hold

Town Hall Meetings semi-annually in an effort to gaugeemployees views and suggestions on how the provisionof public services could be enhanced, and to act onrecommendations made at such Meetings.

(b)Gripe System: We shall require all supervisory personnelto introduce hotlines and suggestion boxes through whichemployees shall anonymously or otherwise suggestchanges intended to benefit their agencies or work units.In this endeavor, supervisors shall be required topromptly analyze and, if feasible, implement suggestedchanges in order to build employees trust in intentionsfor initiating such a suggestion system.

(c) Open-Door Policy: We shall have formal policy that willencourage administrators and supervisors to adopt anopen-door posture in order to make it possible for theirsubordinates to freely call on them any time to suggest ordiscuss ways in which quality, productivity, work-related

stress, employee morale, and so forth, could be im-proved.There is one serious problem that is likely to emanate

from an open-door policy which administrators andsupervisors need to be aware of that is, the potential for

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some employees to attempt to use their one-on-oneinteractions with superiors as a forum for despising orback-biting other employees. If it is not prevented fromtaking root, such a situation can very easily create ahostile work environment an environment that would be

gripped by mistrust, suspicion and interpersonal rivalry.(d)Quality Circles: We shall require all departmental and

agency heads to adopt a Japanese management practicereferred to as quality circles, which essentially providesfor work groups to meet regularly (say, once in 3 months)to discuss operational and other work-related problems,and how the existing modus operandi could be altered toyield improved performance.

To enhance the viability of these four initiatives, ministers,Permanent Secretaries, administrators, and supervisorypersonnel shall be expected to introduce special incentive

schemes designed to reward employees who shall contributeuseful ideas or innovations.

Innovation and creativity, as it is often said in Management,are never out of style. There are always better ways of doingthings waiting to be discovered by those who dare to reachbeyond what is already known and tried.

2.9 AGENDAFOR CHANGE POLICIES

The 10 portfolios to be created by the Agenda for Change party including their functions are presented below in theirrelation to the partys contemplated policies.

2.9.1 Education Policy:

Responsible Ministry: Education, Training and Sport.Tobe directly responsible for advising the President on, andspearheading the implementation of policies relating to, thefollowing: general and tertiary education; vocational training;the training of teachers; adult literacy programs; mattersconcerning remuneration for teachers, lecturers, trainers, andresearchers; and sporting programs in all educational andtraining institutions. And coordination of national programs andactivities pertaining to education, training and sport with thoseof private institutions, as well as provincial and municipalgovernments nationwide.

Urgent Matters:

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1) Expenditure: We shall provide for an allocation of at least15% of the national budget to the Ministry of Education,

Training and Sport. At a National Council for Catholic Youth(NCCY) meeting in Lusaka in October 2001, Brother John

Meade, Head of the Education Department of the CatholicSecretariat, provided a good reason for the provision of freeeducation in Zambia, which may be paraphrased thus:

The Government wants to shirk its responsibility to provideaccessible education by pursuing a cost-sharing arrange-ment when it is obvious that citizens cannot afford to pay.73% of Zambians live on below US$1 per day. This beingthe case, how can they contribute to education? It isimpossible! If people are too poor to invest in education,the Government has to shoulder the responsibility.

In 1917, a philosopher by the name Alfred North Whiteheadwarned about the ill-fated destiny of a society which does notmake meaningful investments in its people's education that isperhaps truer today than it was during his time: In the condi-tions of modern life, the rule is absolute ... [a nation] whichdoes not value [education] ... is doomed.

It should be obvious, therefore, that accessible and high-quality education can be said to be the most important invest-ment a government can make. It is not possible for any societyto succeed in the pursuit of other human endeavors withoutadequate pools of enlightened citizens. In general, education isamong societal members fundamental rights enshrined in the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26(1):

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall befree, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical andprofessional education shall be made generally available,and higher education shall be equally accessible to all onthe basis of merit.

2) Free Formal Education: We shall provide free education upto Grade 12, and eliminate Grades 7 and 9 examinations togive all pupils the opportunity to expand their knowledge basethrough Grade 12 at least. Among other benefits, this arra-ngement is expected to reduce the rampant juvenile delin-quency apparently occasioned by dislodging youngsters fromthe educational system at a time when they are not yet mature

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enough to face the social, economic, and other facets andchallenges of modern society.

3) Compulsory Education: Education in Zambia shall be com-pulsory from Grade 1 through Grade 12. In the information age

in which we live today, all Zambian children need to beafforded the opportunity to be in school for at least twelve (12)years in order for them to expand their knowledge base and/orgain the necessary vocational skills to at least make it possiblefor them to venture successfully into the real world.

To accommodate primary school leavers in secondaryschools, as well as continuing Grade 9 students, we shall takethe following measures:

(a) Provide for immediate expansion of facilities atsecondary schools which do not currently have extraspace for Grades 8 and 10 classes;

(b) Allow interested secondary school teachers destined forretirement to delay their retirements, as well as hiremore of the trained teachers who are currentlyunemployed; and

(c) Step up enrolments in training programs for secondaryschool teachers by at least 5%.

4) The Quality of Education: We shall ensure that pupils areafforded high-quality education at every level. End-of-termtests and end-of-year examinations shall, therefore, continueto be administered to gauge each and every pupil's intellectual

development. Moreover, homework shall be mandatory andshall be given out to each student weekly. And parents andguardians shall be furnished with end-of-term and end-of-yeartranscripts detailing pupils performance. We expect this toafford families an opportunity to bolster school authoritiesefforts to counsel and motivate pupils.

5) Low-Cost School Supplies: We shall create a self-sustaining,government-controlled textiles company to supply low-costschool uniforms nationwide, and ensure that publishers ofeducational books like the Zambia Educational PublishingHouse, and the University of Zambia Press have the necessary

material and financial resources to saturate the local marketwith low-cost reading materials.We shall also remove taxes on all kinds of school supplies

and reading materials in order to make them more affordableand provide greater opportunities for Zambians to enhance

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their knowledge and skills. Moreover, we shall reduce postalrates for all reading materials and school supplies packed inthe presence of a postal supervisor.

6) Higher Education: We shall increase spending on higher

education in order to enhance the quality of instruction, basicresearch and administration at the University of Zambia, theCopperbelt University, Northrise University in Ndola,Mulungushi University, and the government-funded collegeswhich are earmarked for conversion into universities.

7) Vocational Training : We shall ensure that the training to beprovided in technical and vocational training institutions isdesigned to develop and enhance trainees technical knowl-edge and skills consistent with the changing needs of agricul-tural, commercial and industrial enterprises. The TechnicalEducation and Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Au-

thority (TEVETA) shall be incorporated into the Ministry of Edu-cation, Training and Sport.

8) Loans and Scholarships: We shall constitute a Loans andScholarships Committee under the auspices of the Ministry ofFinance and Revenue and charge it with the responsibility ofdisbursing scholarships and loans to students and trainees inboth private and public colleges and universities as stipulatedbelow.

(a) Scholarship Fund: A scholarship fund to finance thesponsorship of gifted Zambian scholars, researchers andapprentices to pursue educational and training programswithin Zambia or abroad as follows: high-schoolgraduates who shall obtain a Division 1 shall beautomatically awarded scholarships upon beingaccepted at any Zambian college or university.

All other high-school graduates shall be granted withlow-interest loans to pursue studies at Zambian collegesor universities where they shall have initially obtainedplaces. And all citizens who shall graduate fromZambian colleges or universities with Distinction shallbe automatically awarded scholarships to pursue higher

educational and/or training programs upon securingplaces at accredited colleges or universities.(b) Research Funding: Sustained and enhanced funding of

research projects earmarked for execution by educa-tional and training institutions funded by the Govern-

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ment through the public treasury.(c) Loans and Recovery: A loan disbursement and recovery

scheme through which Zambian students and trainees inpublic educational and training institutions will have theopportunity to secure loans from the public treasury for

both tuition and subsistence.(d) Debt Forgiveness: To promote scholarship and academic

excellence in tertiary education, loan recipients whoshall graduate with distinction shall be absolved of75% of their debt obligations, while those who shallgraduate with merit shall be absolved of 50% of theirdebt obligations. And loan recipients who shall decide to work in theeducational, agricultural and healthcare sectors for atleast 4 years shall be absolved of 100% of their debtobligations.

(Note: Provision for debt forgiveness shall inevitably

require private tertiary institutions to adopt objectiveand strict admissions criteria and academic standards tobe generated by the Ministry of Education, Training andSport in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders.)

Applicants for government loans and their co-signers shallbe required to sign enforceable contracts at participatingfinancial institutions to be designated by the Ministry ofFinance obliging them to repay the loans through their part-time, vocational, and/or permanent employment at five (5)percent of their gross monthly incomes, regardless of thecountries where the incomes are to be earned. Locally basedemployers shall be required to effect the deductions.

9) Working Men and Women: Low-interest government loansshall also be made accessible to working Zambian men andwomen wishing to pursue further studies and/or training inorder to enhance their professional and general knowledge andskills. We believe in life-long learning! As Alvin Toffler, theauthor of Future Shock (1970), has maintained, illiterateindividuals in the 21st century are not going to be those whocannot read and write; rather, it is going to be those whocannot learn, unlearn and re-learn.

10) The State-Finance Bank Scheme: Unlike the currentfinancing of higher education (introduced by the MMDgovernment in 2004) which phased out the bursaries schemeand required the re-payment of loans within 4 years of

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beneficiaries engagement in gainful employment, the Agendafor Change shall continue the bursaries scheme through aScholarship Fund, Research Funding and debt-forgivenessschemes described above.

11) Curbing the Brain Drain: Zambia continually loses a signi-ficant number of trained nationals, who decide to emigrate andlive abroad in search of higher incomes and a better standardof living, among a host of other reasons. This is in spite of thefact that the country is in dire need of trained personnel toanchor and facilitate the process of socio-economic develop-ment.

We shall, therefore, take the necessary measures in orderto curb the brain drain which is adversely affecting educationand training, public health and sanitation, agriculturalproduction and food security, economic development, thedevelopment of infrastructure, and Zambias competitiveness.

Such measures shall include the following:

(a) Conditions of Service: Improving conditions of service forcivil servants, including remuneration for teachers,lecturers, trainers, researchers, and administrators inorder to attract Zambians working abroad back to theirMotherland;

(b)Appointments in the Civil Service: Inclusion of foreign-based Zambian professionals in appointments tosubstantive positions in the civil service;

(c) Low-interest Loans: Provision for low-interest loans for

Zambian professionals who are currently in the country,and for those who are based in foreign countries, to startand manage their own business undertakings withinZambia;

(d) Retention Allowances: Introduction of retentionallowances for skilled personnel on government payroll;

(e) Research Grants: Provision for research grants foracademic staff in government-supported educationalinstitutions;

(f) Car and Home Ownership: Provision for car-ownershipand home-ownership schemes; and

(g) Enhanced Socio-Economic Wellbeing: Provision for free

formal education, free life-saving healthcare, greaterfood security, safer communities, greater employmentopportunities, and so forth.

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12) The Swahili Language: The adoption of Kiswahili as theAfrican Unions working languageofficially announced byMozambiques Joaquim Chissano in July 2004poses anadditional challenge in the provision of education.

We, therefore, need to provide adequately for classes

designed to teach the Swahili language at educationalinstitutions nationwide. We need to do so in order to equip ourpeople with the language skills they will need in their businessand non-business pursuits across the African Union.

And it is perhaps not too early to start learning thelanguage with the following Swahili interpretation (provided byEric Otieno of Kenya and Hassan Wardere of Somalia) of theparagraph above:

Uchaguzi wa Kiswahili kama lugha rasmi ya chama chaUmoja wa ki Africa ilitangazwa kirasmi na rais waMozambique Joaquim Chissano mwezi wa July 2004. Uamuzi

huu unaongeza ugumu wa ziada kwa kuhifadhi elimu.Inafaa tuhifadhi madarasa yaliyo sawa kwa kufunza

lugha ya Kiswahili katika shule zote nchini. Inafaa tufanyehivyo ili tuwapatie watu wetu msingi wanaohitaji kwakufanya biashara na mahitaji yasiyo ya biashara katikaUmoja wa ki Africa.

13) Nationwide Internet Access: We shall strive to narrow whathas been referred to as the digital dividethat is, the gapbetween people in a given country who have access to theInternet and those who do not have access to such a facilityby making the Internet available at centrally located public

libraries nationwide.Provision for greater numbers of our people to gain instant

access to news and information is essential in our efforts tonurture Zambia's nascent democracy. After all, we live in aninformation age. The emergence of the Internet or informa-tion superhighway has made it possible for people worldwideto readily gain access to news, information, and goods andservices from any part of the globe, and to instantaneouslycommunicate with other people across national and regionalborders.

Yet, the majority of our people nationwide have no accessto such an essential facility. We cannot continue to deny themthe opportunity to venture into the information superhighway.

14) Sport and Recreation: All work and no play makes Jack adull boy, an anonymous and time-honored maxim tells us.

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Physicians, for example, usually recommend sporting activitiesas being essential to good health. Management specialists,too, usually advise that one takes some kind of sport orphysical exercise as a remedy for tension and an antidote forstress. Besides, sporting activities provide increased stamina,

mental alertness, and an enhanced feeling of well-being.We shall, therefore, promote sporting programs at alleducational and training institutions. Also, we shall promoteprivate investments in the local manufacture of sporting goodsfor track and field, soccer, basketball, netball, tennis, andbadminton, among other sporting activities.

2.9.2 Public Health Policy:

Responsible Ministry: Public Health and Sanitation.To bedirectly responsible for advising the President on, and spear-heading the implementation of policies relating to, the follo-

wing: medical care, medical research, child health anddevelopment, family planning, disease control and prevention,food safety (local and imported foodstuff), drug safety (localand imported medicines), safety of herbal medicines, publichealth education, public health inspections, and matters con-cerning remuneration for public health personnel. And coordi-nation of national public health programs and activities withthose of private healthcare facilities and provincial andmunicipal governments.

Urgent Matters:

1) Expenditure on Public Health: We shall allocate at least15% of the national budget to public health and sanitation.

2) Free Life-Saving Care: We shall provide for free life-savingmedical and healthcare for all Zambian citizens, withoutinhibiting the operations of private healthcare providers tocater to the needs of wealthy people. We are geared to assureeach and every eligible person the right to receive free life-saving medical care that is respectful, that recognizes personaldignity, and that adequately provides for personal privacy.Cosmetic surgery, orthodontics, vision-correction, and othernon-life-saving health services shall not be financed throughthe public treasury.

3) Proper Identification: To be attended to at government-operated health centers and pharmacies, patients (except in

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emergency situations) shall be required to show their NationalRegistration Cards and/or any other acceptable form(s) ofidentification to be determined by the Ministry for Public Healthand Sanitation.

4) Responsible Use of Free Services: Economic theory woulddiscourage the provision of free services, arguing that freeservices inevitably lead to wasteful use by recipients. We shall,however, not falter in our commitment to provide free life-saving medical and healthcare. In this respect, we shall expecteach and every recipient of such care to guard themselvesagainst wasteful use of medical and healthcare resources.

5) Other National Programs: The Agenda for Change shall alsomake financial resources available for the following purposes:HIV/AIDS, TB, cancer, and other forms of medical research;disease control and prevention; food safety (both local and

imported foodstuff); drug safety (both local and importedmedicines); safety of herbal medicines; public health edu-cation; public health inspections; National AIDS Council opera-tions and logistics; and improvements in health and medicalpersonnels conditions of service.

6) The HIV/AIDS Pandemic: Good nutrition and medicalbreakthroughs are now making it possible for HIV/AIDSpatients worldwide to live normal and reasonably moreproductive lives. We shall, therefore, encourage all Zambiansto undergo a voluntary and confidential HIV/AIDS test in orderfor them to privately determine whether or not they need to

seek the necessary medical care at an early stage.

(a) Life-Saving Status: The HIV/AIDS pandemic shall fallunder the free life-saving healthcare program, and shallbe financed through both external and governmentalfunding.

(b) Prevention of Infection: Prevention is better than cure,an age-old maxim tells us. We shall, therefore, providefor sustained governmental funding of programsdesigned to dissuade the citizenry from risky socialrelationships, including abstinence.

(c) Safe In-Hospital Practices: To forestall the potential foraccidental spread of HIV/AIDS infection, we shall providefor enhanced funding of programs designed to promotesafer utilization of syringes, donated blood, medicalgloves, and so forth.

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7) Unborn Children: The Agenda for Change shall considereach and every pregnant woman as nursing a child that isdeserving of governmental support to meet his or herhealthcare, nutritional and developmental needs. By the way,

we wish to recognize Hon. Inonge Winas effort in securing ox-cart ambulances for the Nalolo constituency (during hertenure as Member of Parliament for Nalolo constituency) inorder to curb maternity-related deaths occasioned by delays inthe transportation of expecting mothers to healthcare centers.

Needless to say, it would be prudent for a government toallocate financial and material resources that are likely to bechanneled into the expansion of Parliament to 200 members,among other potentially wasteful initiatives, to the acquisitionof at least two reliable ambulances for each of Zambiasdistricts.

8) Harmful Products: We shall strictly enforce all existingpieces of legislation designed to prevent teenage smoking andbeer-drinking, as well as prohibit beer and cigarette advertise-ments in media that are mainly designed for minors. As devel-oped nations worldwide have found out, strict enforcement ofsuch legislation is essentialparticularly in the initial stages ofa country's socio-economic developmentto circumvent theexcessive cost of rehabilitating a society besieged by unprece-dented moral decay, as well as ailments associated withalcoholism, drug abuse, and tobacco addiction.

9) Conditions of Service: We shall strive to improve the condi-

tions of service for all medical and healthcare personnel inorder to afford them a decent standard of living as well asstem the nagging exodus of such essential personnel to foreigncountries.

2.9.3 Agricultural Policy:

Responsible Ministry: Agriculture and Food Security.Tobe directly responsible for advising the President on, andspearheading the implementation of policies relating to, thefollowing: sustainable agricultural development and long-termfood security -- including the provision of agricultural incen-tives, support to agribusiness establishments and agriculturalresearch centers, damming rivers, and construction of irriga-tion canals. And coordination of national programs andactivities pertaining to agriculture and food security with those

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of the private sector and both provincial and municipal govern-ments.

Urgent Matters:

1) Expenditure on Agriculture: We shall devote at least 6% ofthe national budget on projects and programs relating toagriculture and food security.

2) National Food Security: Food security, according to theresolutions of the World Food Summit held in Italy in November1996, exists when all people, at all times, have physical andeconomic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meettheir dietary needs and food p

Documents

Agenda for Change Manifesto 2011-16