3 December 2008
ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president, Leonard Hikaumba has challenged members of Parliament (MPs) opposed to the 15 per cent pay rise for constitutional office holders to donate the money to charity.
Mr Hikaumba said in Kitwe yesterday that since the majority of MPs had voted in favour of the motion to increase the salaries, the best form of protest by those who were opposed to the decision would be to donate the money to the poor.
He said it would not be in order for any MP to advocate mass protests over the increment for MPs and constitutional office holders when they were part of the House that made the decision.
The Patriotic Front (PF) recently indicated that it intended to hold mass protests against the salary increases for constitutional office holders and rising food prices but police said they would not allow the demonstrations.
"I do not think it is in order for an MP who was in Parliament or voted for the Bill to increase the salaries to come out from the House and start saying he will protest over the same issue.
"If some MPs are really against the increment as they claim, they should not touch the money but send it to orphanages so that we see that they have the heart for the people," Mr Hikaumba said in an interview.
He said since the argument of those opposed to the hike in emoluments was that the money could be used to help the impoverished, those genuinely committed to that cause should directly channel the money to such areas.
Mr Hikaumba said MPs and other leaders should be consistent with whatever they did because people would lose confidence in them if they were not.
Meanwhile, the Citizens' Forum (CF) has implored Zambians to take keen interest in issues of salaries, emoluments and other conditions of service for political leaders in order to have an equitable distribution of resources.
CF executive secretary, Simon Kabanda said at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the people of Zambia ought to participate in parliamentary reforms for equitable distribution of resources.
Mr Kabanda said the CF would mount community sensitisation activities in order to give an opportunity to people to participate in bringing about a society that would be anchored on justice and equitable distribution of resources.
He said it was not fair to deny the people an opportunity to scrutinise the political leaders, especially when it came to personal emoluments.
Mr Kabanda said Zambia should come to a situation where Parliament was not used to award the sitting members salary increments and other emoluments, but that it should be done for the next Parliament.
He said Article 87 of the Republican Constitution, which provides members of the National Assembly unspecified privileges, was bound to be abused because MPs could actually use it for personal gain.
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