2004/07/02

Zambia: Finance Minister debates Social Watch findings

Social Watch

The launching of the Social Watch report 2004 in Zambia sparked a nation-wide discussion on poverty in the country. Finance Minister Ngandu Magande argued there is now plenty of food in the country and even stone crushers have bank accounts and questioned the accuracy of the Social Watch indicators. In an editorial comment, the influential Zambian daily "The Post" advised the minister "to look at his own government's statistics on poverty produced by the Central Statistical Office" and argued that "the issues raised in the 2004 Social Watch report are true and deserve our government's and indeed all our politicians' most serious considerations".

See below the press report on Minister Magande declarations and the editorial comment of "The Post".

Social Watch Report Questions Zambia's Economic Policies

The Post (Lusaka)

July 2, 2004

Posted to the web July 2, 2004

Bivan Saluseki

Lusaka

INHUMAN policies inflicted on the population have sealed the fate of the majority of Zambians, the 2004 Social Watch report stated yesterday.

But finance minister Ngandu Magande wondered what poverty and policies the authors of the report were writing about and which statistics they were using.

According to the report, which is an international citizen's progress report on poverty eradication and gender equity which monitors government compliance with international commitments, hunger continues to stalk Zambians and human security is an expensive paradigm for most Zambians.

"Even though the country has not formally been at war since independence in 1964, prevailing conditions affecting human existence are equivalent to those in a country at war," the report states.

Social Watch published under the theme; "Fear and Want, obstacles to human security," stated that inhumane policies inflicted on Zambian society by western institutions and states had, combined with ill-fated local policies, escalated poverty levels and HIV/AIDS to make it virtually impossible for ordinary citizens to live in dignity.

"Most Zambians' lives are marked by insecurity. A series of misguided policies have combined with other factors to make it impossible for people to enjoy a sense of security," states the report.

According to the report, the free market policies had failed to ensure competitiveness of Zambian products on international markets while corruption and misgovernance on the part of political leadership in the present administration had continued.

The report stated that the greatest insecurity was derived from a series of failed economic and social policies.

"The influx of the new poor and urban workers who have been made redundant on the streets already overcrowded with the unemployed is a direct result of the government's blind faith in unbridled capitalist policies," states the report.

According to Social Watch, attempts to try and reverse the economic decline by adopting policies friendly to foreign capital had only added to the difficulties facing the economy.

According to the report, 72.9 per cent of Zambia's population was below the national poverty line by 1998, 45 per cent were under nourished between 1990 and 1992 with the figure rising to 50 per cent of the population in 2000.

However, Zambia was making progress in terms of population with access to sanitation and improved water sources.

But reacting to the report, Magande said the problem was that people still wanted to talk about the poverty of the past and old statistics.

"I don't know what statistics they are using," he said.

He said in 2001, Zambia had a problem of food and currently there wasn't any problem of food.

Magande said food was now even cheaper in Zambia.

"We have so much food, where were they getting their assessment?" he asked.

Magande said the stone crushers in Kalingalinga had bank accounts from money they made.

"Somebody who is not informed, says these are the poor people I need to talk about," he said.

Magande said he bought his cement from a person in Kalingalinga and every time that person always has good business.

"I don't understand. I don't know why people don't want to admit when things have changed," he said.

Magande said some of the people some organisations were calling poor, were raking in millions despite being seen wearing shoes that were bad.

"They are not poor. We don't even include ourselves, I mean how?" he asked.

Magande wondered what insecurity the report was referring to when he could go peacefully to Soweto market and buy produce.

He said NGOs should not base their reports on past issues.

Claim No Easy Victories

The Post (Lusaka)

EDITORIAL

July 2, 2004

Posted to the web July 2, 2004

Lusaka

TO begin with, we would like to refer to a saying of Lenin, that the attitude, that is to say, the seriousness of purpose, of a government or political party is measured, basically, by the attitude it takes toward its own problems, weaknesses and errors.

And in the same way, the seriousness of purpose of members of our government by the attitude they take towards the problems the nation is facing today. Any serious minded person will not deny that the greatest challenge our people face today is growing poverty, with over 70 per cent, or is it 80 per cent, of Zambians living in extreme poverty.

When problems are admitted, there is a better chance of addressing them than when they are denied. That is why it is necessary to take a forthright and serious attitude towards our country's problems. In this way serious analysis, honest analysis, deep analysis of our country's problems is possible. In this way we can analyse all that has been done, the good things that have been done and also the errors, mistakes and blunders that have been committed.

In this light, the Zambian government should look at the 2004 Social Watch report which states that inhuman policies inflicted on the population have sealed the fate of the majority of Zambians.

And as we stated in our editorial comment yesterday, life is increasingly becoming very difficult for the great majority of Zambians, especially the working people and the poor. We don't need statistics to tell us that things are bad. We live here and our work takes us to all parts of the country. And there are no signs that life is going to get better soon. At the rate things are going, it seems the suffering and the difficulties are going to get worse. Nobody should think that things are going to be easy. We must be prepared to meet even worse difficulties and suffering.

We therefore find finance minister Ngandu Magande's dismissal of the 2004 Social Watch report ridiculous and his arguments very shallow.

The issues raised in the 2004 Social Watch report are true and deserve our government's and indeed all our politicians' most serious considerations.

How can Magande seriously question the statistics Social Watch were using? We advise him to look at his own government's statistics on poverty produced by the Central Statistical Office.

How can Magande seriously deny Social Watch's observation that hunger continues to stalk Zambians and that human security is an expensive paradigm for most Zambians?

How can Magande seriously deny Social Watch's observation that inhumane policies inflicted on Zambian society by western institutions and states had, combined with ill- fated local policies, escalated poverty levels and HIV/AIDS to make it virtually impossible for ordinary citizens to live in dignity?

How can Magande seriously deny Social Watch's observation that most Zambians' lives are marked by insecurity?

How can Magande seriously deny Social Watchís observation that a series of misguided policies have combined with other factors to make it impossible for people to enjoy a sense of security?

How can Magande seriously dismiss Social Watch's observation that the free market policies had failed to ensure competitiveness of Zambian products on international markets while corruption and misgovernance on the part of political leadership in the present administration had continued?

How can Magande seriously deny Social Watch's observation that the influx of the new poor and urban workers who have been made redundant on the streets already overcrowded with the unemployed is a direct result of the government's blind faith in unbridled capitalist policies?

How can Magande seriously deny Social Watch's observation that attempts to try and reverse the economic decline by adopting policies friendly to foreign capital had only added to the difficulties facing the economy?

The poverty Social Watch are talking about is not of the past and old statistics. It is of the present. We see it everyday wherever we go. It haunts our relatives and people we know. We wonder what Zambia our Minister of Finance lives in. It must be a dream, one which exists only in his head. He is totally out of touch with reality.

Magande says: "I don't know what statistics they are using. In 2001 Zambia had a problem of food and currently there wasn't any problem of food. Food was now even cheaper in Zambia. We have so much food, where were they getting their assessment? The stone crushers in Kalingalinga have bank accounts from the money they make.
Somebody who is not informed, says these are the poor people I need to talk about.

I bought my cement from a person in Kalingalinga and every time, that person always has good business.

I don't understand. I don't know why people don't want to admit when things have changed.

Some of the people some organisations are calling poor were raking in millions despite being seen wearing shoes that were bad. They are not poor. We don't even include ourselves. I wonder what insecurity the report is referring to when I could go peacefully to Soweto market and buy produce. NGOs should not base their reports on past issues."

This is what Magande says. What crass ignorance or dishonesty is this?

These are the views of the man in charge of our economy! What future can Zambia, with all its current problems, have under the guidance and direction of such empty and dishonest men?

This is exactly what we were talking about yesterday when we stated that we do not only have to cope with the objective problems of the unfavourable world economic and political order, but also the mediocrity, political bankruptcy, dishonesty and emptiness of those who today are responsible for governing and directing the affairs of our country.

Again, we find it necessary to refer to Amilcar Cabral's advice: Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Claim no easy victories.

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