By Staff Reporter
Chama South member of parliament Davison Mung’andu says receiving a ministerial appointment from President Hakainde Hichilema is a privilege he would embrace, as every one should.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Mung’andu said although he was not obsessed with becoming a minister, he would nevertheless welcome an appointment to serve as one as service to the nation should override narrow partisan interests.
He said serving as a minister was an added advantage to the work he was already doing as member of parliament.
“So in short out of how many members of parliament? 156. So if you are considered to serve in that capacity it’s a privilege that may be the head of state has seen that you can contribute to the well being of the country. You know it’s about service to the county. This is where we are missing it. A number of us we tend to be more loyal to the ideals of politics or political inclination as opposed to the ideals of the nation,” Mung’andu said. “So to answer your question straight that is a privilege that one would not, to be honest, of all the members of parliament then you are considered that you can serve the country or you can help a head of state achieve his objectives should be also treated as a privilege because it just comes as a privilege. Yes.”
He said following his appreciation of the enhanced CDF under President Hichilema he was aware that within his own party PF, there was a thinking that probably he sat down somewhere with President Hichilema, but argued that he was doing that out of his own principle as something that he has seen that it needs appreciation, not that he should be appreciated in “those lines” as there were so many people who served UPND both in the opposition and in power.
“And I am not a chancer. Let me put that straight. But among those, any other president that in this country I will tell you, even my former president president Edgar Lungu if he had called me to serve the nation at that level I was going to accept because you are serving the country, you are not serving political interests,” Mung’andu said. “So even president HH if today he says honourable Mung’andu I think you can do well in this area, it’s about serving the nation. In short I have answered you to say that is a privilege that comes which everyone should embrace because you have to serve the country. At that level you are not serving the political party, you are serving the country. Are we not in parliament as potential ministers? Are we not in parliament as potential presidents? That’s the reason we go into leadership. But it shouldn’t be a prime objective.”
Mung’andu said last Friday, the constituencies were receiving monitoring vehicles which never existed, meaning that monitoring of projects even from the council officials was very difficult, no wonder the substandard infrastructure. He said the vehicles will also help members of parliament who in the past relied on their own vehicles to monitor projects.
Mung’andu said even the amount itself, increasing CDF from K1.6 million to over K28 million, was an achievement in itself, with money being received on time, which was now able to cater for skills training which has now included accommodation and meals, and that children whose parents used to struggle to pay for them children in public boarding schools were now being paid for from the same CDF.
Further, Mung’andu said bar the rigidities which existed in terms of approvals and implementation, people will see the full impact of the enhanced CDF.
“It will take maybe this year, the real impact will be felt by next year because we know that’s when all the projects will be completed for first and maybe second year. People want to see impact immediately, that’s not how development is done. Even us as PF when we were building it took time. Planning for Lusaka decongestion took how long? The implementation took how long? This is when we are seeing now that the roads are done and many other things … that money is going directly to the community, ” he said, adding “I will not play politics. The impact will be there.”
Mung’andu said if President Hichilema was being criticised he should be criticised on other things but not CDF as only those who are unreasonable would do so.
“Tell me, which MP would not want to receive K28 million? Let’s criticise President Hichilema on other fronts not CDF. On that one I will not be among those that want to criticise it,” said Mung’andu. “Yes, certain projects when they are implemented I will not hide you, their impact will not be felt immediately. That’s not true, unless we are in a situation where everyone, all of us should be on social protection, we start receiving things for free. Yes, then the impact will be felt immediately. But if it’s implementation, planning it cannot be immediately.”
