By Patson Chilemba
Milenge Council chairman (independent) Clement Mwila says some members of parliament want to be so powerful on the usage of the enhanced Constituency Development Fund (CDF) yet they are insulting the government.
And Mwila, who says his mayoral election was sponsored by PF, said the fights for control between members of parliament and mayors across the country are real, saying he and the other people serving in these people are living through the same.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Mwila wondered why MPs want to be so powerful in the management of CDF.
“And some of them are even insulting the government. Some of them are insulting the government, I won’t go into mentioning this, and they want to be using the same CDF. And I am grateful, the President because CDF is being given to all the constituencies. Whether you insult the President, you don’t support the President. They are still given,” Mwila said. “But some cases I know, sometime back when you insult the President or you say bad things about the President you won’t see that CDF. But the President again has to ensure that he has to take keen interest in the handling of CDF for decentralization policy to be fully implemented. How do you expect us to implement decentralization when an MP who is in Lusaka wants to be controlling my council? That’s total nonsense.”
Mwila argued against members of parliament getting involved in the administration of CDF, saying MPs are policy makers whose job should end at guiding how they want CDF to be utilized, wondering why they now wanted to become implementers of the programme.
He said they should not even sit on CDF committees, stressing that they wanted to start managing CDF in the mistaken view that CDF belongs to them.
Mwila said the government has empowered mayors and councils to manage CDF, and that if MPs want to become part of the management process they must climb down by resigning in order to become councilors.
“And this is the confusion which is almost in all the councils, MPs want now to interfere in our functions as a council. And you find that there is a serious battle and these are things that the President HH should address. There is a serious battle between MPs and council chairpersons. Why? MPs want to be controlling the councils,” Mwila said. “Why should they come to councils? Are they elected as councilors? No! Are they going to manage to be part of the full council meetings? No! … And they should not even be calling our officers now, confusing them to say “do this, do that.”
He said council employees were now jumping protocol where they were answering directly to the MPs, but warned that this would be disastrous in the end.
Mwila urged Zambians to oppose moves to abolish the emoluments commission, as that will be allowing parliament to become so powerful where MPs wilfully want to amend clauses which offer oversight on their emoluments.
He said MPs want a situation where they just dream to have their allowances increased, and they will simply do so without recourse to the emoluments commission, which ensures some modicum of control.
He questioned disparities in salaries between MPs whom he said get over K50,000 in monthly salaries plus K2000 sitting allowances, and mayors and council chairman who only get between K10,000 to K14,000 with K360 as sitting allowances.
Mwila said MPs feared that if mayors had gratuities they would challenge them in the elections, but warned against MPs using the law for selfish gain.
He said the only thing he would support is delimitation as some constituencies were too big.
Mwila said the country’s meagre resources would not support members of parliament having their own personal to holder GRZ vehicles, including provision of security, arguing that as opposed to MPs, mayors run councils and raise revenue for the districts.
“Why should we give them two vehicles? Are they the only people who are special? Are they the only people who want a luxurious life? Councilors are seriously suffering. And there is no way you want to add K2000 on councillors’ emoluments yet you are going to buy another luxurious vehicle for an MP,” Mwila said. “If an MP is going to have all those privileges what will remain for the people? Are they servants for real or they just want to go and fatten themselves? I know one day I will be an MP but I would not want to leave such a legacy myself. Let’s have the Kaunda policy of serving the people.”
Asked on which party he will contest for the MP position, Mwila said he did not know yet as he is still a people’s person.
He said if his conditions of service were good, he would not seek to stand as MP, as he has security, a council vehicle and other things but “what brings me down are the conditions of service, which are very, very bad.”
He said he was sure the government would look into that, and will appreciate whatever they will be given in terms of adding value, even with a K2000 for instance because they understand that the country does not have the money.
“The other camp did not even want the emoluments commission to be in place. The other camp, I mean the previous guys, us (PF administration). We didn’t want the emoluments commission,” he said.
But he said that there was suspicion that the members of parliament were opposed to that and that was the more reason why they wanted to abolish the emoluments commission.
Mwila described the relationship between mayors and members of parliament as “inkondo (war)” saying “bufi (it’s a lie)” for any council chairperson to say they were in good books with their MPs.
“It’s across the country. And in some other districts you find it’s the mayor, the council chairperson and the DC fighting. And it’s the people suffering on the ground. So this fight is there we should pretend,” said Mwila.
