Sun, 19 Feb 2017 10:50:01 +0000
By Sycorax T. Ndhlovu
Reports that Patriotic Front (PF) councilors are protesting against local government and housing minister, Vincent Mwale; and that they are threatening to resign if their monthly salary demands are not met (Daily Nation November 13, 2016; page 1) are a general political representatives’ testimony to what veteran politician, Daniel Munkhombwe said that, nowadays, we don’t have politics of patriotism; but politics of benefits.
In Eastern province, we have a Chewa proverb which states: ‘Galu wa m’kota sakandira pachabe’ meaning an old and experienced dog in hunting wild animals doesn’t scratch a hole without suspecting a certain wild animal hiding in that hole as its prey.
Mr Munkhombwe; especially that he served as a politicians in almost all governments Zambia has ever had analysed the political ambitions of many political representatives; and concluded that most such political leaders nowadays are in politics of benefits; and not for servant political leadership.
To prove this point, compared to the prevailing socio-economic conditions for majority Zambians, many politicians, in many ways, are living much more improved lives than many other workers and the general citizenry. While councilors complain of a meagre monthly allowance of K700, most of them also benefit a lot from legal or illegal land allocations.
Whatever the case with each group of elected political representatives in their respective remunerations, this is not the first time we have learnt of ward councilors protesting against allowances. In the past, even during the former Movement of Multi-party Democracy (MMD)’s regime, we learnt of some councilors in some districts refusing to start council meetings until they were paid their allowances.
Now, we are told that PF councilors throughout the country are demanding for a monthly salary; because the current monthly allowances of K700 was a mockery to the current cost of living; especially that they do a lot of work; and that members of Parliament (MPs) and the executive mayors get K28, 000 and K26, 000 per month respectively (Daily Nation November 14, 2016; page 1).
It can be argued that councilors are closer to the communities; and conversant with challenges facing their respective wards. Additionally, councillors work with both MPs and executive mayors. But it has been reported before and severally that MPs rarely visit their respective constituencies.
This implies that most of the political representational functions are done by councilors! To prove this point, addressing the media in Kitwe district at City Library, Buntungwa ward councilor, William Nyirenda argued that they (ward councillors) do the same job as mayors and MPs (ibid).
It’s from such a background that councilors’ demands for improved working conditions seem to be justifiable.
Whatever demands councilors are making, Hon. Mwale has argued that the civic leaders’ position of a ward councilor is a part-time one which doesn’t deserve a monthly salary. But what does the constitution say on the position of a ward councilor as far as a monthly salary is concerned?
While one appreciates the situation with the councilors, what is also interesting in such demands is related to another Chewa’s proverb in Eastern province which states: ‘Khoswe wa pa tsindwi anaulula wa pa dzala’; meaning that a rat from the roof of the house revealed that one on the rubbish pit (chishala).
Little did successive government leaders know that by increasing monthly salaries for constitutional office holders and those for MPs, at a later time; councilors will also demand for increased monthly salaries.
Analytically, ward councilors demands seem to be germinating from the fact that the position of a mayor is now an executive one with a relatively sound monthly salaries and that the difference in monthly incomes between the executive mayor and the councilor on one hand; and that between an MP and councilor is to too huge to ignore.
Therefore, just as Councilor Nyirenda observed, it appears councilors feel that they should also be nearer in rewards to some other functions they support such as those of an MP and that of city’s or municipal council’s mayor.
Moreover, if the constitution states that the position of a councilor has a perpetual duty; and that it should be paid a monthly salary; and not an allowance, why are we not following the constitution as it guides us? Is the Local Government Act repugnant to the current constitution as far as councilors’ monthly earnings are concerned?
With such guidance from the supreme law of the land, never should the issue be whether councilors have a monthly salary or not; but that the issue should be how much monthly salary should councilors receive?
The argument here is not that councilors want to prove that they are in politics for benefits as Mr Munkhombwe’s philosophy of ‘politics of benefits’ might portray; but that, looking at the emoluments of most political representatives and the current socio-economic conditions of majority Zambians, the whole political representation emoluments’ system gives an impression that politicians nowadays are in politics for benefits.
This has been revealed not only by Mr Munkhombwe’s propounded philosophy of ‘politics of benefits’ but by also tracing some reasons for current councilors’ demands for better monthly salaries.
However, considering the arguments the councilors are advancing for demanding improved monthly salaries; and what other elected political representatives are getting as monthly salaries, one can suggest that what is critical in this situation is for councilors not to threaten the government with drastic action which the latter might regret on; but for councilors to use relevant procedures on one hand; and apply advocacy and lobbying strategies on the other hand to ensure that their grievances are met.
Under the current socio-economic circumstances and from the fact that other elected political leaders get far better monthly salaries than councilors, one has no option but supporting councilors on their grievances on monthly salaries.
While appreciating the case of councilors, it should also be noted that the current government has a huge task to improve on the lives of many citizens from meagre government coffers. Zambians still face many socio-economic challenges which the current government is trying hard to address.
Therefore, while each group of Zambians has many grievances to present to the current government, we should learn to present such grievances following right procedures and present them carefully. Timing is also critical in presenting our complaints.
Failure to do so might ignite other problems; and in the process, activate many other groups of workers to demand for increased monthly salaries.
From the current councillors’ monthly salaries’ demands, one can foresee that in future, successive government should be careful with the way they set some public office holders’ monthly salaries and conditions of service to avoid other groups of workers and general citizens misinterpreting why some people are in politics; and why majority Zambians are poor.
In all political positions, it should also be remembered that politics is a service to the masses; and not a means of earning a living. If political representatives’ monthly salaries and other conditions of service consume much of each national budget’s allocation, what will remain for civil servants, socio-economic development projects, economic diversification and industrialisation process of this country?
Therefore, the current councilors’ demands for better monthly salaries is a wake-up call on the current and future governments to review monthly salaries for political representatives downwards or else seeing political representatives leaders leading more comfortable lives than most government workers might incite other workers and the general citizenry to equally demand more from the same government. Such a situation cannot be affordable from the current meagre government’s resources considering many other commitments the same current government has,
Therefore, while other groups of Zambians should be realistic in their demands on government, the latter through its relevant institutions should also be careful in setting and approving monthly salaries for some groups of Zambians such as political representatives to avoid spiral demands from other groups like civil servants and the general citizenry from the various socio-economic challenges they are also experiencing.
In any case, why can’t the rest of the current politicians in this country emulate President Edgar Chagwa Lungu who has reportedly reduced his monthly salary by half to demonstrate the spirit of servant leadership to the masses?
Cell: 0977/0967 450151
E-mail: sycoraxtndhlovu@yahoo.co.uk
