By ALICE NACHILEMBE
National Democratic Congress Party youths says Lusaka Province Minister should withdraw his statement that Government should stop funding Councils.
Lusambo has been quoted by Radio Phoenix saying,” funding Council’s through the equalization fund is making local authorities lazy to maximize revenue collection’.
NDC Lusaka Provincial Youth Chairperson Nachama Shamulinda the youths think that the remarks by Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo that Government should stop funding council’s extremely reckless, inhumane, hollowly and very shallow.
Mr Shamulinda said that If Government stops funding council’s, who else will fund them with many development challenges that councils are facing.
He said majority of council’s in this country are in rural and far flung areas with no revenue base and there is literally no economic activities in such places.
Mr Shamulinda said majority of local authorities in this country have no capacity to raise funds and later on pay the salaries to workers.
He said they is need to support from Central Government and the state has an obligation to pay council salaries.
“We want to remind Lusambo that council workers in some parts of the country have gone for seven months without pay as the case is with the Chipata City council. How else does Lusambo expect council worker’s to survive without Government assisting local authorities with monthly grants? Anyway, we are not shocked with the calibre of leaders in President Edgar Lungu’s regime. The statement by Lusambo clearly has backing from President Lungu,” he said.
Mr Shamulinda has urged Council workers to change their mind set and look at ways of removing this regime from the corridors of power.
He said Council employees should take advantage of the forthcoming countrywide voter registration excise and register in large numbers.
Mr Shamulinda said that NDC believe that councils are key institutions in entrenching development to various communities.
He said his party fully support the countrywide strike action called by the Zambia Authorities Workers Union Zulaw following the none payment of their salaries.
