Veteran politician Vernon Johnson Mwaanga says he does not support the wholesale removal of subsidies on critical commodities like mealie meal and fuel as has been done by President Michael Sata’s government.
And Mwaanga says the wholesale recall of diplomats linked to the former regime has the potential to disrupt international relations between Zambia and other countries.
Featuring on ZNBC’s Sunday Interview programme, Mwaanga, commonly known as VJ, said he was still an MMD member although he had taken a laid back position.
“First of all let me say that we (MMD) are not the ones who introduced the removal of subsidies, the subsidies were introduced in the days of UNIP, we took over these subsidies,” he said.
“I was minister in the UNIP government as well, we carried them over into MMD and the idea was to continue removing them in the 20 years that MMD was in power.”
He said, “subsidies were being done away with on a gradual basis and the idea was that there had to be some protection offered to the poorest of the poor in our society because whether we like it or not the majority of our people are poor.”
Mwaanga said the wholesale manner in which the PF had done the removal was wrong.
“So while I support the removal of subsidies I do not support a wholesale removal of subsidies at once because this is something which should be done on a gradual basis so that the hardship and the pain which is imposed on the poorest of the poor doesn’t become that traumatic,” he said.
“You can imagine that they were being removed from 1973 and people have not been feeling them but they are feeling them now because of the wholesale approach to remove the subsidies.”
He said although the government had refused to budge on calls to reconsider the final verdict would be passed by the Zambian people.
“This debate of course will go on for a long time but the government has made a decision they have removed them and the people will make a judgment whether it was the right thing to do or whether it was a wrong thing to do,” he said.
Mwaanga said the bulk of the diplomats that had been recalled after the PF took over power had not been given their dues.
“I have saved as a diplomat in Rome, London, Moscow and New York and I have been foreign minister twice. When there is a change of government as there was in 1991 what I did as foreign minister and which was endorsed by government is that we should not embark on a wholesale recall of diplomats we found who were appointed by the UNIP government,” he said.
“I was fearful that it would disrupt the conduct of international relations and apart from that a lot of these people who were in the service were very experienced. These people who were in the service included the children of Dr Kaunda for example, some nephews and other relatives of Dr Kaunda and I left them. I did not interfere with them and they were only removed after their contracts had subsequently expired or after I left the foreign ministry.”
He said withdrawal of diplomats tied to the former regime had a damaging effect to the diplomatic relations with other countries.
“I believe that for purposes of continuity wholesale recall of diplomats does a very damaging effect on international relations with other countries because international relations in the 21st century have become very complex,” Mwaanga said.
“When you recall diplomats, the cost of recalling one diplomat is colossal because you have to pay for the transportation, the children, people will have children in schools you have to take them out and they have luggage, goods and other things. You have to send replacements after that to replace all the people that you have recalled then you have to pay the benefits of those ones who are not being re-engaged by government you have to pay them their retirement benefits.”
He said the turnover of diplomats who were queuing up for payment of their benefits was too high since the PF took over power.
“I regret to say that a lot of diplomats who have been recalled in the recent past have not been paid their benefits they are still busy queuing at the ministry of foreign affairs,” he said.
“They have been writing letters and they have been complaining to the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of finance that they have not been paid. It is not a good thing for the country that you recall a diplomat and you do not pay them.”
He said he did not support an age limit to leadership positions.
“I do not think that there should be a Statutory limit on age for people to aspire for leadership positions,” said the twice Foreign Affairs Minister.
And Mwaanga said he hoped the new constitution puts to rest the contentious issue of by-elections.
“Of course they are very costly and what makes it more difficult is that even if you budget you cannot predict how many they will be I hope the new constitution will take care of that,” he said.
Zambian got a first taste of ruling party induced by-elections when then President Levy Mwanawasa tasked Mwaanga as MMD Chief Whip to coax some opposition MPs to join government to increase the ruling party’s voice in parliament.
“It is different from that time because for us they continued being members of their parties while now they are resigning from their parties and thus causing by-elections,” said the ex-diplomat who had a 51 year long government career.
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