A Zambian Member of Parliament, an advocate for debt monitoring and greater accountability
By Pat Rumer, Jubilee Debt Detective
POST-DEBT CANCELLATION – An Update
Given Lubinda was optimistic in 2007 shortly after the debt cancellation deal about Zambia’s progress in investing the debt savings into poverty related programs- particularly in primary education. “Now, he said, he can neither identify debt savings in the budget nor in the President’s speech about the budget.” There have been some poverty-reduction programs but with minimal impact.
Given provided valuable insights into the reasons why Zambia has not done more to distribute the benefits of debt cancellation since 2006. The past president, Levy Mwanawasa, who was in power during the debt cancellation – HIPC process, died in August 2008. He had introduced some programs to benefit the low income persons from debt relief. Unfortunately, the current President Banda was not in power during the HIPC/Jubilee campaign and does not understand the commitments made to the people in regards to the debt cancellation process. In particular, he does not grasp the painful circumstances that Zambia underwent with HIPC process, according to MP Lubinda.
BACKGROUND:
MP Lubinda was in Washington, DC in October 2007 for the Jubilee Sabbath year. He spoke at the Congressional breakfast and the video of that speech is on the national website.
Given is a member of an opposition party, the Patriotic Front. He has served as a MP since 2001 and currently is the spoke person for his party. I met with him at his constituency office in Kabwata, an urban district in Lusaka. There was a huge crowd outside the office with people waiting to see him about a pressing land and water matter.
ZAMBIA ADVOCACY IN ACTION
In the middle of our interview Given went outside to address the crowd of constituents – they are from Mahopu Village in his district. They have lived on their land for 65 years but without title. Given and the village elders have been struggling for the past 3 to 4 years to get land title without success. This day they and he were marching to the Ministry of Land to demand action.
ZAMBIA NATIONAL BUDGET – Fifth National Development Plan (2005-10)
Given stressed that within the African culture of extended family networks, any poverty reduction program needs to enhance family networks not focus on individuals. Poverty is increasing in urban areas while there has been some decline in rural poverty. “There is a village in my district that has no water, sanitation or permanent shelters only six kilometres from the President’s house!” Given noted.
He is very concerned about how Zambia is implementing access to health care. Through a Chinese loan, 12 mobile hospitals have been purchased BUT aren’t very useful as Zambia has very bad roads, limited motor services and gas prices are very high.
DEBT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Given has been a leader in the Zambia Parliament in promoting parliamentary oversight and supports Jubilee Zambia’s debt management plan. From his experience in Zambia he understands the importance of transparency and accountability. He is a part of the Inter Parliamentary Union that has called on the international community to develop universal standards by which all sovereign states would be bound. If international standards can be developed, then Parliaments would have an oversight role in monitoring new debt commitments. MP Lubinda urges U.S. Members of Congress to support the Jubilee Act extending debt cancellation. He also encourages the USA to participate in the development of new international standards to govern international finance, saying “international finance is a public good and supersedes sovereignty!”
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