VICE-PRESIDENT Inonge Wina says the distribution of books with President Edgar Lungu’s portrait in schools will not stop.
Responding to Katuba member of parliament Patricia Mwashingwele’s statement that the distribution of exercise books with President Lungu’s portrait in schools was indoctrinating pupils, Vice-President Wina wondered why citizens had problems with it.
“Mr Speaker, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu indeed is president for the Patriotic Front but Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, His Excellency, is President of the Republic of Zambia and as such, Mr Lungu’s portrait hangs in our offices, why do we not object? Mr Lungu’s face is displayed everywhere in government institutions. Therefore, it really defeats me to hear a member of parliament complaining about the portrait of the President of the Republic on a book. These are government schools and there is no reason why the portrait of their President should not be seen on the books they use. Mr Speaker, the distribution of exercise books in schools with portrait of the President will be distributed continuously,”
Vice-President Wina said during the Vice-President’s question time in Parliament on Friday.
When queried further by leader of the opposition in parliament, Monze Central UPND member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu why Central Province permanent secretary Chanda Kabwe, a civil servant, was asking parents and pupils to vote for President Lungu when he was distributing books in schools, Vice-President Wina said she was not aware that a civil servant was involved in the distribution of books.
“Mr Speaker, I am not aware of the occasion that the Member of Parliament for Monze Central is referring to where Mr Kabwe was distributing the books in Shibuyunji and that I can vouch that I am not aware of the event and that a civil servant was distributing books,” she said.
And Vice-President Wina described the E-voucher as a success.
“One million farmers were targeted to benefit from the E-voucher programme and out of the one million farmers, over 700,000 have benefitted and quite a number of farmers have deposited their K400 for further inclusion in the programme. We have said several times in the House that this was the first time that this programme was being done on a wide scale and definitely there had to be some hiccups and obstacles here and there in the implementation of the programme but I can assure the House that this programme will continue and we will just ensure that we correct the processes that went wrong in the past season. So, Mr Speaker, I can claim that the E-voucher system is good and it is going to help the Zambian farmers as we roll it out throughout the country,”
Vice-President Wina said. “Mr Speaker, government is taking measures to ensure that the situation that happened in the agriculture sector in the last season is not repeated. So, the government is putting measures in place, including preparing adequate resources for agriculture inputs to be delivered early than what transpired last year.”
On the Constituency Development Fund, she said she was aware that in 2017, a number of constituencies had not received their CDF allocation, adding that it was government’s obligation to ensure that the remaining constituencies that did not access the funds were given in the course of this year.
Read this article from the original source: WINA: There’s No Reason Why Lungu’s Portrait Shouldn’t Be Seen On Books.