Scott Reveals Deep Seated Loathe for Online Media Vice President Guy Scott was at it again during the lively Vice President Question time in parliament taking on everything thrown at him and showed no love for the growing spectre of online journalism that he never loses a moment to vilify. Dr Scott also said that farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency may have to wait until January to be paid their money. Below are excerpts from his moment in the firing line: Question: Kabinga Pande (Kasempa MP): the PF government through the Vice President on the floor of this house had indicated that civil servants are not supposed to be involved in politics but during the last by-election we saw District Commissioners who are labeled to be civil servants actively involved in election campaigns. In Solwezi a DC was even seen dancing on top of a truck. Can the Vice President now tell that District Commissioners are no longer civil servants and they are politicians we should be talking to them and actively involved in politics? Response: Vice President Guy Scott: Mr Speaker I don’t know the significance of dancing on top of a truck. Without the registration number of the truck or the type of music to which the individual is alleged to have been dancing to on top of the unnumbered truck, if there is any genuine concern on the questioner’s part I would urge him to write to me or specify the actual details so that we can deal with it. Question: Lupososhi MP: The rain season is almost here and the people of Luwingu are concerned they have not yet been paid for the maize that they sold to the Food Reserve Agency. Mr Speaker may his honour the Vice President give comfort and assure the farmers of Luwingu that they will be paid before the rain season deepens so that they will be able to pay for their FSIP fertilizer. Response: Vice President: I don’t think I can give a guarantee with anything to do with the funding of maize. The fact is this year there is this maize surplus not just in Zambia but in the region. We are therefore in a situation that happens to all agriculture industries everywhere that some years you over produce and some years you under produce and we are still in October I would like the opposition to mark. Normally this business of paying for maize in separate years continues up to January. We are in October we are not even four months down the road from opening the FRA depots. I know there are some people with difficulties in adding or taking two dates. I can see that the member for Katuba (Jonas Shakafuswa) is still puzzling as to what I am saying but (disorder in the chamber). In detail the current free market price of maize in this region is around K45 a bag that is the free market trading price of maize. What government is paying to farmers at the farm gate is K70 a bag. If you add to that the transport and storage cost it comes to more like K90 double what the market is paying that is why this problem has arisen. This problem unfortunately the price of copper is down it is not as if we are flash with cash but we will ensure that we do everything to capture and ensure that people get their money as soon as possible. Question: Kapembwa Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Speaker I must admit that I do enjoy the humour that the Vice President attaches to his answers. Mr Speaker I am aware that the Zambian Watchdog the online publication has drawn a lot of following going by the comments by the Vice President I am sure he is an ardent follower. I would like to find out from him how does he rate their reporting. Response: Vice President: the problem is that there is no accountability there at least in the Daily Nation where if I want to take a different view to the Daily Nation I can write to the Daily Nation because I know where to find it. The Watchdog has no home it is a watchdog without a home, it is a dog. Or a watch jackal with no house and it can basically do whatever it wants and it is interesting if you are in the mood to study anthology of some of the stories they make up and also to wonder who is spending good money from their pockets. I hesitate to use words like satanic because that is the watchdog’s own language. But it is grossly inferior stuff which has had a lot to do with the poor relationship between politicians and parties in the last three years. It is not doing anybody any good even the people who stand up to praise it on the other side. So it is a watch jackal sometimes it is worthy for the entertainment but I would say if it suffered from suicide tomorrow we would all be very happy. Davies Mwila (Chipili): Your Honour the Vice President government has imposed a wage freeze on the public service workers. Do we see any review on that decision in that the standard practice in terms of bargaining is that you meet annually and don’t you expect any spill over to the private sector to say we will also impose a wage freeze? Response: Vice President: the situation is made tricky by two things; one is that there are discussions going on between the public service unions and ourselves. This rather puts me in a position where I say anything too strong it might be regarded as prejudicial. They have actually declared a dispute and things are proceeding very smoothly to look at this. I heard myself say when I read business of the house that there is a motion coming that we should lift this freeze so that is going to take about an hour or two of the house in verifying details. I would rather leave this issue to sort itself out through the channels that I have mentioned. Question: Kabompo West: Mr Speaker I would like to remain cool, calm and collected however, I have a challenge may his Honour the Vice President confirm to this and the nation as a whole that the PF government has completely failed to deliver the constitution and that the constitution making process has stalled because they are no longer interested because being interested would be inimical to their continued existence in government. Could the Vice President confirm. I thank you. Response: Vice President: Mr Speaker the Vice President is not here to confirm things, he is here to clarify things and is here to ensure that proper channels are followed. The proper channel is, it so happens I have the minister of justice or the man appointed to that position today and he has whispered in my ear that he will issue a ministerial statement in the next few years. So remain cool and collected don’t do too much barking yourself. zambiareports/2014/10/17/scott-reveals-deep-seated-loathe-online-media/
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 17:25:30 +0000
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