The Zambian government has come under strong criticism for its plans to pay cabinet ministers and Lusaka-based Members of Parliament hefty allowances for sitting on the National Constitution Conference (NCC).
The NCC is a 500 member special body that government set up two years ago to come up with a new national constitution for the country.
Members of the NCC who have been sitting for the last two years each receive a daily sitting allowance to cover meals, accommodation and a participating allowance, which has been criticized by many as being lavish.
Government ministers and Members of Parliament are some of the delegates who have been sitting on the NCC.
It has however been revealed that the ministers and the Lusaka based Members of Parliament have not been receiving the allowances.
The government has now proposed to pay each minister and Member of Parliament allowances for each sitting, back-dated to 2007 — resulting in the payment of five billion kwacha for each person (1.1 million US dollars).
The proposal has sparked shock and angry reactions from members of the public who have condemned the move.
The women’s movement has said on Thursday it would be wrong for the government to make such extravagant payouts to a few individuals when the country has a myriad of problems requiring finances.
The Catholic Church has urged the ministers to use their consciences and refuse the payments.
The government has justified the payments, saying the ministers were legally entitled to the payments.
Source African Press Agency
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