Cleric urges PF administration to allocate 10% of national budget to Churches

A cleric in Zambia has called on the new Patriot Front (PF) government to consider giving 10 per cent of the national budget to the church in Zambia. Father Laston Lupupa SJ, Parish Priest at Our Heavenly Father Catholic Church in Chelston, Lusaka made the call during his homily on Sunday this week. The homily focused on a reading from the gospel of Matthew in which Jesus told the Pharisees and the Herodians to give to "Caeser what belonged to Ceaser and to God what belonged to God'' when they confronted him on the question of paying taxes.

Fr. Lupupa said that it was an obligation for citizens to pay taxes to the government and the responsibility of the government to ensure that the funds that were collected in taxes were used for the welfare of all citizens. He urged the new PF government to ensure that monetary resources collected in form of taxes are used prudently and ploughed back into projects that would benefit all Zambians.

He observed that that the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation by the Second Republican President Fredrick. T. J. Chiluba has not been accompanied by allocation of monetary resources in the national budget to the Churches. Most Churches depend on donations from well wishes to carry out capital projects such as building new church structures, hospitals and schools. He further pointed out that despite providing health and education services especially in rural areas, most church missions received very little financial support from the government.  He therefore implored the new administration to consider allocating about 10 per cent of the national budget to Churches. 

Rain, wind and cold air in October?

Photo Courtesy of Mwaka Kayula

This year's October weather has really been very unpredictable. When one wakes up in the morning they are not sure what clothes to wear. Most debate on whether to put on heavy or light clothes. In the recent past, October clothing was very predictable. Ladies would rush to the tailors and bouquent (including salaula) and get some light clothes in readiness for the anticipated hot weather. This October, however, we have been greeted by early rains. In some areas of Zambia the rains have been heavy. They have caused damage particularly to maize at the Food Reserve Agency's satellite depots dotted in most rural areas of Zambia. The photogragh on the left shows some maize that was soaked after a down pour at Batoka FRA depot in Southern Zambia.

Unpredictable weather patterns pose a serious challenge to long term planning particularly for weather dependent social and economic activities. Early rains in October have resulted in FRA making adjustments to their maize storage plans. In the past early rains were expected mainly in the last weeks of October or early November. Now that they have started in the first weeks of October farmers also have to adjust their land preparations and planting plans. Are these some of the challenges that we have to face as a result of climate change? If so, it is important that the country invests in better climate prediction facilities to assist the country to adjust to the changing climate. In addition, the international communities particularly developed nations that bear the responsibilities for the changing climate need to support least developed countries such as Zambia to adapt.

The cost of climate change adapation is enormous. In the case of Zambia thousands of metric tonnes of maize that were produced in last year's farming season risk being wasted if measures are not urgently taken to either move the stock to safe storage or cover exposed maize. Most of the maize was produced with subsized inputs and also bought from farmers at enormous cost to the government revenue. Therefore, if the stock is not secured millions of kwacha of tax payers' money will go to waste. This is unacceptable in a country where more that 60% of the population live on less than a dollar a day with some households only managing one meal a day during the lean seasons. FRA has responded quickly by providing satellite depots with taupaulins to cover the harvest in some cases and transport to move some maize to permananent storage sheds in other cases as reported in the Zambian media.

The cool and mild weather particularly in the evenings is very welcome by most. Apart from the comfort provided to many the weather also prevents high energy comsumption. This could be regarded as one of the postive aspect of climate change. In the past hot October evenings have resulted in high usage of electrical appliances such as fans and air conditioners increasing use of electric energy. The cool weather has also reduced on high numbers disease vectors such as mosquitos and flies which proliferate in times of hot weather.