BANDA HEARS COOPERATING PARTNERS' CONCERNS -- BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 000911

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL ZA
SUBJECT: BANDA HEARS COOPERATING PARTNERS' CONCERNS -- BUT
WILL HE LISTEN?

REF: A. LUSAKA 730

B. LUSAKA 868

C. LUSAKA 367

Classified By: Ambassador Donald E. Booth for reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: At a November 24 meeting, the Ambassador
and Dutch and World Bank cooperating partner troika
colleagues told President Banda that donor countries want to
work with the Zambian government (GRZ) to help its people,
but stressed that Zambia's cooperating partner would continue
to express concerns about GRZ actions (or inaction) that
could affect their support to Zambia. The Troika also told
Banda that the 2011 national elections must be seen as
credible. As such, voter registration must begin soon to
avoid mass disenfranchisement, especially among youth, and
government leaders must continue to speak out against
election-related violence. To improve public sector financial
management, the GRZ needs to follow through on auditing
ministries. The Troika urged the GRZ to speed civil service
pay reform and government downsizing to promote a more
efficient, professional, and affordable government workforce,
and to adopt and implement a freedom of information law.
Banda was relaxed and engaged throughout the one-hour meeting
and agreed with many of the points the Troika raised. He
blamed the lack of progress in many areas on inertia -- he
said it is difficult to get his ministers to embrace "new
ideas." Interestingly, Banda mentioned that the donor
community would "be sorry" if one of his political rivals
wins the presidency in 2011 and will realize what a democrat
he was after he is gone. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Donor Troika chiefs of mission from the Netherlands
(chair),World Bank, and United States met with President
Banda on November 24. The Troika told Banda that it is
critical that Zambia's 2011 elections be seen as credible --
a true expression of the Zambian people's will. They
expressed concerned that voter registration had not yet begun
and that delays could disenfranchise millions of unregistered
Zambian voters. They noted that cooperating partners had
committed over USD 14 million to assist the Electoral
Commission of Zambia with voter registration and the Ministry
of Home Affairs with National Registration Card (NRC)
issuance. (NOTE: The USG committed USD 2 million to help
Home Affairs improve the NRC issuance process. To vote, a
Zambian needs both a national ID and a voter registration
card and both must reflect the same domicile. END NOTE.)
The Troika commended Banda for speaking out against
election-related violence, but stressed that all party and
government leaders must continue to do so, especially in
light of recent by-election violence (refs A and B). Banda
agreed on the need to prevent violence and pledged to ensure
that the GRZ carries out impartial voter registration prior
to elections.


3. (C) The Troika pressed Banda to follow through on his
call for audits of all spending ministries to avoid
embezzlement issues such as the Ministry of Health scandal
(ref C). Banda affirmed that he will push audits forward and
said the GRZ will eliminate wasteful spending on major
projects by bringing in experts to supervise implementation.
Turning to civil service pay reform, Banda noted that the GRZ
salary revision exercise had been completed and approved by
the Cabinet. The GRZ has not made similar progress in
identifying government jobs for elimination. The Troika
cautioned that if government right-sizing does not move
forward in tandem with pay adjustments the GRZ will have an
even more unsustainable wage bill. Banda explained that it
will be difficult to reach agreement on job cuts. The Troika
also urged him to pursue decentralization. Banda said he was
committed to decentralization in principle but noted that
previous attempts failed because provinces and districts lack
the capacity to manage funds and run programs. He would
welcome donors assistance with local capacity building.


4. (C) The Ambassador and his colleagues noted the GRZ had
made little progress in passing a Freedom of Information
(FOI) law, and offered to assist the GRZ in doing so. Banda
welcomed donor help crafting the legislation. (NOTE: Mike
Mulungoti, Minister of Works and Supply, confirmed at a
November 25 budget support pledging meeting that an FOI bill,
modeled on a U.K. FOIA, has been drafted. He said the
challenge now is to convince cabinet and parliament that it
is a "harmless" law that government officials need not fear.
END NOTE.)


5. (C) Banda took the opportunity to defend himself against
recent allegations of impropriety and his government's
perceived backsliding on democratic ideals. Banda said that
"after I am gone..." the donor community would "realize what
a democrat I was." He intimated that his political rivals

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lacked his democratic credentials, and cautioned that the
donor community "would be sorry" if they got into power.
Referring to allegations that he meddled with official
medical evacuations, Banda stated that a committee of doctors
at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka -- not
him -- decides who gets medevaced to South Africa. Banda
asserted that he attended the funeral of the son of a former
military chief under investigation for corruption because the
deceased was his nephew -- not to show support for the
military chief. Banda also affirmed that former president
Frederick Chiluba went to Nigeria at GRZ expense because the
Constitution grants such a priviledge to former heads of
state, not at his behest.


6. (C) COMMENT: President Banda seemed very relaxed and
engaged throughout the one-hour meeting. He often referred
to the difficulty he has had winning Cabinet support for what
he considers necessary reforms, and shared how Minister of
Home Affairs Lameck Mangani and police chiefs had defended
restrictive tactics based on outdated national security
arguments. Banda's inability to rally his Cabinet behind him
is telling, as he has never had the full support of the MMD
leadership following former president Mwanawasa's death and
his by-election win. Two recent parliamentary by-election
losses have resulted in some MMD soul-searching and
finger-pointing. Banda may have been musing about his own
political future, or he could have been trying to deflect
criticism away from himself by pointing out what he considers
the sins of his potential MMD as well as real opposition
party political rivals. END COMMENT.
BOOTH