Too early to judge MP Kaziya
Dear Editor,
A LOT of people have been insinuating that Matero Member of Parliament, Lloyd Mulenga Kaziya is not working let alone visit his constituency and he has been labelled an “absentee MP.”
I wish to rebut the assertion that Mr Kaziya is an absent lawmaker. The gist of the matter is that he is readily available in the constituency.
Those criticising Mr Kaziya are ignorant about the roles of the Member of Parliament. When the MP is elected into office, there are developmental projects which the lawmaker should undertake during his tenure of office.
One cardinal thing worth noting is that the Member of Parliament does not use his or her financial resources to develop the constituency. The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) is what is supposed to be used to developing the constituencies, including Matero.
For instance, the Patriotic Front government did not release the CDF since 2016 until this year. The K1.6 million CDF has just been disbursed and it is not even adequate for big constituencies like Matero.
It is a well-established fact some roads in Matero constituency are in a deplorable state, water reticulation system is a big challenge considering the increased population over the years, high crime levels and accumulation of heaps of garbage among other challenges.
To avert these challenges, there is need for financial resources which in most cases are scarce. Without financial resources, there is absolutely nothing that can be achieved.
Mr Kaziya does not blow the trumpet when visiting his constituency. I have met and interacted with him on many occasions and he shared his developmental agenda with me for the constituency.
Mr Kaziya as our MP lobbied for the construction of the dual carriageway for Lumumba Road and Mungwi Road. This is a landmark achievement as these roads were in a deplorable state barely a year ago.
People should be cognizant of the fact that development is not a one day or one year thing but, the gradual process. Development goes in phases. The same applies to what Mr Kaziya is doing.
The issue of insinuating that Mr Kaziya is not working let alone visit his constituency does not suffice. The lawmaker is on record of sternly dealing with illegal allocation of land by the cadres in his constituency. However, let the people of Matero be patient and support their MP in his quest to develop the constituency and ultimately fulfill his campaign pledges.
Going forward, there are two more years to go before the end of his tenure of office. Let the people judge his performance in 2021 and all the best to Mr Kuziya in his tour of duty.
EDWARD PHIRI,
Lusaka.