Opening
Remarks;
By Charity Musamba, Co-ordinator Jubilee-Zambia
OPENING REMARKS
I would like to welcome you to this important Conference, under the theme, "Debt Relief Under HIPC: Zambia's Experience." I am sure that some of us have heard about HIPC before while some of us might be hearing of HIPC for the first time today. This difference is of little concern to this meeting. We have here for a major cause beyond just hearing about HIPC.
Why call for a meeting on HIPC? As we will hear from the presentations today, HIPC is in Zambia today as an initiative to help our country overcome the serious debt problem we are facing. As civil society organisations, we have worked and are still working hard, calling for the total cancellation of Zambia's external debt, And from the creditors' side, we have been given HIPC. Our major question today is, what is HIPC to us as Zambians? What does it mean? What change does it bring? To who? And When?
These questions are pointing to one key civil society concern and I believe Government too - poverty in our country. So some further questions, therefore are; will HIPC benefit the poor? We are aware of some sad reports that some HIPC debt relief resources have been misused. Why? What has happened to those who misused the resources? I hope that some of these questions will be answered in our meeting today.
As civil society, it is our hope that HIPC debt relief resources will be put to good use. We are gathered here for that sole purpose. To Government, the manner in which debt relief resources will be utilised will show us the new administration's determination to bring gross mismanagement and misuse of national resources, in this case finances to a halt. Continued reports of "HIPC resource misuse" and " HIPC resource mismanagement" only goes to show how broken down our national accountability system is.
It is my belief that no Government or civil society anywhere in this world is proud about just publishing financial scandals that are never properly dealt with. It must be in the interest of all Zambians, the national administration and all partners in development to ensure that such tendencies are stopped both by word and in action. Secondly, if HIPC relief resources are here for Zambians, especially the poor who are the majority, let the Zambians know where these resources are found, who is handling them and let the people decide what these resources must be used for. This is very important. I have seen a car labeled "HIPC Programme" or something like that belonging to Government, driving around in Lusaka and I ask myself, how many Zambians know the purpose of that car, and more importantly, how many are aware of the programme labeled on that car?
Finally, we are all here to learn, share, ask and finally, agree on what our role is in relation to the HIPC initiative in Zambia. In all this, let us remember we have a major material and moral responsibility- to help and give the poor what rightly belongs to them. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, HIPC funds belong to the poor. So let us ensure that HIPC debt relief resources benefit the poor in our country Zambia.
Thank you,
