VZCZCXRO1547
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLS #1253/01 3121328
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081328Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5131
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP PRIORITY 0047

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 001253 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ZA
SUBJECT: ZAMBIA - POLITICAL ROUNDUP 
 
REF: A. LUSAKA 1225 
     ¶B. LUSAKA 1052 
     ¶C. LUSAKA 1019 
     ¶D. LUSAKA 936 
     ¶E. LUSAKA 887 
 
LUSAKA 00001253  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  This cable is sensitive but unclassified, please handle 
accordingly. 
 
¶2. Summary 
-- Civil Society and GRZ Consult on NGO Bill 
-- National Constitutional Conference to Meet in December 
-- November 8 By-Elections 
-- Sata Slammed as Hired Gun for Taiwan 
-- Tourism-related bills make their way through Parliament 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Civil Society and GRZ Consult on NGO Bill 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Led by the NGO Coordinating Council, civil society 
organizations met on November 6 to consult on the NGO Bill. 
The GRZ pulled the bill in late August following protests by 
civil society and coordinating partners (refs D and E) that 
the bill gave the GRZ too much regulatory power and imposed 
unreasonable reporting requirements.  According to press 
reports, Minister of Justice George Kunda opened the meeting 
with a speech in which he said that "Unregulated civil 
society in any country can be a danger to peace and 
maintenance of law and order."  The press also reported 
Kunda's remarks that some civil society organizations 
worldwide were known to be conduits for terrorist financing 
and engaging in money laundering activities, while others 
were known to receive funds from dubious entities such as 
"homosexual organizations" (note: in 1998 there was a huge 
scandal when an international donor announced funding for a 
homosexual support group).  A Department for International 
Development (DFID, the UK's aid organization) rep who 
attended the meeting said that civil society was 
well-organized and presented concrete comments on the text of 
the draft bill.  The NGOCC is now taking the lead on 
producing a report of the meeting with detailed 
recommendations for improving the bill.  The GRZ plans to 
resubmit the bill to Parliament, but will probably not be 
able to do so before the end of the current session of 
Parliament at the beginning of December. 
 
----------------------- 
NCC to Meet in December 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The GRZ has announced that the National 
Constitutional Conference (NCC) will begin sitting in early 
December after the current session of Parliament adjourns, 
according to press reports and donor contacts.  Civil society 
participation is still not finalized.  Four of the five 
members of civil society umbrella group the Oasis Forum are 
maintaining their boycott; these include the Evangelical 
Fellowship of Zambia, the Zambia Episcopal Conference, the 
Council of Churches of Zambia and a gender-based umbrella 
group.  The membership of the fifth Oasis Forum member, the 
Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), voted to participate in the 
NCC.  LAZ member and Women and Law in Southern Africa 
regional chair Matrine Chuulu told Poloff that the LAZ 
preferred to see in what direction the NCC would go and was 
prepared to vote with its feet if it was not satisfied. 
Walking out from within was a more powerful statement than a 
total boycott, according to Chuulu. 
 
----------------------- 
November 8 By-Elections 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  (U)  By-elections are being held on November 8 for a seat 
in the National Assembly and ten municipal ward seats.  The 
National Assembly opening in the Nchanga district of the 
Copperbelt province resulted from the defection of a former 
Patriotic Front MP Charles Chimumbwa to the ruling Movement 
for Multiparty Democracy (note: the Zambian constitution 
requires a by-election in cases where a member of parliament 
switches parties).  Among the municipal ward openings, two in 
Lusaka are interesting as they resulted from the forced 
expulsion from the PF of former Lusaka mayor Susan Nakazwe 
and a colleague, who both defied party president Michael 
Sata's orders and met Chinese President Hu Jintao at the 
airport in March.  The MMD brings a lot of material 
incentives to bear on by-elections and is expected to win in 
all three races.  However, MMD National Assembly candidate 
Charles Chimumbwa appeared in court on November 6 to face 
charges that he committed fraud in a business deal involving 
the sale of copper cathodes (sheets of raw copper used in 
 
LUSAKA 00001253  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
finished products), and this may affect his chances. 
Hakainde Hichilema, President of the United Party for 
National Development (UPND) has also put in a lot of campaign 
effort for this by-election, though that may be more of an 
effort to boost his name recognition in preparation for 2011 
president elections in a region where his party is not 
traditionally strong. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Sata Slammed as Hired Gun for Taiwan 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (U) Blowback on opposition Patriotic Front (PF) President 
Michael Sata's self-proclaimed crusade against China (ref A) 
continues, with Information Minister Mike Mulongoti calling 
on November 1 for the police to investigate Sata's 
solicitation of USD 50,000 from the Taiwanese government on 
the grounds that organizations must have the written 
permission of the President to accept any assistance from a 
foreign government.  Meanwhile, at a November 2 ceremony to 
honor the first anniversary of the Beijing Sino-Africa 
Summit, Chinese ambassador to Zambia Li Qiangmin charged that 
Sata was a "hired gun" who is blinded by lust for money.  The 
independent Post newspaper has published several stories 
casting serious doubt on Sata's story that his passport was 
stolen in London by a Chinese hotel employee, and has run a 
series of strongly worded op-eds condemning Sata's greed and 
opportunism.  Sata has fought back, saying that he doesn't 
need the Post and telling voters at a campaign rally 
appearance that he is a hired gun for Zambia and that he 
would stand with poor Zambians while the Chinese come to 
steal Zambia's wealth. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Tourism Bills Make Their Way Through Parliament 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶7.  (U) Zambia's National Assembly opened for business on 
October 30 after a two-month recess.  First on the agenda are 
two tourism-related bills.  The Tourism and Hospitality Act 
of 2007 represents the GRZ's effort to boost regulation and 
standards in the tourism industry and to cut bureaucracy for 
tourism operators.  Specifically, the bill creates a 
"one-stop shop" for all tourism-related licenses within the 
Ministry for Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, 
mandates that hotel managers must have a degree or diploma in 
hotel management, and creates a Tourism Development Fund for 
tourism product development, tourism marketing and research 
and training.  The bill also requires permits for any and all 
renovations structures and provides for an extensive appeal 
process should any party oppose a permit.  Tourism operators 
complain of insufficient consultation on the bill and fear 
that the called-for streamlining will only create more 
bureaucracy.  Despite this opposition, the bill is expected 
to pass before the end of the week.  A related bill, the 
Zambia National Tourism Board (ZNTB) Act, is also expected to 
pass.  The bill will take away licensing responsibilities 
from the government-funded ZNTB and changes the ZNTB's 
mandate to focus exclusively on marketing.  In the past the 
ZNTB had a dual marketing and development mandate. 
MARTINEZ