VZCZCXRO3205
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLS #0911/01 3341824
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 301824Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7478
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE

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 
 
LUSAKA 00000911  002 OF 002 
 
 
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