Pay Prisoners But Don’t Use Taxpayers’ Money, Tembo Advises PF Govt

The Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) has weighed in the recent proposal by Government to pay nominal wages to convicted prisoners.

PeP leader Sean Enock Tembo (SET) said from the onset, the party wishes to indicate that it is fully in support of the concept and believes  that it is long overdue, provided the appropriate funding model is adopted.

The opposition leader said  the money to pay prisoners must not come from taxpayers or from the treasury, but must be generated by the prisoners themselves through various income generating activities during the tenure of their prison sentences.

“This would not be difficult to achieve because prisoners are already generating millions of Kwacha through agricultural activities at prison farms and this money is often shared by the prison command and some ruling party politicians,” Tembo said

He added: “As Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), our expectation is that all the money generated by prisoners should be put into a Prisoners Fund and paid to prisoners as a lump sum upon their release from prison. This would allow former convicts to have some start-up capital upon release from prison so that they can engage in honest and productive lives.”

Tembo said  The current situation where prisoners are penniless upon their release from prison greatly increases their affinity to revert to criminal activities and is counterproductive to our society.

“As for prisoners serving life sentences, alternative modalities can be considered for receiving payments from the Prisoners’ Fund,” he stated.

He said the Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) remains open for consultations on how best such a proposed Prisoners Fund can be structured to achieve its intended purposes.

When reminded that PF Media Director Sunday Chanda said Home Affairs Minister Steven Kampyongo did not issue that statement, Tembo said there is documented evidence to prove that such a proposal was made.

He said unless Kampyongo wants to deny his voice recording as published by News Diggers, otherwise as things stand, he issued the statement and it is just right as a party to give its position on the matter.

Tembo added that Chanda’s statement was not official because he is not a Government Spokesman.

” Let Chief Government Spokesperson Kampampa Mulenga or Kampyongo himself deny the story and not Chanda who is just a member of the PF,”  Tembo said.

The PF have been known for policy inconsistences since they took over government in 2011.