WELCOME back to this week story on disability and development, thank you for your encouragement.
In last Sunday’s story, we looked at collective response to disability issues at African level through African Union and other regional groupings.
A good number of readers have noted seriousness on increased funding to Zambia Agency for the persons with disabilities and review of disability Act by Patriotic Front (PF) Government.
Mr Jameson Daka, a former employee of Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities and a wheelchair user said this Government has the heart for the disabled.
He noted that disabled people needed to change their approach more especially disability politics so that we work with Government to change our lives for better.
He feels that ignoring the PF political will shown for their favour would spell continued suffering.
My appeal to my fellow disabled people in Zambia is that we support Government initiative meant to address our plight and stop advocacy of intimidations and confrontational towards our Government.
We need to work with Government to identify people with the capacity to run Zambia Agency for Persons with Disability because the current team of management cannot manage to improve service delivery.
I received a phone call from  Friday Chipepo Malwa who onced served as a deputy minister in charge of disability at the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, now called ministry of Community Development Mother and Child Health.
Mr Malwa told me that reviewing of the disability Act was initiated by the MMD administration and the completion of the review by the PF Government was done because this Government is disability friendly.
“This Government is also committed to changing the status quo of persons with disabilities in Zambia.
As a longest deputy minister in charge of disability that that time, I know what it means to review the Act and increase funding to Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
I, however, have serious observations on the capacity of the current leadership capacity to move with the vision of the PF Government and ensure that Zambians see change in disability administration.
If you ask me about how I feel on what should be done to make Zambia Agency for Persons with disabilities to be relevant to the plight of the disabled.
My suggestion is that Government must immediately take disability administration to the office of the President or Vice President as you know I also worked in the office of the Vice President as Deputy Minister.
Further more, Government should change the name from Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) to Commission for Persons with Disabilities (COPD).
The commission should have commissioners together with Director General be appointment by the President and the composition be changed so that it can supervise management of the commission for the disabled and provide policy direction.
The commission should assume its mandate and responsibility of inviting international community to support the PF Government in its efforts to uplift lives of persons with disabilities more especially that this Government has demonstrated a political will.
By amending the disability Act and domesticating the united nation convention on the rights of the disabled which is the tool and strong basis on new disability Act number 6 of 2012, it address issues affecting disabled people.
This Government has further increased funding to Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities in 2014 budget from K 5 million to K9 million.
Remember I was there for a long time and working with persons with disabilities was my day to day responsibility, I have visited all 17 farm centres for the disabled under the agency.
I also spent time with client and workers so much as Government has done so much for the disabled.
Let me totally agree with Mr Daka that if we miss this political will to change lives of persons with disabilities and ensure that Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities management is completely changed.
I remember very well that during our time, we agreed as  a ministry  of  restructure the agency management at  headquarters, province, district and farm  level in order to make it service centred and relevant to the people it suppose to serves.
There is an urgent need for reposition agency by addressing the issue of leadership and one important visible barrier is lack of national disability policy at country level which must be a guiding principle
for implementation of disability programmes across ministries.
This can only be done when Government and other stakeholders put their perceived differences aside and work to better lives of persons with disabilities in this great nation.
For me, the agency is  a white elephant which has failed  the disabled people in Zambia but it needs
major leadership change and Government should never allow few disabled people to take the Zambia Agency for persons with disabilities into a disabled people’s Organisation we rejected this and the current Government should not make a mistake.
What I meant by that is that in a disabled people’s Organisation commonly known as DPOs only a disabled can be appointed chief executive officer or director.
This is the organisation of the disabled but the Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities is the Organisation for the disabled and any one with qualification can be appointed as Chief executive officer.
Disability in the agency is not a qualification but an added advantage to a qualified disabled.
Now, even during our time in Government, few disabled friends petitioned the President and my office that we did not want a person who was not disabled to run the agency and this made people who were not disabled fear to serve the disabled people.”
It is very clear from Mr Malwa and Mr Daka that Government need to do more and ensure that the name is changed and disability administration is positioned in the office of the President or Vice President for effective service delivery.
Let us all support these efforts to improve service to persons with disability because we need the agency at one point in life that we are all potential disabled.
It is a matter of time, may God bless you as you reflect on this article.
The author is a Professor for the Faculty of Disability Studies of ICOF Colleges Seminary and Universities an American based Christian Institution of learning, Regional Disability policy Analyst for SADC and Inclusive Development Advisor for Centre for Disability Development Research, Law and Policy, Johannesburg.
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