Lusaka:  The Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) executive director Patrick Mucheleka has said donors have a right to comment on issues of a domestic nature in the country as they also affected by them.

Reacting to President Rupiah Banda's recent attack on donors criticising government over the registration of the London judgment against former president Frederick Chiluba to pack their bags and leave the country, Mucheleka told Post Online that Zambia cannot do without donors.

"Zambia is not entirely self sufficient especially with regard to developmental challenges that the country has experienced over the years. We have to rely on donors for our budget. I can give an example, if you look at the country's revenue trend analysis you actually see that poverty reduction programs are entirely financed by donors and 30 per cent of the projected budget support came from the international communities," he charged.

"If you look at the budget analysis of revenue between 2006 and 2010 the nation's budget support has relied heavily on external funding."

Mucheleka said President Banda must understand that starting from 2006 the projected 30 per cent of budget external support was sourced through bilateral relations in form of grants or loans or loan agreements with external partners or the donor community.

He urged President Banda, who he observed lacks diplomatic etiquette despite many years in diplomatic service, to find better channels of ironing out his perceived grievances with donors.

" Can you imagine what would happen to Zambians whose poverty levels are still very if the international community reciprocated his action?" he questioned.

"Over the London judgment, cop-oprating partners have a right to comment because it their money that was plundered. This money comes from their tax payers back home and these ambassadors and the donor community are merely representing the tax payers who want to know how their money is being spent."

He further noted that there was nothing wrong with people commenting about a case that had been disposed of as the law provided for this.

"Commenting on issues that directly affect them does not mean they are calling for a regime change," Mucheleka explained.

"While we respect the ruling by the High Court, it's also right that we talk about the next step which is to appeal. Rupiah's reaction to the donors gives signals of a clear lack of seriousness by government with regard to fighting against corruption."

He has since urged President Banda to apologise to the international community for his undiplomatic behaviour towards partners that had supported Zambia.

Last week President Banda lashed out at donors who he said where interfering in Zambia's internal affairs for criticising the government's refusal to appeal against a Lusaka High Court judgment that rejected the registration of the London High Court judgment against former president Chiluba and others.

In the London judgment, Chiluba and others were found liable for theft of US $46 million of public funds.