By Kellys Kaunda
THE IRAN WAR AND THE ZAMBIAN ECONOMY – WHY THOSE SEEKING OFFICE OF PRESIDENT MUST BE TESTED ON FOREIGN POLICY MATTERS
The recent confession by government that they blundered on their decision to turn Indeni into a mere Oil Marketing Company revealed just how critical a knowledge of foreign affairs is to governing a nation.
An oil refinery is a strategic firm whose significance becomes all too clear in times like these – when regions which serve as sources of oil are at war.
Where there’s an oil refinery, there’s a provision for the storage of crude oil in considerable quantities to keep machines running.
It means for a considerable period, the country would not run out of the commodity thus keeping the wheels of the economy running.
Hence the non-negotiable nature of a knowledge of foreign affairs on the part of those seeking political office.
If you go to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you will learn, among other things, the regions of the world we maintain diplomatic relations with.
One of them is the Middle East. This means some of our vital interests are linked to this region.
Over the years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been studying this region with our foreign missions there dispatching reports and policy recommendations.
As Brian Mundubile pointed out in a Diamond TV interview with Costa, the need to continue constructing facilities for the storage of oil was noted a long time ago along with maintaining Indeni as a refinery.
Domestic policy has become just as important as foreign policy because nations are inextricably intertwined.
The US and Israeli war against Iran has resulted in negatively impacting both the production and transportation of oil around the world. The alternative routes and transportation methods are insufficient to satisfy global demand.
Production must stop because storage facilities are full reaching what is known as tank-top or tank top-out.
The process of switching them back on when the war is finally over takes months.
This means we are in for difficult days ahead unless the Zambian government, like many others around the world, take a series of measures to mitigate the expected impact.
But the negative impact would have been avoided or seriously minimized had our coverage of tne Middle East been leveraged appropriately by making the right decision over Indeni.
So, to the media, as you invite Presidential hopefuls for interviews, test them on their foreign policy.