DECLARE HUNGER CRISIS A NATIONAL DISASTER…so that well-wishers start providing aid, Hon Jay Banda advises government

DECLARE HUNGER CRISIS A NATIONAL DISASTER

…so that well-wishers start providing aid, Hon Jay Banda advises government.

Thursday, 15 February 2024

Petauke Central Independent Member of Parliament Jay Banda has maintained that there is need for government to declare the hunger situation in the country as a national disaster.

Speaking when he and other independent lawmakers addressed the press at Parliament today, Hon Banda said this will enable well-wishers to come on board to help mitigate the crisis.

He noted that there is too much hunger in the country.

“Right now when you come to Petauke, there is too much hunger where people right now, even just to have food on the table, they are even buying gaga. So you can imagine if the situation has reached that level, it means things are not good,” he said.

“That is why we asked Her Honour the Vice-President to say can you declare the hunger crisis a national disaster so that well-wishers can come on board to help Zambia. Because it is not good. These resources we have, it is not the resources for us leaders who were elected.”

He added that the country’s resources belong to the ordinary citizens and that MPs are like administrators.

“We are just like administrators, where someone has died, and then the family sits down, choose an administrator to spearhead the affairs of the wealth the deceased left. Even us, that is why we were voted in. It is not our money; it is not government money but it is the money for the people. So when people have challenges, government should come in using the same money to give solutions to the people,” he said.

“Like in this hunger situation, government should come in to give relief food. We don’t have time now to start doing blame games. We are calling on government right now to give relief food to each and every Zambian.”

Hon Banda also registered his displeasure with the requirement for business entities from Eastern Province to have a permit for them to order mealie meal from Lusaka.

“Eastern Province we are very surprised. We are very surprised because Eastern Province is part of Zambia. The people of Eastern Province, on their NRCs, there is Zambia. But I am surprised that everyone who wants to order mealie meal to take to Eastern Province they require to say we need permit,” he said.

“Now, how can government ask for businessmen from Eastern Province for a permit while in Eastern Province, we are the ones who are supplying this raw material to come up with mealie meal.”

He explained that in places like Lumezi and Petauke, there are trucks loading maize to bring to Lusaka as raw material for mealie meal.

“But it is so surprising… all of us in Eastern Province we depend on the milling plants which are here in Lusaka. We expect the way these other provinces move mealie meal to be the same with Eastern Province. I am sure we can even cushion the hunger crisis which is there,” he said.

“We are asking the executive to remove the SI which requires businessmen to use permits when they want to order mealie meal.”