Zambia’s Socialist Party President, Fred M’membe, has accused the Hakainde Hichilema-led government of ignoring the advice to stop maize and mealie meal exports, leading to the current mealie meal shortages in the country. M’membe stated that the government’s argument that Zambia had more than enough maize stocks was flawed and failed to consider the role of government in driving maize production through input subsidies.
In a statement, M’membe stated that the government had tried to deny and conceal the mealie meal shortages but can no longer mask or pretend they don’t exist. He accused the government of asking the same businessmen they had given export permits to import mealie meal from the same countries they sold maize to, questioning the government’s economic management practices.
M’membe said that while the government appeared confident, it did not seem to know where it was headed. He urged the government to take measures to address the mealie meal shortages and improve its economic management practices.
GOVERNMENT’S CREDIBILITY QUESTIONED
In a separate statement, M’membe questioned the credibility of the Zambian government’s statements on the country’s economic situation. M’membe pointed out that the Minister of Finance had attributed the depreciation of the Kwacha to delayed debt restructuring, but the recent appreciation of the currency had not been explained adequately.
M’membe called on the government to clarify what measures it had put in place to sustain the appreciation of the Kwacha and lower the high cost of living. He urged the government to be transparent and accountable in its economic management practices to rebuild citizens’ confidence in its pronouncements.
M’membe also speculated that the government may have released large amounts of international reserves under panic to contribute to the appreciation of the Kwacha. He called on the Minister of Finance to explain the circumstances leading to the new development and enable citizens to plan better going forward.