DEVELOPMENT MUST BE SEEN BY VOTERS NOT ECONOMISTS ALONE

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DEVELOPMENT MUST BE SEEN BY VOTERS NOT ECONOMISTS ALONE

Honourable Elijah Muchima: “Today, we’re talking about growth. Growth is only known by economists. An ordinary person cannot see it, just like a doctor sees a disease through a microscope. But with bare eyes, we can’t see it. To run a country is not easy. Everyone is crying, even in the ministry”.



Let’s start by asking why politicians make statements they later insist were either misquoted or taken out of context. Honourable Muchima, who serves as Minister of Lands (under UPND), he held an entire press conference to discredit our newspaper, claiming that he was misquoted. What is there to be misquoted about in this direct quote above? How can he claim to be misquoted when video evidence from his own media team is in public domain?



Honourable Muchima should have the guts to defend what comes out of his mouth as a politician worth his salt. If he thinks what he said makes sense, then he must stand by it. If he meant that Zambians must be taught to see things the way economists see them, he should say so. But when he tries to deny saying things that were captured live, he begins to look ridiculous and must be reminded that he is a leader in a democratic State, and there is freedom of the press in Zambia.



When the citizens say life is hard, government officials must take the concerns seriously and do something to address them, not deny and dismiss reality.

The truth here is that Honourable Muchima was trying to rubbish the sentiments from Zambians who are saying they are not able to see the development which his party has brought about. He was trying to justify why some people are “not seeing” the development. According to him, noticing development is as hard as it is to see bacteria or virus with naked eyes.



This is the matter which the Minister must explain. He cannot dismiss the concerns of the voters in the same way the UPND swept to power in August 2021 by reminding those in government that hope for change lies in the eyes of the poor. Hope should not be lost for the ordinary people. It is not right to dismiss their concerns in the same way PF dismissed the cries from ordinary Zambians.


The promises were not made to elite technocrats who understand GDP and other economic indicators. Their messages were directed at voters; meaning bus conductors, marketers, civil servants, small-scale farmers, and unemployed youths as well as economists. It was ordinary Zambians whom UPND promised development. So when development is not seen, we must not be selective about how we choose to acknowledge or measure performance of indicators.



So, if there is development in the Health Ministry for example, and ordinary citizens cannot afford to access treatment due to lack of medicines, we cannot say a statement that can only be understood from an economist’s point of view, is proof of growth



Growth is inclusive when the impacts are felt across the board. It is only when lives are being transformed for the better that Zambians will believe in the impact of development.

The suggestion that ordinary citizens need an economist’s training to appreciate growing national development, or a deflection from reality. People do not need to see a GDP report to know they are struggling. They don’t need to read the inflation and monetary policy framework of rising mealie meal prices, for example. Most importantly, they don’t need a microscope to observe an empty wallet.



If economic development exists only in the hands of those controlling and managing it, then that is not development. What we are looking for is shared economic growth that improves the living standards of those at the lower end of the ladder, not just to make ends meet.

Let us look at today for what it looks like for the ordinary voter. When Minister Muchima says: “The one I am using is the index of living that is not measurable with the naked eye”, we begin to ask more questions. Prices for essential goods continue to soar. Fuel prices remain comparatively high despite the recent reduction. Electricity tariffs are high. The cost of mobile money services is unacceptably high in value. Youth unemployment is off the charts. And yet, those in government are smiling, just to make ends meet.



Meanwhile, the government points to “macroeconomic stability”, renewed engagement with IMF, and re-engagement with creditors as proof that Zambia is on the right economic recovery path. These are all good things. But people are looking for tangible, long-term, and inclusive benefits of growth. These are the things that matter to the ordinary Zambians’ daily lives.



Minister Muchima’s remarks are a reminder of how power can grow arrogant and how government must never grow further from the people that brought them into office. Rather than defend the indefensible, the Minister should accept that the burden of economic hardship remains on the shoulders of the electorate. The fact that Honourable Muchima admits that even in the ministry people are crying is an indictment. If government institutions are also under strain, how much more are ordinary citizens suffering? That admission should inspire urgency, not arrogance.



The minister needs to remember that in 2021, when people voted for UPND, thousands turned out to vote because they were ordinary Zambians and they did not vote for excuses. They voted for accountability. They voted for leaders with honesty, fairness, and dignity. They voted for change. They no longer want the tone suggested by the Minister, which implies that their struggles are insignificant or deeply disrespected.



Leadership demands reflection and action, not frustration. The truth is, whether they deny it or not, government must work to ease the burden for every Zambian, not just those with access and power.



The role of a public servant, especially one at the helm of such an influential ministry, must be humble, reachable, and willing to learn from the people. Words must be chosen with care, and policy must reflect the lived experiences of the people. Remarks such as these are not just unfortunate; they are painful, and in a country where prices are rising and opportunities are far out of reach, they rub salt in an open wound.



This editorial article is published by News Diggers on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Credit: Diggers Media Ltd.

3 COMMENTS

  1. I’m a voter and i have seen alot of development in all sectors of our economic endeavour too numerous to mention.

  2. Well, don’t counter articles by others without getting their narrative! Looking back 4 years ago we were blackmailed by PF as they went on rampage to loot, steal and distribute the money to their caders via orders where no commodity was supplied using money they got from exorbitant loans. Whin a short time the borrowed money rain out without finishing the so called projects. Next the raided civil servant’s loan repayments that had arrangements through the government before finally defaulting on loan repayments. That was real development Chawama style.

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