ECL ON HH’S CASSAVA PROPOSAL
….I say I watched in disbelief because the behaviour of my brother amounts to mocking Zambians over their favourite staple food, nshima, which comes from maize meal….
DON’T MOCK ZAMBIANS OVER THEIR FAVOURITE NSHIMA – ECL ADVISES HH
THE other day I watched in disbelief, my brother – Mr Hakainde Hichilema – encouraging Zambians to consider cassava meal as a great alternative to maize meal because it lasts longer in the tummy. He said Zambians must seriously consider this as an action plan despite the fact that cassava meal has a “smell” which people in some parts of the country don’t like.
I say I watched in disbelief because the behaviour of my brother amounts to mocking Zambians over their favourite staple food, nshima, which comes from maize meal. Because he understands how Zambians love their nshima, aka bwali, he promised to reduce the price of mealie-meal to K50 from an average of K120, during our time as PF in government. He said K120 was beyond the reach of most Zambians amidst the high cost of living.
Today, the price of mealie-meal is averaging K400 with the cost of living shooting through the roof, leaving no signs of the mealie-meal price ever going down. Instead of apologizing and explaining to Zambians why they have failed to reduce the price of mealie-meal as per their promise, the so-called New Dawn government started to encourage Zambians to resort to roller-meal “which is cheaper and healthier”.
And now that he has heard most Zambians complain that they can’t afford three meals a day, my brother is telling them to resort to cassava meal because it lasts longer in the tummy. This is a mockery to the Zambians who were deceived that this government would reduce the cost of living because the opposite is now the new dawn.
And when a Catholic priest reminds them to reduce the price of mealie-meal and the cost of living as per their promise, they threaten to arrest the priest for hate speech. So reminding the UPND in government to fulfil their campaign promises now amounts to hate speech, which can actually send such complainants to prison. No doubt, it is now very clear that what most Zambians expected to be a new dawn is actually a new doom. Napafita! So UKAni ma Zambians and fight for your rights, fight for the real dawn. Kwacha! Ukani!
In which shops are you going to find cassava meal across the country and at what price?
Your new dawn Minister of Energy is now asking you to brace yourselves for an imminent increase in electricity tariffs by ZESCO when they promised you a reduction in the tariffs. The price of fuel they promised to reduce has now more than doubled. Ka exchange rate kena kulabakofye.
Anyway, let me stop here before I receive a CALL OUT to appear before the police for hate speech. In any case, we are more than ready and resolved to be arrested for reminding this government about its dismal performance.
Signed
Edgar C. Lungu
Zambia’s Sixth President
and Patriotic Front President
LUSAKA
9/04/24