FIGURES DON’T LIE
….but they can be used to tell lies – Dr Fred M’membe
Lusaka, Saturday, May 27, 2023 ( Smart Eagles)
Socialist Party President Fred M’membe says Zambia’s negative GDP growth recorded in 2020 cannot be attributed to leadership.
Dr M’membe said leadership is a tiny fraction that can cause the change in the levels of GDP.
Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema gave a graph with figures for Zambia’s GDP growth from 1973 and attributed negative economic growth in 2020 to Leadership.
But Dr M’membe said while the figures do not lie, they can be used to tell lies and half-truths as can be seen from what the President gave out.
He said what is more discouraging is that the President did not explain the factors which led to the Change in the GDP from 1973 to 2023.
Dr M’membe said the GDP of 2020 that deepened was largely affected by the Pandemic which hit hard on the world economies.
“How many countries showed a deep in their GDP due to the pandemic, nobody was making investment, very few people were cutting business deals, the global economy came to a standstill , the countries that are import dependant like ours, the knock on GDP was huge. So, it cannot be attributed to leadership,” he said.
And Dr M’membe has also mentioned that the GDP under President Levy Mwanawasa was in an era of debt free Zambia.
He said it was the efforts of the Catholic Church through a project called Jubilee 2000 which campaigned for debt write off whose benefits were seen during the Mwanawasa regime and also extended to the Rupiah Banda reign.
He stated that by the time it was 2011, the gains were weaning out.
“There are many factors, he had a right to choose what to emphasise, but he did not give the right picture, no wonder that Catholic priest was right. I am glad the Catholics have also embarked on that campaign to write off debt for indebted countries again today.”
Meanwhile, Dr M’membe said Striving to grow the GDP is not the same as ensuring the better wellbeing of society.
“GDP Measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile, The Number does not measure health, education, equality of opportunities and many other indicators. It does not even measure the crucial aspects of the economy such as its stability and sustainability.
“There are many factors that lead to a certain level of GDP, to attribute GDP to leadership it is a tiny fraction of the whole picture, when you look at GDP in Zambia in 1973, you have to look at the factors. We were surrounded by Colonies, Namibia, Angola, Botswana there was no diamond mining it was still dependant on cattle, Zimbabwe was still under minority rule. The great North Road, Great East were not roads you have today, you could not export anything through Chirundu, Kazungula, Katima Mulilo,” he said.