FUEL PRICE COMPARISON – FOOLS PARADIGM
The problem of politicising everything is what leads to grave policy decisions. We have been following the fuel price comparisons and consoling ourselves that fuel is less expensive in Zambia than in other countries, and so we are better off. This is what I may term as casual analytics. Has anyone bothered to perform an “affordability analysis”?
What is the average wage in the countries we are comparing ourselves to? In the UK, fuel prices are much higher than in Zambia, but if their average wage is £3,000, then it’s more affordable to the citizens compared to Zambians.
If on a generous side we assume an average wage of K10,000 per month in Zambia which translates to $357 assuming a rate of K28 and the price of petrol is K34 which translates to $1.21, can we surely say we are better than the UK where it’s say $2 per liter?
A better comparison to take account of the affordability factor is fuel price as a percentage of average wage. Then, you will clearly see that we are worse off.
Just in our neighbourhood, Botswana and South Africa have far better average wages than Zambia. No wonder Zambians troop to these countries to seek jobs and consequently a better standard of living.
Let’s face reality our fuel price in comparison to our wages is unaffordable to our citizens. Period.
Let’s not hoodwink ourselves and end up celebrating torture. In any event, who says if my neighbour’s children have 1 meal in 2 days, then I am better off because my children have 1 meal a day. Both scenarios are a disaster. Children should have at least 3 meals a day.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
Mr. President, kindly bear with someone. Most people allergic to the truth have chosen self inflicted torture at the expense of reality. They are living in a world of denial and self deceit. Lord have mercy !
Fred the comparison was done against regional prices and the Dollar is even much higher in some not even available like where your friend is a leader in Zimbabwe. Not UK.
What is the GDP of those countries with higher wages, what is there exports vs imports , you want to produce less and get paid like those who produce 4 times more than you
Fred the chikala is still talking…what an A$$hole
From the look of things and how politics in Zambia is being played , we expect in the near future divisions and reactions from/according to regions and tribes associciates that were segregated by mmembe a non entity, lungu and his tri esmen and associates. I see this coming.
We are lucky we have a President in state house today who is doing everything possible within his power to unite the country but people like mmembe, lungu, nawakwi’ s.tembo, nakachinda, and their surrogates who destroyed the economy and stole from people, killed many are so and too talkative, it pains really- changwa will fall and his tribes men and associates are reslly evil.
His excillency , President HH and his team mean well and the work thay are doing. President is doing everything he could to fix the economy they destroyed – these fools who are pretending to be saints and cheating Zambians. Aaaah no. It is paining us. Too painful
HH the President of Zambia and his team are working very hard to fix the economy but these thieves seem to see a weekness and pretend to be saints. Many people and regions who were offended by pf and this stubbon mmembe will react and it wont be good.
I have never seen people who pretend to be leaders but are crooks who cant repent and stand on anthill to insult the innocent. Aaaah no
These pf and their mmembe -and mmembe are
hard-core mafias but one day they will fall.
And what What makes you think a £3000 wage is alot of money in the Uk? The same fuel comparison you’re trashing is exactly what you’re missing in your point. £3000 is nothing in the UK because a decent house is £1000 making fuel for the earner dear. Mmembe used to come out as an intelligent as.shole when he was hiding behind a pen insulting and criticising our politicians. Now naked, he’s exposed his dullness. I used to wonder how a person with such a head would be intelligent? Kansi ni chi dallo head.
I’ve listened to the broken head man on radio several times and still I m yet to pick up anything sensible. All he talks of are historical migrations of the Bantu people, the Russian communism theories, the history of Cecil Rhodes, etc and no alternatives to the challenges that the country is facing. Ati ba opposition leader! No humour in his interviews but you sense ka inferiority complex kaja so. Kuwayawaya fye aba beve
Mmembe = propaganda, lie, tribalism, succession, luck of principles
Much as you are right on the affordability analysis, you conveniently leave out the Elephant in the Room, the root cause of high fuel prices in Zambia – the Depreciating Kwacha under the weight of unsustainable PF DEBT!
Rather than dealing with symptoms, let’s address the root causes.
A good presidential aspirant will be articulating alternative solutions to the problem!
But as far Fuledi, he is part of this mess because he was part of the team that yorked this country with unsustainable Debt!
The biggest problems the UPND has currently is the debt restructuring odeal, once that battle is won, things will definitely fall in place, so it would be wise for every Zambian not to sabotage this process because it has hocked all of us, those that are praying for it to fail will themselves also suffer the consequences. Let us work together on this issue rather than going behind the effort to throw doubt in the mind of the creditors