HICHILEMA MUST DEAL WITH MEALIE-MEAL PRICES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
The sky-rocketing mealie-meal prices is a sign that Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his far-right UPND government do not care about the suffering majority of this country.
By allowing the mealie-meal prices to be in free rise after overly taxing the poor Zambians, Mr Hichilema has shown that he is determined to milk the poor people of this country of their last coin. They lied to our people by selling them a fantasy of new dawn, which has brought nothing but new dark dawn, pain and misery.
And going by the indecision, clumsiness and the lack of patriotism and love for the people exhibited by Mr Hichilema thus far, it is just correct that we prepare Zambians to expect the worst because this government has failed to navigate the mealie-meal crisis and ultimately guarantee a stable national food security and sovereignty. Zambians must know that the underlying cause of these unstable and high mealie- meal prices is Mr Hichilema’s excessive loyalty to commercial interests and profits at the expense of the starving Zambians. This is typical of far-right governments and leaders such as Mr Hichilema.
Ensuring affordable mealie-meal prices and food security for Zambian households by Mr Hichilema and his far-right UPND government is proving to be a noticeably complex challenge. And each day that passes under Mr Hichilema’s leadership points to one sad reality, which is the mealie-meal prices will remain at an unstable higher plateau more than it has ever been in the history of this country.
This is the objective and consensus opinion that any decent leadership cannot hide from the citizens. Our people have been through a lot already and they deserve to be told the truth by this government and not subject them to highly volatile mealie-meal prices as if we are at war or emerging from a natural disaster. What type of leaders are Mr Hichilema and his league? What is the logic in issuing permits for the export mealie-meal and make super profits leaving citizens to wrestle with prohibitive prices? What type of gluttony and lack of empathy is this?
But Mr Hichilema must be extremely cautious with the manner they are handling the mealie-meal situation in the country. History has shown that the poor have never been friendly in their response to unprecedented high food prices. When their lives and wellbeing are threatened due to unaffordable food prices, the poor have always sought solutions differently and in their own way. But there is no need to tempt people to reach such desperate levels.
This government needs to acknowledge that their failure to manage the mealie-meal prices poses a serious security risk both in the short-term and long-term. Let them prioritise the supply chain and ensure that the mealie-meal pricing is affordable and consistent. They must guarantee food security for every household of this country thereby creating a socially cohesive society.
For once, Mr Hichilema must protect the vulnerable citizens of this country because the current local scarcity of mealie-meal is absolutely unnecessary and selfish. It cannot always be about aiming for profits and boosting business. There is more to life than this insatiable appetite for accumulation.
Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party
