HICHILEMA MUST STOP GAMBLING WITH MEALIE MEAL
Why are Mr Hakainde Hichilema and his league gambling with mealie meal? Why are they changing policy every day? Does this government know what it is doing?
This country currently faces serious mealie meal challenges, which have resulted in shortages of nshima in many households. People are desperately seeking solutions to these challenges but all this government can do is fidget or mess around with mealie meal supply and pricing policy in an irresponsible fashion.
Will this leadership ever be serious enough to take care of the numerous problems our people face? This is the highest form of recklessness and sheer incompetence.
Looking at the indecision, clumsiness, lack of patriotism and love for the people exhibited by Mr Hichilema so far, it is correct for us prepare Zambians to expect the worst because this government has failed to navigate the mealie meal challenges and ultimately guarantee stable national food security and sovereignty.
The Zambian people 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 starving Zambians. This is typical of far-right governments and leaders, including Mr Hichilema.
We want to repeat the counsel we offered him last month that he must be extremely cautious with the manner in which he is 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.
Let this government acknowledge that its failure to manage mealie meal supply and prices poses a serious security risk both in the short and long term. Let it prioritise the supply chain and ensure that mealie meal pricing is affordable and consistent. It must guarantee food security for every household in the country, thereby creating a cohesive society.
The mealie meal situation is unbearable and citizens have been inconvenienced and have had to wrestle with prohibitive prices for a while. This situation can’t continue.
The writing on the wall is so clear: Mr Hichilema and his corrupt puppet regime have failed.
One bad term doesn’t deserve another, aleya!
Fred M’membe
President of Socialist Party
