IS HICHILEMA OCCUPYNG A PARALLEL UNIVERSE?- Fred M’membe

IS HICHILEMA OCCUPYNG A PARALLEL UNIVERSE?

Mr Hakainde Hichilema, through the State House Chief Communications Specialist, Mr Clayson Hamasaka, recently stated that he was open to constructive debate with opposition leaders but stressed the need for substantive, solution- oriented proposals, whatever that means because we have been offering alternative solutions, which he has been ignoring, right from the start of his presidency.

Mr Hamasaka, who itemized what they view to be this administration’s anchor policies and achievements, stated that Mr Hichilema was challenging the opposition leaders to propose specific strategies to sustain or enhance progress, adding that critics must clarify whether they would undo this progress and outline their alternative fiscal strategies. He further said Mr Hichilema was calling on Zambians to critically evaluate opposition proposals, focusing on their feasibility and benefits.

The sustained wild claims emanating from State House regarding the performance of Mr Hichilema and the UPND are both an extreme exaggeration and a total disregard of the elementary realities currently obtaining on the ground. It’s shocking how Mr Hichilema and his league find it sensible and decent to spend their time day-dreaming or get into theoretical sessions about their so-called progress or achievements when the ground is screaming the opposite.

They have lamentably failed to accept the realities on the ground and instead, resorted to speaking like they live in a parallel country. Not so long ago, two State House aides, Mr Jito Kayumba (Special Assistant for Finance and Investment) and Mr Joseph Lungu (Special Assistant for Policy Compliance) entertained the public to some choreographed conversation on how this administration has delivered 90 per cent of their campaign promises. 

Surely, can this administration claim to have fulfilled 90 per cent of their promises and that the opposition leaders were unreasonably criticizing them, when their failures, lies, deceit and manipulation are written all over?

In all fairness, what moral right does Mr Hichilema possess to urge Zambians to critically evaluate opposition proposals and focus on their feasibility and benefits, when he is the principal culprit on broken campaign promises, and impractical and unbeneficial proposals? Anyway, since they have listed their gains, we shall similarly challenge them to provide answers to this list of failures below:
– Loadshedding
– Electricity tariffs hike
– Mealie meal price hike
– Bread price hike
– Fertilizer price hike
– Food prices hike
– Motor vehicle road tax hike
– Transportation hike
– Debt hike
– Cost of living hike
– Depreciation of the kwacha (what happened to the 14p.m promise after inauguration)
– Unstable fuel prices
– Unemployment
– Cyber laws
– Businesses shutting down
– Shrinking democratic space
– Selective justice and double standards etc

The list above only forms part of the basic reality on the ground today. So, it’s not rhetorical or unjustifiable to remind Mr Hichilema and his league to do more in addressing these issues.

Let them accept and face the reality that things are very bad on the ground. Lies, deceit, manipulation, and exaggerated claims of accomplishment, can only excite the media for purposes of good headlines as the common man sinks deeper in poverty and squalor. These claims from State House are actually an insult to the suffering majority of this country.

We urge State House to invest in sober, resourceful and sincere engagements with the general citizenry and not artificial claims of achievement because true success is easy to see and feel on the ground.

Fred M’membe
President of the Socialist Party