LASTING SOLUTION TO ZAMBIA’S ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES DOES NOT LIE IN THE IMF
……it lies, among others, in the collection of fair and adequate revenue from the mining sector – Dr M’membe
Lusaka…. Thursday, September 1, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
Leader of the fastest growing Socialist Party (SP) Dr Fred M’membe says the lasting solution to Zambia’s economic difficulties does not lie in the IMF.
Dr M’membe said the solution lies in the collection of fair and adequate revenue from the mining sector for support to secondary industries such as manufacturing.
The opposition leader said it lies in the development of the arts, “a hugely important industry that those in power today have reduced to a footnote in a ministry.”
“It lies in increased state support to agriculture and enhanced food security, but those in power today are quicker to listen to the IMF and remove subsidies on farming inputs even when the US and other Western countries till subsidise their own agriculture industry. It lies in increased state investment to social sectors such as education and health.”
He explained that he does not mean free education up to Grade 12 adding that such is a racist colonial policy that was formulated on the premise that Africans only need basic or elementary education, not higher education.
Dr M’membe said only honorary whites in black skins can continue implementing such “stupid” policies.
The opposition leader added that by investment in education, he means free education up to university level because no country in the world has ever developed using primary or secondary school graduates.
“We mean adequate funding to public universities to enable them function without disruptions, to afford our researchers the necessary funds they require to conduct research in social sciences and to support their scientific discoveries and technological advances,” he said.
“We have some of the most brilliant scientists in this country at UNZA, CBU and other public universities whose talents are going to waste because of lack of state support towards their research activities. This must shame us all because we have let down these people. We mean the provision of students’ living or meal allowances so that they can learn on full stomachs as opposed to the distractions caused by not knowing where their next meal will come from.”