Hon Given Lubinda, Vice President of the Patriotic Front (PF), strongly criticized President Hakainde Hichilema and his government for what he termed as “reckless expenditure.” The statement comes in response to an invitation by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for a ceremony where President Hichilema is scheduled to hand over Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Project Monitoring Motor Vehicles to various councils.
The event, slated for Wednesday, 24th May, 2023 at the Zambia Agricultural Showgrounds in Lusaka, has drawn sharp criticism from Lubinda, who claims that the government’s decision to spend a significant amount of money on a motor vehicle handover ceremony is irresponsible given the country’s current economic challenges.
Lubinda pointed out that Zambia is grappling with severe economic stress, including a lack of liquidity, rising youth unemployment, critical shortages of medicines and medical supplies in healthcare facilities, rising inflation, and an escalating cost of living. Against this backdrop, he argues that the government should prioritize allocating resources to address these pressing issues rather than indulging in unnecessary expenditures.
The Vice President of the Patriotic Front also expressed concern over what he sees as an unbalanced distribution of the motor vehicles, claiming that the majority have been allocated to United Party for National Development (UPND)-controlled councils in Southern and Western Provinces. According to Lubinda, out of a total of 70 vehicles, 56 have been given to UPND-controlled councils, with only nine allocated to PF-controlled councils and eight to independent-controlled councils in the other provinces.
Lubinda argued that such distribution violates Article 147 of the Constitution of Zambia, which demands equitable distribution and application of national resources to all regions and citizens without favoritism or preference. Accusing President Hichilema and his government of discrimination and regional bias, Lubinda described their actions as divisive, ethnic, unpatriotic, and highly polarizing.
He further claimed that Hichilema’s alleged divisive behavior extends beyond the distribution of vehicles, permeating all aspects of government business, including job appointments and contract allocations. Lubinda cited the recent recruitment of Eagle Holdings Limited, owned by the Zambia National Service (ZNS), where he alleges that individuals from a specific region were favored. Lubinda warned that such actions based on ethnicity and regionalism could sow disunity and division, posing a threat to the unity of Zambia as One Zambia One Nation.
PRESS STATEMENT BY HON GIVEN LUBINDA, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE PATRIOTIC FRONT
Tuesday 23 May 2023
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has issued a notice, inviting Councils, Mayors, Council Chairpersons, Members of Parliament, Principal Officers and other government officials to the official handover of the Constituency Development Fund(CDF) Project Monitoring Motor Vehicles by President Hakainde Hichilema on Wednesday, 24th May, 2023 at the Zambia Agricultural Showgrounds in Lusaka.
We wish to condemn in the strongest possible terms the action by Government on the following score;
- It is reckless and irresponsible for President Hakainde and his government to spend such colossal sums of money just to handover a motor vehicle to a Council.
The country is in dire economic stress with the lack of liquidity, rising youth unemployment, critical shortages of medicines and medical supplies in our healthcare facilities, rising inflation as well as a spiralling cost of living among numerous other economic challenges, yet we have a Government that finds it prudent to use the country’s meagre resources on an unnecessary expenditure such as a handover ceremony of motor vehicles.
The money that Government will squander on this ceremony could have been channeled to needy areas such as the procurement of medicines and medical supplies in our healthcare facilities which have been relegated to death centres.
- The distribution of the said motor vehicles is unbalanced and biased towards the UPND as 56 out of a total of 70 vehicles have been given to UPND controlled Councils in Southern and Western Provinces of Zambia leaving only 9 to PF controlled Councils and 8 to Independent controlled Councils in the other 8 provinces.
Article 147 of the Constitution of Zambia demands that Government must observe and ensure equitable distribution and application of national resources to all regions and all Zambians without any favouritism or preference to any region or any grouping.
Therefore, the conduct of Mr Hichilema and his government to discriminate and segregate certain regions and groupings from freely participating and fully benefiting from the national cake is divisive, ethnic, unpatriotic and highly polarising and must be condemned and challenged.
This unpatriotic, ethnic and divisive behaviour from Mr Hichilema is not only limited to the issue of CDF vehicles but it has spread to all facets of government business including the distribution of government jobs and contracts. The case in point include the new recruitment of Eagle Holdings Limited, a company owned by the Zambia National Service (ZNS) where almost all those that have been recruited hail from one region.
Ethnicity and regionalism has become a hallmark of Mr Hichilema in all his appointments of people to key positions of Government both local and abroad. This is a recipe for disunity and division and must not only be condemned but it must be resisted as it threatens the very basis of our existence as One Zambia One Nation.
I thank you.