By Patson Chilemba
Edgar Lungu has no morality to be seeking another term of office given how he has failed the country, says ruling PF member Colonel Panji Kaunda.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the insurmountable debt the country has reached where it is now defaulting on loan repayments with international lenders, Col Panji said if it were in the civilised world, President Lungu and his government would have resigned for having failed the nation badly.
“Unfortunately our leaders have got no morals, if it is in the civilised world this government should have resigned because they have failed us baldy,” Col Panji said, adding that they were insisting on giving President Lungu another term because of the massive ignorance and illiteracy levels, where the majority did not understand the disastrous effects the failure to pay debt would have on the country.
Col Panji warned Zambians against giving President Lungu and the PF another term of office, saying they would simple drive the nation deeper into the ground.
He said people kept on warning government against engaging in borrowing beyond the country’s means to pay back, but President Lungu’s government kept on burying their heads in the sand.
“Some are saying we may end up like Zimbabwe, God forbid. They must tell us what programmes they have that we shall pay back this debt,” he said.
Col Panji said as someone that has known President Lungu, and known his character and capability, he was very sure that the man in Plot 1 did not have the capacity to guide this country through these challenges and let alone get the country out of the mess.
“He has no capacity. It’s not only the debt, it’s the way he’s running the country. There is no discipline. You have ministers talking of hacking others, leaders campaigning on tribal lines. He has allowed these things because of weak leadership,” he said.
Col Panji added that Zambians would be shooting themselves in the foot if they allowed the current regime to continue in office, because even those the country owed money to would not give recourse to another Lungu government.
“We need another team who will give confidence to the international community. These guys (Lungu’s government) they have reached a point of no return,” said Col Panji.
And former commerce minister Bob Sichinga wondered what the French consultants that have been paid $5 million dollars to negotiate the restricting of the country’s debt were doing, if the international lenders kept on insisting payment when they fall due.
He said the government had no option but to give in a credible programme to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but wondered if they could even do that since they were not fiscally disciplined.
Sichinga said the first step those in government should take was to stop stealing and mismanagement.
“You go and buy a plane when you have got debt to settle. That is imprudent management…there is no seriousness in Mr Lungu’s government, so what do you expect?” Sichinga wondered. “(If) you are not telling the truth about what you are doing they (IMF) won’t do it (give you debt relief). If you are going to buy fertilizer beyond the market price, you have paid for fertilizer two years upfront because you want to use it for your campaigns…the donors are going to say what about us?”
Sichinga said the same government that had failed to pay $42 million on a coupon, was the same government which wanted to buy new vehicles for the judiciary.
“The austerity measures are not being followed. You have a budget for 2019, has it been followed?” asked Sichinga during a TV appearance on Diamond TV last night. -Daily Revelation