VERY TOUCHING AND YET PAINFUL: EDGAR MUST NOT THINK THAT ZAMBIANS ARE FOOLISH
Mcpherson Mutale pens down emotional moments and how PF treated Zambians, including himself, as he vows to never ever support the corrupt brutal thieves.
He writes below…
PF WILL NEVER BE AN OPTION FOR ME.
“Individuals like Muntu Mususu can not understand why PF will never be an option in my life. Even if it bounced back to power (God forbid), I would still never support or be a sympathizer of PF.
Let me enlighten you. PF took it personal to make my life a living hell. Your then Minister of Information Kambwili came not only on one occasion but twice to hunt for me like a prey promising to have me fired for simply calling out his lies.
He instructed his PS to summon me and my HoD to his office and talked to us like school boys. They intimidated us to serve their incompetence.
They further instructed IBA to reduce the station radius 3 times in one day. This is information in public domain. They threatened the leaders of the university several times.
I have over 6 warning letters in my office because your leaders thought they had monopoly of use of public media to further their lies.
I had my personal private contracts with government agencies cancelled because they claimed I was anti- government. I have those contracts in my possession. Contracts that were signed by the AG.
Just so you know, when I called out one of the presidential aides that he behaved like a Mafia, he summoned me to his office. When I got there he had a gun on his table and asked me to explain why I called him a mafia.
I pointed at the gun and said why would we have a cordial conversation when you are talking to me with a gun?
Do you know how many threats I got on a daily basis from your fellow cadres? Do you how we lived in constant fear? I could not drive the same car for 6 months because on two occasions someone slashed my car tires.
Your government took away student meal allowances while they increased their salaries and even gave themselves houses at Northgate to buy on loan from their gratuities.
Meanwhile university lecturers and researchers gratuities were never paid going back 10 years.
Contracts were handed down to cadres without proper tender procedures. Markets and bus stations were run by cadres.
Civil servants were living in constant fear of being hounded out by cadres. CDF was only given to pro FF MPs and areas while neglecting other parts of the country.
You government ran down the economy of this country to its lowest. The real GDP of Zambia by the time you took office was around $29 billion and by the time you were kicked out, it was $18.9 billion.
An economy whose GDP you found growing at average 6.5% , you left it at -2.8% at the time of your unceremonious departure.
When you came into office, the country had less than $3 billion external debt and by the time you were leaving, we were indebted to the tune of over $13 billion.
You divided this country on tribal lines and made other citizens to feel like they are third class. You created an economic divide that saw the PF enjoy everything while the rest of the citizens wallop in abject poverty.
You compromised institutions, churches, civil society and even our traditional leaders. You killed the spirit of one Zambia One Nation.
You frowned upon the rule of law and found pleasure in chaos and terror ways of controlling people.
You wanted to change the constitution to prevent change so that you could continue looting without anyone hindering your gluttonous appetite for stolen wealth.
So just because you enjoyed the spoils that were falling from the tables of your masters, and now you can not eat, that should not make you feel like the country is worse off.
It is those who enjoyed the loot who are crying the loudest. The common people have always suffered regardless of who is in power.
Yes the cost of living is very high. Even those of us who work can hardly afford. Life in general is tough for everyone.
The damage that was done to this economy won’t go away in the blink of an eye. To get an economy out of a recession and put it back on the growth trajectory takes between 5-10 years.
We may not appreciate the economic programs of the current administration just now because they will only bear fruits 5-10 years.
So if you ever think that we will stop talking about PF, you are terribly mistaken. If you think, we are looking for jobs, you’re wrong. We have known to stand on our feet when it was extremely difficult, we can’t fail now.
We warned PF but they never listened. We have continued to raise our concerns to the current administration and if they don’t listen, they will have the same fate as PF.
To be clear and not to mince my words, I WILL NEVER SUPPORT PF even if they bounced back to power. That’s my personal decision and don’t misconstrue my sentiments to include other people or institutions am affiliated with.”
