ON PRIORITIES and
ZAMBIA’s GOVERNANCE
[The Curious Case of Virgins and Debt Restructuring]
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OUR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT His Excellency Mr Hakainde HICHILEMA has travelled abroad about fourteen times in the last ten months.
And as if Zambia is for sale, he has been travelling as our Chief Marketing Officer, he loves to naively proclaim.
A new record.
Note that all these trips are funded by the poor people of Zambia.
Close to a humongous K500 million spent so far I hear, money which translates into about 50 fully built primary schools.
Now, fellow citizens, is this the fiscal discipline or prudent use of Zambia’s scarce resources that we were promised and lectured on prior to the 2021 general elections?
Curiously, note that his very first trip was to the United States of America [USA] One wonders why.
Even little Swaziland, now called Eswatini, paid host to our most prized citizen number one.
Swaziland, eeiisshh!
Not ONCE has he gone to China. Aarrrgh! It hurts.
As all this is happening, our now openly despondent finance minister Situmbeko MUSOKOTWANE, sitting next to the IMF Deputy Manaing Director Antoinette SAYEH, pitiably looking sheepish, is FAILING to find the right words to inspire the expectant and suffering nation.
In Zambia, Antoinette SAYEH’s own words: The IMF is waiting for ‘creditors assurances’ before Zambia’s plea can be taken to the IMF board for consideration, ‘without which we cannot go to the board’ for ‘this [Zambia’s] ambitious reform program.’
Note here the keys words, ‘CREDITORS ASSURANCES’ and Zambia’s ‘AMBITIOUS REFORM PROGRAM.’
When I heard SAYEH use the word AMBITIOUS I heard/picked an IMF disapproving submission/tone.
Clearly, the IMF’s hands are tied.
The IMF, without the creditors assurances is impotent [please don’t bring Swaziland on this point].
I mean the IMF on its own cannot do anything for Zambia.
But then if we can go to a country, inter alia, largely teeming with virgins with no money, why haven’t we gone to China, a country teeming with money and power?
Further, note that China is Zambia’s CHIEF creditor.
And China is now CO-CHAIR of the Creditors Committee whose assurances the IMF is waiting for and which Committee will soon meet in France.
Now Hakainde HICHILEMA listen to me, my man.
China is an ECONOMIC ELEPHANT in the world that cannot be ignored.
A mere phone call to Xi JINPING won’t do, it is NOT respectful enough. It is NOT a convincing reflection of your sense of priorities. It is demeaning to this thriving global economic animal.
Washington owes China over USD 1 trillion. Washington listens to China.
Now hearken, my man, motivated by various geopolitical concerns, China, to merely show the present world its ballooning strength, can easily flex one of its small muscles and REFUSE to give the required assurances for Zambia.
Zambia would then be fixed.
Trust me. Just to teach us table manners.
Elephants are fighting, Hakainde HICHILEMA, can’t you see that?
And poor Zambia is the grass, which is already sickly and brown.
My man, now that we are done with Eswatini and its varied attractions, go to Beijing ASAP! Wena hamba kahle!
And whilst there, with a tear in yout eyes dramatically roll on the ground, without dropping the economic begging bowl.
Then new dawn shall come with its hopes.
The dragon, now spitting fire, might then just smile at Zambia again.
Ndalumba.
Dr Canisius BANDA
Development Activist