PF are gone, they are dead – Anthony
By Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
PRESIDENTIAL spokesperson Anthony Bwalya says President Hakainde Hichilema has no business talking about what PF did or did not do because it is gone and dead.
Featuring on QFM breakfast show with DJ Showstar, Bwalya said the UPND administration had already reduced inflation rate from 24 to nine per cent and increased allocation of funds to constituencies from a paltry K1.6 million to K25.7 million to unlock the economy.
“The President has no business with the PF. The PF are gone, they are dead. The President has no business with that. This is why I said, as we have a conversation around the cost of living, let us just have a conversation in context. In taking responsibility, we have driven down inflation from 24 per cent to nine per cent. That is incredible. When even the most developed countries in the world are struggling with containing with inflation, Zambia has contained inflation to single digits. That is progress,” Bwalya said.
He said the government had resumed the regular payments of salaries which had not been the case.
“At the same time when we are coming from a history where government was failing not only to pay wages for those on payroll, getting on board critical public service workers so that we can enhance the way that government delivers basic services to its people whether it is education, whether it is health care. We have reinstated that ability for government to be able to pay wages. This is why now we are employing people. I always make the argument that look, don’t think that colleagues in the PF were stupid. If they had the opportunity, if they had the opportunity to increase CDF to K28.3 million, they could have done it,” Bwalya said. “They could have done it except they dismantled the economy. They eroded their ability to do these things. So even if they wanted to do it they couldn’t do it because they had no ability in rebuilding the economy and making the substantive macroeconomic progress that we have made.”
He said the government now had the ability to employ teachers and health workers.
“Other than giving constituencies 1.6 million per annum which was selectively issued, we are going to give you currently 25.7 million – now we are proposing K28.3 [million]. Ask Sunday Chanda who is in Kanchibya, Sunday is not a UPND member of parliament. Kanchibya is not traditionally a UPND stronghold but they have been given the money because the people of Kanchibya are Zambians and the President is the President for all Zambians so the money has gone to Kanchibya,” said Bwalya.