President Hakainde Hichilema must fire Siakalima for the insult on the collective People of Luapula Province
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
“Luapula People are suffering from two types of poverty. There is physical poverty and their poverty of the mind-Minister of Education”, Hon. Douglas Siakalima.
When I heard about these dangerous remarks allegedly made by the Minister of Education, Hon. Douglas Siakalima stoking ethnic tensions, I was reluctant to comment until I gathered sufficient information on the matter.
I have since established that Hon. Siakalima made these remarks during his appearance before the Parliamentary Orders Committee dealing with Education, chaired by Milanzi MP, Hon. Melesiana Phiri Chibwe.
The Committee was interrogating the impact of the free education policy in schools and communities.
Unbenkown to the Minister his data-set was false and Infact, Luapula Province has made tremendous progress dropping from 81.1% ten years ago to now 77.3%.
This is according to the recently issued report by the Zambia Statistics Agency -Highlights of the 2022 Poverty Assessment in Zambia.
The results show that poverty levels have gone slightly down in North-western (61.6% from 66.4%), Luapula (77.3% from 81.1%), Western (78.6% from 82.6%) and Northern (78.0% from 79.7%) provinces.
Muchinga province has the highest proportion of the population that is poor at 82.6 percent, followed by Western and Northern provinces.
Lusaka (27%) and Copperbelt (35.9%), had the least poverty levels though higher than in 2015.
The remarks by Siakalima are extremely dangerous and insensitive.
Tribal and discriminatory remarks stoke unecessary ethnic tensions and Zambia is already struggling with the issue of tribalism as the nation struggles with holding together national unity through the One Zambia, One Nation principal.
Since this development occurred, Members of Parliament from Luapula Province have signed a petition against Siakalima and the document has been submitted to the Speaker.
President Hakainde Hichilema has a duty to act and must immediately fire this reckless Minister who has displayed dangerous personal traits and beliefs against a group of people.
