SOCIALIST PARTY CALLS FOR INCREASED MILITARY INVESTMENT AND EXPANSION
Lusaka, Tuesday, September 3rd 2023– Socialist Party general secretary Dr Cosmas Musumali has highlighted the need for increased investment in Zambia’s military and called for an expansion of the army to ensure the country’s defense and security.
Dr. Musumali emphasized the vast and often unguarded borders of Zambia, including open vegetation and the Zambezi River in the south, which present significant challenges for national security.
Dr. Musumali stressed the importance of prioritizing military funding, suggesting that a minimum of 5% of the country’s GDP should be allocated to the military as a starting point.
“Progress has been made, but very slowly,” Dr. Musumali stated. “
As a Socialist Party, we feel a 5% minimum investment is like your starting point. 5% of your GDP must be put in your military. That’s just the starting point.”
He also pointed out the issue of Zambia’s relatively small army, which he believes was insufficient for defending the country.
“Having a skewed population means your army at the beginning will always remain relatively small,” he said.
“Not small like the numbers we have today. The numbers we have today are not acceptable. You can’t have an army of 15,000 people active being able to defend this territory.”
Dr. Musumali’s was speaking during a media interaction in Lusaka, highlighting the Socialist Party’s stance on military investment and the need for a robust defense force.
Dr. An increase in military spending will be at the expense of what sector of the budget when Zambia is clawing its way back to some degree of economic stability. Do you really believe that an increase to 5% will make a difference if say Russia, china, America found it fortuitous to assault Zambia for whatever reason,