THE PF GOVERNMENT WAS LIVING FOR TODAY,IN THEIR WORLD, TOMORROW NEVER EXISTED
Authored By Mupishi Jones
When that crop of leadership unexpectedly inherited government machinery from the late Michael Sata,they took it as a lifetime opportunity to improve their personal lives and that of their relatives and that of their close friends.The general citizenry was just a statistical figure in their equations to improve their personal lives to be sorted out through “tantameni”.
They were living for today, tomorrow’s generation was to find it’s own tools to mount their own emancipation fight,in short,in their eyes, tomorrow never comes, therefore never existed,why plan for it.
That was how the New PF started making decisions based on the next general elections and not based on the next generation, for them the world was ending today,there was no tomorrow.
Just take time to do a quick search at the Ministry of Lands and see how much land in terms of plots each of these new PF leaders amassed just within their 7 yrs in power? You’ll be further shocked when you extent your search in councils along the line of rail. They’ve parcels of land all over from Livingstone,Chirundu, Siavonga,Kafue,Chilanga, Lusaka up to the copperbelt,same PF characters.They were scrambling for land, each getting more than one can develop as if it was the last generation in this country.These guys were living for today, after all,who should they preserve forest 27 and other forest reserves for, if in their eyes tomorrow never comes?
These are the same New PF Leaders, living for today,who devised and negotiated ZESCO electricity power exports for today and not for tomorrow, posterity will deal with the contractual consequences as long as today is catered for.Power export contracts that have turned out to be almost impossible to walk away without collapsing the entire ZESCO! According to that crop of New PF leadership, tomorrow never comes, let the dead bury themselves. The current government that have taken over from that New crop of PF leadership is stuck with the PF's myopic negotiated power export contracts.It can't terminate these power export contracts without heavy financial consequences arising from the breach of those contractual terms..... that's UKA for you.
These are the New crop of PF who were buying electricity powered from Maamba Collieries through ZESCO on credit for “today” and accumulated huge unsettled debts to Maamba Collieries which they failed to pay and left behind huge uncleared debts.Thank God, the current government has cleared poor Maamba Collieries.To them,what mattered most was as long as today was done….”mailo fikaisova”.
Get the Ndola Energy contract also, it’s the same story of poorly devising the contract just for today.It has equally put the current governments in a hopeless and precarious situation.
Sometimes it’s so annoying to hear fellow citizens like Emmanuel Mwamba who had access to the details of these contracts to deliberately start accusing the government that the current domestic electricity deficit is as a result of the government’s move of exporting power at the expense of its local consumption.
Trying to force the government to terminate power export contracts and yet they are fully aware of the legal and economic challenges that will arise as a result of breach of those contracts,in my view, this is hypocrisy of the highest level.
Pick the MoUs of external debts, including the eurobonds, it’s the same story of living for today, contracting unsustainable debts, fully aware that they’ll never manage to repay those loans, but with the mentality of living for today and that of tomorrow never comes,they guys proceed.
The New crop of PF just didn’t care about the future of this country together with its people.They had nothing to do with the sustainable economic development of this country.Their preoccupation was maintaining power for their personal aggrandisement.
This is the New crop of PF leadership that was registering under age children with NRCs and voters cards in readiness for the next general election instead of taking these children back to school .In their eyes, these children were valuable political assets today, after all there was no tomorrow.
Almost all the fundamental decisions which the PF made during their tenure in office were made for “today” and no regard for the future.
This is the reason why most of those rushed laws they were enacting in parliament to fix their political opponents,are catching up with them today.They were not thinking of tomorrow when they were passing those laws.
I submit
Mupishi Jones
0977480386
Maybe so, but PF was better than the current rubbish we have now. Much better. Though neither is fit to rule our country.
We need new blood in 2026.
Jones, be factual. When PF assumed office in 2011, Zambia’s electricity generation capacity stood at 1,600 MW. By the time they left office in 2021, they left it at about 3,356MW due to massive investment in the energy sector.One would have expected that President Hichilema’ s claim of ending loadshedding would have been backed by massive investments in solar and wind farms in order to reduce dependency on hydro-electricity and bring about the much needed energy mix. Alas, President Hichilema has failed to use his international connections and record trips abroad to attract investment in solar and wind energy. He wants to use the PF record to boast he has ended loadshedding when he has done little to do this. Let HH learn from Sierra Leone that is investing in solar and wind farms with the help of British company Octopus.
The generation capacity is there but there is no Water to use. In fact, its this new team that ensured that project was fully paid for and completed because the other team stopped servicing the debt, no cash.
That’s why the investors in solar and wind farms were lured to Zambia. So private money can be used for these projects. Remember, the debt negotiations have not been concluded so not so much cash available for such investments by GRZ. The new team is in its second year of governance so these big projects cannot be sourced and completed immediately, it requires time under normal circumstances.
One may not start pointing figure on such sceneries. The whole thing points to the lacunas that exist in our or Zambian constitution. The PF had the audesity to do what they did because our constitution is very porous as it stands today. That is why in some countries there are two or more institutions on the running of issues of government I. e. Partly and Sanate. It is the more reason why you may not have just Parly to manage the affairs of a country for the President is more free to do what he wishes to please his/her cadres. Especially on money issues. I suggest that the Constitution needs further look because of its porousness. Or it is either the constitution is good but those in leadership do not pay attention.
Let us further look at CDF under UPND. Apart from a sprinkling of 1×3 classroom blocks that are not even enough to take in the increased number of learners, what else is it used for? It is being used to empower cooperatives whose members are ethnically and politically connected to the UPND. Some of these members are using that money to fly into China or UAE to buy clothes they come and re-sell in Zambia. Is this CDF not money that can be used to give financial muscle to Zambians so they could partner with foreign investors to invest in solar and wind farms to increase power generation capacity in Zambia so we could reduce dependency on hydro-power?
So these blocks of classes which are sprinkled around constituencies are only used by ethnically and connected people to UPND? PF claims they left massive development in schools and roads, why would pupils be sitting on the floor and in crammed up classes if that were true?
Let’s just encourage councillors, MPs and WDCs to utilise the funds prudently for the benefit of the people, stop condemning the GRZ that is providing the funds for development. Go to the constituencies and help the people get this development , don’t sit in Lusaka, just giving negative vibes. Let’s stop the PHD syndrome, politicians don’t remain in power forever, take advantage of this CDF money, let it improve the rural areas, more schools, more hospitals, skills training, volunteer to teach the youths, maternity wings brought closer to the people so that women don’t walk long distances to deliver, build bigger markets, trading in places with good sanitary conditions…so many issues that require attention.Dont trivilise CDF….
@ Marls
Where did I write to suggest the sprinkling of 1×3 classroom blocks built from CDF are only used by those that are ethically and politically connected to UPND? Please, improve on your reading culture and understanding of the written word.