THEY FUNDED BILL 7 AT THE EXPENSE OF PAYING FARMERS – NJOBVU
By Francis Chipalo
Democratic Union president, Ackim Antony Njobvu, has criticized the government for prioritizing the passage of Constitution Amendment Bill No. 7 over paying farmers who supplied maize to the Food Reserve Agency (FRA).
The government has however attributed the delay in payments to bureaucratic processes by commercial banks, claims refuted by the Bankers Association of Zambia.
And Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) leader, Sean Tembo, has requested clarification from President Hakainde Hichilema on why the government borrowed K5 billion to pay farmers when the total amount owed was K3.7 billion.
Tembo also questions why farmers haven’t been paid despite the maize being sold to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi for cash.
Meanwhile, president Njobvu of the Democratic Union says the lack of priority by the UPND government is saddening.
“This is what happens when you have a government that does not care for its people, except for themselves. I am made to conclude that they used money meant to pay our farmers to fund their Bill 7,” Njobvu said during, an interview on KBN TV.
Njobvu further says farmers are now in panic mode as they do not know when they would get their money for maize supplied to the FRA following inconsistencies in government position by agriculture minister Reuben Mtolo Phiri.
Njobvu has since challenged the minister to tell the nation the truth on why farmers have not yet been paid.
“We cannot be playing politics at the expense of our farmers who are crucial in ensuring that Zambia is food secure. The rains are here and our famers have nothing to plant. This government is not serious at all and should be kicked out sooner than later,” he added.
Ends
The growing vain attempts at slander deserves a civil suit and that is maybe when some individuals will learn that they need to speak to facts and innuendo laced with slander carries damages. It seems our politicans didnt learn from the damages awarded to HH in her wreckless utterances and our young politicans and their funders need to be rendered bankrupt from the damages.
Kellys Kaunda writes an article and this just exmplifies why the level of political rhetoric coming from our opposition leader lacks substance. If this man was sued to prove this claim. Would he be able to factually prove his case? Or people make these statements to people who they know are gullible? Those that are so gullible; have you not paid the prices of leaders you plunder and waste the future of your children and grand children?
Her as in Edith Nawaki
If you have nothing sensible to talk about, you just keep quiet. Who funded Bill 7, were you one of those funded? And who told you that the government has failed to pay farmers? Delaying to pay is not failure not failure to pay