TIME TO ASK HONEST QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC MESS
By Clayson Hamasaka
Chief Communications Specialist
State House
The press conference, led by former President Edgar Lungu and attended by a consortium of opposition leaders, showcases the current peaceful and tolerant atmosphere created by the UPND Government under President Hakainde Hichilema.
Less than two and a half years ago, such a press conference would have been disrupted by PF slogan-chanting, machete-wielding thugs, resulting in bloodshed. Yesterday’s event, however, highlighted the prevailing peace, ultimately benefiting the Zambian citizens—a cause for which we fought.
The primary loser in the press conference was Edgar Lungu. Wherever the former President appears is now potentially designated as a disaster area. It’s time for Mr. Lungu to act like an honest, grown-up man, showing remorse and shame for his actions. He must cease being paranoid when questioned about his party’s criminal past.
Mr. Lungu should refrain from insulting the collective intelligence of Zambians by urging them to ‘move on.’ This advice is inappropriate in the aftermath of a criminally contracted debt that has stifled economic development. Instead of focusing on rebuilding the economy, President Hichilema, due to PF and Mr. Lungu’s reckless borrowing, has spent two years untangling the country from this unsustainable debt through global networking.
It is crucial to ask honest questions about who led us to our current situation. These are the same individuals loudly complaining about the high cost of living while gleefully mocking the slow resolution of the debt they accumulated.
Former President Lungu’s insinuation about attacking the character of his successor’s upbringing is regrettable. President Hakainde Hichilema holds an office on behalf of twenty million Zambians and deserves respect.
For the benefit of our citizens and the kind of debts created by Mr. Lungu, in the energy sector alone, Zambia currently has a local debt of US$1 billion owed to the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). What Edgar Lungu and his criminal enterprise were doing was telling OMCs to just bring in petroleum products on credit which they were not ready to pay. Now President Hakainde Hichilema and his UPND government has to pay.
In the infrastructure projects, the Zambian government is owing contractors US$8 billion as local debt. And most of these are projects that were being given to PF cadres without any experience in construction and there is nothing to show on the ground. And Mr Lungu and his cohorts today wants the country to just ‘move on’ without referring to his previous regime.
What Mr. Lungu is advising the current government is to just ignore all those nkongoles by not paying the people owed and just ‘move on’. From this reckless statement of just ‘move on’, one can see the typical PF mentality leadership in government. It was like “bane kabiyeni musende fye inkongole fikaisova. We shall just ignore the debts”.
Edgar Lungu’s reasoning is a typical tarven mentality of ‘mpeleniko tubili nalelo kalipila mailo’. And when tomorrow comes ‘ati ibaleniko fye naiwe’, just move on.
Are you on taxpayers’ or UPND’s payroll? The language sounds similar to that of Koswe. Can a government employ use such language against a citizen? So PF’s economy mess is further being messed up UPND’s mess? Is it?
Such propaganda has expired Hamasaka, UPND used to have presser at their secretariat almost every week near backpacker without disturbances. Deal with issues not ifyo. K34 per liter is the elephant in the room
Kikikikiki. Bally has fixed it.
Insanity of the UPND’s civil servants, eish
Who let the dogs out? Who, who, who!
Clayson, you are up to the point really.they way government was running, it was pathetic under Lungu. I am shocked he is not remorseful.
HH is doing great as at now.
Why not just explain what the economic plan is so that as we get hurt by the economic measures now, we remain hopeful for future prospects if anyone of us will leave that long! ECL ruled all of us for 7 yrs and we voted him out. Narrating how he failed is now a stale story! We were all there.
It’s also time for UPND to be honest with the harsh economic reality and the suffering people are currently going through!
It’s not enough to point the fingers at PF and ECL!
Everyone knows PF and ECL are the ones who put our country in this Kaloba crisis!
What UPND should concentrate on is to URGENTLY start putting in place mitigation measures to alleviate the suffering people are going through!
Many citizens appreciate the tireless efforts President HH is putting towards working out a Debt Restructuring that will give our economy some breathing space!
Yes, you should not shy away from telling PF off!
What you also need is to begin to talk to the people and channel resources towards mitigation measures on the major cost and inflation drivers such as Fuel and Electricity costs!
Let not your fruits of Debt Restructuring be reaped by the very cruel and desperate Hyenas who put us in this mess to take us back to another Debt crisis!
All you need now is to be sympathetic to the suffering masses otherwise they will be going back to Egypt just 2 and half years after crossing the read sea!
Can the new govt also indicate the loans they are getting and what they are using the money for so that in future no one points fingers at them.
The problem here is that the team in charge now insinuate that they are doing everything clean when they can’t even declare how.much debt they have incurred since assuming office and more importantly what it has been used for so that no one blames them for misuse the same way they are blaming the last govt.
This is a non political statement