By Walusungu Lundu
WE’RE building ourselves to become the only alternative in this country, says Given Lubinda as he accuses the UPND government of having insatiable appetite for business.
Addressing the media at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court on Friday, the acting PF president said the UPND government does not care about the plight of the citizens.
Following the increase in fuel prices, Lubinda said time had come for “praise singers” to be realistic.
He said April would be a tough month for all apart from those using government resources.
Lubinda said there was no justification as to why fuel should cost K26 per litre.
“I have read a lot of social media comments people saying they are regrouping. That is exactly what we should be doing. As a matter of fact, to even say we are regrouping is not correct. What we are doing is building. We are building ourselves to become the only alternative in this country. And there is no question about it. Look at how all the promises have been broken. All of them,” he said. “I said once that please if indeed we store K3 on the price of fuel when it was K15, now that the price is K26, can you tell me who is stealing the K11? And by the way if you look at the international price of fuel today there is no justification whatsoever for fuel in Zambia to cost K26.
Lubinda said a litre of fuel should be not more than K17.
“They told us they will reduce the number of middlemen, have they done it? Instead they have closed Indeni [refinery] which was supposed to be getting cheap oil to come and refine in Zambia. This is all because they have insatiable appetite for business. The people who are governing this country today are not service people, they are business people. They are doing this for business. Business is the more reason why when Zambia is capable of growing its own poles for electricity they go and contract foreign companies,” he said. “They want to externalise dollars from Zambia to go to Zimbabwe…then say they are thinking about Zambia. They are not concerned about the welfare of Zambians. These Zambians must now…praise singers, time has come for you to also be realistic. Don’t just go about singing praises without understanding that on a daily basis the cost of living for you too is getting more and more expensive. This is the reason why even farmers can’t grow onions because this insatiable appetite for business has caused these people to start importing onions in Zambia.”
Lubinda said what was worse was that UPND was a government that was allowing the export of commodities without any exercise duty.
“Your maize was exported to Congo without duty. Who was benefiting from that? Very soon I shall be revealing who benefited from the sale of maize from Zambia to Congo because it was not all the farmers. There was just one farmer who benefited. He used government vehicles to export maize to Congo,” he charged. “My final words to the members of the party, don’t think that these guys will rest. For all their failures, they will arrest you. For all their failures they will harass you because that is the only thing they can do successfully. Have a lovely month even though it is going to be a very expensive month for all of us. Even the children who do not drive, those who say children won’t suffer, even the children who do not drive because of the increase in the fuel prices, even their milk is bound to be expensive. All of us are going to be affected. It is only those who are going to be using government resources who shall not feel the pinch. The rest of us, nipano tuli.”
Meanwhile, Lubinda said PF is only on leave adding that it would in 2026 bounce back to power.
“But for members of the Patriotic Front, I want to say, as your vice president, you always drive me. My blood always boils when I see the kind of solidarity you are giving to each other. This shows that the Patriotic Front is only on leave. There is no question about it. We are on leave,” said Lubinda. “Come 2026, this Patriotic Front shall form government. There is no doubt about it. I have no doubt in my mind that with this solidarity you are giving to one another, with the kind of mobilisation you are going round with, certainly in 2026 we are bound to form government again.”