Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director Antonio Mourinho Mwanza says the UPND’s one year stay in Government has been an “Economic Disaster” and a serious challenge for the Zambian people.
Speaking during UNZA Radio’s Lusaka Star Programme yesterday, Mr Mwanza stated that the economy is in distress adding that the money is losing value.
Mr Mwanza noted that life under the New Dawn Administration has been extremely difficult for the Zambian people especially for those running businesses.
He added that the cost of running business was very low under PF compared to the period the Current Government has been in power.
“The cost of living has remained high such that one needs not less than K9,300 per month to raise a family of five in Lusaka before adding other expenses,” he said
Mr Mwanza noted that today, most people have closed these shops in townships because the cost of doing business has become very high, and when it comes to commodity prices, Mealie meal was 120 and today it is k150 in certain places.
“When UPND took over Government fuel was K17 per liter, but today it is k24 per liter……We had medicine in hospitals today, even UTH is fighting to have reagents,” he noted
Mr Mwanza stated that the PF had a clear road map when it comes to economic policies as compared to the UPND.
He said that the PF under the leadership of Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu introduced the economic recovery plan as well as debt management plan which this current Government has failed to do.
“If the Zambian people were complaining when fuel was at K17 per liter, imagine how deep the problems are for the citizens at K24 per liter. When the fuel was going up, the PF brought in measures to lower the costs such as the removal of VAT on Fuel and removing excise and import duties on fuel,” he said.
He explained that a stabilisation fund on fuel was created to cushion the increase in price of the commodity, that’s how the PF managed to maintain it when in other countries prices soared, the UPND Government has not injected any money to stabilise the fuel prices.
Mr Mwanza claimed that the UPND is using the PF economic recovery plan and the issue of debt management plan Government is using is primarily the copycat of what the PF left.
He cited that the Government must not give excuses for the Ukraine war because they need to prepare for such situations and cushion the poor.
And Mr Mwanza mentioned that 2022 has been a sad year for farmers, because the Government has neglected all the promises it made during the campaigns on farming.
“The promises made to the farmers to buy Maize at over K200 hasn’t been achieved, when the UPND took over Government, fertilizer was at K450 but today it is Over K1000 when they promised that it will be at K250,” he said