WE ARE GOING BACKWARDS…we don’t regret removing PF but we didn’t understand UPND very well – Changala
By Fanny Kalonda(The Mast)
GOVERNANCE activist Brebner Changala says the country is going to have serious food shortages.
He also says should there be a regime change, “you will see how active the ACC will be as if at the time of the new dawn ACC never existed”.
Featuring on Prime TV’s Oxygen of Democracy programme on Monday, Changala said leadership is lacking adding that “we are just going backwards”.
He added that people celebrated when UPND won elections but the party is no longer attractive.
“When we changed government in 2021, I haven’t said this let me put it to the viewers, we all celebrated. It’s an open secret that I was one of the many citizens that really made sure that we had a change of government and the new dawn administration came into power. The UPND even today is not an attractive political party for various reasons because since multiparty came, this is the only political party that doesn’t even attract new membership,” Changala said. “What we don’t regret is having removed the Patriotic Front, what we regret is that we didn’t understand our colleagues very well. They helped us to stop the mayhem. But what we are seeing today with time, they might not be any different. Am talking to you right now [Raphael] Nakacinda is in cells for a statement he made in 2022. That’s two years ago.”
He said the country is lacking leadership, “a situation anyone would realise when they open their eyes”.
“He’s in cells, he has not been charged. Now the “resident says, ‘when you are arresting somebody, you must have done your investigations, charge him. If the case is bondable, give him bond’. But what we are seeing today, we are just going backwards. We are just going backwards… Me and UPND were once synonymous. But I want to tell you and through you the people of Zambia that when we support a cause there are certain ideals and certain values that brings us together,” Changala said. “This country I will repeat is lacking leadership. There are things that you can see if you have open eyes, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist. The economy is failing. The exchange rate has gone haywire and we have drought. This is the time that you must have resolved leadership that will be available in the time of need. I have seen in the last month in which we have seen everything go haywire. The exchange rate skyrocketing, fuel and what have you. The leadership of this country has gone under. It can’t come out openly meet you the media, address the nation and give us hope. What is it that they have in their magic basket that will make us go through during these trying moments? But they don’t talk to us.”
He noted that the country has a bad economy and citizens are being given half baked information.
“We are going to have serious food shortages in this country. We have a bad economy and they are giving us half baked information,” Changala lamented.
And Changala said corruption is endemic in the new dawn administration citing single sourcing of fertiliser by Alpha Commodities and the refusal of a permanent secretary to allow the Auditor General audit the Ministry of Agriculture.
“It is because they are hiding something.
These are lip services because the fight against corruption in this country is highly selective. And they will play to the gallery especially to the donnor community. Should there be a regime change, you will see how active the ACC will be as if at the time of the new dawn ACC never existed. And many time, I take time to go to ACC and understand where has the corruption gone to,” he said. “And I have given them a challenge. When you fight corruption after the regime changes, that becomes political persecution. It’s important to fight corruption in real time. And I will tell you right now, corruption is endemic in this administration…This fight against corruption cannot succeed if it is selective.”
Changala also noted that there are more than 300 civil servants who stay home on a full salary.
“What we see, experiencing, is reverse tribalism and it’s becoming endemic because people who are qualified are being removed. PF used to do what they used to call retired in national interest but we are experiencing a situation where people who are qualified are being shunted to Cabinet Office in holding positions. You must have heard about that,” said Changala. “You are director at the Ministry of Education, you are not needed there, you have done nothing wrong so they remove you and shunt you to Cabinet Office. They are there, there are more than 300 civil servants and they stay home on a full salary. Let anybody challenge me, they don’t work but they get paid and we have done our own investigation and it is all about tribe. 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the people that have been shunted to Cabinet Office in holding positions are our colleagues from Northern, Eastern. Now they are being replaced with the so-called disadvantaged people.”