UPND LACKS AN ECONOMIC PLAN FOR ZAMBIA OBSERVES THE PF
….where are the middlemen President Hichilema claimed were influencing the fuel pump prices asks Mourinho.
LUSAKA, Thursday, March 3, 2022 (SMART EAGLES)
THE Patriotic Front (PF) has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to apologise to the Zambian people for the many fake promises that characterised his opposition politics which eventually led him into being elected as Head of State.
And PF Media Director Antonio Mourinho Mwanza said those who are stating that the UPND should not be assessed based on the six months they have been in government are being hypocritical.
Speaking when he featured on 5FM’s Burning Issue programme today, Mr Mwanza said the UPND gave themselves a timeframe which the Zambian people should expect to see change.
He said President Hichilema when in opposition made promises that the dollar will come down to K5 by 14 hours on the day of his inauguration.
He said the UPND also vowed to reduce the prices of goods and services and the standard of living for the Zambian people as soon as their budget became operational in 2022.
“They told us that when they are sworn in at 10 hours, by 14 hours the dollar would have dropped to K5. The time the PF was leaving office, the dollar was at K15. Now it is K18,” Mr. Mwanza said.
“Remember, when they won, they said iyi ni budget yaba PF come January 2022 things will be cheap. Today is March, things have escalated. Bag of Mealie MealK120, today it is K170 , 180. under PF it was now it is. 5 litres cooking oil was K150, today it is K250-270. They promised to bring down the bag of fertiliser to K250 but it is now fetching K950.”
He said the UPNd also promised to employ 11,200 health workers, a situation that has led to unemployed doctors to protest due to incoherent stance by Government on the matter.
He said it is baffling for the President to remain quiet amidst the escalating prices of goods and services yet he has time to visit countries world over.
Mr Mwanza said the unimproved economy, the free fall of the Kwacha against major convertible currencies and the increase in fuel pump prices shows that President Hichilema does not have an Economic Plan for Zambia.
Meanwhile, Mr Mwanza has wondered how the price of fuel has increased to K21 when the UPND promised to reduce the price of the commodity by getting rid of middle men and removing K3 which was alleged to being stolen by the PF.
“What has happened today, has the President removed the middlemen, he has not. Has he justified the increase to 21 because the PF were stealing K3? CERTAINLY NOT. This now cements the arguments I made that the UPND had no manifesto,” he said.