We’ll not accept to be duped, Siwale warns
UPND government
By staff reporter
NEW Labour Party leader Fresher Siwale has challenged the UPND administration to own up and tell Zambians the truth about high fuel prices.
“Let the minister be transparent because we will not accept as citizens of this country to be duped
So I challenge the Minister of Energy, Minister of Finance [Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane] to be transparent, tell Zambians the truth otherwise we will escalate it. Next we are going to touch on fertiliser and how you have created cartels,” he warned.
Commenting on energy minister Peter Kapala’s statement dismissing his earlier challenge on fuel pricing, Siwale said Zambia belonged to all citizens.
He said the UPND administration had promised to be transparent and do things better than the Patriotic Front.
On Tuesday, in a Facebook posting, Kapala said there was a failure to link any increase in the price of the barrel of crude oil to the pump price.
He said the last pump price increment was prompted by fluctuations in the Brent crude.
Kapala also said the government inherited a huge debt to Oil Marketing Companies.
But Siwale challenge Kapala and the government to be transparent.
He wondered how there could be debt when Zambians paid cash at the fueling stations.
“It means that somebody must have pocketed that money. Now the people of Zambia gave the mandate to UPND to restore the rule of law, curb thefts, plunder of national resources. If the minister is saying there is debt, where is it coming from?” Siwale asked.
He wondered why Kapala and the UPND were failing to follow those who stole the fuel money.
Siwale wondered why the UPND administration should punish Zambians with huge fuel prices.
“The $700 million debt they are claiming we owe to fuel suppliers is not small pocket change. That money was not remitted to the suppliers. Somebody took that money and it’s not pocket change that it can be kept in somebody’s pocket. It went through the banking system and there is paper trail. That money can be traced,” he said. “Why is this UPND administration failing to recover that money? Are they scared of the person who took that money? Is that person above the law that they can steal openly and cannot be taken to book?”
Siwale wondered why the UPND administration was scared to follow up the money.
“The Minister is lying and this kind of deceit is unacceptable. For example, why did this administration increase the price of fuel two weeks before the closure of the bidding process by companies to supply fuel to Zambia, where the highest bidder did not exceed K8 to land fuel in Zambia?” he asked.
“Why did government proceed to increase the fuel price to K21.16 when the bidders who wanted to supply fuel did not exceed K8 per litre landed in Zambia? Can the minister explain what has happened to those bids?”
Siwale called for transparency over fuel prices.
He said instead of waffling, the minister should explain the jump from K8 landed cost to K21.16 per litre of petrol, pump price.
Siwale refused to name any of the bidders saying he might disadvantage them.
“I am on firm ground and I challenge the minister to state otherwise because the highest bid to land fuel in Zambia was K8 and before bids closed, they increased the price to K21.16,” Siwale said.
“The other question that the minister must answer is that since the 2021 budget cycle was coming to an end, and this increase in the pump price was not budgeted for as revenue, so the money they have collected from the time they increased the price to 31st December 2021 when the budget cycle ended, where is that money sitting? Who has taken this money?”
Siwale said government money must always be budgeted for as revenue.
He challenged the government to show that the fuel increase was approved by parliament.
“Secondly, the budget they presented for the budget cycle 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022 did not provide for fuel price increase. So the money they have been collecting since January 2022, where is it sitting?” Siwale asked.
He said the core issue was that fuel was landing in Zambia at less than K6 per litre.
“Let the minister be transparent because we will not accept as citizens of this country to be duped. It must be made clear that when they increase the prices in the energy sector, it drives poverty upwards because energy is a catalyst for production. And they must be made aware that they are sending citizens to their early graves,” Siwale stressed.
“What we know when they talk about the debt is that PF had many agents who they were paying and they had contracted them. There is nothing wrong in them disclosing to the owners of this country, the citizens that this is what we found, that we found that PF had signed contracts. When you become transparent, people will respect you. But you also must reveal that you also have contracted your own agents that’s why you have increased the price.”
Siwale said as the government was paying off PF agents, it had also contracted other agents.
He said the UPND had betrayed the people’s trust who believed that they would really reduce cost of production.
Siwale said the role of government in an economy is to induce population activity, which leads to increased production and taxation to generate revenue for government operations.
He said increasing the cost of fuel was simply curtailing population activity and productivity.
“So I challenge the Minister of Energy, Minister of Finance [Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane] to be transparent, tell Zambians the truth otherwise we will escalate it. Next we are going to touch on fertiliser and how you have created cartels,” he said.
Siwale said he was doing what he is doing because President Hakainde Hichilema belonged to his generation.
He said President Hichilema’s presidency was generational and he had every reason to be excited about it.
“You know why? By the time he leaves office, I may be too old even to start fighting for presidency. So this is my presidency and I want it to work and it must work for the benefit of the Zambian child,” Siwale said.
“I am still excited about this presidency and I have no malice. I want this presidency to work because it is my presidency and I believe it is my presidency.”
He advised his critics not to rush to compare prices in neighbouring countries to dismiss his arguments.
“Your neighbour’s sickness must never be your sickness. I am asking about my house, Zambia, what is happening? Don’t rush me to Tanzania, South Africa. Ubupuba bwa ba neighbour teti ntobele ine iyo (I cannot depend on my neighbour’s foolishness),” said Siwale.
“The conditions in Tanzania are different from my country. The bidders who wanted to bring in the fuel did not exceed K8. Why should I be paying K21.16? And you cannot say it will affect national security. What is the extra K15 for?”