When you see UPND celebrate something, I must warn you be very careful – Mundubile
By Fanny Kalonda
YES we left debt but we will show you how that debt worked, says Mporokoso PF member of parliament Brian Mundubile.
He argues that what the UPND “haven’t told you is how they have been spending…”
“When you see the UPND celebrate something, I must warn you, be very careful you will be very disappointed,” Mundubile said when featured on Millennium TV’s platform programme recently.
He said the country has inexperienced leaders in government that are not ready to learn.
He also said there is no transparency and accountability in the UPND government otherwise the Mopani deal would have gone to parliament.
“It’s not enough to excite the people on the Copperbelt that they have found an investor when the laws are not being followed. There is no excuse for not following the law. Even on morality, there are many things that have come on the floor of the House for the sake of information so that the Zambian people are informed. Their representatives ask questions of clarifications, now these big transactions are being done outside parliament completely and for obvious reasons. There is no transparency and accountability in the UPND government. If there was transparency and accountability, the deal on Mopani would have come to parliament because if that had come to parliament the first question we would have asked there was a tender for Mopani and there were four bidders. The one who has been selected was not one of the bidders that were interested in the mine. We would have the occasion to interrogate how this newly formed company which was formed around the same time the tenders were out is one that has been selected bidder. We would have wanted to know more about the background of this company whose address is just a cell number,” he explained.
“We have known why there are so many things that are not clear about this company. We would also have wanted to know why President Hakainde Hichilema’s best friend is on the board of the new company. Now it is very clear if you read between the lines that there is a lot of secrecy. This transaction was not transparent. You will know by now that when you see the UPND government embark on a programme you should know that there is personal interest from their leaders.”
Mundubile said leaders should stop lying.
“Our leaders should stop lying. I don’t want to see another Jean Chisenga in parliament [suspended for 30 days after calling President Hichilema a liar], Munir Zulu when the President comes or Mulenga Fube calling the president a liar and then he is also punished. We want Zambians to be very careful with what our leaders in government today say. What remains a fact is that our leaders are not in the habit of telling the truth. And because they have continued telling lies, they are getting even some of our members of parliament in trouble,” Mundubile said. “So where we are now? We try to run away from what really can make the economy tick and subject our citizens to celebrating small victories. The real victory for this country is when we put a government in place that will be bold enough like we had started seeing. Bold enough to change policies in the mining sector so that we begin to see revenue from the mines.”
Mundubile said the UPND government is in a hurry to celebrate and appease Zambians.
“We are dealing with colleagues in government that celebrate victories too early. They are in a hurry to celebrate, to try and appease the Zambian people. On one hand, President Hakainde will go and say we are doing very well, we have done so well and so on. When you go to the detail you discover that all they have done is export all the maize that the PF left and they are saying they have done well. All they are doing is exporting power at the expense of citizens and yet they are saying they are doing well. So when you see the UPND celebrate something, I must warn you, be very careful you will be very disappointed,” Mundubile said. “We have inexperienced leaders in government today. Inexperienced leaders who are not ready to learn. They want to pretend they know it all even when the results are showing the exact opposite. Look at the current economic situation, look at the cost of living. The only thing they will tell you to answer that is that PF left debt. Yes we left debt, but we will show you how that debt worked. What they haven’t told you is how they have been spending…”
Mundubile said the government should not excite Zambians unnecessary but explain what the IMF deal means.
“I just want to maybe caution, and this I have done in person to the finance minister once when he was coming to talk about debt restructuring on the floor of the House. I met him privately and I told him, I said minister, when you are delivering ministerial statements on important subjects such as these you have got to be very careful and exercise caution. Don’t excite Zambians unnecessarily. Explain in detail what restructuring means because if you don’t, you will be misunderstood. The Zambians that are dying of hunger out there will now believe that the promises that were made by the UPND will be implemented. Farmers will start celebrating that debt has been restructured and now fertiliser will be K250,” said Mundubile. “You need to explain first of all what debt restructuring is and what will be the immediate impacts to how economy. If you don’t clarify that you are going to cause problems for yourself. With him (finance minister Situmbeko Musokotwane) I think he’s being cautious. The President was not being very careful. He wants to politick.”