While he intends to create some fanfare in the brief, they are a few questions we would like him to address such as;
By Citizens First President Harry Kalaba
Does the Finance Minister share the view that the debt restructuring is on course?
While we appreciate free education and meal allowances what actions are being taken to ensure that upon graduating the students will be guaranteed a job and not aspire to see someone retire at 55 and take up their position?
How many cooperatives have benefited from the increased CDF allocation and how is that working to address the hardships people are faced with?
How many jobs have been created from the empowerment funds under CEEC?
How does a learned economic manager reconcile the reduction in retirement age to 55 and yet allow people to access 20% of their NAPSA contribution? With the increase in life expectancy, are they seeking to send retirees into destitution or to their early grave?
What bureaucracy has been cut? serve to create more confusion in the manner in which things are done. Is he referring to making things easy for foreign interests to pillage wealth at our expense as the case is for ZCCM-IH?
How is Zambia’s relationship with its neighbors? Is he convinced that it is at its best? One moment you said let’s export to Congo DR and the next you send men and women in uniform to block exports to the DRC, is that what you call good relations or its allowing farmers from other countries to come and start farming in Zambia?
Are more citizens benefiting from the social cash transfer? Even under the PF that was voted out to accommodate the UPND, there was better reach of social cash transfer.
How many new jobs have been created since he took over as head of state?
Is he going to be drawing parallels to the PF who people rejected and gave his Party a resounding mandate owing to his well orchestrated rhetoric or he will set a higher yardstick for the nation?
We would like to remind the president and his many followers to read the editorial comment in The Mast Monday 15, 2023 titled; Mr. President- There’s a Limit to Rhetoric.