By Julia Malunga,
YOU told us [that] we were stealing K3 when the fuel price was K15, yes we were stealing the K3 tavomela, now it is K21 so who is stealing the K9, PF acting president Given Lubinda asked during a press conference Tuesday.
Giving an address to PF supporters, Lubinda challenged the UPND to explain who has been stealing the K9 from the fuel procurement process owing to the commodity price increment.
“You told us you would give us fuel at K12, we want K12 fuel not at K21. You told us we were stealing K3 when the fuel price was K15, now it is K21, so who is stealing the K9? Yes, we were stealing the K3, tavomela (we admit). And don’t twist words and start telling people, bazikamba pama radio ati (to speak on the radio that) we have not increased the price of fuel, we have just reduced subsidies.
Ah ah, ngati tinali kuika subsidy (if we put subsidies), it was because we wanted to protect the Zambians, imwe mwachosa (you, you have removed) subsidy,” Lubinda said.
“And now you even send your ministers that go and start talking about what you shall use Indeni Refinery for. You think you can use it for what? To use it as Chigayo (hammer mill)? It’s meant to be a refinery for fuel. Bakachoka kuja muzamvela ati tagulisa. Bazagulisa no tender. (When the ministers come back from the refinery, you will hear that we have sold it. Selling it without subjecting it to a tender).”
He however wondered why the Southern African Business Development Forum Public Private Partnership project was a priority when the UPND government said they would not borrow.
“Let me state that the attempt by minister Situmbeko Musokotwane to explain the Southern African Business Development Forum Public Private Partnership (PPP) did not make any sense at all. From the onset, it should be clarified that the allegation that the PPP was initiated by the PF government can not be further from the truth.
Reading the speech which was delivered by her honour Mrs Inonge Wina at the occasion of the subject matter will reveal that the project being discussed then was improving settlements and not roads,” he said.
“The questions that the government must clarify on this matter are as follows; why is this project such a priority by a government that said they will not borrow? Because when you enter into a PPP in essence you are borrowing. And they are saying they are going to borrow 3.7 billion and the private partner, an NGO by the way and if you google, it is already deregistered. So it is an illegal entity.
But they have entered into an agreement, they are doing feasibility studies with a ghost, a deregistered company which has no track record in doing any development work, no track record of doing a gravel road. What is the feasibility of this project? 3.7 billion to do 2,200 kilometers of roads translates to US$1.8 million per kilometer.”
Lubinda also questioned why there were suggestions to do roads at US$1.8 million per kilometer when the PF was called names for doing roads at a lower cost.
“President Bally, why? You called the PF names for doing roads at between US$ 750 to US$1 million per kilometer, you called us thieves, what should you be called for suggesting that you increase the cost from 1 million to 1.8 million per kilometer? You called us thieves for US$ 1 million per kilometer, what name qualifies to be yours? We agree yes, we are thieves, US$1 million per kilometer tavomela (we agree).
But tell us what names should we use for you. What is the economics of this project? Even if they were to put toll gates along those 2,200 kilometres of roads, and let’s assume every truck passing through the toll gate is paying K500, for you to recover the US$3.7 billion in 25 years, you will require no less than 13,200 trucks to drive through that toll gate a day,” he said.
And Lubinda said there would be a shortage of maize this year owing to the fact that farmers were paid late.
“Yesterday (Monday) government announced the release of K960 million for farmers who supplied maize under the 2020/2021 farming season which was supplied to the Food Reserve Agency. We are disappointed to note that this money is coming so late in the season that our poor farmers will not be able to utilize it to invest in the 2021/2022 farming season.
Today the 4th of January is two weeks after the closing date in which farmers can plant maize viably. And the farmers to date have not received their payments. What awaits Zambia in 2022 is shortages of maize and this will be because of the recklessness of the UPND government that failed to pay the farmers on time,” he said.
“They have always compared themselves to the performance of the PF and I want to report to you that the PF always ensured that the farmer had inputs before the onset of the farming season. What is worse is that this amount of K960 million falls greatly short of paying all the farmers who have waited so long for their money. We urge the government to release all the money to the farmers immediately, there is no excuse whatsoever.”
Lubinda called on government to release more money to public schools so that the quality of education was not compromised, arguing that the released K324 million was not enough.
“K324 million has been released as the first quarter funding for public schools aimed at facilitating the implementation of the much talked about free education for all learners at early childhood, primary and secondary education levels.
While this may sound like an achievement, it unfortunately falls flat on its head when you analyse the amount and compare it with the number of intended recipients. Note that there are more than 8,000 primary schools, more than 1,000 secondary schools, more than 25 special education schools in Zambia. Let alone the early childhood centres,” he said.
“As you can see the K324 million translates to less than K30,000 per school for the first quarter. This further translates to less than K10,000 per month. one wonders how the schools are expected to operate with such meager allocations.
Compare this to the more than K100,000 that was being received on average from PTA fees. We, therefore, call upon the government to make better and further releases to schools so that we do not compromise the quality of education offered to our children in the pursuit of the lavish promise of free education.”
He further called on the Treasury to release CDF funds to members of parliament so that they could start disbursing bursaries to vulnerable children.
“In addition to this, we call upon the government to immediately release the much talked about community based funds for school bursaries. They have promised the Zambian children that vulnerable children who cannot afford bursaries will receive bursaries through CDF, schools are to open on the 24th January which is hardly three weeks away and yet our members of Parliament who have been tasked to identify the vulnerable children, who to give bursaries through the CDF have not been told when the CDF will be released.
To avoid that, our members of Parliament are held accountable for the failure of government. We call upon Treasury to immediately release the CDF so that our MPs can start disbursing bursaries to the vulnerable children,” said Lubinda.
Meanwhile, Lubinda said former president Edgar Lungu wrote to the Secretary to the Cabinet announcing that he had now stepped down from active politics, three days after he handed over the instruments of power to President Hakainde Hichilema.- DIGGERS