Lusaka Nov 21, 2021
Emmanuel Mwamba, Zambia´s immediate past Ambassador to Ethiopia and former Permanent Representative to the African Union, has called for a national economic indaba.
Speaking on Muvi Tv’s Assignment Programme, Mr. Mwamba expressed fear that early indications showed that the New Dawn Administration would take Zambia to extreme liberal policies similar to those implemented in the 90s.
He said listening to pronouncements by President Hakainde Hichilema and studying the national budget showed that the economic policies being pursued will rely heavily on the IMF prescribed programmes, accumulating foreign debt and giving free reign to foreign investments.
He said Zambia was de-industrialised by such policies that decimated the industrial and manufacturing capacity of the country.
“Those policies left in their wake, ghost towns, industries shut l, high unemployment but enriched investors”
He traced the current high levels of unemployment to the economic policies pursued in the 90s.
He said it was imperative for the New Dawn Administration to call for a National Economic Indaba where all stakeholders would help input into sustainable economic policies that will primarily serve the interest of Zambia and Zambians.
And Mr. Mwamba has called for an end to the purging of civil servants from the public service that served the previous government.
Mr Mwamba said the trend of calling civil servants as PF Permanent Secretaries or PF Civil Sevants of must come to an end because the pre-tags only bred contempt and neutralised the professional capabilities of the affected officers who were seen as party operatives instead of highly qualified individuals in various fields.
And Mr. Mwamba said he was transitioning to active politics.
“All I have known in my life is national service and all I want to do and all I know is work work work. I am capable of working well in any form and the truth is I have massive experience,” he said.
Ambassador Mwamba said in the past he was retrained to openly express interest in national politics but now that yoke has been lifted because “I am no longer a serving diplomat.”
Speaking on various issues starting from the loss of the polls by PF to the future of the party including his own future, Ambassador Mwamba commended the former ruling party for being realistic about its current predicament of having lost polls saying it’s a start to healing.
“It a good thing we (PF) have accepted loss and are willing to rebrand and see how we can rebuild the party, that’s the first step,” said Ambassador Mwamba.
Ambassador Mwamba, however, took strong exception yet again to name calling that he says has emerged in the PF party especially attributed to Shiwangandu MP Stephen Kampyongo who recently cautioned PF members to beware of unnamed ´chancers´ trying to hijack the party.
“I feel sad when I hear words like chancers, opportunists or wolves. Politicians called Michael Sata names saying he was incapable of ruling. Similarly President Hichilema was called names but has become President.
The name calling must end lets discuss policies.” Ambassador Mwamba said, “Its not good to call people names you might have to eat your own words.”
He also cautioned against the calling for the lifting of the immunity of President Edgar Lungu which he said could cause a threat to national security and divide the nation even further.
The former AU representative for Zambia, Mr Mwamba also raised concern that the new administration had already committed to borrow borrow 4.2 billion US dollars in its first budget in just one year, half of what the PF borrowed in 11 years.
On the past elections, Ambassador Mwamba said polls must be “a market place of ideas not a place of friction or war. But today it’s a contest for hate speech and threat to national security. The political temperature is too high in Zambia even after the polls. Lets shake hands after polls.”
Ambassador Mwamba also cautioned fellow PF flock to stop, “jostling for office…it is premature. Lets trace our members. The Presidency is at the end at the top lets see what we can contribute.”
Ambassador Mwamba is among other top leaders in the PF such as Hon Given Lubinda, Brian Mundubile and Steven Kampyongo that are being mentioned as the new faces of the former ruling party.