KAMBWILI ATTACKS HH

By Lumbiwe Mwanza

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has not shown the desired political will to improve the welfare of the poor in the country as it can be seen from the ever escalating prices of Mealie meal, Patriotic Front (PF) Member of the Central Committee (MCC) Chishimba Kambwili has said.

But Evangelical Youth Alliance (EYA) Executive Director Moses Lungu said Mr. Kambwili should also be bold enough to tell the nation that the current economic challenges the country is facing are as a result of rampant corruption, looting of public resources, inflating of capital projects, and reckless borrowing by the PF.

Mr. Kambwili told The Scoop that it was unjustifiable that the price of mealie meal had continued to rise with no clear indication from the Government on how it will quickly address the challenge.

He alleged that the UPND Government was for the rich and not the poor as economic challenges continued impacting the vulnerable the most.

“I told the Zambian people during campaigns that President Hichilema’ s trajectory is to do business with businessmen and not run the Government for the poor. I warned citizens of voting for someone into office whose focus is on improving businesses and not welfare of the poor in the country. There is no way the price of mealie meal can be over K200 and Zambians can’t relate to what I warned them against.

“People in this country are suffering and HH should change. He needs to consider the checks and balances being offered if he wants to stay in office as President of Zambia in 2026 otherwise things are not okay on the ground as the prices of the staple food is projected to increase to K400 if left unchecked,” Mr. Kambwili said.

But reacting to Mr. Kambwili’s statement, Rev. Lungu said the current problems are as a result of the thieves who looted the country’s resources with reckless disregard of the warning of the Zambians because of their arrogance.

He said Mr. Kambwili himself attested to the fact that the PF under Edgar Lungu had plunged the economy beyond redemption adding that Mr. Kambwili should be truthful about the measures that those in Government were putting in.

“When PF was in power, which poor people were they working for? Was it not the same poor people that their cadres brutalised in markets and bus stations and subjected them to unjustified taxes which were going into their pockets. It is a known fact that as a result of the PF’s recklessness, we find ourselves in a precarious situation where, among other economic challenges, we are grappling with increased cost of production which has led to increased commodity prices.

“Mr. Kambwili is saying the Government is not doing anything. Has he taken stock of how much fertiliser will be costing as a result of the investment into the manufacturing plant aimed at reducing the cost of the commodity? Does he understand that reducing the cost of fertiliser is one of the means to reduce the cost of production by farmers and that is the only way commodity prices will come down? Does he understand that reduced cost of fertiliser will also make farmers more productive?” Rev. Lungu asked.

He said he was pessimistic that while the current cost of food is high, the Government would contain the situation in the long-run with measures currently being put in place.