DON’T POLITICIZE IMF DEAL
ENGAGEMENTS with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should not be politicised as the financial lending institutions should hear a united voice from Zambia, Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) national secretary, Raphael Nakacinda has advised. Mr Nakacinda said that it was sad that some leaders were politicizing Zambia’s engagements with IMF when they clearly understood how important the package was to the nation. He said that Finance minister, Felix Mutati had been transparent enough about the process but that opposition leaders just want to bring down government with unnecessary criticism. Mr Nakacinda observed that some people did not mean well for the nation as they were bent on seeing the economy crippled. He advised all well-meaning Zambians not to politicise engagements with the IMF so that the country could acquire the package with time. Mr Nakacinda pointed out that IMF should hear a united voice from Zambia if it was to give the country the necessary attention it requires at the moment and consequently give confidence to the financial lending institutions. “What should be of Paramount importance for all of us at the moment is to see the economy recover. Mr Mutati has given us an excellent roadmap to recovery, I’m sure even President Edgar Lungu is proud. So let us not politicise the engagements with IMF, they should hear us talking with a united voice,” he said. Meanwhile, Mr Chanda said that government should put into perspective that students were being provoked by not releasing allowances on time. He that the Ministry of Higher Education should ensure that student allowances were made available on time to avoid unnecessary squabbles. Mr Chanda charged that these were no longer the colonial days that students should be treated like slaves. He said that government should means and ways to deter acts that embarrass the nation from reoccurring.