Opposition being rendered useless - Antonio
THERE is nothing to be said now for the opposition in Zambia because the government is performing to the people’s expectations, says PF deputy media director Antonio Mwanza.
Mr Mwanza mocked the opposition for talking about the proposed ''30 ngwee” (0.3 kwacha; US$0.03) daily tariff charged on online phone calls when they had failed to say anything tangible against Government because it was delivering. Mr Mwanza, who was abroad for almost a month, said he was surprised that the opposition had nothing to talk about apart from the 30 ngwee daily tariff charged on online phone calls. “I was away from this country for a long time and I never heard any message from the opposition. I am told they were waiting for the announcement of the introduction of a 30 ngwee daily tariff charged on online phone calls to have something to talk about because they have no any message for Zambians now,” Mr Mwanza said. He added, “Because of what the PF government is doing in terms of implementing developmental projects and explaining eloquently what it intends to do, those are the reasons why you have seen that the opposition have no message or reason to campaign.” He said if there was no introduction of 30ngwe tariff, the opposition would have nothing to talk about. Mr Mwanza enumerated the programmes undertaken by the PF administration to transform the country ranging from upgrading of basic schools to secondary schools, colleges to universities, road construction, hospitals and other infrastructure development across Zambia as some of the reasons that have shut up the opposition. He said that the opposition had no agenda to uplift the lives of Zambians as reflected in their empty criticism. “I am talking as a professional teacher and I can tell you right now that we have more basic schools that have been upgraded to secondary schools, colleges that have been upgraded to universities and more universities that have been built across the country under the PF Government,” Mr Mwanza bragged. Recently, Information Minister Dora Siliya announced that the cabinet had approved an executive order that would see the introduction of a 30 ngwee (0.3 kwacha; $0.03) daily tariff charged on online phone calls, a move that sparked a lot of debate. Ms Siliya, however, argued that about 80 per cent of Zambians are using WhatsApp, Skype and Viber to make phone calls insisting it was a strategic decision by government to protect Zambians from social media giants that are not paying any tax.