Why is Government not transparent on the importation of mealie meal containing GMOs from SA?

As we are talking today, people are in graves because others made a very bad decision and they became rich.

Those who were affected with that decision died out of frustration. So, leadership and riches can’t be compared and that is why in the Bible, King Solomon said that wisdom and leadership cannot be traded with money. It is because such is a gift from God.

In our country today, all governance institutions have collapsed. We have seen that the government of the day does not respect the constitution. They have violated it with impunity.

The governance system in smaller countries such as Malawi, is better than what we are experiencing in Zambia. There is need for institutions such as the Judiciary to defend the country at all times.

Today, we have a government which is feeding its nation food which the country does not know the content whether it is poisonous or not.

I feel we Zambians must start holding our Government accountable on certain decisions being made.The secrecy surrounding the importation of mealie meal from South Africa raises more questions than answers. It is well known that South Africa is among the world’s leading producers of crops containing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). It is no surprise that the maize grown in that part of the world contains GMOs.

For the Zambian government to issue a permit to Zambia National Service-owned Eagles Holding Milling Company Ltd to import 226 metric tons of mealie meal from South Africa, many questions must be answered.When did Government approve the consultation process for the importation of GMO mealie meal? Why are they repacking the mealie meal in Eagle packs, who is it for?

The law states that they need to consult the citizens before importing GMOs.

It also states that the citizens are supposed to be aware of the side effects of consuming GMOs.Why has the government decided to go ahead with this move without informing its citizens?The GMOs may in some instances lead to cancer, allergies and loss of nutrition among others.

Is this what the Zambian government would want to subject the people to?The ones consuming the GMOs are poor and vulnerable Zambians. Does it mean they don’t matter. Respect for human life must be paramount. And this Government must be aware of that.

President HH promised transparency and rule of law...is this backed by action?

The advise to the head of State is to stop politicking and focus on solving the many challenges Zambians are facing.