Stop blaming ECL, do the fixing, M’membe advises HH
…advises the head of State to seek help on how best to govern the country and fix the economic challenges that have engulfed the country as he had promised
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema should either stop the blame game and concentrate on fixing the country’s economic problems as he promised during the 2021 election campaigns or admit his failures and seek help,’’ Socialist Party President Fred M’membe has said
Dr M’membe said the UPND was heading to three years in government but had not done anything to set the stage for economic recovery, apart from blaming the Patriotic Front (PF) for its failures
Dr M’membe said it was a mark of inability for President Hichilema and the UPND to continue blaming former President Edgar Lungu and the PF for the ruling party’s economic policy inertia without being introspective.
“Most of the economic managers who are serving in the UPND government now were the same economic managers who were in PF under ECL. So the bad you blamed the PF for is part of your core team. In a nutshell, stop the blame game and fix the problems. You are now heading to three years in government, so stop the blame game. If you have failed, just admit, we will forgive you. You are not God. Every human being is fallible. Just admit your failures and seek help,” Dr M’membe said
“Now let us look back. Who was the Central Bank Governor during President Lungu’s rule? It was Dr Denny Kalyalya who was only removed 11 months before the August 2021 elections. So we can agree that substantively former President
Lungu’s monetary policy was anchored on Dr Kalyalya. So when you say PF left high inflation, then it should point to the current office holder,” Dr M’membe said.
“Who is the current Central Bank Governor? The same person who was there during former President Lungu’s rule. Even the deputy governor served under former President Lungu. So, introspect if you want to blame Mr Lungu and PF who left the Kwacha at K15.89 to dollar to now K27,” he said.
On the Finance Minister, Dr M’membe said, after the PF won election in 2016, Zambia’s external debt was under the eye Felix Mutati who was at the time the Finance Minister.
In 2016, after PF won the election, what was Zambia external debt balance? Approximately US$7 billion (I stand to be corrected). Who became the Finance Minister post-2016 elections? It was Mr Felix Mutati. How much debt did he contract? He can answer for himself! It is estimated that by the time he left, it was around US$11 billion (again, I stand to be corrected),” Dr M’membe said