HH, A CURSE OR BLESSING TO ZAMBIA?
A RESPONSE TO STATE HOUSE MEDIA PROPAGANDA AGAINST ECL'S LEGACY
AROGUE online publication has written an article titled; "GOD KNEW HH7 WILL HANDLE ZAMBIA'S PROBLEMS WELL".
In this article they took time to write falsehoods and disparage former President Edgar Lungu's national development legacy.
President Hakainde Hichilema has driven down the economy, with the Zambian people facing unprecedented hunger, highest cost of living in 30 years, loss of national assets and tax revenue.
MSMEs are facing bankruptcy and closure.
The health sector is facing unprecedented collapse with critical shortages of medicines, medical supplies, laboratory reagents and broken down diagnosis and other hospital equipment.
The agriculture sector has been mismanaged to the extent that over 6million people face a famine. For the first time in 20 years, President Hichilema has turned Zambia from a bread basket to a begging bowl asking for international food aid.
We propose such food donations be taken to areas of utmost need such GAZA, Sudan and Somalia.
The food insecurity in Zambia has been caused by negligence, denigration of duty and policy failures occassioned by President Hichilema.
The farmer-input support programme (FISP) has failed with farming inputs distributed very late or if not at all.
The government exported all the national strategic reserves and the country is being forced to import maize and mealie-meal for the first time in 20 years.
President Hichilema has been accused of running a ring obtaining large-scale public tenders of commodities such as fertiliser, medicines and fuel.
With the majority of people failing to meet the cost of basic needs and their suffering reaching desperate proportions and fearing possible civil unrest, his government has resorted to tyranny and repression of the Opposition and his critics.
His reactive media has failed to handle any national narrative and has instead retreated to its original mediocre of insults, defamation, propaganda and desperately scraping for fictional achievements.
Here is the detailed point-topoint response to their propaganda.
State House;
"GOD KNEW HH7 WILL HANDLE ZAMBIA'S PROBLEMS WELL".
ANS; HH CRIED FOR THIS LEADERSHIP POSITION SEVEN (7) TIMES, GOD HAS GIVEN IT TO HIM TO UNDERSTAND WHY HE REFUSED TO GRANT HIM FOR SIX TIMES 1. Edgar Lungu closed Indeni HH's govt opened.
ANS; HH has turned INDENI, a national strategic asset, into an alcohol blender. He has turned TAZAMA Pipeline into a carrier of finished products instead of crude oil that would make INDENI process crude oil into five products including diesel, petrol, paraffin, jet fuel and bitumen. The by-product, heavy oils, would be sold to the mines and also generate power for the 90 mega-watts Ndola Energy. 2. Edgar Lungu imposed employment freeze, HH is employing.
ANS: This is a lie. For example, Government employed over 35,000 health workers between 2017 and 2021. Government conducted annual recruitment in the defence and security services and other sectors such education. 3. Edgar stopped paying council workers they went into 7 to 15 months arrears, HH cleared paying all council workers.
ANS; Lusaka City Council workers were recently protesting for being owed five months salaries. Under ECL Government promptly cleared Local Government Equalization Fund and other financial support to Councils. 4. Edgar Lungu failed to pay CDF, HH increased and he has been paying. CDF was released.
ANS; Similarly HH's CDF is delayed. As at December, 2023 only K5.9 million was released out of K28.6 million.On December 31st, 2023, Government released the balance that could not be spent as that was the last day of fiscal year. While increasing the CDF fund, government has failed to provide technical capacity required hence the poor absorption capacity. The portfolio for loans and grants has been turned into a feeding frenzy for the UPND cadres and their artificial cooperatives created for this purpose. 5. Edgar Lungu failed to run education, scrapped off meal allowances, HH reinstated them and extended meal allowances to 7 public universities.
ANS; Edgar Lungu built schools, colleges and new Universities. Edgar Lungu introduced a loan scheme to cover a wider body of students from Universities to colleges. Edgar Lungu built 16,000 new classroom spaces for primary education. HH builds 1×3 classroom blocks, work Lungu left for Councillors and CDF. 6. Edgar Lungu failed to manage debt, which destroyed the economy with effects being felt today, HH has managed the first part of debt restructuring.
ANS; in the accumulated debt, Edgar Lungu built roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, power stations, airports and dams. HH has borrowed $6billion within two years and no one knows what he has spent the money on. 7. Edgar Lungu started failing to properly collect revenue, HH raised it to K100 billion. ZRA just increased its revenue tax base.
ANS; ECL raised collection of domestic revenue from 15 percent to 21percent of GDP a regional milestone. HH has plummeted revenue collections with ZRA failing to meets its annual targets for the first time in 20 years. In 2023, domestic revenue has fallen to around 18 percent to GDP largely due to revenue loss from the mining sector which has been given ridiculous tax incentives. Domestic revenue as a percentage of GDP has continued to fall and Government has increasingly relied on running the budget based on domestic and external borrowing. 8. Edgar Lungu failed to employ health workers, and only did replacement, HH is recruiting thousands every year.
ANS: We have always stated that Edgar Lungu employed 35,000 health workers between 2017 and 2021. 9. Edgar Lungu failed to recruit in defense and education, HH is recruiting.
ANS; Lies. Government advertised and conducted annual recruitment in the Police and Defence forces. 10. Edgar Lungu failed free education introduction, HH is doing it.
ANS; ECL reduced user fees from K650 to K150. HH dropped user fees from K150 to Zero. Who provided free education? 11. Edgar Lungu failed to run Mopani which produces copper, HH has found an equity partner.
ANS: By 2020, for the first time in the mining history of Zambia, both KCM and Mopani Copper Mines belonged to Zambians through ZCCM-IH. HH has chosen to rapidly engage in deals shrouded in secrecy and scandal and has given the national strategic assets back to foreigners. 12. Edgar Lungu failed to attract FDI, HH has brought over US$3.8 billion
Ans; Lies not worth responding to. 13. Edgar Lungu failed to do Kasama airport, HH did it: and construction of Airports in all provinces will be done this year.
ANS; The Kasama Airport project started in 2014 and about K300 million (K288 million) was spent on the construction and rehabilitation of the Kasama Airport. Further PF started the rehabilitation and construction of Kasaba Bay Airport, and upgrade of all airstrips. Hichilema as usual, presided over the completion and opening ceremony. 14. Edgar Lungu failed to run fisheries, HH has done it by restocking and producing more than 4million fingerlings.
ANS; Under ECL, Government introduced and heavily supported the aqua culture as a thriving sub-sector. Both Government and private sector took up the initiative with vigour which has now been lost since HH came to power. 15. Edgar Lungu failed to revamp Malls by failing to attract investment and shops started closing HH has revamped them.
ANS; Under HH, Shopping Malls are empty, Vacancy rate has dramatically increased, MSMEs have been affected severely has the economy has no money. Small businesses are facing permanent closure because of the collapsed economy. 16. Edgar Lungu failed to manage political violence, HH has managed.
ANS; By-elections have been characterised by heightened political violence perpetrated by UPND cadres ferried from outside these areas as witnessed in Lusangazi, Mkudhi, Mwense, Chililabombwe and others. 17. Edgar Lungu failed to enact access to information bill, HH has done it, removed death penalty, removed criminal defamation of president.
ANS; He has arrested more people under criminal defamation of the President than any other President. Further he has arrested more people on issues of Freedom of Expression using the The Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act, 2021. The Acces to Information Act passed is so impotent, as it has too many exemptions and gives wide discretion to information holders thereby rendering the Act useless. 18. Edgar Lungu failed to increase allocation to health, and only put it at K1.4 billion for purchase of medicines and medical supplies, HH has put it at K4.6 billion as of last year.
ANS: For the first time, only 10% was allocated to the health budget instead of the usual 1418% of the budget. Zambia is experiencing the worst shortages of medicines, medical supplies, laboratory re-agents and hospitals are facing broken-down diagnosis equipment. Beds, linen and other facilties are in shortage. 19. Edgar Lungu failed to run a balanced cabinet, HH has done it.
ANS; HH has appointed a family forest in all key positions. One tribe and one region has dominated all key appointments. For the first time in the history of this country, Executive, Judiciary and Parliament, Defence and Security, State-owned Enterprises, all judicial bodies, service commissions, are headed by persons from one region. Further a systematic purge and ethnic cleansing has been extensively conducted, removing professionals from their positions in public service based on tribe or alleged party affiliation. 20. Edgar Lungu failed to manage debt, HH Enacted debt management act no 15. Of 2022.
ANS; This Government is the biggest benefiary to ECL's G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative where foreign debt has not been serviced since December 2020. What have they done with the savings meant to service foreign debt since 2021? 21. Edgar Lungu promised ZNS training for all grade 12s, he failed, and HH introduced skills training under CDF and youths and women are being trained.
ANS ECL built new youth skills training facilities in all provinces ECL revived trades and crafts training and bought tools and equipment for students under TEVET. 22. Edgar Lungu closed media houses, HH has not closed any media house.
ANS; There are more arrests under HH in defiance of freedom of expression than any time. Government has recently announced measures to regulate social-media and podcasts. ECL opened more radio and TV stations than any government has done before him. 23. Edgar Lungu went for council levies and his cadres, HH has given back authority to local authorities.
ANS: UPND cadres are still manning InterCity Bus, some bus stops and markets. 24. In Edgar Lungu's citizens were killed through politics like Nsama , Mapenzi , Kasongo , Lawrence Etc , HH has brought sanity.
ANS: On Election Day in August 2021, UPND cadres in Solwezi killed PF Member of the Central Committee, Mr. Jackson Kungo. Further, a week before elections, Davies Kabunda and Gift Kasongo were killed after UPND cadres attacked the PF campaign center in the Kanyama constituency. UPND will never talk about many PF cadres they killed. 25. Edgar Lungu failed to pay 258,000 farmers, HH has paid all of them.
ANS; ECL cleared the farmers every season and purchased their crops from the 1.1million beneficiaries. 26. Edgar Lungu failed to pay retirees in government, HH cleared them and paid TAZAMA ex workers, together with Tazara workers.
ANS; as at 2014, there were 22,000 unpaid retirees under the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) and Local Authorities Superannuation Fund (LASF). ECL cleared and as at August 2021, there was 2,200 unpaid pensioners. 27. In Edgar Lungu's regime, people stole social cash transfer, HH has increased number of beneficiaries.
ANS; The Social Cash Transfer Scheme started in 2003 as a pilot project in Kalomo district with support from the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services and German Aid (MCDSS/GTZ) Social Safety Net Project. By 2011, only 30 districts were benefitting. ECL scaled it up to all 116 districts with 994,000 households as beneficiaries by 2021. 28. Edgar Lungu failed to take advantage of DRC opportunities, HH has established electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant.
ANS; Wishful thinking. ECL would never lock Zambia's mineral resources to one super-power the way HH has done because of Zambia's renowned foreign policy non-aligned policy. 29. Edgar Lungu failed to run fertilizer production, HH enabled manufacturing plant at $138 million.
ANS: ECL delivered fertiliser in provincial and district depots and warehouses by May-June every year. ECL increased FISP beneficiaries from 500,000 to 1.1million. 30. Edgar Lungu failed to take advantage of ZNS to grow the economy, HH bought 10 milling plants and have reopened farm blocks. ANS; LIES. ECL BOUGHT MONZE, CHONGWE, PETAUKE AND MPIKA
Industrial Milling plants. Further on Farm blocks, this has been demonstrated by prioritising the farm block development programme in the Sixth National Development Plan and its revised edition, Seventh National Development Plan, all done under the Patriotic Front.The targeted farm blocks include Nansanga in Central Province, Luena in Luapula Province, Mushindamo in North-Western Province, Kalumwange in Western Province, Luswishi in Copperbelt Province, Manshya in Muchinga Province, Musokotwane in Southern Province, Chikumbilo in Eastern Province, Shikabeta in Lusaka, and Kalungwishi in Northern ProvinceNansanga, Luena, and Luswishi farm blocks have had some support towards infrastructure development that stands at about 85 per cent, 40 per cent, and 15 per cent, respectively.
Research questions and solutions 1. Price of mealie meal
Solution: government has started working towards reducing cost of producing maize by making fertilizer locally , planting more and introducing credit facilities.
ANS; MORE LIES. There are no tangible or real mechanisms being employed to reduce the cost maize, mealie-meal or fertiliser. 2. Kwacha loss of value
Solution: govt reopening liquidated KCM, Mopani, exporting more agricultural products, and attracting foreign direct investment to grow more dollars.
ANS; KCM has been given back to a bankrupt investor and Mopani Copper Mines has been awarded to an investor whose credentials cannot be verified. A mechanism to shore up forex, the Bank of Zambia Export Proceeds Tracking Framework for exporters proceeds to report tona local bank is highly being undermined. 3. Fuel price - :
Solution: Opening Indeni to reduce shock, remove exercise duty, and bulk buying and improving Indeni by reconfiguration so as to make it a refinery to have new pipelines from Mozambique and Angola.
ANS; INDENI is being turned into an alcohol blender, TAZAMA carries finished products. Expensive status quo continues.