THE ECONOMY IS ON LIFE SUPPORT…Why Sink $10 Million In By-elections, SAYS FORMER FINANCE MINISTER
THE ECONOMY IS ON LIFE SUPPORT, SAYS FORMER FINANCE MINISTER
…Why Sink $10 Million In By-elections
Dr. Bwalya Ng´andu, Zambia´s immediate former Minister of Finance has described as ´subterfuge´ junior speaker Moses Moyo´s announcement to expel some nine lawmakers from the main opposition party Patriotic Front.
Dr. Ng´andu said no one in his or her right mind would plunge a poor country like Zambia in a multi-million dollar by-election limbo when the economy is currently on ´life support´.
“What wanton hubris is this where you want to burn money you don’t have in the midst of a starvation crisis and load shedding caused by careless decisions such as exporting maize,” Dr. Ng´andu said.
“You cannot expel nine members of parliament and sink a $10 million black hole in a country that is reeling in debt and facing starvation President Hichilema must know this,” Dr. Ng´andu said.
The former Minister of Finance, an accomplished economist advised Mr. Hichilema to instead focus of job creation and poverty reduction instead of ´subterfuge´ and political retribution against perceived political foes.
“Mr. Hichilema must look at the bigger picture of economic development because at the end of his term coming soon people will want to judge him on reducing the cost of living not punishing his enemies,” Dr. Ng´andu said.
Last week, Moses Moyo a junior deputy speaker of parliament in Zambia announced that nine PF legislators were expressly expelled from the house, a decision that could cause a constitutional crisis in Zambia.
Sixth President Edgar Lungu said in response that he would do everything legal and political to reverse the announcement as 64 percent of Zambians wallow in abject critical poverty unseen in 60 years since Hichilema assumed office in 2021.
Subterfuge is the use of tricky actions to hide or get something done to punish your enemy.