For Immediate Release
THIS YEARS BUDGET A JOKE AND USELESS SAYS – KAMBWILI
Lusaka 28th September 2020
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) President Dr Chishimba Kambwili has described the 2020 national budget as useless and is designed to wind hock the people to vote for the PF in the coming year’s general elections.
Addressing the media this morning at his woodlands Residence under the theme *(umwana ushumfwa amenene mwemfu kwikoshi.)*
Speaking to the media Dr Kambwili said, What has made this budget useless is the high debts which the government had prioritised since it formed government.
He said the budget was unreasonable and will not stimulate the economic growth but to support political reasons.
Dr Kambwili wondered why the government choose to prioritize the defense and security and defense in the national budget at the expense of the health of the people behind the economic advances.
The increase of social cash transfers that will be getting k60 to convince them to vote for the PF in the coming elections.
The NDC leader wondered who will benefit from the electric cars at the expense of electricity which is behind the economic growth in the country.
The NDC leader has since advised the government to stop misleading the people because it will put the country in jeopardy and many people will suffer irreparable damages.
The government was warned about the effects of continued debt accumulation that it will cause trouble to the country but it choose to cast a deaf ear, Instead, the government has continued to borrow money for political reason.
The borrowing has made Zambia to look bad in the eye of investors.
The country that cannot not borrow for good reason is a dead country. Soon and very soon, Zambia will be like Zimbabwe where the government controls money and the people has to pay for good and serviced at stipulated time.
The currency has lost strength and are not using US dollars as a medium of exchange.
When the government is doing wrong things the people are quite.
Dr Kambwili wondered why the government can go to borrow 500 million USD to put cameras in the towns as though the country was at war. He further wondered what the benefit of the camera’s to the country.
The crime in Zambia are petty and does not need sophisticated cameras in the cities. If there was an organized police the petty crime could be controlled.
The project of putting cameras was rejected by late President Micheal Sata, May his Soul Continue Resting in Peace, but this government has resumed it because there are people interested in collecting Commission.
There is no need for camera’s unless there is complicated crime in the country. The camera are not a priority at the moment. The government should instead put up power generation.
When I advised the government it was too defensive, Kambwili said. They used to say the debt is sustainable and are now asking flee debt deferment. This shows that the debt has become unbearable.
This has consequences, and does not mean the debt had been written off. The debt will be paid with costs and the people will suffer the consequences.
Those who advised are not bitter. They are just concerned with the consequences. Each time the cabinet meets, the discussion was borrowing. Now due to debt is unbearable.
This is scaring investors. It will affect the future generation that will have to shoulder the debt in future. Posterity will judge this government.
Dr Kambwili further described the just realised budget as useless.
The economic grow is in the negative. If one is employed and gets 10 000, this means of survival will be within 10, 000.
When the salary is reduced, you have to reduced the expenditure to live within the available means.
The government has decided to go on to borrow to sustain the expenditure
The government should have reconvened parliament to reveal its expenditure.
The government should have reduced the expenditure.
Instead, the government has continued to borrow to sustain the high expenditure for political reasons.
This budget seek to borrow 51% to actualise the 119 trillion budget allocation.
Things in the budget to borrow 48 billion to sustain the budget are not important.
The ministry of finance has provided 48 billion towards debts.
And to actualise the budget it has to borrow 53% to pay the debt.
This means that Zambia will continue to borrow for a very long time.
This will also cause for the interest rate for the investors will be very high and this will retard development.
Instead the banks will be lending to government becsuse it is easier to recover the money from government than from the private sector.
Last year the health sector received 9.6 billions. This year, the health has received reduced allocation to 9.4.
The reason is simple. Its borrowing. The total budget for last year was 106 today is 119.
This figure will rise during to the election scheduled next year.
With the additional expenditure, the budget for last year rose up to 116. Dr Kambwili said his convince beyond reasonable doubt that more borrowing will be done to sustain elections.
The best thing the government should have done was to reduced the expenditure.
It is not normal for the government to have come up with high expenditure compared to the income.
Dr Kambwili wondered where the government will get money than borrow.
The fisp which the government has prioritize in the budget is of little effect to the economic growth.
The government should increased the number of bags of fertilizer and maintain the same beneficiaries and then wean them in the next season. More will be added as a way of enticing them to vote for PF. The ministry for fisp will be realised fast to bribe the farmers. After voting the fisp will be removed.
The same with the youths empowerment. The beneficiaries are only those from the PF for political reasons. The people of Zambia will have a duty to pay for the debt that have only benefited a few people from the PF which are cadres.
The fund is a ploy to help the people vote for the PF in the 2021 elections.
The budget is also against what the government has been preaching. The government should have set up industries for sustainable jobs. The industries will employ more people than making them dependant.
The country was well industrialize until the MMD sold all the companies. There is need to have the companies to employ teachers.
Dr Kambwili wondered why there are so many teachers on the streets than those that have been employed.
The introduction of internship is meant to bring on board unemployed teachers to vote for the PF.
The proper youths empowerment is to open a company to empower to the youths.
What the government will do is to go in the village to give hand out for political reasons.
The duty which has been reduced on fish is meant to support your foreign companies that will be importing fish. There is no incentive that has been made on the beef and meet industry which is produced in Zambia.
The NDC leader further spoke on the Voter registration:
The online voter registration is a scam. It is not possible to capture the nine million people that ECZ require. The ECZ will not meet the desired target in 30 days.
Dr Kambwili wondered why the PF wants to do away with the voter registration which is the production of the successive registers
The NDC leader had since again advised the ECZ not to be arrogant because the Commission was made by the act of parliament for and on behalf of the people.
Dr Kambwili wondered why the ECZ plan on how to run the election with the government who are the main interested parties in the election.
The NDC leader wondered why the government wants to have the old voter register out lawed.
The NDC leader Suspects the reason for the those people pushing it will have to have the Commission in the exercise.
If the ECZ will not maintain the old register, the government should expect mass demonstrations with or without police permit.
Dr Kambwili has appealed to the government to free UPND Patrick Mucheleka who is arrested for the offense he did not commit. He has families that look up to him for help.
Dr Kambwili has advised the government not to arrest Dr. Mumba for accusing the PF of rigging the election. If the PF did not rig election why panic. He is not the first person to talk about rigging the election, Kambwili said.
Issue by: Emmanuel Malite.Esq
National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Media Director
+260971827272