By ADRIAN MWANZA
THE liberalisation of the economy in Zambia is what resulted in the high rate of unemployment and not because of the PF, Party for National Unity and Progress (PNUP) President Highvie Hamududu has said.
Mr Hamududu said that the PF did not create unemployment in the country but that it came about as a result of minimising the government’s restrictions and regulations in an economy, in return for higher involvement of private organisations and that this started in the early 1990s.
He said liberalisation meant the removal of restrictions to promote economic development and that a few corporations were operating and most jobs were wiped out.
Mr Hamududu said the country moved too fast from the left to the extreme right in the shortest time which had negative impact on the economy.
“It was not Mwanawasa, Rupiah Banda, Sata and not even Edgar Lungu that created unemployment but the liberalisation of the economy which saw most companies privatised into private hands and as a result people lost jobs,” he said.
He said that a long time ago a person was assured of a job just upon completing his tertiary education but that this was not the case nowadays and that there was a backlog.
“There is too much expectation from the millennials who want jobs as soon as possible and it was up to the government to deliver,” Mr Hamududu said.
He also said that the coming of social media would be problematic for African democracies as they would have shorter lifespans.
Mr Hamududu said the UPND were propelled to govern because of social media and that most youths were in sync with social media.
“The population of Africa is 70 percent below 18 and these are the people who are in sync with social media which has become an avenue of social change,” he said.
