By KETRA KALUNGA
CABINET ministers must give up free things they receive including fuel and just remain with salaries so that Zambians can agree to tighten belts, Operation Young Vote (OYV) has said.
The organisation says it is wrong to tell someone who is already suffering to tighten their belt when the ministers are enjoying lavish lifestyles.
OYV Executive Director Guess Nyirenda said it’s unfair for the UPND Alliance government to tell Zambians who put them in leadership to tighten their belts when they themselves get free fuel among other allowances.
Mr. Nyirenda challenged the UPND cabinet ministers to start buying fuel from their salaries and not to be quick to throw the issue of tightening the belts on women and youths on the streets.
He said in an interview that it’s unfortunate that Minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati, despite having served as minister of Finance would come back with the same old story of tightening the belt that Zambians were told in the 90s.
“Leaders must be the ones to live exemplary lives and in terms of being exemplary, the fuel is expensive, let the leaders buy the fuel from their salaries.
“They should stop getting free fuel, free allowance, free everything and that will show that indeed we are all walking the talk of tightening the belts,” he said.
And Mr.Nyirenda urged the UPND Alliance administration to shoulder all the blame that people are heaping on them instead of avoiding responsibility by constantly claiming to correct the alleged wrongs that were done by the Patriotic Front.
He said Zambians didn’t vote based on how deep the mess in the PF regime was but on the promises that they were given hence the need for the new dawn administration to uphold the hope and confidence of Zambians by being accountable for the promises made.
Mr.Nyirenda said it’s not helpful for the new administration to begin to wash their hands because the mess they have found in the government is too deep to clean in a short period.
