By KETRA KALUNGA
ZAMBIANS must be ready to deal with the consequences of changing government because the UPND administration is obsessed with pleasing their financiers at the expense of the people, New Congress Party (NGP) President, Peter Chanda has warned.
But UPND secretary-general, Batuke Imenda dismissed the claims saying the new dawn government was busy cleaning the mess left by the Patriotic Front (PF) administration to improve the living standards of the people.
Mr. Chanda said Zambians should brace themselves for tougher times ahead because the first thing that any opposition political party that forms government does is to please those that have been funding them at the expense of easing the suffering of its people.
He said in an interview that Zambians should not be shocked that the UPND has removed fuel subsidies and mineral royalties because the measures have been taken to please the people that have been funding the party for the many years it has been in the opposition.
“I want to state that the people should brace themselves for tough times because the cost of living would remain high with the increase in fuel price contrary to the’ heaven on earth’ that President Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND promised them in the run up to the August 12 general elections,” Mr. Chanda said.
He has challenged President Hichilema and the UPND administration to admit that reality has caught up with him and tell Zambians that what he has found on the ground is different from what he thought running the government was.
“HH should have taken a leaf from late President Frederick Chiluba on how he conducted his truth campaign in 1991, he asked Zambians, are you ready to rebuild what has been destroyed, do you know that these measures need sacrifice?. He said to rebuild the economy, Zambians would require to tighten their belts,” Mr. Chanda said.
Mr. Imenda however said the reality on the ground is that the UPND administration found empty coffers, hidden loans, and too much corruption in the contracts awarded for construction of road projects, the mess the new dawn government is busy cleaning.
He said in an interview that the PF regime which Mr. Chanda supported during the August elections was supposed to increase the price of fuel in March this year but failed to do so because they were cowards.
“Mr Chanda should not be a hero of their own mistakes, the PF, the party he supported left the country in a mess, the reality is that we found empty coffers, hidden loans, there was too much corruption on projects such as roads,” Mr Imenda said.
UPND obsessed with pleasing its financiers – Chanda
