Our stance regarding the plea for assistance by Government in light of the looming hunger and famine!

It is bewildering why any sensible government would deplete a three-year food reserve only to seek food assistance the next year!

By Chishala Kateka | NHP president.

Lusaka, April 19 – 60 years of political independence and self rule is surely a long enough period in which we, as a country, ought to have learnt lessons in all spheres of our governance and perfected our conduct relating to the most critical national strategic sectors of the economy, especially food self-sufficiency and security.

Also Read: Zambia is in a crisis. By Chishala Kateka.

Food Security is directly linked to national security – a case in point are the food riots of the 1980s. It is clear, therefore, that food insecurity at household level has historically translated into national social and political insecurity and poses a serious challenge to the exercise of democratic rule by any government.

More importantly, however, are the dire nutritional and health consequences for the majority of the people in the country.

Going by the World Food Programme latest assessment, 48% of Zambians are unable to access their minimum calorie requirements, meaning they are facing extreme hunger and starvation, while Oxfam in a 4th March report of 2024 says six million Zambians face hunger.

It is therefore most alarming to note that President Hakainde Hichilema has announced that of the total K12.6 billion required to mitigate the hunger situation in the country, only K0.06 billion is available, leaving a shortfall of K12.54 billion. This is clearly an indication that the country is on the cusp of an unprecedented national disaster.

How can the shortfall of what is required to feed our own people be almost at 💯 %???

Also Read: We don’t have a capable leader to mobilise national wealth. By Edith Nawakwi.

“It would be a waste of time to get the debt restructuring without creating the necessary production capacity in the country to repay the debts when the repayments are due!” – Nawakwi.

The New Heritage Party recognises that, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a government or even a president asking for international aid in times of national disasters, such as famine, major accidents, floods and many other extreme situations caused by acts of nature.

However, what is disturbing about President HH’s UPND government’s bowl in hand global begging exercise, is that the disaster is almost entirely manmade and totally self inflicted as a result of gross incompetence, carelessness and ineptitude tinged with an uncouth arrogance born out of pure misguided bravado.

The New Heritage Party is just one among the many Zambian organizations, including reputable farmers associations such as The Zambia National Farmer’s Union (ZNFU), experts and concerned citizens who advised this government not to take such self-defeating actions as selling off our staple strategic reserves, but the advice as we all know, fell on deaf ears. Our know-it-all President and his government, went ahead in total defiance to all reason and proudly announced the authorization of the export of the maize held in reserve for times such as this one.

Why any right-thinking government would dispose of three years of food reserve and then go begging for food aid the following year, baffles the mind! This irrational behaviour is mirrored in the government’s action in selling off huge electricity power quota to other countries and private entities at subsidized rates at the expense of our Zambian domestic consumers and now just as with the food situation the country is faced with power rationing, disruptions and price hikes.

Also Read: UPND and its baffling performance! – Chishala Kateka.

This President and his government owe an apology, at the very least, to the Zambian people.

The solution ultimately lies in the voting out of HH and his corrupt and incompetent UPND political party from government in 2026, for those Zambians who will be fortunate enough to be alive and well enough to walk to the voting booth for this absolutely necessary and historic national imperative.

Zambia; you are well warned and advised!!

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