By Staff Reporter
PF national chairperson for commerce Sylvia Chalikosa says the business environment is not conducive under the “New Doom” government, arguing that the inflation rate figures are reducing on account of subdued consumer expenditure due to severe reduction of available disposal income.
And Chalikosa said “having been in opposition then government and back in opposition we now know what not to do, which is not to lie to the people for indeed the true power is with the people.”
In a statement to Daily Revelation, Chalikosa, the former Works and Supply minister, indicated that the UPND have now realised that is is easier said than done, after having promised so much during their time in the opposition.
“It is very clear that since the ‘New Doom’ took the reins of power, the business atmosphere has not been conducive. To begin with, there is little money in circulation due to non payment of domestic debts to those engaged in business, resulting in a downturn in the economy. To be specific, domestic debt to contractors is not being serviced effectively, consequently employees are not being paid, marketeers are suffering because their customers are not able to buy their products leading to overall reduction in business activities which has resulted in companies closing, employees losing jobs, marketeers going out of business,” Chalikosa argued. “The smallest unit of economic activity is conducted by the Marketeer. While the activities of a Marketeer may have minimal impact on the country’s GDP, it has great impact on families dependent on day to day survival. So if the Marketeer is shut down, the inevitable result is unprecedented increased hunger levels and helplessness! A hungry person is an angry person and there’s no telling what angry people will do. There’s need for we as Zambians to converse and get to the bottom of solving our own problems by giving help to one another in our communities.”
Chalikosa said many a time people get disillusioned by what they see.
“Ala ’ing’anda ushikalamo, Bayikumbwa umutenge (The house you don’t live in you can only admire it from the roof)!’ When you are watching football, because you want your team to win, you see all the mistakes and think if ‘I were there, I would do this and that and score to win’!! Given the chance to play, you find that you first need to train intensively before you can make much impression and if you are impatient and want short cuts you just get yourself into trouble and fail to live up to your imagination!!” Chalikosa said. “We are all in agreement that ‘violent cadreism’ is not the way to go. I’m inclined to think that those engaged in extortion think its their time to feel the ‘rewards’ of voting in their Party of choice and must force everyone they are targeting to bow to their demands. Is that democracy?”
She stated that hunger knew no PF or UPND, and that doing business was an issue that cuts across partisan lines, saying it was a means to livelihood and demands great effort to succeed.
“Collecting taxes is what Government depends on for public expenditure. So if Marketeers shops are shut, Mining houses are given tax holidays, Contractors are not paid, Suppliers are not paid Transporters are not paid, in short, people have no disposable income – how will the economy grow?” Chalikosa asked. “As if that’s not enough, you have Economic Hit Men with well thought out strategies of entangling Government to unsustainable external debt through seemingly legitimate loans, the likes of IMF and the World Bank not any different from Contractor Financed Projects to exacerbate the already volatile and uneven economic playing field.”
She noted that the country had products others want and are willing to pay for, including copper, gold, cobalt, emeralds, the mukulas, maize, chickens, fish, pigs among others, and that there were even policies to support business ventures to encourage economic growth.
“So there’s nothing being done for ‘the first time’, that is not already in force. We need to address the empowerment programs in earnest, not pay lip service but genuinely make accessible the tools and resources required to make these programs work. Rejoicing in someone’s downfall has a way of bouncing off and catching those rejoicing in the fall too,” Chalikosa stated.
But asked on the fact that she and the PF were just coming out of government and one would ask why they did not implement the same things she was talking about when the country’s debt burden was swelling to unsustainable levels with the economic growth shrinking at the same time, Chalikosa said they had started working on the cluster meetings and that given a come back that was exactly what they would be doing now, referring to their manifesto.
But asked on the share the PF was taking for the ongoing problems and if she would admit that they shared the blame on what the country was going through right now, Chalikosa said: “You cannot develop infrastructure to the level and speed with which PF did without borrowing.”
On what they would do differently if they ever were given another opportunity, Chalikosa responded: “Move with the people to believe in active and sustainable empowerment so that handouts are gradually left with those that truly need the,.”
Further put to her that the infrastructural projects were welcome, “but what about borrowing prudently to avoid getting the country in such debt mountains”, and that much as the UPND should be taken to task for the reported violent attacks on marketeers in Kitwe, the country saw a worrying trend under the PF and little was done to stem it, with former president Edgar Lungu even stating that they were part of his office, Chalikoss said “we have learnt our lessons.”
She said cadres needed to be embraced in legitimate means of earning a living, arguing that PF started encouraging the registration of cooperatives to partly address “this issue of dealing with unreasonable cadreism at whatever level.”
She said it was necessary to reduce unemployment levels by introducing self employment opportunities but the support system must be right so that the whole thing works, saying talking was easy but doing is very different but not impossible.
But put to her that those were their ideas but cadreism still remained rampant under PF, Chalikosa said: “Having been in opposition then government and back in opposition we now know what not to do which is not to lie to the people for indeed the true power is with the people.”
She said the UPND cadres are terrorizing people for money for basic survival
“The Marketeers and indeed any business entity is working to make money to make ends meet. Ironically, even those terrorising the business people also want money for the same purposes mentioned above. So people, let’s think collectively about how to make money in the immediate, medium and long term and tailor the support structure to benefit all,” Chalikosa said. “We have so much at our disposal but need level headed men and women to marshal wisdom in sharing our low hanging fruits for all to benefit, leaving no one behind and curbing increased levels of crime.”
She stressed that the perceived inflation rate coming down is as a result of subdued consumer expenditure due to a severe reduction of available disposal income and has nothing to do with economic fundamentals.
“As an illustration, how come the K9 fuel pump increase, which has a knock on effect on all sectors of the economy has not filtered through or reflected in the inflation dynamics? I beg to request,” stated Chalikosa
