By Angela Moonga
Citizens First leader Harry Kalaba says instead of prioritising bill 7 that does nothing to ease the burdens citizens carry daily, UPND should be confronting the issues that have gone unresolved since it’s ascension to power.
In a statement over the weekend, Kalaba stated that the cost of living had continued to rise with no meaningful intervention while loadshedding remained a daily frustration that affected businesses, homes and every aspect of productivity.
“Whenever a regime decides to champion the case of reform, the first question should always be whether those reforms speak to the real struggles of the people,” Kalaba stated.
“We still have a regime that has not tackled the very tribalism it claims to be affected by. The cost of living continues to rise with no meaningful intervention. Loadshedding remains a daily frustration that affects businesses, homes and every aspect of productivity.”
Kalaba stated that the challenges struck the heart of the national wellbeing, yet remained unattended because attention had shifted to a bill that was far from urgent for those in power.
“I urge those in the corridors of power to reflect. A government cannot begin with legislation when it has not dealt with the deeper fractures affecting its people. These pressing matters require immediate and sincere action,” Kalaba stated.
He stated that if it were up to his party in the CF, he would have taken a different approach.
Kalaba stated that Zambia did not need political distractions, adding that what it needed was economic emancipation and leadership that brought citizens into the process of building an economy that worked for them.
“Our people need progress, not ongoing conversations that produce little change. This should be a moment for the current regime to prioritise the nation’s true interests because the people are watching, and the clock is ticking. Very soon, their time will be up. As I have said before, mine is to offer the necessary checks and balances. Whether they choose to act or not is entirely up to them,” stated Kalaba.
