By Staff Reporters
It’s rubbish to say the government has reduced the price of fuel on account of fear of losing the Kabwata parliamentary by-election, says Colonel Panji Kaunda.
But Party for Economic Progress president Sean Enock Tembo charged that the current reduction in fuel pump price is cosmetic, aimed at swaying voters in Kabwata.
Meanwhile, Col Panji said Infrastructure minister Charles Milupi has been taken out of context over his comments on the Chipata-Chadiza and Chipata-Vubwi roads.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Col Panji said arguments that the fuel price has been reduced from K21.16 to K19.84 (for fuel) and K20.15 to K18.93 (for diesel) and low sulphur gasoline/ diesel from K22.29 to K18.93 while maintaining the price for kerosine at K15.39, in order to appease people as the UPND feared losing the Kabwata by-election did not make sense.
Analysts have observed that defeats for either UPND and PF or both, will be bad for their political standing, in that the UPND resoundingly won that seat barely six months ago and would not want to lose it, as it will be interpreted that people are already having serious misgivings about them this early into their term. For the PF, defeat will also be damaging as it will confirm that their loss in Lusaka, in 2021, in an area which used to be their stronghold, was not just a blip driven by the euphoria of a general election, but that it was something that was now permanent.
But Col Panji said the opposition arguments did not make sense, as the government’s move to review fuel prices on a monthly basis was aimed at benefiting the country from the general prices of petroleum products on the international market, and when the exchange rate was good.
“That’s rubbish (arguments about reducing prices because of the Kabwata elections). It’s only a by-election, even if they lose it won’t change anything. They will still be in government. Why should the government change the policy just because of a by-elections?” Panji asked. “Everything we see it through politics. I am a spokesperson of reason.”
And Col Panji defended Milupi saying his comments have been taken out of context, saying during that same Eastern Province tour, the minister said the Chanida-Mozambique road is an important road and is therefore able to attract PPP. For the Chadiza-Chipata road he said the PF did not put money in the yellow book and there is no money to work on it,” Col Panji said. “If you ask for the full video you will hear what he said. He said the government will do the road next year when they put money into the budget…it’s just cherry picking (what Milupi is quoted to have said). It’s not the aim of the government not to develop rural areas.”
He claimed that Milupi was taken out of context in order to anger the people of Eastern Province that they voted for the UPND, but they were now being slapped in the face.
But Tembo said that the sudden reduction in fuel pump prices is meant to sway voters in voting for the UPND in the forthcoming Kabwata Parliamentary by-election.
“From our stand point, we feel that this sudden reduction in fuel pump prices is clearly cosmetic. We say so because this reduction is coming at a time when the people of Kabwata are going to be voting for their new member of parliament. We feel this is a ploy meant to sway voters into voting for the ruling party, the UPND,” said Tembo.
He wondered why the reduction in fuel pump prices has been effected at a time when the Zambian Kwacha is depreciating, arguing that if the said reduction was genuine, it would have been effected at the time when the local currency was appreciating against foreign convertible currencies.
“When the fuel pump prices were increased by about K4.50, the Zambian Kwacha was trading at about K16 per (United States) Dollar. But today the Kwacha is trading at about K18 per Dollar,” said Tembo.
He maintained that the UPND will not emerge victorious in the forthcoming Kabwata Parliamentary by-election, stating that the opposition political party will carry the day.
“We are very confident that the people of Kabwata Constituency and the Zambian citizenry, in general; are seeing the lies and machinations being propagated by the UPND government. And we are very confident that the people of Kabwata Constituency will vote for a candidate of their choice by voting for the opposition,” added Tembo.
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