By Staff Reporter
Lupososhi member of parliament (PF) Emmanuel Mpankata says he agrees with Wynter Kabimba when he says that Zambians are likely to pour into the streets with the worsening living standards, saying the sufferings have the potential to trigger mass protests in the country.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on Economic Front (EF) leader Wynter Kabimba’s views that the nation was likely to see a repeat of what happened during Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s days where Zambians poured into the streets on account of the worsening living standards, in the same manner it is happening now, Mpankata urged the UPND to immediately change course.
He said there were examples everywhere where there have been uprisings like in Tunisia where the worsening cost of living led people into the streets.
Mpankata said people failed to hold themselves, especially in situations where leaders continue to make promises while failing to fulfil them in terms of the very high prices on fuel, fertliser and electricity connections and shortages and high prices of mealie meal.
He said the sufferings have the potential to incite anger in people and lead them to mass protests, but urged against engaging in violence and breaking into store rooms in the same manner it happened under Dr Kaunda.
But put to him that as member of parliament he was part of government himself and could advise their cabinet colleagues where they felt things were not going right, Mpankata said he could not advise people who kept on referring to them as “thieves, imwe bakabwalala.”
He described the US$577 contract for the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage between the government and a Chinese consortium as a very foolish and corrupt deal where the Chinese will be granted access for the collection of toll fees for 25 years.
“I am not against the road but I am against the manner they have gone about using our own money to construct our own road in awarding the contract. Why didn’t they just pick up our own contractor so that money remains here? We are in Zimbabwe here where the government is acting as a guarantor of the local contractors like those working on the bridge leading to South Africa?” said Mpankata.
