Hichilema Celebrates National Challenges…Urges Zambians to Rise Up Against PF

UPND President Hakainde Hichilema has staged another of his routine press conferences declaring that Zambians will rise up against the Patriotic Front in 2021 as they did against UNIP in 1991.

During a press conference at the UPND secretariat this morning, Hichilema said there was nothing to debate in the 2019 National Budget presented in parliament last Friday as 87% had already been spent.

Meanwhile Hichilema said the increase in the fuel prices had been necessitated by debt and corruption.

Hichilema said that Zambia was suffering under the twin evils of debt and corruption.

He said that the fuel hike had been necessitated by corruption.

“Too much debt as a conduit for corruption hence the economy is not growing. They inherited an economy which was growing at 7% but now is at 3% and the debt is high,” he said.

Hichilema claimed that there was nothing to talk about the budget as money was already spent on debt servicing and salaries.

“There is no budget to debate. The 87% percent domestic revenue from payee, VAT and other taxes has already been finished by debt servicing, including the US$900 million for the Ndola dual carriageway,” he said.

Hichilema said that the government had increased the budgetary allocation towards public order which indirectly meant planning to teargas the masses.

“I can see another 1991 myself, we will unite again as Zambians. Zambians will do what they did in 1991 even those teargasses they are buying won’t matter,” he said.

Hichilema said that load shedding was back despite the good rains that the country experienced.

On the recent fuel price increase, Hichilema said Zambians had the power to reverse the increment.

“Today you have this fuel increase, in Germany something similar happened a few days. The people parked their cars and the price was brought down. Why can’t you do the same?” he said.

Hichilema said that he had warned Zambians in 2013 that the country was headed for a debt crisis.

“In 2012/13 we told that the country was headed for a debt crisis but you called us bitter, that nimuntu wabwanji wamene saseka? (What kind of person is this one who does not smile?) Kulimuntu wamene saseka anapangiwa namulungu (is there a person who was created by God who does not smile?” he said.