PF being insincere over ZAFFICO, says Mulongoti
THE PF should ask their conscious whether they are being fair to Zambians by denying an issue which is active in their own circles, says Mike Mulongoti. Mulongoti said it was common knowledge that by listing the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation (ZAFFICO) on the Lusaka Stock Exchange (LuSE) the PF government was inviting the Chinese to go and buy the shares and take control. Mulongoti, a former works and supply minister and currently president of the People’s Party, said there was more to the issue of ZAFFICO than meets the eye.
He said the PF government was being insincere over the ZAFFICO matter, which was more to do with the Mukula tree, a gem to the Chinese, and the minerals under the surface where the forest sat.
What is evident is that it’s not a question of the ZAFFICO trees, there is more to that’there is the issue of the Mukula tree because Mukula is now a preserve of ZAFFICO. And in those forest reserves there are some minerals there so there is more to it than the question of just trees. We would want the PF to ask their conscious whether they are being fair to the people of Zambia by denying an issue which is active in their own circles. Because by taking to the Lusaka Stock Exchange, what are they saying? They are inviting the Chinese to go and buy the shares and once they buy shares in ZAFFICO it means they have control’at what point will they say to them that you cant do this because they would have become shareholders and owners of all the trees and the Mukula and minerals that are in that area. They are being insincere over this matter, Mulongoti said.
He further noted that the government was escaping from the problem they created themselves by raping the social contract with the people. Mulongoti said the PF government was now in a total mess following their inability, dishonest conduct and had resorted to lamping the blame on UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema.
The question is this: who is stressing those people (rioters)? is it the opposition or the people in government who have failed to deliver on their social contract? They are trying to be escapists in their behaviour by running away from a problem they have created themselves by their inability, dishonest conduct’they are a total mess. So to try and lamp a problem on HH or anybody, we say No No No! It’s immoral, very immoral and no matter what they do, it will catch up. Why should they go for that when there are people who are looting everyday? There are people who are looting but are they arresting them? No, they are not because they are eating together. How many companies have they sold? Who did they tell when they were selling? We only come to hear when they have sold, so such speculation starts with Social media and goes into real life after they have already done a particular thing’. So they cannot blame HH whether it was speculative of not, the fact is that they have been selling quietly, Mulongoti said.
For HH to have said anything, he was right, there is nothing wrong about it and if people rioted, it’s not because he told them to riot, people are already angry over the way the economy is performing and behaviour of government and arrogance of leaders, said Mulongoti.
Ndola police have summoned Hichilema for questioning regarding a media interview he recently had on the status of ZAFFICO. The government leaders have framed Hichilema saying his talk on the ZAFFICO matter was what precipitated the riots on the Copperbelt. However, Hichilema has called the government leaders’ machinations malice because riots broke out even before he was featured on Ndola’s Sun FM.