HH side-stepped real issues – East PF
By Mast Reporter
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema’s address to Parliament last Friday did not address the problems people in rural areas are facing on the ground, the Patriotic Front (PF) in Eastern Province has said.
Provincial information and publicity secretary for mobilisation in Boston Phiri, said an interview Hichilema’s address to Parliament was senseless and useless because it failed to respond to the cries of the poor Zambians in villages.
He said Zambians wanted to hear how the government would resolve load shedding and reduce high fuel and fertiliser prices.
“That was a useless speech. It was a senseless story again. It protected friends of the ruling class. It failed to address our interests in villages. For us, the boss failed us. He did not think we existed,” Phiri said.
He said Hichilema’s address was about what he knew and not what was going on in people’s lives.
“The President gave an address based on what he knows and what he was told, contrary to what is on the ground. We expected him to tackle issues of load shedding, issues of high prices of commodities and the issue of fuel reduction. Now he has just remained with a few months before polls, when will he fulfill the promises he made to Zambians?” Phiri said.
He reminded government that citizens were critical in the governance of the country and any attempt to leave them behind would be building a crisis, as was the case under the UPND.
“The UPND still has a lot of work to do, but unfortunately, time has run out for him, and we are afraid of when he will fulfill the promises because seven months from now, we will be going to the polls,” Phiri said.
He said Zambians had already decided what to do next year based on promises made and fulfilled.
“Government should not forget that people make decisions before the elections and during the election, they just do what they have already decided. And in most cases, it is from what leaders have promised and fulfilled. Let them remember that people make decisions early before elections, and their decisions are based on the character of an individual and the capacity to deliver what they want. In this case, people will vote based on what UPND has achieved in its first term. Unfortunately, the UPND has under-performed and they are fit to be voted out,” he said.
