OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION
SUNDAY CHANDA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PRESS STATEMENT
16/12/2013
GOVERNMENT MUST RESPOND TO ESCALATING MEALIE MEAL PRICES WITH URGENCY
OSF wishes to make a categorical position that the recent increments in mealie meal prices are unacceptable as they are punishing poor Zambians who are in the majority.
We therefore call on President Michael Sata and his PF Government to consider drastic measures which will guarantee food security in both the short and long-term. Zambians will not accept arbitrary price increments for breakfast and roller meal which is not costing K65 and K55 respectively and the price is even higher in some areas.
OSF wishes to observe that it is a notorious fact that Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture mismanaged the previous agriculture season in a scandalous manner. The Ministry of Agriculture incompetently and corruptly failed to deliver agricultural inputs on time and yet it is poor Zambians who are being punished through hiked prices.
Ministry of Agriculture’s inefficiency was coupled by Government’s decision to remove maize subsidies, a matter that was highly polarizing. OSF made a position on this matter and we wish to categorically state that if the removal of subsidies on Maize meant punishing the poorest of our people, then we are calling on Government to revisit the decision and bring back the subsidies on Maize to cushion the price.
OSF further calls on President Sata’s Government to set up State-owned milling enterprises across the country. PF Government cannot leave market forces to dictate the cost of food while they fold their hands.
Government must know that Zambians will not sacrifice beyond a certain point and hence the need for pro-activeness on their behalf. We urge Government to invest in areas that guarantee food security as opposed to investing in National Airlines or maintaining so many deputy ministers. Government can save enough money to ensure food security.
Finally, OSF wishes to remind Government of a Bemba idiom ifumo lyansala, talyakwata matwi (a hungry stomach has no ears at all). Mealie meal prices are non-negotiable and Government must ensure food is readily available and affordable.
The recent hikes are unacceptable and we call on Government to inform the nation on measures it is taking to manage the cost of mealie meal.
Uko ba Chanda wesu, na musosa bwino, nomba mwali kwi, tamwaishibe ukuti e donchi kubeba iyi mwa ? Ala mukatasha ku buteko bwaba PF pacili, elyo tapalilati – ala ubufi bulaya nokubwela. Time is almost drawing near when you shall start eating your own children.
Well come aboard Sunday. HH has said this so many times but people ignored him. And now the truth is hitting home.
On food security , standard of living and cost of living the PF is completely daft. They are trying hard to win political mileage through construction projects most which were initiated by MMD.
What PF does not know is that construction projects without raising the standard of living and lowering the cost of living are completely unhelpful politically as Sunday Chanda has said in his bemba adage and I quote “ifumo lyansala, talyakwata matwi (a hungry stomach has no ears at all). Mealie meal prices are non-negotiable and Government ” For as long people are failing to feed their families adequately they wont buy any of PF’s construction political rhetoric.
PF must…
This is boring. You were warned that the removal of subsidies would affect rather than benefit Zambians. When HH was protesting alone, its people like you Chanda who ridiculed him that he was bitter while veiling CNP’s lies that subsidies were removed for the benefit of Zambians. Just shut up and stop feeding us on meaningless verbiage!!!
Just be patient people of the nation. It’s only ….er…how many months after the subsidies were removed? Not sure, but things will be better, let’s just hung on a bit (on empty stomachs) and we’ll see the benefits of subsidy removal, hehehehehe.
sorry folks how much is a bag of mealie meal now?
Copperbelt is K80
If they re-introduce the subsidies, they lose ama loans yaku IMF so the return of subsidies can never happen even if these PF dunderheads decided they wanted to do it. How things change zoona ayi, I remember watching this Sunday chap pa Morning live on Muvi TV defending the removal of the same subsidies.
Mealie Meal prices are a factor of supply and demand. Zambia is under a liberalised economy which we all Zambians embraced. Up and down of prices of commodities is a natural factor in a liberalized economy. It has nothing to do with the party in power unless one just wants to politic. Let us address the high levels of laziness and idleness which many Zambians in our society cherish.
I favour production subsidies… say giving my relatives in the village 4 packs x 8 bags of fertiliser plus maize seed. This will wipe hunger and restore bumper harvests LPM and Alabi witnessed. Agricultural subsidies are allowed under WTO, so we are safe. Bring them back!!! Now one last comment, is ba Chanda bitter?!!! ki ki ki…………lol.
THIS SAME BUGGER WAS BUSY SAYING THE REMOVAL OF SUBSIDIES WAS OK. NOW HE REALISES THAT HIS STOMACH IS NOT BEING LINED. THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TELLING YOU, THAT SATA AND HIS FELLOW CRONIES WERE GOOD OPPOSITION LEADERS BUT PUT THEM IN POWER AND THEY WONT EVEN KNOW WHERE THE ZIPPERS FOR THEIR TROUSERS ARE. WELCOME TO HELL SUCKERS!! THANKS FOR VOTING PF!!!
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