Veteran academician Prof. Naison Ngoma says there is a need for President Hakainde Hichilema to address the nation on the high cost of living after UPND Members of Parliament shunned to discuss the matter in Parliament last week.
Speaking as Secretary of People’s Pact, a consortium of organisations, Prof. Ngoma said the high cost of living currently prevailing in Zambia is a serious issue that should not be politicized.
The former Copperbelt University vice Chancellor said President Hichilema should use his address to the nation on the cost of living to explain why prices of essentials such as fuel, mealie meal and electricity have gone up rapidly.
Prof. Ngoma said the high cost of living affects many Zambians hence the need for the Government to address it urgently.
Speaking to Radio Icengelo News in Ndola, Prof. Ngoma added that the Peoples Pact was also concerned about high poverty levels in the country.
“Instead of discussing the high cost of living, we saw the Members of Parliament from the ruling party walking out of Parliament. Unprecedented move, refusing to discuss what is fundamental to every man, to every child to every woman in this country. That was not right, they needed to talk, they needed to meet each other and resolve the issue. This is not a matter of belonging to this or that political party but a matter of being a Zambian, being a person in Zambia but not able to afford certain basics in life. This is beyond partisan politics,” Prof. Ngoma said.
“Perhaps this is the time the President needs to address this matter since clearly the Members of Parliament have failed to address it. This is the time that our President would then be able to address this matter so that he can put a number of things on the high cost of living to rest. From where we stand we see a lot of challenges which possibly such an address by our President would answer. Maybe this is the right time to come through and address the nation on these crucial issues of affordability, people can’t afford. The President might perhaps address the cost of fuel today,” he said.
Prof. Ngoma said the People’s Pact feels time is ripe to tackle poverty through good governance, peace and unity.
“Looking at certain facts, we know that towards the end of 2021 the cost of fuel was K17.62 and by 2025 the cost of fuel was K34.9 per litre. Look at the cost of mealie meal K170 per 25 kg bag in 2021 but today the same bag of mealie meal on average is knocking K400 plus. Look at the cost of living, the JCTR food basket was about K7, 000 in 2021 but in 2025 that food basket has gone to K10, 800. So there are many issues which the President might wish to address so that we can understand where we are going, is there hope around. As a People’s Pact we feel compelled to join the voices of the Shakafuswa of this world and more voices coming from society today,” he said.
Prof. Ngoma, who served as CBU Vice Chancellor for eight (8) years, is a Doctor of Philosophy with a Masters in Public Administration from the University of the Western Cape and has Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Zambia.
You only address when you have solutions, not so? Address and say what. We were told 2023 would be year of economic revival and nothing happened and we are in 2025 now.
His own Vice President told us, they will increase to reduce the costs and that they are not the manufacturers. 2021 to 2026 are wasted years, it’s done. It’s just to hide in the last drought now, what else, though the incompetence is glaring
Address the Nation? You don’t see him running around working hard to address the cost of living by increasing trade and economic growth? What a poor mindset. What is a Press Conference going to do to reduce poverty and hunger?? This type of thinking is from the Kaunda days where KK had Press Conferences every week just to appease the people and never addressed the real practical issues of economic development. These old people should retire and let new mindsets become Lectures.
Running around for 4 years with no results, if it were football the guy would have been substituted by now.
Granted, the nation needs to be addressed on the rapid rise in the cost of living, but those who walked out of parley were not only UPND MPs but also PF and Independent MPs.
You were part of PF Misrule. we know too well and rundown CBU. At your age, I would be enjoying my retirement
New Kopala language, we would rather be beaten by cadres and have food. ” we agree twale ponoka kuma cadres but twalelya”. What are they communicating? What does that say, it means they are saying that you can talk about removal of cadres, free education, debt restructuring and that whole hollow list but at the end of the day it is bread and butter issues that count
PF Mealiemeal K130 UPND K400
PF dollar K21 UPND K28
PF fuel per litre K17, UPND K34
PF load shedding 4hrs UPND 20hrs
(And a minister asked the audience to clap for him for providing power for 3 hours and the audience clapped
Don’t argue with me, argue with the stats provided please
Hiding in drought and yet the downward trajectory started way before the drought. 4 years of blaming the previous government, the only achievements being travelling and travelling and a basket full of hollow self praise. Start working, time is not on your side
Given a choice between the Ubomba mwibala government and the imita ufole government, I would go for the former because food and other commodities were more affordable then