Zambians must worry about this govt’s arrogance – Sejani

ZAMBIANS must be worried about the government’s arrogance, says Ackson Sejani.

And Sejani says Zambia has fallen from grace within a few short years of PF government rule.

In a statement, the former local government minister said there was a time when Zambia stood tall, proudly and decently among other nations.

“There was a time, not too long ago, when we could look to the future with some justifiable hope and optimism. However, this hope, pride and optimism has been extinguished within a few short years of PF government rule. Zambia has fallen from grace,” he said.

Sejani said that state of affairs had been confirmed by outgoing British High Commissioner Fergus Cochrane-Duet, who on Tuesday offered a scathing assessment of governance in Zambia.

He described the envoy’s wide ranging statement as a tragic confirmation of Zambia’s fall from grace.

“The series of questions being posed by the envoy must provoke serious introspection among all decent Zambians. I know that the petty people in government will as usual arrogantly dismiss it contemptuously. They will be digging their own grave,” he said.

“This statement comes a few weeks after that of the American Ambassador [Daniel Foote] who also raised some issues of concern regarding the way certain things were moving in Zambia. A Zambian opposition leader raising similar issues will be accused of being bitter. Are these envoys bitter?”

Sejani said such developments must worry Zambians.

“As the British High Commissioner puts it, we must be worried about the direction our country is taking. We must be worried about the massive corruption taking place and tolerated by this government, even when evidence has been provided by their own investigative agencies,” he said.

“We must worry about the high debt this government has accumulated over a short period of time. Around 18 billion dollars debt, where has it gone? Poverty is still as high as the British envoy found it years back!”

Sejani stated that under a corrupt-free government, $18 billion would have made a dent on poverty.

“Most of these loans end up in a few people’s pockets. Above all, we must be worried about this government’s arrogance. Arrogance is dangerous in government,” Sejani stated.

“PF is arrogantly denying that there is a food shortage in Zambia and therefore no need to declare a disaster. If there is enough maize in Zambia, why is government not distributing it to the needy? Why are they giving a select few only a token relief that never goes round a family for more than a meal? Who feeds these people given the gross inadequacy of the so-called relief to the few that gets once in three months? Does PF understand what malnutrition is and what causes it?”

He wondered whether the PF understood how the prevailing food scarcity was contributing to skyrocketing food prices, including mealie-meal?

“We will now see where this arrogance will take this government. Initially they just wanted to starve us rural dwellers who would only die quietly in our villages without giving them political problems,” Sejani said.

“Alas, things have operated to raise the price of mealie-meal for urban dwellers as well. We will now see how long they will continue paying a deaf ear to people’s cries. Finally, matters are coming to a head. We shall see. We must be worried about the future of democracy in our country. We must be worried about our rights that are being threatened every day.”