Frank-Bwalya
The ruling Patriotic Front has continued directing its anger towards western diplomats in Zambia for dining with the country’s main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, with the party’s deputy spokesperson Frank Bwalya now stating that the American government has never done anything of note for Zambia.
American Ambassador to Zambia Eric Schultz was among 15 diplomats who attended a luncheon at Hichilema’s residence about a fortnight ago, a move that has unsettled the PF.
Posting on his Facebook page, Bwalya claimed the only “big” investment America has made in Zambia is the construction of its Embassy building in Lusaka.
“The biggest infrastructure, in fact I shouldn’t say “the biggest” but simply “the big” infrastructure the Americans have built in Zambia is their own embassy building,” Bwalya wrote.
“Looking at this from the perspective of cooking we can say the food the Americans cooked in Zambia was eaten by themselves. But the best meals the Chinese have been preparing in Zambia have been for our people. So the Americans have done nothing for us? No. The point is that their big investment in Zambia is their own embassy. So what? Nothing! Just stating a fact.”
But a number of bloggers sharply disagreed with Bwalya’s assertions, with some taking time to educate the former clergyman on the many contributions the American government has made in various sectors of the Zambian economy.
One blogger responded: “First of all, do you know what USAID, Peace Corps and CDC are doing in Zambia? Do you know how much per year is being spent in Zambia by USA? Please don’t allow politics to blind you.”
Another one chipped in: “To some people infrastructure is the only investment they count? Helping you fight TB, Polio, AIDS, Cancer, Malaria isn’t an investment? PF think infrastructure is the beginning and the end of development. It’s a pity.”
Another one said: “The USA, or America, is spending hundreds of millions of its own dollars paying for ARV’s for our HIV/AIDS afflicted fellow citizens (US$436m per year). Through USAID, the US strongly supported Zambian agriculture in achieving its first-ever 2 million ton harvest in 1987, and has been supporting Zambia with cash since independence. During our maize crises, the USA has ALWAYS been the first to respond, paying for maize from source to storage in Zambia. The US has also paid for Zambian roads in the past, has provided support to our military, and has even paid for our oil during some of our never-ending crises.”