Garry Nkombo
Mazambuka UPND Member of Parliament Gary Nkombo has lashed out the PF for insisting that Hakainde Hichilema was behind the failed privatisation of the mines.
Nkombo in a statement to Zambian Eye said Hichilema never sold any mine. He questioned what PF Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri smokes for her not to see the good that came out of the privatisation programme.
Nkombo said:
Once again we have PF mouthpieces desperately seeking to distract people from their sinking ship by rehashing old and tired rumours about HH’s involvement in the privatisation process.
As UPND is given few opportunities to respond directly while such allegations are thrown about, as in recent interviews by chatterbox PF Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri on ZNBC and chatterbox Sunday Chanda on Muvi TV, let me restate the facts here. It was GRZ and the ZCCM Privatisation Task Team headed by Mr. Francis Kaunda that was responsible for the sale of the mines. Mr. Kaunda was selected by GRZ for his role of leading the Task Team specifically due to his industry relevant experience. HH did not work for any company that was responsible for the sale of the mines, nor did he authorise the sale. The entire process was conducted in accordance with the Privatisation Act Cap. 386 and sale was at the discretion of the GRZ.
While it is sadly understandable that people are so ready to believe that all politicians are selfish given the past experiences, as a Christian nation we must know that honesty and selflessness are possible and that we should not judge or condemn our brothers and sisters in the absence of facts. For those who know HH personally he is a man who contributes and gives a great deal but does not boast about it. He gets on with the job at hand because he learnt that in business your track record should speak for itself.
Twenty years on, Government must stop blaming private citizens for the decisions of it’s predecessors while it makes mistakes right, left and centre that cost the people each day, notably the several thousand miners laid off in the course of the last year. Twenty years on we must transition to a place where Zambia is proud of those citizens that have been able to succeed in business, create jobs through their investment in local industries and undertake various community works to support others. The focus must be on how we can empower more Zambians to reach such heights, not on bringing down the too few that have made it to date.
Still if the PF wants to talk about wealth and corruption how about we ask government about the alleged payments made by oil companies to secure contracts, or where the missing money for KKIA has gone? How about the money that was embezzled from the CDF funds, or the details of rumoured contracts for military supplies? How about they first reflect that it is their candidate who has a history of embezzling clients’ money.
And even if Mumbi Phiri is insisting that privatization was a failure, what gave birth to Shoprite, PikNPay, Hungry Lion, Game Store and many Zambian Companies like Californian Beverages etc etc. So what is Mumbi smoking not to see these things.
Gary Nkombo
UPND Chair – Energy