By SYLVESTER MWALE –
ZAMBIAN Voice executive director Chilufya Tayali says the economic challenges facing the country such as the Kwacha’s instability should not be solely blamed on President Edgar Lungu.

. Tayali

Mr Tayali said the country’s problems have built up over the years starting from the time UNIP administration under Kenneth Kaunda right through to President Lungu who has only been in office for eight months.
The local currency has witnessed unprecedented deterioration against the US dollar, trading around K10 per dollar, the highest so far.
This follows a significant reduction of copper prices which is Zambia’s major foreign earner as well as low demand of the commodity by China, the country’s major market.
“To analyse our current position, it would be very unfair to single out one system of governance led by one President or ruling party.
“Our problems have built up successively starting with former President Dr Kaunda right through to our current President who has been in power for eight months now though that is no excuse,” he said.
Mr Tayali noted that it was important that people realised that Zambia had developed in many aspects starting with human development, civil rights and freedoms, democracy, infrastructure, education and healthcare.
“Therefore, we should not completely condemn our former leaders for their efforts to change this country positively but overlooking the downside of their policies.
“Their intentions were good but missed it somewhere, therefore no finger pointing, rather we should thank God for our leadership as a country,” he said.
He said that while the country had done well in some areas, other problems had been created such as high poverty levels, unemployment, corruption, vindictiveness and injustice.
He called on Zambians to be patriotic and look at themselves as solutions to the current problems instead of condemning President Lungu and his Government.
“The problems of this country need everyone not just the politicians or the current PF government or indeed President Edgar Lungu. No one person, no matter how intelligent, or educated, or rich they are can have solutions to the problems we are going through as a nation.
“Therefore, citizens must watch against those politicians who claim to be magicians and that they can turn this country over-night yet the mistakes have been made over the years,” he said.
He also called on the Government to review some economic policies such as tax-holidays, VAT Rule and foreign exchange freedoms which were not fully beneficial to the country.
He said the country was exposed to global economic shocks and manipulations hence the need by the Government to reintroduce the SI number 33 of 2012 which was meant to promote the Kwacha.