Opposition Forum for Democracy and Development President Edith Nawakwi has likened Members of Parliament who are defecting to the ruling party to monkeys.
And Nawakwi said the PF had lied to the Zambian people on the removal of subsidies as they never laid it during the presentation of the budget.
Featuring on 5fms’ Burning Issue Programme this morning, Nawakwi said the K6 billion allocated to ministers to go and justify subsidies across the country could transform lives in the poor communities.
“If government told these MPs that resign that we are not going to adopt you once you resign these people will not have been jumping from one party to another like monkeys in a fruit tree,” she said.
“This money could be used to change lives in the poor communities.”
Nawakwi said the PF had not been clear on where the money for the removal of subsidies was going to go.
“We are not being told the real intention of removing subsidies. They are saying they are going to build roads in the budget they had allocated money to build roads.What happened? I think they have no money. Where did they take the money? Now the burden is being passed over to the poor people,” she said.
“They are telling you they have removed subsidies, it is not a subsidy. They have just introduced an extra tax..”
She said, “They have touched on the first line of defence – food. They are saying wait you are going to see the benefits of these projects. Are you going to eat tarmac? They have removed the cornerstone of any development which is food.”
She adds, “Look at agriculture, they are delivering half a bag of Urea and half a bag of compound D [fertiliser]. The budget has completely collapsed.”
Nawakwi said they were spending K6 billion on sending away ministers to preach subsidies instead of using the same money to better the lives of individuals.
“They do not analyse things properly, look at the money they are spending to sending people to explain subsidies. If you go to Kalingalinga you will find the hospice closed you can imagine what that K6 billion can do. They lack humanity in their approach,” she said.
“Go to Misisi compound where people are using cardboards as toilets you can imagine how that K6 billion can help?”
Nawakwi, who heavily campaigned for President Sata in the 2011 elections and has widely be viewed as a compromised PF stooge serving the opposition, said stututory instrument number 32 would hit the small time businesses hardest.
“As regards to SI Number 32, we removed UNIP because of the insatiable appetite to control everything and this the syndrome PF is showing. They forget that only 20 % of the Zambian population is banked,” she said.
Nawakwi has occasionally been rewarded with favours by President Michael Sata but here recent stance together with that of her party leaves her relationship with the Head of State at odds.
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