When we borrow, we don’t borrow to eat but to improve people’s living standards, so those who say we can’t borrow, get out! President Edgar Lungu exclaimed today.
President Lungu was speaking when he toured Lusaka’s Garden Compound, one of the areas where Cholera has broken out.
“To the minister and all of you who are here, the government workers, let us contain and control this cholera within Lusaka province please, I don’t want to hear that cholera has shifted, it has gone from here to Southern Province or Copperbelt, please I beg you. We must fight it because when this epidemic becomes countrywide, it will be too big for us to conquer. Let’s concentrate and make sure that we contain it in this area and eradicate it for now. But going forward, we must make sure that we upgrade all shanties in Lusaka and Zambia as a country and this is a policy which we are going to implement in the next five, 10 years to come because…at independence, there was no planning, people were settling anyhow. That’s why we have all these shanties but going forward, we have to upgrade these shanties and make decent housing for our people, that is the job you have given us,” President Lungu said.
“So we shall work and if it is money, we shall borrow if we don’t have to make sure that the country moves forward, it doesn’t matter if people will talk so much against this. Because when we are in an emergency like this, it is time to borrow if we don’t have. So those who are telling you that government is borrowing too much, when we borrow, we don’t borrow to eat, we borrow to make sure that there is development and people are living well. We fix the water, schools, hospitals and roads. That is why we are borrowing money. So those saying that we can’t borrow, get out!”
And President Lungu asked Garden Compound residents to cooperate with health workers in order to end the pandemic.
“Please wash your hands when you come from the toilet before you eat. And I beg you, please stop stealing taps. These things which are coming here, we just want to help you so please don’t steal the taps, or any equipment brought here to help in the fight against cholera it is intended to serve you and me so that we can live in a healthy environment. We beg you, this is your equipment. We shall work so that cholera ends so please cooperate with the health workers and everybody so that we overcome this cholera,” says President Lungu.
Take a listen:
The Minister of Health has recorded over 1,000 Cholera cases since the disease broke out in October.
President Lungu was accompanied by Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya and his Local Government counterpart Vincent Mwale, among others.
Picture by Tenson Mkhala
5 responses
By all means, borrowing by the government is acceptable, allowed. What is unacceptable, disallowed, is borrowing for non priority agendas, borrowing at exorbitant interest rates when cheaper sources are available, and also spending borrowed funds imprudently as we see in numerous instances. Current leaders take advantage of so called development in non priority areas to inflate costs and steal at the end. Look at the fire tender issue, ambulances procurement issue, dual carriage road construction to Ndola! It’s all stinking with corruption. Most of the roads constructed are consumptive as they do not have economic value compared with dilapidated ones that are neglected. All we want is careful prioritization and focus on real issues and not just where there is the greatest opportunity to steal. That is my take on this.
NO. YOU get out! You can’t be borrowing expecting us to pay! You found us here so you get out and leave us alone with our underdevelopment. At least it will not shackle our children’s children’s children’s children in insurmountable debts.
100% Correct!! The problem is that the current regime is borrowing to steal! The Ndola – Lusaka Dual Carriageway is supposed to cost $400 million maximum. Where does the $1.2Billion price tag come from??
I only borrow money to make more money, I dont borrow for consumption or non productive ventures.
Oh my God. This man is so presidential. His speech is not at all inspiring. This Koswe will go down the history as the worst Zambian president on account of quality.
You can not tell Zambians get out when they show concerned about their future as a consequence of your misguided borrowing. A good leader motivates his country to generate own money than borrow. Any previous president had the chance to borrow but the didn’t borrow stupidly because they understood the future implications.