HH comes under fire

By OLIVER SAMBOKOOPPOSITION leader Hakainde Hichilema yesterday came under attack for spreading malicious stories against the country intended to malign Government and discourage foreign investment.The attacks were sounded during a radio phone in programme on UNZA Radio yesterday.A caller, said Mr Hichilema should be the last person to blame the PF Government over the economic misfortune the country was going through because Mr. Hichilema was the one who had been de-campaigning the country to the outside world and the IMF.He said some multinational lending institutions like the IMF and world bank were reluctant to give Zambia help because unpatriotic people like Mr Hichilema have been bad mouthing the country.“Mr Hichilema went to South Africa and stood on the international podium to decampaign the country to the outside world and that’s the reason why some multinational lending institutions are refusing to offer help to the Zambian people,” he said.During the programme Mr. Hichilema called for virtual resumption of Parliament sitting to review the 2020 budget following COVID 19 outbreak in the country.Speaking when he featured on a UNZA radio programme, Mr Hichilema said there was need to relook at the national budget and make some adjustment to enable the country find a solution to the skydiving economy due to slowed down economic activities as a result of coronavirus.“Parliament should resume sitting through virtual assembly so that Members of Parliament can review the 2020 budget which is not performing well due to coronavirus outbreak,” he said.He said there was need for Parliament to relook at the budget with the aim of making adjustments and redirecting funds meant for non essential expenditure to COVID 19 fight.Meanwhile, some callers to the programme advised Mr Hichilema to stop politicising the COVID 19 fight but instead explain to the country the role he played in destroying the economy. A caller, by the name of Ba Chufi challenged the opposition leader to stop acting as a “Messiah” when not a long time ago was one of the people who unjustly benefited from privatization of state properties. “Stop acting like a “Messiah” when you are the very person who contributed to the destruction of the country’s economy during the privatisation,” said the caller. The opposition leader was also at pain to defend himself from his role in the underpayment of pensioners under the Barclays Bank Pension Fund, when he saved as the Bank board Chairman.