Don’t tolerate a govt that has failed to create jobs, says Scott

Don’t tolerate a govt that has failed to create jobs, says Scott
By Misheck Wangwe in Mufumbwe
Sun 24 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

DR Guy Scott says it is ridiculous for President Rupiah Banda’s government to continue with its political rhetoric of a booming economy when the majority of young people are jobless.

Speaking when he addressed a rally at Mufumbwe’s Kaminzekenzeke Basic School, Dr Scott said the people in the area must deeply reflect on the sufferings they had gone through at the hands of the MMD.

Dr Scott said Zambians should not tolerate a government that had failed to create jobs for the locals despite inviting foreign investors who were busy taking away the country’s natural resources.

“Almost all the youths I have interacted with are telling me there are no jobs here. Some of you completed school a long time ago and you have no where to run to because your government, the MMD has abandoned you. It has decided to support the interest of the investors and not the interests of its own people in areas were there are mines such as North-Western Province. It is unreasonable for them to boast about economic boom when our people have no employment,” Dr Scott said.

He said time had come for the people of Kasempa, Mufumbwe and all the rural parts of North-Western Province to take part in sharing the country’s economic wealth by voting for a government that would ensure that the benefits of Copper and other rich minerals trickles down to them.

Dr Scott said the PF would make sure that the locals get meaningful employment from the mines as a means of empowerment.

“Here you have investors in Kansanshi, Lumwana and many other mines in this province but our people sleep on empty stomachs. We see poverty on the faces of the people here. The MMD is saying we (PF) will chase away the Chinese and all the investors that are here. No! We will not chase them but we will make sure that our people get jobs,” he said.

And former MMD Mufumbwe parliamentarian Bert Mushala said the people of Mufumbwe were ready to change government because the MMD had failed them in many areas of governance.

Mushala said the MMD had failed the people because there was no development people could point at as an initiative of the party.