29/09/2025
The budget presented last Friday is, in my view, the definition of insanity. It represents a continuation of a flawed and ineffective course of action, and it's unreasonable to expect better results.
The budget is a clear case of business as usual. It relies on the same policies and strategies that have not led to significant improvements in the past. It lacks a bold change in strategy and an innovative vision for Zambia that would address the root causes of the nation's economic challenges and the ever-widening societal divide between the haves and have-nots.
This approach continues the usual rhetoric of foreign investors-driven growth, which has consistently failed to translate into tangible benefits for the average citizen. There is no evidence of learning or adaptation from past failures. After 61 years of independence, it's unacceptable for our country, which is so rich in resources, to still be inhabited by so many who are poor. We need a fundamental shift in our economic thinking—an independence from a neoliberal bookish, theoretical economic mindset that has repeatedly failed to deliver for the people.
Fred M'membe
President of the Socialist Party
