By NATION REPORTER
GEOFFREY Bwalya Mwamba has pleaded with President Hakainde Hichilema to consider halting the monthly fuel prices increases for the sake of the majority Zambians whose lives have been severely affected by the hard economic times prevailing in the country
The pump prices of fuel have continued to go up and there is little hope of slowing down with Government yesterday adjusting upwards the pump price of petrol by K1.58, which would see the commodity being sold to consumers at K25.39 per litre.
ERB Board Chairperson Reynolds Bowa, said that petrol had been increased to K25.39 per litre from K23.26.
The new fuel prices are effective midnight.
Mr Bowa said the upward adjustment of the petrol and kerosene prices are due to the latest surge of COVID 19 pandemic and tensions between Ukraine and Russia which have led to increased demand on the international market.
He said that government is hopeful that the situation especially on international market change so that the prices can be reduced.
And now, Mr Bwalya Mwamba, presidential candidate for the Patriotic Front (PF) has pleaded with President Hichilema to feel for Zambians and halt the monthly fuel increase which he said is economically hitting citizens heavily.
Yesterday, the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) announced new prices for petrol and kerosene but Mr Mwambaa appealed to President Hichilema that the continuous increase in fuel prices was not one of the promises he made while campaigning for the presidency.
Mr Mwamba said President Hichilema had promised Zambians that under his leadership, things would be better, cheaper and easier but instead, life had become even harder during the UPND rule such that Zambians were barely surviving.
Mr Mwamba said keeping the price down was part of the reason Zambians voted for Mr Hichilema as President and that it was disappointing and disheartening that citizens had not benefitted from the many pledges the Head of State had made.
He complained that under the current administration, the cost of living had become excruciatingly high and that most household were now rationing food to carter for all family members in a day.
Mr Mwamba said electoral promises were the standard against which the term of office for a president must be held and that President Hichilema would be held accountable to his promises in 2026.
“As the centrepiece of his electoral campaigns, Mr. Hichilema undertook to reduce the price of fuel should he be voted into office. Consequently, Mr. Hichilema promised a drop in the the cost of living as a significant portion of the economy is affected by fuel price movements,” Mr Mwamba said.
He said President Hichilema had neglected to fulfil this promise as the price of fuel had risen with occasional insignificant drops. He said President Hichilema should demonstrate the expertise he claimed he possessed which could see the price of fuel drop and remain so as to easy the lives of Zambians.
“This man used to throw numbers around repeatedly creating the impression of a genius who the electorate needed to trust. He managed to hoodwink a lot of Zambians except for a few of us who knew that he was bluffing” Mr Mwamba said.
He said the strategic nature of fuel in any economy meant that any promises made thereof should be taken seriously and whoever failed to fulfil the promise should punished by denying them second term in office.
