OPPOSITION OFFERS NO NEW IDEAS – CHANDA UPND aspiring Member of Parliament for Kanchibiya Constituency Sunday Chilufya Chanda has challenged the Opposition to present what he described as genuinely new policy proposals, arguing that many of the ideas contained in its campaign messages mirror reforms already being implemented by President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration. In a […]

OPPOSITION OFFERS NO NEW IDEAS – CHANDA

UPND aspiring Member of Parliament for Kanchibiya Constituency Sunday Chilufya Chanda has challenged the Opposition to present what he described as genuinely new policy proposals, arguing that many of the ideas contained in its campaign messages mirror reforms already being implemented by President Hakainde Hichilema’s administration.

In a statement, Chanda said his review of opposition proposals, including the National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) manifesto, had led him to conclude that the alternative policies being promoted were largely refinements of existing government programmes rather than new initiatives.

“The more I read and hear the Opposition’s proposals, the clearer it becomes that much of what is being presented as a ‘new vision’ is, in reality, a repackaging or incremental refinement of reforms already underway,” Chanda said.

He argued that the Government had already made significant progress in the education sector through the introduction of free education and investments in school infrastructure.

“Free education has already brought over 2.5 million children back into the classroom while expanding school feeding programmes,” he said.

Chanda further maintained that reducing classroom congestion and improving the teacher-pupil ratio required continued investment in infrastructure and teacher recruitment, adding that thousands of teachers had been employed since 2021.

On agriculture, he said the Government’s strategy went beyond input distribution by setting measurable production targets and implementing structural reforms aimed at increasing productivity.

“Government has set ambitious maize production targets of 5 million metric tonnes in 2026, 5.6 million in 2027 and 10 million metric tonnes by 2030,” he said.

He also said reforms in artisanal mining and the civil service were already addressing issues that the Opposition had pledged to tackle, including formalisation, improved working conditions and public sector welfare.

Commenting on the NRPUP manifesto, Chanda said he did not find proposals on debt restructuring for indebted civil servants or a comprehensive digital economy strategy.

“I found no discussion of debt restructuring or debt-swap mechanisms for indebted civil servants, nor a clearly articulated digital economy strategy,” he said.

Chanda questioned what distinct policy alternatives the Opposition was offering.

“Where is the genuinely new policy direction? What are the cogent alternatives that fundamentally differ from the current reform agenda?” he asked.

He concluded that, in his view, the Opposition’s proposals did not represent a significant departure from the Government’s current reform agenda.