Editorial
Last month the African country of Zambia held general elections. Mr. Hakainde Hichilema was returned as the new president, replacing Mr. Edgar Lungu who had held that office since 2015. On Wednesday Mr. Hichilema told the BBC that he had inherited an “empty” treasury, with “horrifying” amounts of money having been stolen during the outgoing administration. He described the treasury as “literally empty” and said the debt situation had not been “fully disclosed” by the former government. Zambia was plunged into recession for the first time since 1998 in 2020, and also for the first time defaulted on a debt repayment.
On several previous occasions we have commented on, and warned our people about, the outrageous malpractices of leaders who promise their people all kinds of most wonderful things, then, once elected, proceed to rip off their people and their countries. In the process they enrich themselves and a few others to unbelievable levels, while condemning the masses to conditions which become so terrible that tens of thousands have to indulge in criminal behaviour just to stay alive.
A few days ago Mr. Dwyer Astaphan, while commenting on certain prevailing circumstances in our country, made the observation that Britain — a former colonial power — is showing more respect for the legal and other rights of our people, other colonial persons, and the descendants of such migrants, than are being given by the government here at home to our own people. That observation, with which we concur, speaks volumes about those who have been elected to serve our people, but who instead practice that for which so many leaders have become infamous. We call on the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to take stock of our current political and economic circumstances, so that we might immediately set about ridding ourselves of the SCHEME UNITY regime and the crippling grasp of corruption which they have on our beloved country.