Former Finance Minister Criticises Tonse Alliance Record

Former Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has said the Patriotic Front's decade in office pursued policies that deepened poverty, arguing that the Tonse Alliance's claim to champion ordinary Zambians sits uneasily with that record.

Dr Musokotwane said that although the alliance presents itself as a defender of the poor, its leadership is drawn largely from former PF officials whose policies weakened livelihoods, deterred investment and denied many Zambians the chance to improve their lives. The clearest example, he said, was the decline of the mining sector under the PF.

Turning to the current government's record, Dr Musokotwane pointed to agriculture as evidence of a different approach. This season's maize harvest of close to five million metric tonnes, he said, reflected efforts to raise rural incomes through higher production.

He described education as one of the strongest tools for breaking the cycle of poverty, and said the government had also strengthened support for vulnerable citizens. Among the measures, he cited a sharp reduction in the waiting period for retirement benefits, from about 42 months to roughly 13.

Dr Musokotwane added that expanded Social Cash Transfer programmes, Cash for Work initiatives and drought relief introduced during the 2024 drought had delivered timely assistance to affected households.

Taken together, he said, these interventions reflected a deliberate shift towards protecting the most vulnerable and restoring opportunity for ordinary Zambians after years of decline.