Dear editor,

WITH too much time on my hands given the stay home advise by health practitioners to avoid coming into contact with COVID-19, I have been able to read and follow the debate that came as a result of the letter written to the President by former Cabinet ministers and senior government officials proposing for Government to quickly consider an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout given our collapsing economy. As a result, many people I will call patriotic citizens comprising non-partisans and partisans have come out to voice their support or disagreement to this proposal. Honestly, it has been interesting to see deep thoughts and ideas being brought out for and against the proposal.
The truth is that our economy has been shrinking for many years now, and every now and then these debates about the IMF bailout have come and gone.
The government itself has tried for several years now to clinch a deal with the IMF with no success.
With the COVID-19 threatening a global financial crisis, the time is ripe for us to now consider an economic indaba where all these brilliant ideas from our former cabinet ministers and senior citizens including the patriotic ones who have been using Facebook to propose solutions can sit down and deliberate on the best strategy to our economic recovery.
My humble appeal to the finance minister (Bwalya Ng’andu) is that, please kindly take advantage of the renewed interest by Zambians to debate our economic recovery and organise an economic indaba.
Invite former cabinet ministers, serving ministers, senior citizens, young patriots, etc. Let us come up with our own home-grown solutions before we engage outsiders to come and think for us.
KUMBUKILANI PHIRI
Lusaka