Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Open Society Foundation has questioned the unrealistic promises politicians in the ruling party and opposition are making ahead of the 20th January presidential election.
OSF acting Executive Director Obbius Chikombola in a statement says it sad that politicians are not explaining how they will implement the promises they are making in their campaigns.
Mr Chikombola points out that the ruling party has promised to build milling plants in all agricultural area as a means of reducing the middle men in the production process of mealie meal without stating how and in what time period this will happen.
He adds that the ruling party should also explain how they wish to sustain the debt the country has accrued and how they plan to avoid another deficit and how they will improve on the fiscal policies.
Mr Chikombola notes that the opposition parties on the hand lack ideologies and as such they are promising everything including what is being done.
He states that while the UPND have promised free education from grade one to University and bringing back subsidies on maize, inputs and fuel, it is indisputable fact that an economy where everything is free in this modern era is not sustainable.
He adds that no country has ever developed by investing in consumption.
Mr Chikombola has challenged the UPND to tell Zambians where they will get the money to sustain their promises because they have not given alternative sources of raising revenue or change the tax system.
He says the UPND promises have the [potential to plunge the country into another debt trap than the country is in today.
Mr Chikombola states that it is therefore imperative that the UPND tells the nation how they will fund all these consumption related expenditure without proportion increase in revenue collection.