Maya Forstater

@MForstater @alexcobham @vijramachandran i happen to think that the finance minister of Zambia is a better authority on this than you or me

@martinhearson @alexcobham I think ppl shld be able to question finance ministers & media should be accurate and clear about sources of data

@MForstater But if you don't like something a govt minister says and can't Google the working, can't just say "so it's not a govt figure"

@martinhearson I think it is fair enough to tentatively assume something not a govt figure if u find no reference for a govt doc as source?

@MForstater It's often impossible to find African countries' basic budget docs online. If you want to rule it out you'd need to go there.

@martinhearson I've looked at budget speeches, budget highlights, ZRA docs. I haven't found it. Its a huge sum. But I can't find a mention

@MForstater speaking from my fieldwork experience, you cannot establish that Sampa had no basis w/o speaking to people in govt at the time

@martinhearson He must have had some basis. But no sign it is govt estimate. Its a huge #. Yet cited repeatedly as if credible & official