Deliver or we part company, Lungu warns ministers 

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 09:25:42 +0000

CABINET and Provincial Ministers who will fail to perform to the expectations of Zambians will be dismissed, President Edgar Lungu has warned. President Lungu said he will not hesitate to dismiss ministers who fail to perform because the Patriotic Front did not lack Members of Parliament capable of performing to the best of people’s expectations.

And President Lungu has demanded that Cabinet and provincial ministers should start submitting quarterly reports to his office on the performance of their ministries and provinces for effective delivery and implementation of Government programmes and projects. Addressing Cabinet and provincial ministers at the first Cabinet meeting at State House yesterday following his re-election in the last general elections, President Lungu said his decision was meant to ensure that ministers met various set targets and implemented Government programmes within the agreed times.

The Head of State directed that in future he would expect reports from ministries and provinces on a quarterly basis for him to know and understand whether Government programmes and targets were being achieved on time. “In future I expect ministries and provinces to submit quarterly reports to know how we are performing and whether we are meeting our set targets. I hope we are all equal to the task and let us feel free to interact and cross-pollinate ourselves with new ideas because we are one Government. ‘

‘The Ministry of Justice cannot be a stand-alone ministry nor can the Ministry of Defence,” President Lungu said. He advised ministers to closely interact and exchange ideas frequently because that was the best way to effectively obtain tangible results in the governance of the country.

President Lungu said he was hopeful that his ministers were equal to their respective tasks and would work to blend ideas to effectively serve the nation but warned that he would not hesitate to fire those who would be found wanting in terms of performance. “We are just one entity, one dynamic entity. We should interact and coordinate as closely as possible. No one can be a stand-alone ministry because this is one Government,’’ he said.