MINISTRIES TOLD NOT TO RESUME WORK
President Hakainde Hichilema has said ministers that have been appointed to head new and re-aligned ministries will not resume their duties until parliament ratifies the affected ministries.
President Hichilema said the ratification of new ministries was a requirement by law and that his government does not intend to go against the law.
Some of the completely new ministries are that of Technology and Science, Green Economy and Environment as well as Small and Media Enterprise.
Those realigned are the Ministries of information and media, previously called Ministry of Broadcasting and Information Services.
Others are the ministry of education, which was previously segmented in two ministries-High educations and General Education,
“I need to be emphatic that we are mindful. We are conscious that for those colleagues in ministries that have been announced, some of them are completely new ministries and those ministers that occupy those ministries, there is a constitutional requirement for that matter for parliament to approve those ministries that are completely new.
Those ministries that have been adjusted in some way or another. It is therefore important for us to indicate that in this regard, appointments that have been made are subject to approval of parliament,” President Hichilema said.
‘We committed to the people of Zambia that we will run this country within the laws of our territory. Therefore the ministers that have been appointed may not execute their duties until parliament has authorized the creation of those ministries.”
President Hichilema said that he had to re-align ministries as a strategy to help his government deliver on its party campaign promises.
President Hichilema said if the changes and the realignment of the ministries are approved by parliament and the ministers are allowed to begin work, the UPND would have fulfilled one of the party’s campaign promises that appointments would be done across all regions.
President Hichilema also reiterated the need for close collaboration among ministers.
“You are not going there to be islands,” he said.
