By ROGERS KALERO
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema must demonstrate seriousness and stop competing with the Patriotic Front (PF) because doing so will not help him to deliver the many campaign promises he made ahead of the August 12 elections,’’ the Saboi Imboela-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said.
NDC chairperson for Media and Information and spokesperson Muliyunda Lilembalemba said has instead of laying a firm foundation of fulfilling campaign promises of job creation, free education and others, President Hichilema has used his 100 days in office to tell Zambians that former ministers and permanent secretaries used to get allowances when attending a meeting during a working day.
Mr Lilembalemba said in a statement that it was sad that in his 100 days in office, President Hichilema has been talking about things that had nothing to do with improving people’s lives.
“Don’t derail our minds with coffers being empty, you were elected on the premise that you will fix the economy… It’s time the UPND administration focused their minds on how to deliver sustainable economic development to the people than focusing on telling Zambians what the PF did wrongly or did not do.
“Let us use our energies prudently and inspire others to be where we are every time we are given an opportunity to speak. Mr. Hichilema should speak more of the UPND’s 10-point plan now more than anything else.
“That is the difference we want to see and that is the hope the people of Zambia saw in the UPND prior to the elections,’’ Mr. Lilembalemba said.
Mr Lilembalemba observed that the trajectory on which the UPND was premised during their acceptance speech seems to have lost track when President Hichilema received the instruments of power as their focus seems to have been derailed by their discoveries. Zambians want to hear the President talk more on free education and how best it can be delivered under the current economic hurdles.
“How the Kwacha can be strengthened against major currencies, how employment can be increased. In fact, President Hichilema must talk more on the 10-point plan now than focusing on PF’s wrong deeds. Let those be sorted out administratively, while those requiring probing be thoroughly investigated before prosecution by law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Mr Lilembalemba said President Hichilema’s first 100 days in office can be likened to a brand new truck and trailer with a knocked engine whose driver decides to start with fixing the tyres.
President Hichilema had invested much of his time on wanting to show the nation that he can do this better than the PF administration when it is still giving him no results.
Talking too much and giving tips to criminals just makes them prepare and cover their tracks. As the NDC, through President Imboela, we wish to encourage President Hichilema not to lose focus and not to be media excited every time he learns or discovers how the nation’s resources had been mismanaged by those who were there before him,’’ Mr Lilembalemba said.
