Stop vilifying Lungu, ex-diplomat

By NATION REPORTER DETRACTORS must stop vilifying President Edgar Lungu and his Government over youth empowerment because efforts are being made to improve the livelihood of the youth, a former diplomat has said.

Former deputy High Commissioner to Namibia Dorothy Nachilongo said in a walk-in interview in Ndola that people should stop criticising the Head of State unfairly because the Government has initiated programmes to benefit young people. Ms Nachilongo also regretted that there were some people in society who were poking fun at the fact that the Government has allocated the mineral residue site commonly known as Black Mountain in Kitwe to small-scale miners.

She said the decision to allocate the Black Mountain to small-scale miners was a genuine gesture to empower the youth.“Small-scale miners are youths who can employ their fellow youths. The decision to allocate them the Black Mountain is therefore a right one. These people could have been roaming the streets,” she said.

It was retrogressive, she said, to condemn every decision the Government takes because such a tendency would send a wrong signal not only in Zambia but beyond.

Ms Nachilongo said young people are the future leaders and if some sections of society were not happy with the way Government was apportioning empowerment initiatives they were free to give alternatives. She said young people have also been employed in the massive infrastructure development projects taking place in various parts of the country. Youth unemployment is a phenomenon which has affected many other countries and it was unfair to create an impression that Zambia was failing on that score.

Ms Nachilongo said people should only engage in constructive criticism which would help Government adjust where there are gaps. Some sections of society have embarked on a sustained campaign to paint the Government in negative light.