RESHUFFLES: WAKE-UP CALL

THE realignment of Cabinet is a necessary tonic to rejuvenate performance and service delivery both at policy and the lower levels of Government. President Edgar Lungu’s changes to Cabinet yesterday and the adjustment made on Sunday is a signal that the Head of State has placed development and effective service delivery at the core of his Government agenda. As he indicated yesterday, ministers, will have to jack up or part company so that Government functions get bolstered in the wake of economic challenges. The government has introduced austerity measures alongside other initiatives to ensure fiscal consolidation and relief on the rising debt. This is no small assignment which requires hard-working and resilient men and women in Government at ministerial and lower levels. It will be no surprise if President Lungu at a later stage continues making adjustments at Permanent Secretary level. So far, Margaret Mwanakatwe and Moses Mawere have had their services terminated from Finance and Youth and Sport respectively. Arising from this, other ministers must ensure total commitment and selfless service to Government and to the people of Zambia at large. Ministers and Members of Parliament are servants of the people who are expected to discharge their duties diligently. Ministerial positions are not comfort zones! Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, directors and other Government functionaries must adhere to an integrated approach in project implementation and problem-solving initiatives. Zambia has a myriad of problems, chief among them the current external debt of $10.23 billion which has risen from $10.18 billion in March this year while the domestic debt has also increased during the same period by K2 billion, from K58.3 billion to K60.3 billion. Additionally, pressure is mounting on the imperative need to repay the Eurobonds. Zambia has issued three Eurobonds amounting to US$750 million in 2012 and US$1 billion in 2014 which are due in 2022 and 2024 respectively, while the US$1.25 billion issued in 2015 will be due for repayment in 2027. It is also true that Government is still working towards getting the International Monetary Fund rescue programme to forestall an economic crisis. The challenges have been exacerbated by a poor agricultural yield because of the poor rain pattern and declining copper prices on the international market. Thus, Zambia’s exports have declined while imports have increased. It is for this and many other reasons that President Lungu is desirous to have a hard-working and winning team. Therefore, leaders must heed the call to ensure prudent management of public resources, hard work and honesty in all their dealings. This means that leaders and Government workers who are not ready to heed the call should step aside to pave way for focused and innovative individuals. We, therefore, encourage the President to weed out unproductive elements from the Government system. In fact, the private sector should also move in tandem with the public sector if Zambia is to achieve the desired levels of economic growth. In the meantime, well-meaning citizens should stand with Government in pushing the development agenda forward while detractors and doomsayers should be kept at bay. Zambia must move out of the economic malaise, placing its trump card on improved priority sectors which include agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, energy, construction and mining. Time to act is now!