HH’S COUNSEL

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema is right that leaders must not demonise one another.

We totally agree with the President on the need for not only leaders but all Zambians not to thrive on the negatives of others.

President Hichilema says instead of demonising one another, leaders must look at the attributes and acumen of others in terms of their contribution to national development.

This is the more reason why the new dawn administration must avoid the wholesale condemnation of whatever their predecessors did while in government.

A Bemba proverb says “icalo lifupa, washetako washako” which literary means a country is like a bone that anyone chews and leave a mark.

In the Zambian context, it means that national development is incremental.

Each generation of leaders that takes over the reins of government must build on the foundation left by the previous regime.

They must ensure that they contribute towards uplifting the social and material status of society.

It is wrong therefore to attack the new dawn administration over the policies it is putting in place that are meant to improve the living standards of the people.

What should happen is that the new regime must be given time to develop and implement the policies they have put in place.

The ongoing recruitment of over 11, 000 health personnel, which includes medical doctors and 30, 000 teachers is a mammoth task that the government has embarked on.

And what is of interest is that over 100, 000 applicants have been received for the health posts that need to be filled.

But then, it is important to recognise that this large crop of professionals is a product of the educational infrastructure put in place by the previous governments.

It also shows that they valued education. What has been found lacking is that the educational sector did not meet the expectations of the labour market.

It is expected therefore that the UPND administration must now build infrastructure that must create employment and meet the ever evolving needs of society.

This is why the nation must fully support the government’s entrepreneurship empowerment programmes as they would go a long way in reducing the huge number of unemployment youths.

And the new dawn administration can only succeed in these programmes by embracing everyone, even from the previous regime.

This would tally with President Hichilema’s call for the nation, especially leaders not to demonise one another.

It would also in the long run help towards national healing that the country desperately needs to move on as a united cohesive force.