ADMITTING FAILURE A MARK OF LEADERSHIP, SAYS SAKI
STATE Counsel Sakwiba Sikota has said President Hakainde Hichilema’s recent admission that his government has failed the nation in the energy sector has confirmed what many Zambians have long been saying.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Sikota said it was refreshing to hear the President is admitting the government’s shortcomings, but urged him to take responsibility in line with the standards he once set for others.
“The President’s remarks that Government has failed in the energy sector are true. That is what we have been telling him all along,” Mr. Sikota said.
“It’s good that President Hichilema has admitted failure but what he needs to realise is that having failed the Zambians on such an important issue, he should now hold himself accountable.”
Mr. Sikota reminded President Hichilema that in previous years, while in opposition, he accused the Patriotic Front (PF) of failing in the same sector and cited it as a sign of weak leadership.
“A couple of years ago, he used to say that the Patriotic Front had failed the nation in the energy sector and that it showed a lack of leadership those were his own words,” Mr. Sikota said. “So he should hold himself to the same standard he set for others.”
He added that Mr Hichilema should not attempt to shift blame but rather accept that his administration has underperformed.
“He should not go around saying it is someone else’s fault over the energy issue,” Mr. Sikota said. “He himself has admitted failure and shown lack of leadership. On that basis, people should be asking him to step aside.”
Daily Nation Zambia
The failure the president talked about covers the past governments as well. You know that Zambia is more than 60 years old now and none of the previous governments had invested enough in the Energy Sector. Otherwise how can a president who has just ruled for four years out of 60+ step aside? That’s poor analysis and lacking objectivity. This energy crisis was brought about by one of the severest droughts in living memory and it should be temporal. Should we have good season again in 2025/26, the energy issue will be the thing of the past. UPND has already done a lot of investment in Solar and Coal energy and when all these projects are completed, we shall not have energy crisis again even if the drought occurs repeatedly for three years. This is what even the past presidents or governments should have done. If all the past governments had invested in energy the way UPND has done, the impact of the drought could not have been felt the way we are feeling it now. So what HH has done is to accept the failure also on behalf of his predecessors since Independence and the real failures are actually his predecessors who neglected the Energy Sector or did not do what HH is doing now.
2026, ni Bally and Bally will fix it. He has already fixed the unsustainable debt, wage freeze, un employment of Civil Servants, drought inflicted hunger etc. Bally mwaume, unlike some of you who are just good at talking and making noise.
You are correct Saki, but start with yourself and agree that you are political failure.