By Hon. Bowman Chilosha Lusambo
GIVE CHRIS A CHANCE AS GOVERNOR
It is baffling how some individuals have reacted to the appointment of Mr Christopher Mvunga to the position of Bank of Zambia Governor.
As much as those people are entitled to their opinions, it is critical that they give space and chance for the new Governor to do his work. I have known and worked with Mr Mvunga and I can vouch for his strong leadership abilities and his knack for detail.
He is a proven performer who I believe will execute his mandate exceptionally. It is also unfortunate that some people are using the changes at the Central Bank to seek to undermine President Edgar Lungu’s abilities as Head of State.
As much as our constitution renders us our freedoms to express our views, we should try by all accounts to remain non hypocritical. It does not serve any purpose to keep flip-flopping when certain developments do not seem to favour our perspectives.
Isn’t it ironic that the same people are forgetting that even the outgoing Governor Dr Denny Kalyalya was an appointee of the same Head of State whose choice they are questioning today. It is worth noting that Dr Kalyalya was actually serving his second contract after having his initial contract renewed which goes to show that his stay in office was purely on merit and the appointing authority saw that.
Mr. Mvunga is an accomplished Professional Accountant with extensive business knowledge gained across industries, ranging from local to Multi-national companies. It is also important to know that the position of Bank Governor worldwide is not the preserve of economists only, but any individual that fulfills the required criteria and as prescribed in Article 214 of The Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Act No 2 of 2016.
There are several examples both local and international of people with no training in Economics serving as Governors. Not too long ago, we had Dr Gondwe, a Lawyer by training working as BoZ Governor and on the international front, we have Christine Lagarde who is a French lawyer currently serving as President of the European Central Bank (ECB) after leaving the IMF as Managing Director.
What remains true for now is that Mr Mvunga is the BoZ Governor pending ratification and the whole nation should stand together and wish him success because his success will be the nation’s success.
President Edgar Chagwa Lungu made the appointment and Mr Mvunga has accepted to serve as Governor. Period!