NOT EVERY DECISION BY THE PRESIDENT MUST BE MET WITH SO MUCH ANTAGONISM!
I have taken time to look at President Hakainde Hichilema’s proposed realignment of Government Ministries, and I want to make my position very clear: I fully support this proposal and the vision behind it!
Sometimes, I think we need to look beyond the politics and actually understand what the President is trying to achieve.
Take the proposed Ministry of Electricity and Ministry of Petroleum, for example.
Yes, both deal with energy, but surely we can agree that electricity generation and petroleum supply are two different areas with different demands, responsibilities and targets.
Why shouldn’t each have a dedicated ministry concentrating on its specific targets?
When responsibilities are clearly separated, there is room for greater specialisation, focused planning and accountability. Instead of competing priorities under one ministry, each sector can receive the attention it deserves.
The same reasoning applies to the proposed separation of Skills and Higher Education, Trade and Exports, Industry and even Youth and Sports from Culture and Arts.
These are not just names of ministries. These are sectors with distinct responsibilities and national development targets.
And this is where I see the connection to President Hichilema’s GROW ZAMBIA AGENDA.
We cannot talk about ambitious development targets without also looking at whether our government structures are appropriately aligned to deliver them.
To those who have been quick to criticise this proposal, I would genuinely encourage us to first study it and understand its purpose. We do not have to antagonise every decision. Sometimes, we must be willing to acknowledge the thinking behind a proposed reform, even when we have differing political views. Of course taking into account that we can’t all have the same stance and that’s okay.
Personally, I appreciate the President’s emphasis on positioning government to pursue Zambia’s development priorities.
And as a young leader, I am particularly interested in what dedicated attention to skills development, industrialisation, entrepreneurship and youth affairs could mean for our generation.
I fully stand with President Hakainde Hichilema on this proposed realignment. I believe the focus on clearer responsibilities is consistent with the ambitions of the Grow Zambia Agenda.
After all, it is not simply about how many ministries we have. It is about what each ministry is responsible for achieving and how effectively it delivers.
LETS GROW ZAMBIA BANE!
Jemimah Mwaba, MP.