By Chamuka Shalubala,
President Hakainde Hichilema addresses mourners during Kabwata MP Levy Mkandawire’s burial at Memorial park in Lusaka – Picture by Tenson Mkhala
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema says Zambians would have rioted had they known what was going on in the last 10 years.
And President Hichilema says he is aware that some ministers are already under pressure from businesses that have been marred with corruption.
Speaking when he officiated at a workshop for ministers and permanent secretaries, Monday, President Hichilema said Zambians were never made to understand what was going on in the last 10 years, except when the economy went down.
“If Zambians knew what has been going on in the last 10 years, they would have rioted against people. They were never made to understand except when the economy went down. I think the signal was clear there that there is something going on here. That was before the pandemic by the way. The economy was gone already.
The appetite for debt was driven by corruption consumption in public procurement, simple. These two items are taking away over 80 percent of domestic revenue. It is going away from these two items; debt service and public consumption through the public sector. If citizens knew that in every budget there was nothing for them, they would have been extremely uneasy. Now we are making them aware, but the pressure is on us. I think that is good,” he said.
President Hichilema said the country’s economy needed to be reconstructed if his administration was to deliver opportunities to the people.
“We were elected on the ticket of change by the people of Zambia. That’s what made them wake up early in the night. They began to troop to the polling stations, some of them at 02 hours in the morning were on the queues. Some of them [were] up at night just for us to be in office. Just to vote for us to be in office. Why? They wanted to change, to deliver opportunities to them and their parents. Jobs, schools, health, education, all of those things. But that could only be possible if the economy is reconstructed,” he said.
“To reconstruct the economy, we need to understand where the problems lie. Once we understand where the problems lie, then we can divide remedies which will allow us to rebuild this economy and that will deliver opportunities to the people who put us in office, simple. In a couple of months we have been in office, it has conclusively become clear that there are a number of areas that we need to bring under control in order for us to reconstruct this economy and deliver opportunities to the people. We need to heal the debt situation. We need to rein in on public expenditure.”
President Hichilema said reconstructing the economy would be an impossible task if loopholes in public expenditure were not sealed.
“Public expenditure has reached a runaway position. The bucket is leaking ladies and gentlemen, ministers, permanent secretaries. It does not matter how much water we pour in the bucket. If the leakages are not sealed, we stand no chance to fill the bucket, we stand no chance to reconstruct this economy. We will not be able to deliver meal allowances to the students if we do not close these holes; public expenditure,” he said.
“Contracts entered into for feeder roads. Contracts were given to people who have never owned a shovel or a pick. They don’t know how to construct a road, but some were paid 20 percent in advance and they sit in that Parliament making noise. Very courageous people. If it was me, I would not even open my mouth in that Parliament. I know I was given a contract when I’m not a contractor and never delivered five kilometers but I got paid. That’s the money they were splashing which you saw before elections. We have to enforce measures to collect that money.”
And President Hichilema said he was aware that some ministers were already under pressure from businesses that were marred with corruption.
“I know some of you ministers are very under pressure, I know. As you know I’m now Chief Intelligence Officer. You are under pressure from the businesses that have lived like that, taking money from the people. Be strong otherwise, they will sweep you aware and your relevance will disappear. Permanent secretaries, you are the ones that are holding the keys. If we fail the people of Zambia, it is you.
While we are grappling to clean the past, can we draw a line? Colleagues, your excellencies, honourable ministers, permanent secretaries, let’s draw a line that such conduct ended on the 12 of August. 24th August specifically. At least we can draw a line that nothing like that will happen while we are grappling on how to clean up the past, hence this workshop,” he said.
President Hichilema urged officials in his administration to work as a team if they were to deliver to the expectations of the people.
“There is no President who can achieve with all the goodwill, with all the good intentions, if the team members are not part of this journey. You are the team members. You have no reason to allow what was going on to continue. There is no reason. If you continue doing what others were doing, then you belong to the team that was removed on the 12 of August. You should know. You continue with these bad ways, then you are not different from those that the Zambians removed on 12 August. So let’s work as a team,” said President Hichilema.
“It is important for us to know that public service procurement if mismanaged, it has the potential to cripple as it has crippled our economy and curtailed the aspirations of ours, our own to deliver to the people of Zambia. Leadership crumbled, there was no leadership completely; political leadership and public sector leadership. The two worked together to take money away from the people of Zambia. No one could control anyone because they were all eating together. I’m asking us here to restore order in the public sector procurement. Let us restore order.”