PRESIDENT Lungu has challenged Zambians to inculcate a culture of unity and hard work to attain a stable, peaceful and prosperous nation in the next 50 years.
The President said citizens should uphold the national aspiration of transforming the country into a highly-productive society through innovation and competitiveness.
“This will reaffirm the spirit of our being a land of work and joy in unity, as captured in our national anthem,” he said.
President Lungu said this yesterday on the eve of the Africa Freedom Day, which falls today.
This year’s national theme for the commemoration is: “Celebrating 50 years of our national existence and accelerating socio-economic transformation”.
Mr Lungu said the world is undergoing rapid economic and social change and it is important for the country to move in tandem with the rest of the globe.
He said Zambians are duty-bound to be patriotic and pursue self-advancement based on firm moral and ethical principles.
“The national anthem should remind every Zambian of the solemn undertaking to create a united and unitary state, proud, free and at peace with itself, dignified among other nations and self-reliant, prosperous through hard work and a country anchored in God and blessed by His hand,” he said.
Mr Lungu said every citizen should consolidate the achievements of the founding fathers in nation-building.
He said Zambia is a country of equality among men and women, all entitled to the dignity of work and its rewards.
It is also bestowed with abundant natural resources that can should be used to enhance the country’s socio-economic development.
“The real challenge for us is to translate this vast potential into concrete programmes of development that benefit our people.
“As envisioned by our founding fathers, we should strive to rise to the occasion in the face of challenges and forge ahead to ensure prosperity for all Zambians,” President Lungu said.
He said on its part, his administration will continue carrying out infrastructure development such as the construction of roads, schools and universities to increase access to quality education.
Mr Lungu also said Government will continue to enhance the agriculture sector by linking it to agro-processing for value addition.
He said in the mining sector, there is need to ensure citizens become major suppliers to mining companies as well as promoting value addition through copper processing within the country.
“Furthermore, we need to improve the monitoring and auditing of copper mining to ensure that we effectively tax the sector for the benefit of our people.
“I would also like to encourage Zambians to go into joint ventures with foreign mining companies to ensure that some of the proceeds from copper mining are retained in the country,” he said.
He said Zambians have a task to emerge as major entrepreneurs with the capacity of investing both locally and abroad.
The President observed that the country has been spared from war along tribal or ethnic lines, largely by the promotion of the ‘One Zambia, One Nation’ motto.
Zambia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society, which calls for co-existence among different groups.
“I have also made it a personal crusade to inculcate the spirit of ‘One Zambia, One nation’ in all of my national undertakings.
“I am happy that successive governments have continued to nurture this unity of our people, thereby contributing to the peace and stability that we continue to enjoy,” he said.
President Lungu said Zambians should also commit to consolidating its democratic culture.
African Freedom Day is a day to remember and honour men and women who sacrificed immensely for the continent’s freedom and independence.
Mr Lungu said Zambia’s priority should be to continue working with all Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora for socio-economic transformation of the continent.
“Today, Zambia is a sovereign state because of the courage, vision and sacrifice of those men and women. Few are still with us and many have gone.
“To them all, we pay our indelible debt of gratitude. We dedicate this day to them and honour the memory of their heroic deeds. They taught us the true meaning of love of one’s country – service above self,” Mr Lungu said.
The President said this year’s theme is appropriate as it reminds the country of the need to reflect on the past achievements and challenges to enable it chart a new direction.
Practice what u preach Mr presido. Yours are politics of division: no freedom of movement for Hh.
Hard work?: your GRZ seems to be one embroiled in stealing. You don’t address any of corruption issues like Kambwili stealing council land, the $25 milli airport theft
Spot on @ Patrick. Mr President, your appointments do not reflect unity, even when you had an opportunity to choose nominated MPs, all of them were either from Eastern on North/Muchinga
As long as you the president do not punish those who earn their money from stealing and not hard work, your people will not embrace the spirit of hard work.
People in Zambia see is as normal to steal and earn money without working for it. You can see it in the I don’t care work culture and they still expect t be paid.
Crack the whip first oh drunkard president, then your people will learn and work hard
While HH has failed to account for his selfishness during the SAP times. He unfairly amasses wealth at the expense of many Zambian. Many died due to sufferings and depressions that followed. He now boast of being very rich and condemns others for the similar sins.
Let him come clean on these issues during those times when he sided with the capitalists and forgot he was Zambian. This issue will hunt and haunt him his entire life unless he comes out clean
Abash hypocrites like HH. He has too many skeletons in his closet.
Iam good with a drunk who loves his country.
I think you need to develop the culture of loving your country and stop looting borrowed money which the poor Zambians will have to pay at a high cost. You also need to develop a culture of disclosing all financial obligations and activities that you do on behalf of the country. Finally you need to develop a culture of “no stealing” and “selling our country to vultures (Shady investors, criminals etc.) and countries like China all in the name of keeping power”.
Agreed Wise Commentator loving ones’ country including cutting ones’ suit according to the cloth available, no need for two brand new vehicles for each minister with free fuel monthly. In a world that is undergoing rapid economic and social change and in moving in tandem with the rest of the globe an impoverished country like Zambia should not excessively lavish leaders with luxuries which the rich nations deem unnecessary for those in leadership positions whose remunerations can meet the cost of luxuries they require. Pool official transport, settling own electricity and vehicle running costs, no free rentals, no paid for house servants……..imagine if such luxuries were demanded by US senators or British parliamentarians! Please Lungu practice what you want to make us believe!
I get amazed by people portraying that leaders in developed countries work for free. This is misleading.
Here is a small picture of what happens in US:
Members of congress drive around in luxury cars that are paid for with tax payers dollars and its perfectly legal. Are allowed to lease any type of car.
The Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA) is available to support Representatives in their official and representational duties. The MRA may be used for official expenses including, for example, staff, travel, mail, office equipment, district office rental, stationery, and other office supplies. These allowances are authorized in statute and regulated and adjusted by the Committee on House Administration. Each Senator is also authorized $40,000 for state office furniture.
You nkosi u are a dumb African, u want want to compare what USA politicians get to Zambia ones?. With *****s like u wevwill be poor forever. Just a subarb In the USA can have more money than the Zambia Gdp fo.ol
Patrick, again you are failing to follow my line of argument. I only was following someone on your side who was trying to show that leaders in developed give free service.
So I only give some evidence to disprove him. I find no reason for you insult me on this one. All you can do is prove whether what I have written is false or true.
I did not say at anytime that I was comparing the benefits of US and Zambian leaders. Please do not put word in my mouth. If you do not know to debate that is your problem.
If your are dull, that is not my problem. Blame your thick unschooled skull. That is what I mean that you guys and your HH are pathetically petty. What do you have apart from delayed salaries, which have been paid within the time frame anyhow? Insults?
@Nkosi. It’s people like you that vote for clueless leader like Lungu. Honestly, you hid $192 million from your own people and expect them to pay the loan. Even in your own family, can you ever do something like that to you relatives or friends if you really cared. If you can, then there is something wrong with you. Leave HH out of this. Can you leave which ever country you are blogging from and go get a regular job in Zambia and try survive without any financial help from anyone. You can’t because you Lungu has made Zambia a thieving spot where criminals can come and loot our country without consequences. Also, let them release the terms and conditions for all the loans, you will be shocked. 10 years from now, we may lose our sovereignty because Lungu has sold our country to the…
Belonging to a political party is a matter of choice and democratic right of any individual. You choose UPND and HH and I choose PF and EL. Your party lost and my won. It is does not mean mean that only HH has the monopoly of intelligence in this nation. Every individual has strengths and weaknesses. Both HH and EL have this. So do not make HH into a small god. HH too is clueless in some things because he is only human. How can HH lose to a cluesless person? The answer is that HH is then worse than EL. Extremely clueless and politically incompetent.
Zambia, still developing and poor, will need financial aid. Loans. Even USA has loans. Even HH has loans. He will still get loans if he becomes president. Some secrets are in national interest, like the Gabon disaster.
ONLY IF They Take their bibles and stuff it where the sun don’t shine
The ONLY reason you believe all of that crap is because someone else told you what to believe and you are too stooopid to question it.
It is a simple advise to those who build political parties on regionalism. Take or live it. A national party is better.
If the President, Ministers, MPs, Councillors, etc, practiced the culture of unity and hard work, everyone will follow! As a start to practicing the culture of unity, stop harassing opposition leaders, especially HH. Give them space just like you needed space when you were in the opposition. As a start to practicing the culture of hard work, give your cabinet a target to create 1.5 million jobs by 31 December 2016. Creating 1.5 million quality jobs in 19 months requires a lot of hard work never practiced by Zambian politicians since independence. In fact when the Zambian Cabinet starts work on this goal, they will be so busy that they will be less noise in the country. Even Kambwili will be quite. Reading speeches has never been work!
People who still believes HH is the best leader will just die before HH becomes president . think outside HH and do something for your country other than worshipping HH. Don’t think a voice from heaven will one day sound and tell you that hh will never be president for Zambia . get to work and stop wasting time on failed leaders. We need to move this country forward politics aside.
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Spot on Bob, only if our friends in UPND can learn to think within their party manifesto and not center everything on HH as if he is super human. Their interest should be making the part win and not depending on an individual who has failed the party many times.
With all respect, HH is not bringing out issues that can defeat EL in 2016. His talks about salary delays are not an issue.
As I said, one of the issues on which we will see HH’s political strength is how he handles the constitution debate now. This is very important for UPND if they are serious to form the next government. But if they continue getting over emotional, they on the wide and sure way to another defeat in 2016. HH should not continue to allow his hatred for EL blind him from scanning the current political…
Truly laughable indeed lazy bum Lungu preaching about hard work to us.
Jay Jay, the one who is lazy is HH is failing to take EL on with real political issues. He is lazy to stretch his political reasoning. All he can do is talk about delayed salary and turn into a political discussion. That is what I find to laughable. Salary delays are administrative and can be sorted out by the bureaucrats in no time. We demand real issues from HH. His dependence of stealing classified information from government testifies his lack of originalising issues.
How can HH find real issues to address when he is required to get police permission to talk to ordinary Zambians ?
I disagree! no politician is asked to get a police permit to talk about political issues. All other parties are contributing freely without going to the police. HH is failing to as other parties are doing. Instead he has taken a confrontational approach unnecessarily in order to draw public attention. This shows that he is failing to draw public attention in any other constructive manner. In short, he has nothing construction to engage the government on.
Unfortunately for him and UPND, this tactic has failed to bear any fruits. I hope he has plan B.
The Police are only doing their duty. Laws are laws. If HH breaks them, he has to answer. He is not above the law.
This is not about opposition leaders…we elected Lungu, we pay him a salary of $50,000 plus bonus not those people you have mentioned..What are examples of real political issues? Give me 10 examples?
It can only be achieved by example. The current generation operates on how corrupt our forefathers were and why there is so much of it. I can only compare it to learning one’s alphabet as it’s mandatory in the education system. This is the same way corruption works as its seen as a necessity in order for the government to function. It all starts with you Edgar Lungu. Stop the corruption and change the current and future generation’s way of thinking. Thank you!
Lead by example baba, things can change when you stop practicing regional politics which is very obvious in your appointments. People cannot be cheated as they are able to judge ones actions as opposed to what one preach. The moment your government becomes more inclusive and show that you really arbor corruption, there will be an automatic positive change in the country’s culture.
Zambians are generally very loving people, they accept and respect each other. The problem is divisive tactics from the top. Unfortunately that’s what affects the general populous negatively. It is as simple as that.
Sorry “as opposed to what one preaches”
Jay Jay @ 7.3. EL did not set the Presidential salary for himself. This is approved by Parliament, of which UPND had a good number of membership. It is not a salary for EL, but for the President. When HH becomes President, if he does, he will be very happy to get the same.
Iam sorry to say that the onus is on you guys on the opposition to identify serious issues to challenge the government. If you say you have nothing, then you are saying the government is doing well. It is you who should come up with the 10 issues you are asking of me.
That is what I mean when I say HH should show us his political mantle, if he has any. Stealing classified information is not political prowess, but political banditry.
He is not stealing classified info bwana, he is picking up on information provided by concerned citizens and information put in the public domain. If Hh does not politicise these alleged corruptions who should?.
It does not matter what you call it. it is still stealing information. HH is addicted to that. That is exactly what he was doing during his UNZA days. Ask him why he was suspended.
Iam glad you say he is exposing alleged corruption. An allegation is an allegation unless proved true. Sometimes these allegation are a creation of the originator and the accuser goes free. HH is just mad that he lost and is now dreaming of corruption cases he cannot prove. Allegations and he develops a false sermon on them. What a fake party president. He is a political bandit. That is who he is.
If those allegations are not true why is El not responding? These are serious allegations about financial mismanagement, the life line of the country.
At times you do not have to respond to anything your opponents say. You do not play into the hands of those who hate plan evil against you. HH has been mistakenly underrating EL. He is not clueless but an alert clever politician.
State secrets are normal. If HH had worked in GRZ he would have understood this. This is normal my friend. Even in UPND you have secrets. You do not reveal oll the loans you are getting, how you use them nor how you source them.
I do not expect HH to be so careless with issues of national security if elected. Remember what FTJ did with the tunnels? he put our nation at risk. Being an opposition party is not the same as being irresponsible and insensitive to national security issues
The defense budget is not a secret, the particulars are. By your reasoning the annual defense budget should be secret? It is the citizens who will pay back these loans. We have the right to know they exist.
It is this culture of no accountability that is killing us.