New Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema took office on Tuesday, 12 days after defeating incumbent Edgar Lungu in a general election.
VOA’s Peter Clottey sat down with Hichilema before Tuesday’s inauguration to discuss goals for his five-year term. Hichilema covered a wide range of topics and promised to improve a poor economy, defend human rights, and have better relations regionally and with Washington.
Excerpts from the 55-minute interview:
VOA: What would you want to have achieved within the first 100 days?
Hichilema: One, we want to reunite this country. This country has been divided for so many years and the divisions are visible. You just have to look anywhere, you see them in the workplaces, in the market areas, divisions all over.
We can then do the second anchor of what we are selling… reconstruction, rebuilding our country. So that’s rebuilding the country economically to bring back economic prosperity, to bring back investment, to bring back jobs, to expand jobs, to expand food for people.
VOA: What do you plan to do about the crackdown on press freedom and civil liberties?
Hichilema: Before this new dawn, citizens ran away from the police because the police tear gassed them, the police discharged live ammunition on them. Not anymore. The police who operate law and order keep law and order, but in a humane way, in a civilized way. And what does that mean to the population? It means that they can go about their business. And so we have called for the police to be professional in their conduct and that we will not inject political underhand methods.
VOA: What are your plans to address the debt situation?
Hichilema: We’ll put an eagle eye on it because we don’t want to lay more debt on already overburdened economics… We know that the debt was overpriced in many cases, especially project related debt… We’ll look at those issues with a keen eye and see what opportunities we have to dismantle this debt.
VOA: What is you plan to deal with public corruption following news that the state coffers are empty due to financial malpractices?
Hichilema: Our policy is very clear: zero tolerance to corruption. Zero and I mean zero. You come to protect public assets, you’ve come to grow these public assets, not to deplete them. I think it’s important that that message goes to my colleagues in the European Union, the allies, and the people in the civil service… We are going to strengthen the institutions that help us to fight corruption.
VOA: What is your message to the people who suffered under the previous administration and who are demanding a pound of flesh?
Hichilema: There was a perception that if you use force, then you stay in power. We have proved that wrong. I’m sure you remember at one point I couldn’t enter my own town and I asked the question: ‘Why should I not enter this town? Since when did I need a passport to enter this town?’ I don’t want to continue articulating those issues. But I want to say that, that’s over. So, the first thing we do is clearing that, that no one needs a permit. No one needs a license from anyone to hold a meeting… We will not allow other people to go through the pain we have gone through.
VOA: How do you want the already warm relations between Washington and Lusaka to be under your leadership?
Hichilema: Our values are very clear. We espouse clear values: constitutionalism, democracy, and democratic space to all, in accordance [with] our constitution, in accordance to subsidiarity laws. We ascribe the rule of law, order in society, respecting fundamental human rights, liberties, and freedoms.
VOA: What role do you think Zambia can play in promoting democracy within the SADC’s region and by extension Africa?
Hichilema: We think that we have already sent a signal that we are a child of democracy. We are a product of democracy… and we got elected against all odds. Honestly, we are a good example of how democracy must evolve even under brutal conditions.
So we are willing on the SADC’s platforms, African Union platforms to, in a small way, because we’re the new kids on the block, offer our own experiences so that others can either emulate or do even better.
VOA: What is your message to the people of Zambia after your success at the recent polls?
Hichilema: We have not overpromised anything. We have answered what people’s cries are. And with the people, with the difficult financial situation, with the support of those who believe in what we are doing, and democracy and rule of law, we think all of these factors brought together will begin to dismantle a very difficult situation and deliver for the people of Zambia over a five-year period.
That is my President! Freedom for all who behave within the constitution and please justice must also be done
I can identify with this language.
HH is saying all the right things .Now his actions from now henceforth will prove whether he means what he says and reveal his true colours.
Zambians must be proud of a president who can articulate issues clearly and intelligently and knows exactly what he aspires to achieve in 5 years. Unlike the ex president who in 7 years he never addressed the press to explain his aspirations. This is a new breath of fresh air. Without sounding chauvinistic this Tonga bull is what the country needed to go forward and not backwards. Intellectually he is up to the task of dragging the country’s economy to the 21st century. Human capital will be utilised properly. Education education education is the answer to economic development. Lungu’s and Sata’s governments were experts in practising tribalism by ignoring people who came from the South, West and North-West. The new government would do well by avoiding such malpractice. We in the…
This is so refreshing. PF got us into a bottomless pit and we’ve been falling and continuing to fall. This election result just reduced the speed at which we were getting under. Now Mr President and his team need to quickly stop the fall and set up mechanisms and systems to help us begin to climb out. It will be a bumpy accent with everyone holding tight the lopes.
Long overdue…I am proud that we have a leader in State House that knows what the job entails after 10 years of mediocrity.
HH said what he wanted to say. What he always says but unfortunately missed the questions. Please read the questions and compare with answers.
HH will mean HAPPINESS AND HOPE for the future zambia. # FORWARD
So refreshing from the moron we had in the past
Soothing words from new blood leadership. I hope he can back it up with action. Yes, we need a new dawn, a new awakening.. in Zambia and the whole of Africa. African people have been down too long. It is time to arise and rule our destiny. First step is to regain domination over our resources.
Just HEHH being in front of journalists and answering questions already seems like a big archivment for zambia, that is how low lungu set the bar………
A warning to my president and my colleagues in UPND , becarful of the tribal beast in PF and their ability to gather all crooks who now feel left out of pocket……
That is the methods they used against RB……all big crooks were actively campaigning for PF on the streets after being promised access to Zambias cofers.
Not every Zambian will be pleased with the pace of reforms and the crooks will be out on the streets gathering support….
HEHH is a good man…….who believes in human decency ,
That is where we will face problems.
We have hope in Mwaliteta and W ‘ tekere ‘ banda to make sure the crooks and tribslists are grounded properly, within the confines of the law. They are all soiled in the muck of corruption and should be kept busy in courts and trips to ACC……
We all hope Zambians and the world will be
Patient and give time to HH and his team
To work and correct the economy and the
Rest.There is too much expectations from
Zambians.Hope it will be fulfilled
HH will do well but needs our support.
These are great answers and great aspirations… hoping this translates from words to actions and reality. It won’t be easy, leaving with that fear that someone is scheming to bring you down. He should fear nothing as he got his mandate from the people, an overwhelming mandate.
He just needs to surround himself with people who can actually deliver and not those who will see an opportunity to accumulate personal wealth. At least we know he’s already rich so he doesn’t need to steal from poor Zambians.
I like these answer in particular:
“There was a perception that if you use force, then you stay in power”
“You come to protect public assets, you’ve come to grow these public assets, not to deplete them”.
Zambia economy was doing very well at the time we got independence. Political leaders must always realise that FREEDOM is the most important thing for a human being. God gave man FREE WILL and when you take that away, no matter how powerful the instruments of oppression you use, eventually people will break free and kick you out. Edgar Lungu thought that he could gag people and just show them a hospital here, a school there and a road here and they would be happy, not at all! When people are not free they feel every pang of hunger and they become more angry.
Let’s wait for the president to work on the promises.talking is easy but let him do the things and fulfill the promises. He has just started so give him time to settle and he needs support and don’t expect him to give us everything for free. We also need to work extra hard
HEHH should make it clear that the days of people entering high office to enrich themselves are over……..
How can you become MP and get richer while your consituents get poorer ???
Lifestyle audits are a must when you hold public office……..
“We have not overpromised anything. We have answered what people’s cries are.”-LT.
The president spent thirty minutes dancing around VOA questions.
sometimes all we need is hope that can give us power to move forward. no one will come to your house and give you money to go and buy bread and relish for one month wihout you doing some things for them. otherwise we will be seated and doing nothing for our country zambia hence going down and allowing foreigners taking money meant for us to develop. i have head politicians saying more money in your pocket in 90 days which is a good slogan but sitting at home won’t give you that. action is the only answer to our day to day struggles. let him lead the way according to his vision for our great nation lets support him by doing our vision to survive since this time its forward…..
I cannot wait to see how Zambia will be in 100 days from yesterday. There is already a sigh of relief. I think the fact that he is committed to observance of the rule of law is big enough. Sanity has already started returning to Zambia. May God grant him courage and grace as he tackles a very difficult task ahead namely to make Zambia proud and free, free from oppression and poverty, in the spirit of one Zambia one nation one people.
Nine Chale as usual sitting on the fence trying to juggle hot coals and making a fool of himself
HH missed some questions.Some question and his answers do not match.
Check out this one:-
VOA: How do you want the already warm relations between Washington and Lusaka to be under your leadership?
Hichilema: Our values are very clear. We espouse clear values: constitutionalism, democracy, and democratic space to all, in accordance [with] our constitution, in accordance to subsidiarity laws. We ascribe the rule of law, order in society, respecting fundamental human rights, liberties, and freedoms.
HH missed some questions.Some question and his answers do not match.
Check out this one:-
(2)VOA: How do you want the already warm relations between Washington and Lusaka to be under your leadership?
Hichilema: Our values are very clear. We espouse clear values: constitutionalism, democracy, and democratic space to all, in accordance [with] our constitution, in accordance to subsidiarity laws. We ascribe the rule of law, order in society, respecting fundamental human rights, liberties, and freedoms.
(2)VOA: What do you plan to do about the crackdown on press freedom and civil liberties?
Hichilema: Before this new dawn, citizens ran away from the police because the police tear gassed them, the police discharged live ammunition on them. Not anymore. The police who operate law and…
I don’t see hope.
I miss it when he is explaining things. It means that I am likely to miss any meaningful achievement in 3 months time.
He is so obscure and not too elaborate.
Moved by the crowd I think he may be fighting a war that is not there. Shooting off target.
His tendency to exaggerate matters is not encouraging.
It’s obvious he hasn’t been leaving in that country, Zambia.
The President continues missing HOW he will achieve his ambitions backed by existing laws and policies. Zambia has a number of strategic plans and policies which can help him appear more targetted as he responds to interviews.Advisors help your Boss.
The President continues missing HOW he will achieve his ambitions backed by existing laws and policies. Zambia has a number of strategic plans and policies which can help him appear more targetted as he responds to interviews.Advisors help your Boss.
This interview was bad. Really! HH needs some coach to help him navigate the complexities of communicating clearly and to the point. So, the first 100 days, all he will be doing is uniting the country? After that, then start looking at the economy? If he meant doing both, he clearly missed the point and expected others to put in the fillers. Sorry, people are hungry. You don’t have 100 days to simply unite the country while people die of anger.
Meant hunger not anger
@ #7 Ken, I had taken the same view but then realized the interview was 55 minutes in total and the summary article to be more appreciated, one has to listen to the whole interview! It is indeed refreshing that we have a president who has already started granting access to the press and hopefully this feature holds through the term unlike the 10 years of governance by PF when not a single press conference was given! HH articulated his agenda but it is also important for the citizenry to discover individually and severally what role they’ll fit into to be part of the aspirations towards the country’s economic recovery! Will citizens just sit back with a wait-and-see attitude good at only criticizing?
Zambians you’ve been duped …..talk to me in 2025. .don’t say I didn’t warn you
This is another day in Zambian politics, a great day for sure!
This will not work if we Zambians don’t work , we are in this together, the days of sitting around doing nothing , having public holiday after public holiday and bringing out the begging bowl and expecting the Gov’t and NGO’s to do everything. not going to work. Lets build Zambia like they do in Botswana.
Too soon to judge him. Don’t judge a politician too soon. Give him 1-2 years and everything will be clear where country is heading to.