The President Lungu yesterday told the people of Vubwi constituency in Eastern Province that power belonged to the people and that government existed for the people. He stated that government served at the pleasure of the people.
“There are no people that can be governed without their consent. Even traditional rulers are there because people have accepted them,” he said.
“We are a democracy, we are One Zambian – One Nation,” he added.
President Lungu stated that when the electorates choose, those that score a 50+ 1 majority assume government and that is why the PF was in government today, owing to the fact that the people of Zambia gave them a 50+1 majority vote.
He stated that his government’s role was to take development to every part of the nation regardless of whether that area voted for him or not.
“Am saying this because am aware that some of you are going round saying why is he taking development to areas that did not vote for him? Why should he focus on doing roads in Dundumwezi instead of here in Vubwi where we gave him more votes,” President Lungu said.
He said that his trip to the Eastern Province was for him to witness first hand the kind of development the area had so far experienced.
“So, do not worry about how the voting pattern was. Government knows that each part of the nation needs development. If this government can happily take development to areas that did not give it votes, then what more about here where you gave us a vote?” he asked.
And President Lungu took time to thank the people of Vubwi for having voted for the PF government and promised not to let them down.
“But most importantly, speak out, tell us what you want first. I am very happy to have heard our learners say, everything is okay except the road. And I am very happy that the Minister of Housing and Infrastucture Development is here. He has heard for himself. And I am sure the Minister of Finance will see us on TV and hear that a road is needed here,” he said.
“The distance from Chipata to Vubwi is very short. So am confident we will search for resources very quickly to do the road,” President Lungu said.
He stated that soon, it would be 2021 and the people of Vubwi would be asking what the PF government had done for them to deserve another mandate.
“I want to come and point at this administration block, point at the hospital, point at a road and many other things such as improved agriculture in this area. So, am in this position to work and not just to talk,” he reiterated. “And as supervisor, my coming here to inspect works being done is equally working. As a leader if you just delegate responsibility and not follow up to supervise the works, you lose out and when you fail, the back stops at you,” he added.
He stated that all the necessary requests had been presented on the Vubwi tour and that it would now be up to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Development to see the construction of the road through. And the President stated that he was glad that the people of Vubwi had shown appreciation for the development that had been taken to the area by his government and stated that this encouraged him to do even more.
“I speak Bemba, Nsenga and Chewa but I can tell you that in Bemba they say ” Uushitasha patunono, napafingi takatashe,” he said (He who shows no appreciation in little things will not appreciate bigger things too).
“Am trying to reflect from my position where I am as President that if I do something small for you and you don’t appreciate, then it will be difficult for me to do more. Am only human after all. So if we do development in our own way, and you don’t see it and say government has failed, then we will fail you without any effort,” he said.
He gave an illustration of a child who is sent to the market to buy provisions during the day but refuses,the child is then sent to the hammer mill but refuses,then sent to fetch water or get firewood but refuses.At night, the parents will not call such a child to partake in the meal. The parents will call to dinner, the children that accepted to do household chores during the day.
“This illustration is simply trying to give you an insight into what happens when I sit with my collegues in cabinet and in the party and they ask me my reason for focusing on people who don’t appreciate the development being taken to them. This is not about voting or campaigning. It’s about appreciating that government is working. There are some areas where we go and they tell us you haven’t done anything from 2011 to 2018, you have failed the people. Yet those that come to Zambia after being away for a while testify to the huge difference in the Zambia of today and that of yesterday in terms of developmental projects dotted across the nation,” he said.
He stated that it was important for government to be commended when it scored positives so that it would be encouraged to do more.
“Even when you send your kids to school and they do well, commend them. Don’t go about telling your children that they are very dull because then they will end up doing nothing. This happens to government also. If you keep saying nothing is coming in our area, even the little we have for you, we won’t bring. I have seen development in Zambia and I am happy to contribute to its growth and make it batter than we found it in 2011,” he added.
He stated that as a human being, he would not be beyond human failures.
“There is a saying, ‘one good turn deserves another’, so let us encourage each other,” President Lungu said.
The president loves vitumbuwa and unwashed mangoes.
Fake headline … if you serve at the pleasure of people why then are you so unsettled with them knowing how there money is being spent by your government. People cannot even demonstrate/ protest some of your governments excesses even when it has become obvious with the levels of debt you have acquired. Your statement is an academic one I guess the kind u would get from john Locke political philosophy
Many people, me included, were taught we are one Zambia one nation at school and that symbols of nationhood are coat of arms, national flag, national anthem, etc. But nobody explained to us what a nation is. In fact the truth is these are symbols of statehood not nationhood. Like many I have looked at what another website has said is a list of cadets who were commissioned by ECL last week to serve as officers in the Zambia National Service. I suspect that there is already in existence a secret society to subjugate another half of the country. I am reading a lot of history on nation-building and just came across a study by Wing Commander Nkhomo of the Zimbabwean Air Force at staff and command college in USA.
For the curious: The study is entitled THE MILITARY AND NATION-BUILDING by Wing Commander Pax D. T. Nkomo of the Zimbabwean Air Force 1999-2006. Sorry I misspelled the surname.
Lazy Lungu doing what he does best ..campaigning for By elections.
Ba Jay Jay your “Lazy, Lazy” is now a broken record – just drop it my friend.
To many of us, the 50%+1, the so called “Lazy” Lungu is working hard. People blinded by upnd, h.h, and tribe can’t see hard work, or is it their hare-brained definition of hard work that is the problem?
No we can only see stealing , corruption and unprecedented raise in tribalism…AGs and FIC reports.
Ask lungu if he is a corrupt theif , he will not bother deny….
If the decision is up to the Zambian people then why the PF violence against people wanting to go and express their freedom of choice in the elections ? Shame on you for your hypocrisy! You really think you can fool all of us?
You will CRY just a matter of TIME