By CHILA NAMAIKO –

.President Lungu

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has challenged Cabinet ministers to work with him and those against his leadership to leave on their own.
He said ministers should not let him down by not working hard to fulfil the ruling Patriotic Front’s (PF) promises in line with his desire of continuing to uplift the welfare of every citizen.
President Lungu said it was also important for all ministers to remain humble servants before the people of Zambia by emulating his leadership.
Mr Lungu said this at State House yesterday when he swore in PF Kwacha Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Malanji as Foreign Affairs minister, and PF Nkana MP Alexander Chiteme as National Development Planning minister.
“Please don’t let me down,” President Lungu said. “Let me also take advantage of this opportunity to just counsel the two of you that let us learn to humble ourselves before the Zambian people.”
Mr Malanji takes over from Harry Kalaba who resigned last week, while Mr Chiteme replaces Lucky Mulusa, who was fired by President Lungu recently.
President Lungu said the ministers should not think that by being appointed, they were better than the rest of the citizens, but should realise the need to humble themselves.
He challenged the two ministers to work hard and cooperate with the civil servants they would find in their respective ministries.
Mr Lungu said just like him, the ministers were servants of the people and there was nothing difficult about being humble, hence they needed to always emulate him as a humble leader.
He expressed concern with some misleading information on social media about the Government and urged the two new ministers not to be derailed but to remain committed to duty.
Mr Lungu said the PF was still a popular and attractive political party in the country and challenged those that felt they could not serve under his leadership to leave.
He said the people’s party of choice was the PF, hence some people, despite warning that they wanted to leave the ruling party, had continued to cling on because they knew it was the most attractive party with progressive ideologies of national inclusive development.
He said some people had even gone to court in order to remain in the PF, but wondered how they could not accept him as leader of the PF and denied him as a leader of Government.
Mr Lungu said the party would remain committed to realising its manifesto while enhancing the objectives of the 7th National Development Plan on development.
He said it was for this reason that voting in the country had been cumulative for the ruling party winning with bigger margins citing the 2016 general elections.
This, the President said, was because the PF was following what the party promised the people of Zambian, hence the need for ministers and party members to work hard to make 2021 a walk-over.
“So please, don’t let me down, don’t let the party and the Government down. I will work with you and settle down quickly because I know you are not new in this game. You are enlightened men, you know where to press and move,” the President said.
Mr Malanji said he would remain focused to achieve the ministry’s objectives and those of the country to enhance bilateral ties, while Mr Chiteme assured of working to foster more sustainable development.