•PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu at the President’s Park in Luwingu yesterday during a campaign rally for the Lubanseshi PF candidate George Mwamba. Picture By SALIM HENRY/STATE HOUSE.

By SYLVESTER MWALE –
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has directed the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance to facilitate increased export of the country’s products apart from copper to stabilise the Kwacha.
Mr Lungu said it was in this vain that the Government would buy all the maize available on the market for possible export which could help to strengthen the local currency.
The President was speaking when he addressed two public rallies at Luwingu’s President’s Park and Mucheleka Primary School to drum up support for Mr Mwamba ahead of the polls on September 24.
Mr Lungu reiterated that the current depreciation of the Kwacha had nothing to do with his leadership as it was caused by falling copper prices in China, the country’s major market for its copper.
“We are also looking at value-addition because we realise that we need to have more of our products being exported. So we’ll buy all the maize because we’ve a market in Congo and Zimbabwe,” he said.
He appealed to people in the area not to be cheated by opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema who was claiming that he would be able to improve the value of the Kwacha if elected in 2016.
Mr Lungu called on the people of Lubaseshi Constituency to redeem themselves from the 2011 mistake by voting for the Patriotic Front candidate in next week’s parliamentary by-election.
Mr Lungu said that the constituency had remained behind in terms of development because Patrick Mucheleka who was voted as independent MP had nowhere to look for resources to spearhead development.
“You made a mistake in 2011 but this is an opportunity for you to correct it. Mucheleka had no power to build a clinic or a school because he was independent,” President Lungu said.
“It is easy to work and bring development if I have my MPs. You have noticed that MPs from UPND and MMD that have decided to work with us are not liked by their parties, so if you give me George Mwamba, it will be easy for me.”
Mr Lungu said the Government was committed to helping small-scale farmers in the area as demonstrated by the early delivery of farming inputs this year as well as the swift payment to farmers who had delivered their crops to the FRA in the ongoing marketing season.
The Head of State also met with six chiefs from Luwingu District where he assured them that the Government would continue to work towards uplifting people’s welfare in the area.
Speaking on behalf of other traditional leaders, Chieftainess Chungu said people in the area were happy with the leadership of Mr Lungu and would continue to support the ruling party for more developments.
She, however, appealed to Mr Lungu to ensure that the roads were improved to boost agricultural activities in the district.
Earlier, PF Central Committee member Samuel Mukupa appealed to the electorate not to be bought by some candidates that were currently going round the constituency dishing out cash to win votes in next week’s by-election.
He said people should also be wary of such candidates because they would be asked to pay back the money when they lose the by-election.
Apart from PF’s Mr Mwamba, the Lubaseshi polls would be contested by UNIP, Rainbow UPND and an independent candidate.