By FLAVIOR CHISHALA –

. BANDA

FORMER President Rupiah Banda has called for reconciliation among Zambians in order to foster economic and social development.
Mr Banda said Zambians only have one country and should, therefore, work together to find solutions to the challenges being faced.
He said the problems of unemployment, youth anxiety, hunger and power shortages, among others, were not peculiar to Zambia and should be tackled through concerted efforts by all citizens.
“The Zambian people really want their country to remain united and move forward. We need to build our country by reconciling and forgiving one another in the same manner we forgive our relatives and friends,” he said.
Mr Banda said this when he visited Zambia’s High Commissioner to Malawi, Salome Mwananshiku and the mission staff at the Zambian House in Lilongwe on Monday, this week.
This was contained in a statement released yesterday by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian High Commission in Malawi, Chansa Kabwela.
Mr Banda urged the Zambian diplomats to put the interests of Zambians first because they had an important responsibility of strengthening Zambia’s foreign relations with other countries.
He said it was impressive and encouraging that there were currently a high number of youthful diplomats who were able to represent Zambia effectively and thus help to develop it.
He called for tolerance, forgiveness and peaceful co-existence among Zambians during the 2016 general elections.
“We must never take these things as hatred, we are going to an election and we are all entitled to choose who we want but there must be no hatred.
“And for you civil servants, you know your responsibility is to respect the President,” he said.
While in Malawi, Mr Banda, the first president Kenneth Kaunda and Malawian President, Peter Mutharika graced the wedding of Gwebe Kaunda, daughter of Home Affairs Deputy Minister Panji Kaunda.