Sata canes HH

PRESIDENT Michael Sata has advised United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema to take advantage of his open-door policy and engage the Government with sobriety and maturity.
Mr  Sata’s remarks follow Mr Hichilema’s claims that the PF Government was mismanaging the affairs of the State.
President Sata urged the UPND leader to always seek positive and objective dialogue with the Government on various matters of national interest.
“Zambians are fatigued with his bitter, repetitive and empty rhetoric and as custodians of the people’s interests we refuse to be dragged to his lower levels of petty discourse. Our focus or preoccupation is to discuss policy, achievements and challenges so far and projections for the future growth of this country,” Mr Sata said.
The President said this in a statement issued by his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations George Chellah.
The President said contrary to the UPND leader’s assertions, he had endeavoured to inform the nation on various developmental issues through different platforms, including social media.
“To this effect, I have recently endeavoured to inform the nation on several issues ranging from infrastructure development, industrialisation, job creation, the economy (the real GDP growth, inflation, commercial bank’s lending rates and the country’s debt), rural development, achievements in the health sector as well as an update on the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP),” he said.
Mr Sata also urged the UPND leader to take advantage of the Head of State’s Facebook page and other Government communication platforms to engage in dialogue.
“Lastly, I would encourage Mr Hichilema to utilise my Facebook page and other Government communication platforms to insulate himself from reckless rumour mongering and speculative claims about the economy and the general growth of this country,” Mr Sata added.
Speaking at a Press briefing at the UPND secretariat on Monday, the UPND leader tore into Government, saying the PF was mismanaging the affairs of the State.
Meanwhile, acting Chief Government spokesperson Fackson Shamenda has said the ongoing successes in developing Zambia are causing Mr Hichilema sleepless nights, hence his baseless outbursts against the Government even on non-issues.
“He is frustrated at the fact that the Patriotic Front Government under the able and visionary leadership of His Excellency President Michael Chilufya Sata, has surpassed his expectations and relegated his prophecies of doom to the dustbin of history.
“Mr Hichilema’s hallucinations that Government wants to impose one local language on Zambia, as reported in today’s Post newspaper, is not only cheap and shameful, but also typical of his tribal and regional character,” Mr Shamenda said.
He called on well-meaning Zambians to dismiss Mr Hichilema’s kind of thinking and that Zambians are one people and reasonable enough not to take such day dreaming seriously.
He said Zambia was a model and envy of the world with regard to democracy, peace and unity with 73 tribes, all of which have, and continue to live peacefully side by side since time immemorial.

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