President Lungu’s reflections after one month in office

President Lungu

Dear countrymen and women,

It is only through true faith and belief in God that I have been able to assume the very huge task and responsibility of leading our great nation.

My campaign was driven by selfless motives focused on strengthening the peace we enjoy as well as the creation of a conducive environment to unite Zambia and bring prosperity for all.

I have been in office for a month and it is a good moment to reflect together with you my fellow Zambians on the real and present state of our nation.

As a Presidential candidate my campaign message was largely based on how, once I assumed power would address, review, change and impact the many different issues and challenges I learnt of first hand whilst on the campaign trail.

My fellow Zambians, I feel particularly privileged to be your President. A President for all of Zambia. Holding this high office has brought about an even stronger sense of duty and motivation to not only meet our campaign promise targets but exceed them.

One of my initial focus points has been in leading the cleansing process which is the aftermath of a hard fought election battle. It is my prayer that we can all contribute to this process. Being graceful is not the preserve of the losing candidate or party, it is even more important to assume the role of leadership with humility and a deep sense of gratitude.

I believe one of the milestone decisions I have made as your elected representative is to break the gender barrier and appoint our first ever female Vice President. I also believe the position of Chief Justice has been accorded to another highly qualified female colleague.

My party, our government and I are proud of the manner in which we have approached this sensitive juncture in Zambia’s journey to a better tomorrow.

I am very pleased with the unity and solidarity in my party after a very challenging period of electioneering at both party and national level. I thank my party for unanimously standing for peace. It is my wish that this peace can continue to prevail across the political divide and the nation as a whole. We have a great amount of work ahead of us.

We must now implement the actions and changes we told Zambian’s we would. I stand before you fully committed to ensuring this and where feasible more happens to benefit us now and very importantly our future generations.

To ensure my government meets this task head on, I have taken time to reflect on the needs we have as a nation. I have the honour and privilege to draw on the very valuable experience of two former heads of state and indeed many other notable citizens. A good leader should be a good listener, this is true.

However a good leader must also make tough decisions, at times these decisions will appear to be driven by personal agendas. I appeal to all Zambians to stand tall and look beyond the cheap political rhetoric and embrace the change I intend to bring for all Zambians.

I have assembled a team of very capable people to bring my vision for Zambia to life. We have a largely youthful cabinet and also have some very experienced leaders to bring the balance required for optimal performance. I have looked beyond gender and made key appointments based purely on merit.

Performance is a key aspect of my very huge expectations of all those I have called upon to join my team and validate our hard fought election victory.

I expect nothing less than a hundred percent commitment. My team must remember, Zambia is watching and it is Zambia that will decide. We have very little time and a very huge task ahead. Let us work even harder.

I pledge on behalf of my government that we will complete our infrastructure development plans and bring new roads, hospitals and schools to all parts of Zambia for the benefit of all our citizens. This is very important to us.
I also wish to urge all Zambians to continue rejecting tribalism and rekindle the one Zambia one nation motto.

In closing, I would like to pay tribute once again to all Zambians for electing me to this high office. I humbly remain at your service and will endeavor to make my Presidency one that is consistently focused on progress and unity.

I firmly believe we can achieve all that we desire if we are united in common goals that embrace all our challenges as a nation. I listened to you before you elected me to be your President. As your President I want to reaffirm my position on listening to and acting decisively on what the nation needs.
God bless you all and God bless our great Zambia

Edgar Chagwa Lungu
President of the Republic of Zambia.