By Esther Chisola
President Hakainde Hichilema has disclosed that some of his ministers attend the cabinet meetings while drunk, stressing that it is a crime for them to sleep in a cabinet meeting.
Speaking at the swearing in ceremony of newly appointed Local Government minister Gift Sialubalo at State House yesterday, the President said several times, he had advised his cabinet ministers on issues to do with self-control.
“I have advised my cabinet to have self-control when in public office not to over indulge. Not to extend long hours in the cabinet, somebody is sleeping at 10 hours. The question is where were they? At 10 hours if you can start gonging there to me, that is a crime. A serious crime. So, how do you participate in a meeting where at 10 hours, in a cabinet meeting you are sleeping?” he said. “Kisikamani? (What’s the issue?). Self-control. Indulgence. The message is that you are not interested in the deliberation of the cabinet on behalf of all these. So, why are you sitting there? Self-control. Even the Bible says if you over indulge yourself you damage yourself even if you have a good brain, you destroy yourself.”
The Head of State criticised the inefficiencies and inflated costs associated with government projects, particularly citing borehole drilling in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
He questioned why some boreholes cost the government K500,000 each, while private individuals could construct similar ones for K30,000 to K40,000.
“So, the borehole must be sunk at a right price not k500,000 for a borehole, which I do on my farm for K30,000, K40,000. Because it’s the government, it must cost a taxpayer, your money K500,000 for one borehole? Why should it cost K500,000 because it’s under government and somebody signs for that? And that somebody even gets promoted. It means somebody is sleeping on duty along the way. Citizens should have five or four boreholes complete in that K500,000 not one borehole,” he said.
President Hichilema said any government official that put their personal interests before the interests of citizens had totally lost it and that person could not be trusted.
“Things that sometimes ministers take advantage of, and develop other personal interests which take precedence away from saving that child, under the jurisdiction of Local Government, on behalf of all of us. Personal interest becomes the most important thing. Then you will have lost it completely. It does not matter who you think you are; you have lost it. That’s the context I want to make,” he said.
President Hichilema also urged Sialubalo not to be influenced by social media.
“I see what is on social media. I always scan what’s going on. Focus on the work at hand. Don’t be disgraced by chitchat, TikTok. If I was swayed by those things, we would have not done the things we have done,” said the President. “I’m sure the media is aware that in a different year, the worst drought in living memory, we have still delivered growth of 4 percent in GDP. The figures are out now. Numbers don’t lie.”
