President Lungu Assures Zambians Of Commitment To Democracy
President Edgar Lungu has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to promoting democracy in the country by upholding the constitution as the supreme law of the land.
President Lungu cited the holding of general elections every five years and providing people a platform to elect leaders of their choice as one way of upholding the national constitution.
ZANIS reports that President Lungu was speaking during his State of the Nation address on progress made in the application of National Values and Principals, that the government of the Patriotic Front (PF) believes in the rule of law and strong institutions of state that promote democracy.
“We have made headways in our preparations for the general elections to be held on August 12, 2021 and government will ensure that law and order prevails before, during, and after the elections,” President Lungu said.
He commended Zambians who turned up to register as voters, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and all stakeholders for sensitizing people on the importance of registering as voters.
President Lungu said the efforts of the ECZ, political parties, traditional leaders and other stakeholders has resulted in a provisional register with slightly over 7 million people, which represents 83 percent of eligible voters.
The president has also urged those who have registered as voters to turn up in numbers and exercise their democratic right to vote, saying registering as a voter is not enough.
In relation to the health sector, President Lungu said government has constructed over 500 health facilities and recruited over 23,000 health workers since the year 2017 in order to bring health services closer to people.
He said the government has also established five regional medical storage and distribution hubs across the country to ensure efficiency in the supply of drugs and medical supplies.
“As a pro-poor government, we have an obligation to ensure that the rural population also benefits from the development agenda of the country,” President Lungu said.
Meanwhile President Lungu has expressed the need to exploit natural resources in a sustainable manner to attain inter-generational equity, while maintaining ecological integrity.
He said government has, over the years, strengthened measures aimed at protecting the environment and has stepped-up afforestation and reforestation activities to improve forest cover.
“Government is working with communities in the sustainable management of forests and so far 1.2 million hectares are being managed as community forests under 34 forest management agreements that have been signed since 2018,” President Lungu added.
He also reiterated his call to the nation to plant more trees, use clean and smart energy such as solar and avoid the use of charcoal, which leads to indiscriminate cutting of trees.
President Lungu urged citizens to desist from settling in fragile eco-systems such as wetlands and protected wildlife areas as it results in degradation, human-animal conflicts and the negative effects of climate change such as floods.
“We owe it to posterity to conserve our pristine environment and biodiversity,” he added.
President Lungu further said government will continue to promote climate smart agriculture, sustainable tourism and renewable energy in pursuit of sustainable development to grow the sectors and complement the mining sector.
This article originally appeared on Lusaka Times