Hichilema: We Have Defied Expectations, Greater Reform Will Come
Speaking in an interview with the BBC’s Shingai Nyoka, President Hichilema has rebuked suggestions from the opposition that his anti-corruption drive is persecutory. Rather, he emphasised the justice of returning the money rightfully to the people of Zambia.
The President criticised the previous administration’s misuse of public funds and emphasised that his administration seeks to return those funds to the people. “They borrowed money and put it in areas such as road construction where it was easy to steal the money. When the public said ‘we want what belongs to us’ how does that become political vindictiveness?”
When asked about his relationship to Former President Edgar Lungu, Hichilema emphasised how his administration has broken from the received wisdom. “He (Lungu) put me behind bars fifteen times. The expectations of the people was that I’ll put him behind bars. We have defied that perception.”
The President was keen to reaffirm his commitment to the rule of law and to the promotion of democracy. This was both emphasised in response to questions on anti-corruption measures and regarding the potential role of the SADC (South African Development Community). Fielding questions regarding the ongoing crises in Zimbabwe and Swaziland and the SADC, he replied: “The governance system, I think in my view, we must push democracy and entrench it. I think the SADC should be able to say that you cannot assume public office by killing people through the barrel of a gun.”
Nyoka was tough on questions surrounding the IMF loan and indicated that both free education and lower taxes may not be sustainable considering the country’s economic position. Hichilema, however, highlighted the blame to be assigned to the previous administration and the importance of long-term investment in the country’s future. He conceded that Zambia should not be proud of being bailed out but that the bailout was “circumstantial because of the situation that we inherited” from the Lungu administration.
In 2020 Zambia became the first African country to default on its foreign debt during the pandemic, estimated at $17.3bn. The IMF loan recently secured is designed to reduce the debt servicing burden and stimulate the economy. Hichilema was eager to point out “all these revenues released from debt service are going now into the revenue generation, into the economy.”
Regarding free education, Hichelema argued “it is a question of is it the right thing to do? The answer is yes, it’s the right thing to do. So, to reconstruct the economy, you need skills in the economy” and that to upskill the nation a high standard of universal education was necessary. Hichilema sees the investment as benefiting the national development of Zambia in the long term. The President himself was the beneficiary of a free education programme and so understands the impact a good education can have on a child’s life.
Through programmes like the Keep Girls in School initiative and the School Health Nutrition Policy, the current administration hopes to raise the prospects for the next generation of Zambians through education.