By 
President Hakainde Hichilema prematurely addressed the nation this week, evidenced by lack of proper answers on sensitive national issues such as shortage of drugs in health care facilities countrywide.
This is according to Zambia’s leader of the Opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile who regretted that Zambians were eagerly waiting for a clear direction on matters such as lack of drugs in health care facilities countrywide and challenges currently being faced on the Copperbelt, which did not come forth.
Mundubile recalled that shortage of drugs generated a lot of debate on the floor of the house in Parliament that led the Speaker of the National Assembly to constitute a team of Parliamentarians to go round the facilities to get first hand information regarding the position on the shortage of drugs.
That report, he explained, was debated on the floor extensively by Members of Parliament.
He said this when reacting to President Hichilema’s National address held on Tuesday this week to mark the end of the year.
“Disappointingly, even when the committee was headed by a UPND, a renowned medical practitioner Dr. Christopher Kalila, the UPND Government shot down the adoption of the report.
“The poor Zambians countrywide wanted to hear from the President exactly what the position is on drugs and whether these shortages will continue and if at all there was any solution,” Mundubile said.
He insisted that President Hichilema was not prepared when he addressed the nation for over two hours on Tuesday as he did not respond to many concerns.
Read more: Golden party knocks President Hichilema’s for being on ‘wild goose chase’ https://www.zambiamonitor.com/golden-party-knocks-president-hichilemas-for-being-on-wild-goose-chase/
Mundubile who is also PF Presidential Candidate said the President may have faced the media prematurely as he needed to prepare himself sufficiently before the undertaking.
He pointed out that President Hichilema constantly referred to a meeting that was yet to be held on a Thursday for most of the solutions.
Mundubile also mentioned that the President did not address challenges being faced on the Copperbelt that continued to worsen to desperate levels.
He stated that the people on the Copperbelt that included miners and workers working for mining contractors and suppliers were in a desperate situation.
“The President is just coming back from America, the people on the Copperbelt wanted to know whether some of those investors made up their minds to come and invest in Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) so that some of the challenges they are facing can be addressed because the situation on the Copperbelt has become very bad,” he said.
Mundubile said Zambians wanted to get direction on the high cost of living as the economy was underperforming.
He said it would have been prudent for the President to wait and only call for a briefing tomorrow to address the nation with answers.
Mundubile suggested that an address of that nature required one to go into the minds of the Zambian people and their expectations.
“We have not heard from the President for some time now and obviously when an announcement was made that the President was going to address the nation, there was a lot of interest generated among the Zambian people.
“These people include our farmers, who wanted to get first-hand information as to what the UPND Government intends to do to correct the wrongs that have happened in the sector especially in the distribution of farming inputs. All these farmers abandoned whatever they were doing to listen to the President,” he said.
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