President Hichilema invites opposition to offer constructive alternatives, not insults

President Hakainde Hichilema has welcomed constructive debate with opposition leaders but called for solution-oriented proposals over political rhetoric, State House has said.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Chief Communications Specialist, Clayson Hamasaka, said President Hichilema was open to criticism but urged opponents to present clear, viable alternatives to his government’s policies.

Hamasaka stated that the Head of State had cited the revitalisation of the mining sector—once crippled under previous administrations—as a key example of progress under the UPND government.

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The President challenged opposition leaders to outline how they would sustain or improve such gains.

“President Hichilema has exponentially increased the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) from K1.6 million to K36 million annually per constituency,” Hamasaka noted, questioning what alternatives opposition critics were offering to improve local development.

He further cited the reintroduction of free education, which has enabled over two million pupils to access schooling, and the reinstatement of student meal allowances previously scrapped by the Patriotic Front (PF).

Hamasaka claimed the PF had publicly stated its intention to reverse these measures.

“The President is asking the public to judge for themselves whether scrapping free education and meal allowances is a better alternative,” he said.

Hamasaka also highlighted the routine hiring of thousands of teachers and health workers—processes that had previously been frozen—alongside agricultural reforms such as higher crop prices and timely payments to farmers.

On debt, he said President Hichilema had prioritised restructuring Zambia’s unsustainable loans, a process now bearing fruit with the confirmation and recent visit of the IMF Deputy Managing Director to Zambia.

“Would opposition leaders undo this progress? What are their fiscal alternatives?” Hamasaka asked.

He further referenced infrastructure projects, including the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway, now being implemented at half the previous projected cost, and improved peacekeeping soldier welfare—with allowances now fully paid upon return from missions.

“Would they cancel these contracts or reverse these gains?” he queried.

In response to climate change, Hamasaka said the President had invested in alternative energy and water harvesting to ensure sustainable agriculture, and urged critics to share their solutions.

He stated that President Hichilema was advocating for respectful, policy-driven debate, urging citizens to evaluate all political proposals based on feasibility and merit, free from hate speech or personal attacks.

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