Vote across party lines, advises HH

Vote across party lines, advises HH
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Saturday September 06, 2008 [04:00]

TIME has come for Zambians to vote across political party lines so as to usher in a leader who will ensure an accelerated economic growth, United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema has said. And Hichilema said if elected into office, the UPND would reverse the salary increments that Cabinet had awarded itself.

In an interview yesterday, Hichilema advised Zambians not to vote for a leader based on regionalism, political party inclination or race, but for a leader that would pull the country together and take it to greater heights economically.

He said Zambia needed a leader with the necessary skills to make the country realise the vision of accelerated economic growth.

"I think it is time we became forthright in our approach to issues. We need a stronger and accelerated economic growth and that is why we in UPND will do things slightly differently," said Hichilema.

He said UPND believed in heavy investments in education because it was education that could make citizens acquire the necessary skills to help the country realise its vision of an accelerated and stronger economic growth.

Hichilema noted that the country's economy needed to grow at a higher rate of at least 10 per cent per year.

He added that his party would also prioritise infrastructure development so as to ease the cost of doing business.

Hichilema said issues of fuel shortages and increments would also be tackled so as to make the commodity more affordable to the average Zambian.

And Hichilema said his party would continue with the fight against corruption although in a more professional and non-selective manner.

Hichilema said Zambians should detest corruption because it took away resources that were supposed to be made available for buying desks in schools, buying medicines in hospitals and paying decent perks to professionals such as nurses, doctors and men and women in uniform.