HH preaches unity, pledges to work for all
By Adrian Mwanza
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema has paid glowing tribute to the people of Zambia for the trust they have placed in the United Party for National Development (UPND) and his leadership.
In a re-election acceptance speech yesterday, Hichilema said he would serve the people of Zambia without impartiality now that they had given him a fresh five-year mandate by re-electing him.
“We’re going to serve the people of Zambia diligently since they have entrusted us with another five-year mandate,” he said.
Hichilema urged his supporters to not intentionally injure those who had lost the elections but to let them heal.
But he also urged those that had lost the elections not to deliberately provoke those who were celebrating their victory in peace.
Hichilema said he was “truly humbled” by the trust the people of Zambia had placed in his hands.
He said he was a servant of the people of Zambia and would continue to serve in the nation’s highest office.
“This election showed the world who we are: a nation of peace, a nation of law and order, a democratic nation that settles our differences at the ballot box and nowhere else. Over these months we have travelled to all 116 districts, to our nation’s cities, our compounds, our villages and our farms. We saw first-hand the challenges that our people are facing, and we resolved to work with you to solve these challenges, together,” Hichilema said.
He said he would also continue to work for all Zambians, even those who did not vote for him.
All Zambians must benefit from the UPND development.
“As we return to work as your servant, we carry with us the memories of the children we met throughout the campaign, and we commit to building a better Zambia for all of you to inherit. Fellow citizens, we love you, we care for you, and we have heard you clearly,” Hichilema said.
He urged Zambians to focus on working harder to rebuild the nation.
“Now is the time to work harder than ever before to deliver meaningful development for every single Zambian, in every corner of our country.
Indeed, we will devote all our energies to development and progress, strengthened by unity, cooperation and our shared purpose as one nation. After a hard-fought campaign, the people have spoken and we now turn our focus to building even greater peace and prosperity, and we remain one Zambia, one Nation, one people,” Hichilema said.
He said competition was tough but democracy prevailed at the end of the day.
