Feature: Zambia's new leader faces mammoth task

Zambian President Edgar Lungu definitely knows the mammoth task that lies ahead of him as he begins his term of office.

His declaration during his maiden inaugural speech that there is no honeymoon for his administration underscores the gravity of task that the 58-year-old Zambian leader has to deal with.

"You have placed on my shoulders very heavy responsibility to be ever mindful that I have no leeway for lapses which may induce Zambians to think that they misplaced their confidence and trust in me," he said after being sworn-in Sunday as the southern African nation's sixth president since it gained independence from Britain in 1964.

Indeed, there is no time for any lapses by the Zambian leader, especially that he only has about 18 months to maintain the confidence the voters placed on him when they voted for him ahead of the 2016 general elections.

His main challenges lie in fulfilling the promises his government made prior to the 2011 general elections which have not been tackled three years after winning the elections.

In the run-up to the elections, the now governing Patriotic Front (PF) under late President Michael Sata promised among other things, a new constitution, lower taxes, more jobs and more money in people's pockets within 90 days of coming into power, which are yet to be fulfilled.

The failure by the PF to fulfill the promises made in the run- up to the 2011 general elections became campaign messages for opposition leaders ahead of last Tuesday's presidential election and the fact that Lungu managed to narrowly win the tightly contested election should not be taken for granted by the governing party.

Lungu emerged a winner in the tightly contested election after getting 48.33 percent of the total votes cast while his closest rival Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) garnered 46.67 percent of the votes, according to official results released by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).

Frank Bwalya of the opposition Alliance for Better Zambia (ABZ) said that the new leader has a lot of work to do as he needs to fulfill the many promises the party made to people ahead of the 2011 general elections.

The opposition leader, who endorsed the candidature of Lungu in last Tuesday's presidential election and campaigned for him, however, expressed confidence that the new Zambian leader will work hard to fulfill the promises his party made.

The Zambian new leader has myriad other issues to deal with: such as late payments to farmers who sell their maize to the government, the controversy surrounding the new mining tax regime as well the issue of a salary wage freeze for public workers who have not seen any salary increments in the last two years.

According to ActionAid, a lobby group, the Zambian leader needs to tackle the problem of the new mine tax regime in order to create investor confidence.

Pamela Chisanga, the organization's country's director, said Lungu's administration should be working towards an optimal tax system that will strike a balance between ensuring win-win situation between the country and its investors.

"We hope that Mr. Lungu will uphold the highest level of transparency and accountability in managing the nation's resources and the government should endeavor to be more responsible to the needs and aspirations of the Zambian people," she said.

Lungu has so far shown that he is ready to do everything within his power to ensure that he fulfills the promises made to the people. He has tasked his new justice minister to accelerate efforts to have a new constitution.

On the other hand, he has said his government is ready to hold talks with the mining firms on the controversial new tax regime in order to strike a balance.

Lungu's biggest challenge, however, is to turn around the southern African nation, given projections that the global economy will slump, with countries such as Zambia that depend on exporting commodities for growth of their economies likely to be hardest hit.

Zambia depends on exporting copper which accounts for about 70 percent of its foreign exchange earnings.

Lungu is particularly concerned about the high poverty levels and has promised to reduce poverty.

"The fabulous wealth living side by side with abject poverty is a moral outrage and a slur on our collective conscience. It hurts me. It is unacceptable and we must all join the crusade against poverty, not through dazzling rhetoric but through working hard," he added. Endite