….the president has made tough and unpopular decision to set the country on track..
By EditorZambia
If there is one uncomfortable truth that the country is slowly accepting, it is that the presidency is not a playground for ambition, ego, or noise-making. 
The presidency is an institution that demands capacity, discipline, and a long-term strategic view of the future.
Like him or not, President Hakainde Hichilema has raised the bar high enough that the opposition’s current crop of contenders looks like they’re applying for a job whose description they’ve not even read.
This is not a fan-club sentiment. It is a sober observation about the gap between what the presidency requires and what the loudest pretenders keep offering.
1. What Is the Role of a President?
Strip away the slogans and political theatre, and the job is brutally simple on paper but extremely complex in practice: Stabilising the macro-economy.
A president must keep the country solvent, credible to lenders, stable on currency markets, and predictable to investors.
Holding the State Together.
Governing in a diverse nation means balancing regions, interest groups, and institutions without burning the country down for political profit.
Building systems, not headlines.
From procurement reforms to debt restructuring, the work is often invisible, technical, and thankless.
Setting national direction beyond personal survival.
The presidency is not a hustler’s booth. It is the centre of long-term national planning.
Measured against these standards, it becomes clear why many opposition figures sound loud but look small. They speak as if governing is a weekend project.
2. How President Hichilema Has Raised the Bar
You do not need to support him to acknowledge this: Hichilema has normalised a more professional, rules-based presidency.
His administration is far from perfect – no government is, but the shift in governance culture is noticeable.
He treats the job like full-time work.
No mysterious disappearances.
No unexplained gaps.
No national drift.
He prioritises macro stability over cheap applause.
Painful decisions? Yes. Necessary?, yes.
Any serious student of statecraft understands that stability always precedes prosperity.
He has professionalised the civil service and procurement space. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what prevents national theft from becoming a governing ideology.
President Hichilema has restored international creditworthiness.
Zambia was a punchline in financial circles. Today, it is taken seriously again.
He has expanded access to education and skills development. Not through political theatrics, but through structured policy. You can dislike his style, question specific policies, or criticise delivery speed, but you can not honestly say he is running the country on guesswork. That alone raises the bar.
3. The Opposition Problem: Plenty of Anger, Zero Blue Print
Let’s ask the Socratic questions that expose the hollowness of Zambia’s opposition politics: What exactly have they presented that rescues the economy better, faster, or more sustainably? Silence.
Which of them has outlined a clear debt strategy, a revenue plan, or a credible roadmap for currency stability? None.
Who among them demonstrates the discipline required for a modern presidency?
The evidence is thin. Who has shown even basic administrative competence?
Rallies and TikTok videos do not count.
Being loud is not leadership.
Being angry is not policy.
Being anti-Hichilema is not a national programme.
The gap is not ideological. It is intellectual.
4. Is There a College That Teaches People How to Rule a Country?
No.What we have, instead, is the slow, painful accumulation of experience, exposure, and intellectual discipline.
These things take years. You can not microwave statecraft.
President Hichilema’s background of private sector management, international networks, economic grounding did not make him perfect, but it gave him a toolbox.
Ask the same of many opposition aspirants and you will find empty hands.
Leadership can not be improvised on inauguration day.
5. Who Set the Standard That President Hichilema Has “Failed”?
This is the heart of the argument. Many critics evaluate President Hichilema using sentiment, not standards.
When pressed, they rarely articulate: What benchmark are they using?
What alternative policy are they proposing?
What trade-offs would they make?
What time horizon do they consider realistic?
If you can not define the standard, you can not claim failure.
A president is judged against measurable responsibilities: economic stability, institutional strengthening, service provision, national unity, security, diplomacy.
On those metrics, the debate becomes clearer. Is everything solved? No.Is the country directionless? Also no.You can not declare the pilot incompetent when you have no idea how the cockpit works.
6. The Real Question Zambia Must Ask
Before any opposition figure convinces the nation they can run the State, they must answer:
What has President Hichilema failed to do that you can reasonably do better and how?
Not in slogans.
Not in vibes.
Not in anger.
But in policy, numbers, trade-offs, and timelines.
That is the test. Right now, most of those shouting the loudest are nowhere near passing it.
Final Thought
Raising the bar is not about perfection. It is about resetting expectations.
President Hichilema has done that intentionally or not.
From now on, Zambians will demand leaders who can think, plan, and govern like adults.
Anyone aspiring to take power must bring more than noise. They must bring a blueprint.
And until they do, the conversation about who is “ready to rule” is not a debate. It is an exposure.
