Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana has fired back at Patriotic Front (PF) faction Secretary General Raphael Nakacinda, who accused President Hakainde Hichilema of working very hard at doing the wrong things.
Kawana, in his usual straight-talking fashion, said it is not surprising that a man from a party known for scandals and mismanagement would see progress as a problem.
He said what the opposition now calls wrong is simply because they have never known what right leadership looks like. 
“It is disappointing, but not shocking. The PF got so used to doing the wrong things that when someone does the right thing, it looks strange to them,” Kawana said.
The Permanent Secretary pointed to several milestones under President Hichilema’s administration that, he argued, stand in sharp contrast to the PF era.
Chief among them, is the successful restructuring of Zambia’s crippling debt, a mess he claims was created by the previous government through reckless borrowing and theft disguised as investment.
He also highlighted the return of student meal allowances and the introduction of free education, which he said has given over two million Zambians a second chance at learning, many of them youths who might otherwise have ended up lost to drugs and crime.
During the PF’s time in power, international institutions had downgraded Zambia’s economy to a junk status, but under Bally’s leadership, the country is now recording steady growth and receiving favourable ratings, he added.
Kawana took a final swipe at the opposition, warning that the days of embezzlement and economic mismanagement were over.
“This country is destined for greatness in the hands of great leadership,” he said.
