SOCIALIST Party president Dr Fred M’membe says government’s decision to increase the number of ministries to 30 shows that the UPND administration is out of touch with the economic hardships facing ordinary Zambians. Dr M’membe says the country does not need a bloated government but a lean and efficient administration, arguing that Zambia can be effectively governed with a maximum of 10 Cabinet portfolios. However, Party of National Unity and Progress (PNUP) leader Highvie Hamududu has defended the expansion, arguing that the additional cost of increasing ministries to 30 is insignificant. The two were reacting to the National Assembly’s adoption of a motion to restructure and expand government ministries to 30, which will see some existing ministries split into separate...