Allow the family to mourn Edgar Lungu.
(CHITSILU CHILI NDI MWINIWAKE)
By Chishala Chilufya (political and social analysis )
The only thing we can do as a country is to be honest and sincere. If the truth cannot be spoken no healing for this country and the issue at hand is not about the benefits for the late former president Lungu.
Because when everyone is trying to reason on this funeral the issue of benefits is coming out from the UPND supporters and their sympathizers.
The issue here is not about the benefits of the former president. We know what the law says on the benefits of the former presidents in article five.
Please I want to repeat this again, no one is interested in the benefits for ECL.
We are a Christian nation, the Bible tells us in the book of John “say the truth and the truth shall set you free”.
God likes sinners not pretenders or hypocrites, because the sinner one day is going to repent, but those who are pretenders will never change.
In this country we like sweeping the truth under the carpet this is the time we need to change that attitude.
The question is?
In 2015 did the late president Lungu have a health problem.
The answer is yes.
Was he going for medical check-ups?
The answer is yes.
Going for his routine medical check-up was this his constitution right?
The answer is yes.
When he informed the government that he wanted to go for a medical review was this his constitutional right?
The answer is yes?
Why did the government refuse to Grant him permission to go for his medical review?
Was the government using the constitutional provision to stop him not to go for his medical check-up.
The answer is no?
How did the late former president leave the country was it normal or, it was like running away or sneaking out of country.
Because the person who helped at the airport has been fired.
The late President was in South Africa on his personal capacity plus friends and well wishers.
The government through the system knew that Late president Lungu is undergoing medical treatment in South Africa.
Did the government send his representative to check on him?
The answer is no?
The permanent secretary for media and information, held a media brief and started talking about the health status of the late former president Lungu.
Was it done in a good faith this can only be answered by many Zambians.
President Lungu died in South Africa in his personal capacity, everything which was done there was done in his private capacity, we didn’t know who paid the medical bills, who was feeding them and who helped them, this can only be answered by his family members and close friends.
The question is?
At what point does this funeral become a state funeral?
Late President Lungu saved this country as a Republican president, but he died as an ordinary person?
At this time the people who are in charge of his funeral are family members.
If the government wants to get involved they should sit down and agree with the family on how the funeral is going to be done.
The government should send noble people with no political affiliation to go and sit down with the family. The government should not bulldoze the way forward.
The government should stop their political cadres from issuing statements because of the sensitivity of this funeral.
What we have seen is the government sending politically inclined people like Lesley Mbula and Enock Kavindele to engage the family, in the eyes of many Zambians these people have lost credibility because of their bias statement against the late President Lungu and his political party.
Also you cannot send the secretary to the cabinet who was at the center of rejecting the permission for the former president to go for his medical check-ups.
When the family announced the demise of the 6th Republican. The next thing people expected, was the official announcements from the current Republican president Mr Hakainde Hichilema through holding a press briefing to inform the country and the world, not through a Facebook post.
The next thing we expected was the UPND officials to engage the PF officials on how this funeral is going to be handled so that Harmony, peace, unity and love prevailed.
What we are witnessing now is the threat from the UPND members and officials about someone’s funeral. How would someone start threatening me over my father’s funeral ,that is not an African culture.
We have a challenge with this funeral, let us engage our spiritual leaders. In Zambia we have faith based organization like the ZCCB ,CCZ, EFZ and the Muslim community.
The government should come down and accept its responsibility by showing leadership because it is at fault. We need to speak the truth.
The government didn’t allow late President Lungu to go for his routine medical checkup, every Zambian has come to know this truth.
The only way to solve this issue is the government accepting it’s mistakes and apologize to the Zambian people.
The government should engage the church mother bodies to help resolve the issues between the family and the government . This country is heavy divided ,there is a lot of tension we need to resolve this issue, it is very important for the future of this country.
My appeal is to the church they should be coming in very strongly to arrest the situation we are in trouble as a people and as a country.
Chishala, are you speaking of your benefit or the wellbeing of the nation?