Sean Tembo, the President of the People’s Party (PeP), has shared his thoughts on the recent re-assignment of Presidential Spokesperson, Mr. Anthony Bwalya, to become Zambia’s Deputy High Commissioner to Tanzania. The move has caused a social media storm, with many speculating on the reasons behind the decision.
“As an opposition leader, I actually enjoy condemning the New Dawn administration. I spend most of my time scrutinizing their actions and words looking for faults, and when I find those faults, I enjoy amplifying them and then repeating them and further amplifying them,” said Mr. Tembo.
However, on this matter of the re-assignment of Mr. Anthony Bwalya, Mr. Tembo is of a different opinion.
One popular opinion is that President Hakainde Hichilema used Mr. Bwalya to create a semblance of a regionally balanced State House team and that, like the former Presidential Photographer; Chellah Tukuya, he will be replaced by someone from one of the Zambezi Provinces.
“I do not share this popular opinion for the simple reason that Mr. Anthony Bwalya’sreplacement has not yet been announced and it is wrong to speculate. What if he is replaced by another Bemba or an Easterner? Will it not be embarrassing to those who were prematurely peddling this line of thought?” said Mr. Tembo.
Another popular opinion is that Mr. Bwalya was demoted due to the difference in rank between the position of Presidential Spokesperson, which is equivalent to the level of Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, and that of Deputy High Commissioner, which is equivalent to that of Assistant Director.
However, Mr. Tembo believes that this is not an important issue. “If we are going to hold President Hakainde Hichilema accountable for his performance or lack thereof, we need to give him the leeway to hire, fire, demote and promote as he sees fit. It is not for us to dictate who should be promoted or demoted, fired or hired,” said Mr. Tembo.
Mr. Tembo believes that the more pertinent question is whether Mr. Bwalya was good at his job as Presidential Spokesperson.
“Just like the majority of President Hakainde Hichilema’s appointments, it was based on a perceived debt that he acquired from individuals who contributed to his struggles during the time he was in opposition. I believe this is a misconception because the team you need to do politics while you are in opposition may not necessarily be suitable for you to run a government when you ascend to power,” said Mr. Tembo.
Furthermore, Mr. Tembo believes that the job of a Presidential Spokesperson is an important one for any administration, as it is the face of the presidency. “My idea of an appropriate Presidential Spokesperson is someone who does not have a public life of their own, and whose only public life is that of being a Spokesperson to the President. Otherwise, there is an inherent risk of undermining the presidency in ways that are unknown and unseen,” said Mr. Tembo.
He also added that “If the people of Zambia are gracious enough to make me their President one day, my idea of a Presidential Spokesperson is someone who is not going to be in the public domain for any other purpose or reason other than the specific business of the presidency.”
In conclusion, Mr. Tembo believes that Mr. Anthony Bwalya was not suitable for the role of Presidential Spokesperson and that his re-assignment to the position of Deputy High Commissioner to Tanzania may be for the better. He also adds that the President should have the freedom to hire, fire, demote, and promote as he sees fit and that speculating on the reasons behind the re-assignment is not appropriate until a replacement has been announced.