IT IS shocking that President Edgar Lungu can issue five paragraphs of congratulations to a dictator in Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and only two paragraphs for US President Joe Biden, says Luxon Kazabu.
On Wednesday, State House through presidential assistant for press and public relations Isaac Chipampe, President Lungu said Museveni’s victory showed the confidence and trust that the Ugandan people had in him.
“President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s victory has once again shown the hope, confidence, and trust that the people of Uganda have in him to continue steering the country to prosperity,” he said.
President Lungu said he shared President Museveni’s belief that poverty could only be wiped out of Africa if the grassroots were empowered to produce food for home consumption and the surplus for sale so that they earn capital.
President Lungu added that it was agriculture that shall end hunger in Africa as President Museveni
always says.
“I am confident that Zambia and Uganda shall continue enjoying cordial relations under Mr Museveni’s leadership,” President Lungu said.
On Biden, President Lungu congratulated him for being sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America.
President Lungu said Zambia and the United States enjoy great bilateral relations and was confident that this would continue under President Biden.
But Kazabu, a former fisheries and livestock deputy minister and Nkana member of parliament, said it was clear that President Lungu emulates the dictatorial tendencies of President Museveni and does not appreciate the US, which helps Zambia in many pressing issues.
He said President Museveni was a dictator who did not deserve to be congratulated.
“Dictators don’t need to be congratulated because they win elections through rigging, they don’t win fairly. They win by instilling fear in people as was the case in Uganda, congratulating dictators such as Museveni is misplacing congratulatory messages. If I go into an election and the playing field is even and I lose, I will be the first to congratulate the winner. But if it is not, I would not want to displace my well meaning congratulations. Biden deserves congratulations not Museveni,” he said.
“There is lack of appreciation by President Lungu towards the US which helps us in many pressing issues of our people. As for Uganda, what do we get from there apart from those President Edgar Lungu who emulates dictatorial tendencies of Museveni?” Kazabu said.
He noted that in October last year President Lungu and U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Young commemorated the US government’s commitment to implement a five-year K39 billion ($1.9 billion) development strategy for Zambia.
Kazabu said the long-term strategy was aimed at improving health, education, economic development, and democratic governance for Zambia’s people.
He said he had read that the US helps more than 2.5 million Zambians benefit each day from the US investments in health, education, and other areas.
“Through the USAID, the US has invested more than US$ 4 billion towards Zambia’s economic, political and social development,” said Kazabu.