HH falling in same ditch, maybe even slightly deeper than ECL’s ditch – Wynter Kabimba

HH falling in same ditch, maybe even slightly deeper than ECL’s ditch – Wynter

By Kholiwe Miti(The Mast)

ECONOMIC Front president Wynter Kabimba has observed that Africa has leadership problems.

He says former president Edgar Lungu was a bad leader, “President Hakainde Hichilema is a bad leader”.

“Unfortunately, most of the leaders that emerge are bad leaders,” Kabimba says.

Addressing the issue of cadres when he featured on Talk of the City on Lusaka Radio, Kabimba said President Hichilema, “the man who complained so much and spoke against caderism is falling into the same trap”.

“Exactly the same ditch maybe even slightly deeper than ECL’s ditch,” he warned.

Kabimba bemoaned the current happenings in the country saying that it is a duty of every citizen to contribute towards the construction of a better society.

“The problem we have in Africa is about a good leader. Unfortunately most of the leaders that image are bad leaders. ECL was a bad leader, HH is a bad leader. And that is why he is complaining today. Today he can complain and say ‘oh no Mr President stop this hooliganism, stop the thuggery’. This is nonsense and I laugh. And here is my view, all of us as citizens have a duty to contribute towards the construction of a just society. That should be our daily duty that I want to live today in a society better than how I lived yesterday. And that I want future generations to live in a society that is better than this one. So I have a duty to contribute to this. When I don’t do it means I have been unfair to my people and I have been unfair to future generations,” he said. “People cried under PF, ECL is PF, about caderism, about people being beaten up at bus stops. They cried and they cried out aloud. What did ECL do? It was like he was not listening. If at that time he had said this must stop like Michael Sata did, I told Mr Sata ‘I will not serve as your SG (secretary general) with this thuggery. I just won’t do it’, and he gave me the latitude to deal with that. Then Sata dies, I resign from PF. They have a field day and today what are they doing? They are reaping what they sowed. If ECL had done the right thing today he would be telling HH ‘why are you departing from the right thing that we did? We changed this society, it was a peaceful society, but what we see is that HH the man who complained so much and spoke against caderism is falling into the same trap. Exactly the same ditch maybe even slightly deeper than ECL’s ditch. And I say to myself what is wrong with leaders in Africa, and in my Zambia?”

Kabimba said the problem with Zambia is leadership.

“You solve that problem 98 per cent of problems of this county will be resolved. But this judgment is for the people. It’s not mine, it’s not yours alone. It’s for the people. It’s not as if they didn’t have corrupt people in the United States but they kept on bettering their system and putting in place measures to make sure that people should censor themselves before they offer themselves for leadership. We know that this is a bad person and they are appointed to a position and sometimes a very critical position as long as it pleases a president he doesn’t care,” he said. “I said to some group of preachers at our school that how is it that we produce corrupt men and women in the leadership of this country when they come from your congregations? When you know them, you know that am corrupt, you know that I stole money from the church and you hear that am running for president or MP you even come and say can I be your campaign manager, because you think I have got money, isn’t that ridiculous? Somehow you think that when I go to parliament and I become minister I am going to stop being a thief, how? For us in the Economic Front we believe in the politics of character not politics of numbers. We believe in that only the right people can do the right thing. We believe that only good people must run government.”

Kabimba recalled watching ZNBC news where three minutes was given to “these UNZA chaps praising HH about his birthday as if we are back in the Soviet Union”.

“Is that news? HH’s 62nd birthday is news to carry three minutes? Have you ever heard of a birthday party for Joe Biden who is number one in the world, not here in Zambia in the world? Have you ever heard of chaps running around Washington saying Mr President happy birthday, you’re the father of the nation? Who told you the President is the father of the nation? Have you ever heard that in the UK that his birthday is a private function with his family and a few friends…” said Kabimba. “It’s not news to capture or take three minutes. Prime time is very expansive, very valuable time. But that’s how we play around here. And somehow we think we can … ourselves into prayers and this country will change and change for the better, no! You work towards the construction of good change.”