HH ignoring issues just like Lungu did – Kalaba

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HH ignoring issues just like Lungu did – Kalaba

By Fanny Kalonda

DEMOCRATIC Party president Harry Kalaba has accused President Hakainde Hichilema of ignoring issues affecting the country like the previous regime did.
Featured on Diamond TV on Tuesday morning, Kalaba said Zambians were taking stock of what was happening in the country.
“It is these small things that begin eroding confidence in a government, that the President is casual towards corruption. And the President is not taking action on issues like that, as the President is the one who is the appointing authority,” he said.


Kalaba said foreign affairs minister Stanley Kakubo was not an ordinary person, hence the need for him not to misconduct himself.
Kakubo was recently photographed having a parcel received from the Chinese owned Sinoma Cement, which sparked controversy on social media as the Chinese Ambassador was also identified in the photographs.


But Kakubo said he visited Sinoma as a private citizen with a view to ordering pockets of cement but management identified him and opted to walk him to the car park and also gave him their branded calendar and a pen as souvenir.


However, Kalaba described the episode as a scandal as it affected Kakubo’s standing in society.
“For a foreign minister, it is true as well, that there are things that you should be mindful of. When you are going to buy cement from Lusaka into Chongwe and you are wearing a suit on a holiday and you are alone and the Ambassador is there and on a holiday. Who wants to wear a suit when you are going to buy cement?” Kalaba wondered. “All those things were clear that the minister was privy to the people that he was going to meet and where he was going. So, he wanted to look ministerial and so it’s those small [things] that bring challenges. If this issue dies a natural death, it is welcome because we have seen President Hakainde Hichilema is also taking the same line that the previous regime had taken of ignoring things.”


Kalaba warned that when small problems are ignored, they grow into bigger problems.
“It starts small and then it becomes big. The first issue was the issue of fertiliser procured by someone considered to be a friend of the President. Given a contract, single sourced, and has died a natural death. We heard the second issue was the issue of [home affairs permanent secretary Josephs] Akafumba and [presidential political advisor] Levy Ngoma discussing to undermine government institutions and it has died a natural death,” noted Kalaba. “We have had so many examples I can give here but due to limited time, I might not go into details. If this dies a natural death, it is okay. I can tell you that Zambians are taking stock of what is happening; it is these small things that begin eroding confidence in a government, that the President is casual towards corruption and the President is not taking action on issues like that.”

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