HH should have taken time to learn, says Kalaba
By Thomas Ngala
THE only problem is mwayabula ba Chile balateya mu Lusaka Dynamos, you get them and say you will play in the national team, it doesn’t work that way, says Harry Kalaba as he insinuates that President Hakainde Hichilema needed to take time to learn.
Speaking on Radio Phoenix’s Let the people talk programme on Friday, Kalaba who is opposition Democratic Party president said the disadvantage of the President being at that level was that one had to be careful when advising him because “he will think you are undermining him”.
“The only problem is mwayabula ba Chile balateya mu (you get Chile who plays for) Lusaka Dynamos, you get them and say you will play in the national team. It doesn’t work that way. The President should have taken time to learn. The way [local government minister] Gary Nkombo has taken time to learn – how to become an MP, how to become now a minister,” he said. “So, more often, it’s what he knows. Even if it’s not right that will pass. I don’t see my brother, the Minister of Small Industries [Elias Mubanga] going to tell him ati (that) no I think apa nifi (here it is like this). Those lies they were telling us while in the opposition, because of lack of experience, because of lack of knowledge of what might happen when you are in government, they have now realised that they can’t sustain those lies. So, they have to look at Ukraine, they have to look at Russia. Why isn’t Botswana also crying Ukraine?”
And Kalaba said Zambians should admit that one of the fundamental mistakes they made was that they allowed President Hichilema to be making promises unreservedly.
“When people are lying you should tell them that one, what you are saying is not true. The problem we have in Zambia is that we love sugarcoating. First of all, we should admit that as Zambians that one of the fundamental mistakes we made was that we allowed President Hakainde Hichilema to be making promises unreservedly,” Kalaba noted.
“He said ine nganaisa (when I come at) 10:00 hours, fuel… he was even writing on the board…Y–C, Y =…fyonse ifyo (all that), you remember that formula? It has not worked. There is a situation where the President was telling us that. He was being interviewed by Luchi here on Phoenix where he said ‘Lunchi, I have not wanted to say this but I will say it. When I become President, my ministers will not drive GXs’. Go and see the vehicle which [information minister] Chushi Kasanda is driving. It’s a GX.”