IT’S UNUSUAL FOR HH TO TAKE A LONG HOLIDAY SILENTLY – KAMPYONGO

IT’S UNUSUAL FOR HH TO TAKE A LONG HOLIDAY SILENTLY – KAMPYONGO

FORMER Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo says it is unusual for President Hakainde Hichilema to take a long holiday silently.

Kampyongo has wondered why government did not announce that President Hichilema would be taking a working holiday.

On Saturday, Cornelius Mweetwa said the Head of State was on a long working holiday to rest as he was rejuvenating himself for a hectic year.

Commenting on this in an interview, Monday, Kampyongo said to avoid speculations, it was important for government to be transparent.

“The challenge that the government has is self-inflicted and this is a result of poor communication strategy and lack of transparency in the communication that is coming from government. Every Zambian knows that the President is a human being like any other human being who can fall sick, who also needs rest, everything that Zambians go through so what is important is for government to be sincere and transparent, that’s a public office, he is not a private individual anymore. So, anything that happens to the President is of public interest so the challenge they have is how they can issue one statement after the other and respond to citizens using different versions. So, what is key is that if the President has taken a working holiday, it’s always announced, the President is taking a working holiday on such a date up to such a date, so that people don’t speculate. People are speculating because there is no clarity, there is no transparency coming from the government,” he said.

“Similarly, if the President is not feeling well, all the government does is explain to the nation, yes the President like any other person is not feeling well, he has gone for a medical check-up and he will be available. I saw how people overacted to what Emmanuel Mwamba was saying that sometimes the people around the Presidency are the ones that cause problems for the Presidency itself. To the effect that if the President is not well, you don’t want to communicate for fear of your own, not knowing that that person is a human being and people must understand that he is a human being who can equally feel unwell, who can feel stressed. So to avoid speculations it is important to give the accurate information to people”.

Further, Kampyongo said President Hichilema said he was a workaholic who didn’t believe in holidays hence the speculations.

“Like I said if it’s a holiday, it must be known, oh the President will be away for two weeks, working holiday, oh it’s not working holiday, it’s just a vacation. You know people will speculate not forgetting the pronouncements that have come from the President himself who says he is a workaholic who doesn’t believe in holidays and he would want to work throughout. So if people see him disappear and they know that his philosophy is to work, work, work throughout then they begin to speculate. So, you cannot blame the people, the citizens and all those that are expressing concerns and issuing statements. Let the government just be open and transparent, simple,” said Kampyongo.

“And they should know that the President is a Republican President for all the citizens, those that belong to his ruling party and those who don’t belong to his ruling party and they all have the right to know what is happening to their President. He is the only one that is there now. People want to avoid branding him as being hypocritical because he says he believes in work, work, work, so for them to see him go for a holiday is unusual and a holiday which is not properly and publicly pronounced”.

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