By Oliver Chisenga
FORMER special assistant to the president for policy and project implementation and monitoring Jack Kalala says President Edgar Lungu lacks sincerity and integrity, which make him unfit to be President.
Responding to President Lungu’s advice to the church in Kalulushi recently, Kalala said privatization was a programme for the MMD government and records were there to prove it.
He recalled that the first MMD manifesto clearly stated that once elected, the party would privatise all parastatals.
“President Lungu is reported to have advised Church leaders and the public in general to be wary of the past conduct of ‘privatisation’ leaders who are now seeking to be elected for public office. President Lungu said this when he addressed church leaders recently in
Kalulushi. It is my considered view that for President Lungu to say this, he is demonstrating that he lacks sincerity and integrity. Lacking these qualities makes him unfit to be President,” Kalala said.
He said it was malicious for President Lungu to insinuate that a private citizen sold the mines that belonged to the Zambian government.
He said the allegation was patently absurd and extremely vitriolic and was beneath the level of a President.
“Who sold the mines and other state owned companies during privatisation? It was the government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), duly elected by the people of Zambia that did it. Some of President Lungu’s ardent and very vocal supporters served in the MMD Government that privatised the parastatal companies. Official records are there for verification and confirmation,” he said.
Kalala added that it was absurd, illogical and malicious, that about 30 years later, President Lungu, who knew better what exactly transpired should attribute the selling of state owned companies to a private citizen who were not even part of government at the time.
“Let us assume that President Lungu’s claims are correct. Can President Lungu tell the nation how this private citizen who was not in government sold public assets while the government was looking on! From where did he derive the authority to do the unthinkable?
Where did he take the money that was raised from the sale of the mines? Since President Lungu seems to have evidence, why hasn’t President Lungu had this person arrested and prosecuted so that the matter can be resolved and closed once and for all? What have President Lungu and his government done to recover the money from the proceeds of the sale of the mines? The nation would like him to substantiate his claims.”
Kalala said failure to do so would make Zambians to consider his claims to be mere political rhetoric.
He said for President Lungu to engage in such cheap and unworthy conduct was a mark of lack of integrity, level-headedness, seriousness and better judgment expected of a national leader.
He further said the President, as a national leader, should avoid engaging himself in demeaning conduct.
“He should be of exemplary conduct, a role model to the nation and source of inspiration. He should be a beacon of light to the nation. This is what citizens expect of him. President Lungu, as head of state, should focus on issues of value to national development and wellbeing. He should focus his attention on wealth creation and defeating poverty.
He should focus on addressing issues affecting the nation now, namely unemployment, corruption, looting of national resources,
political violence, lawless among party cadres and police brutality. Majority of people in urban areas lack decent accommodation with running water and sanitary facilities. The majority of Zambians can’t afford to have two meals a day,” he said.
“Zambia is endowed with so many resources to create wealth for its people. It is unacceptable that there should be so much poverty in the country and people should be struggling to survive. The missing link is effective leadership. By his vain and worthless repeated utterances, President Lungu has proved that he is deficient in leadership capacity. He does not know what is expected of him as President and he should be put ‘ku wire’ on 12th August.”
Kalala added that President Lungu should know that lies and malicious insinuations would not win him and PF a third term.
He said Zambians know very well that privatisation of public companies was a government programme and they know what exactly happened.
“Lest President Lungu has forgotten, Zambians are aware that President Lungu participated in the privatisation process. He was contracted to preside over the privatisation of the Cold Storage Board that folded up soon after it was privatised under questionable and dubious circumstances. Zambians also know that Mr. Hakainde Hichilema was appointed to preside over the privatisation of Intercontinental Hotel in Livingstone and Lusaka that have proved to be a success story.
In addition, as a lawyer, President Lungu was a failure and he stole a client’s money, which he was forced to refund and the Law Association of Zambia withdrew his practicing licence, while Mr. Hichilema has proved to succeed in everything he has touched. He has managed to build UPND into a formidable political party that is giving sleepless nights to PF, while President Lungu has destroyed PF,” he said.
Kalala noted that under President Lungu, the Kwacha has depreciated to an embarrassing level of K23 to $1 while the inflation has risen to 24 per cent per annum.
He said with all the infrastructure development in 27 years, Kenneth Kaunda left the national debt at $7.5 billion while President Mwanawasa had it written off, but under President Lungu the foreign debt has risen to more than US $12.5 billion in 10 years of PF misrule due to reckless borrowing, corruption and looting.
“This is scandalous and unacceptable. Since he is unable to defend his failed leadership, President Lungu has resorted to peddling malicious insinuations against HH whose victory is fast approaching. President Lungu is undoubtedly spending sleepless nights in view of the resounding defeat that he is about to suffer on 12th August. He has tried the tribal card that has unfortunately for him failed. Zambians have refused to be divided.”
He said Zambians want a leader who would move the country from poverty to prosperity and they were ready to try Hichilema.
Kalala advised President Lungu that he should start packing and prepare to leave State House after August 12.
“To the people he want to use to perpetuate his fraudulent and illegal stay in State House, I urge them to remember that their loyalty is not to an individual but to the Constitution and the nation,” said Kalala.
Credit: Oliver Chisenga