Amb Emmanuel Mwamba writes
I’ve always held the view that President Hakainde Hichilema has no discernible respect for journalists or their profession.
He treats them with clear disdain.
For example, the most senior journalist in government holds a junior position at State House.
Infact, State House Special Assistant for Finance and Investment, Jito Kayumba effectively runs the media. The position of Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations remains vacant from the period when Anthony Bwalya last held it.
Remember from the onset, he appointed Chushi Kasanda-Jangulo as Minister and Kennedy Kalunga as Permanent Secretary of Information and Media, persons who had no knowledge or understanding of the media.
Their subsequent replacements; Cornelius Mweetwa (laywer) and Thabo Kawana (no minimum qualifications) were no better.
Further both his Party and Government senior media positions are held by non-media persons.
The latest appointment of Kaputa MP, Elvis Nkandu is a shameful example of how Hichilema views the media profession. They are inconsequential in his national agenda and economic growth plans.
And then Hichilema wonders why his media strategy, strategy implementation fails, which results in the troubled and incompetent team which is beaten time and time again at rising national issues.
It is clear that Hichilema doesn’t recognise that a media crisis within a government or state infrastructure rapidly transforms into a national crisis.
When communication mechanisms break down, face political capture, or suffer from severe systemic neglect, the cascading effects destabilize the entire country.
No wonder his government resorts to the use of the police and forces silence to any meaningful and robust national debate and engages cyber laws to shut free speech.
The word of a fugitive carries no weight.
Instead of taking responsibility for his criminal actions, true to character of a career criminal, Muamba continues to demonise HH as if HH is the one who sent him to steal from ZANACO bank and commit the other crimes.
As one of the master minds behind late ECL’s plan B to overthrow a democratically elected government, rest assured Muamba they will catch up with you. One day.
You are coming home very soon.
You, you still cling to the title of an Ambassador, what tangible qualifications do you have? You were terribly under qualified for those ambassadorial positions you had. And why didn’t you tell Lungu to appoint qualified and competent people instead of yourself? Look into your eye first before you look into another person’s eye.