UPND consultant accuses Diamond TV of ‘disrespecting’ Hichilema in debate poster

UPND consultant accuses Diamond TV of ‘disrespecting’ Hichilema in debate poster

UPND consultant Oliver Sepiso Shalala has criticised Diamond TV over a promotional poster featuring President Hakainde Hichilema, accusing the broadcaster of relegating the Head of State to the sidelines and creating the impression that the ruling party had sanctioned the proposed debate.

Lusaka, 24July – United Party for National Development (UPND) consultant Oliver Sepiso Shalala has taken issue with Diamond TV over a poster promoting a political debate that features President Hakainde Hichilema alongside other political figures.

In a Facebook post addressed to Diamond TV presenter Costa Mwansa, Shalala described the poster as “deliberately disrespectful”, arguing that President Hichilema should have been given a more prominent position.

“This is a very deliberately disrespectful poster which relegates the president to the sidelines,” Shalala wrote.

He said the Republican President should be prominently positioned in the centre of such promotional material and clearly distinguished from other participants.

Shalala also questioned why President Hichilema had been included in the poster when, according to him, the UPND had not sanctioned his participation in the proposed debate.

He accused Diamond TV of creating a misleading impression that the President or the governing party had agreed to take part.

“Secondly, why produce a poster and include the president as if we in the UPND have sanctioned such an activity?” he asked, describing the move as an “act of deception”.

Shalala argued that it was neither President Hichilema’s responsibility to lend credibility to the event nor to strengthen the campaigns of opposition political parties.

He further said the UPND should not be expected to help boost opposition campaigns or Diamond TV’s audience numbers through the President’s participation.

“It isn’t the duty of President Hakainde Hichilema to prop up and boost the struggling campaigns of the opposition,” he said.

“It is not the responsibility of the president to boost the viewership numbers of Diamond TV.”

Shalala said the UPND could not allow President Hichilema to be used in such a manner and went on to claim that State House Chief Communications Specialist Clayson Hamasaka had appointed him to represent the President at the debate should the organisers insist on including Mr Hichilema.

“Take it as official communication that Chief Communication Specialist at State House Clayson Hamasaka has appointed me to represent President HH at this debate if you insist on having him in the debate,” Shalala wrote.

There was no immediate indication in Shalala’s post that Diamond TV had responded to the criticism.

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