Zambia 2021-2026 Agenda

05/04/2022

ECL has definitely crossed the red line

By Alfred Chioza

The material for building a bomb, jet engine, motor vehicle, scotch cart, rocket, grader (CAT) etc, is naturally chosen to undertake the task it’s intended for.

Wrong material will never resist the pressure, it will buckle under. Thus, the material chosen for various jobs/tasks must be able to withstand the stress and strain, period! Metallurgists will attest to this. Similarly, humans fit in this analogy. Leaders are born with the potential to lead, there’s absolutely no shortcut to this assertion. Take a misfit to lead, he or she will definitely mess up big time. Worse still, if he/she is surrounded by characters that fit his mold. Even those that have the potential to lead require to be surrounded by experts - and I mean experts with the expertise of discipline they are called to render advice on, not jokers. That’s how good and competent leadership is built. Pretenders to the throne are easily exposed by their careless pronouncements.
Edgar Chagwa Lungu (ECL) owes Zambians the explanation as to what he meant by labeling the new dawn government of Hakainde Hichilema (HH) as hypocritical. He also has arrears to elaborate how his government failed the Zambians. Is this how to reciprocate HH’s call to ECL to mourn RB together in a dignified manner and thereby give RB a befitting send off? Can ECL define hypocrisy to the Zambians? I hope ECL doesn’t suggest that when investigative wings summon or search those believed to have been deep in criminal activities to be hypocrisy? Then this mirrors the kind of ignorant leadership which Zambians put up with for seven solid years. Anyone with conscience would have done better! ECL has definitely crossed the red line. He failed to honour RB’s funeral. RB is gone, so is ECL’s insurance for safeguarding his immunity. Zambians are agitating for stripping his immunity. Lest ECL is delusional, he has to be reminded that he presided over the most corrupt government. It’s regrettable that people of his caliber could rig themselves into the presidency of Zambia.
The guff he made denigrated RB’s funeral, which up to the end was going very well like clockwork. Even street boys are wondering about the competence of his handlers (the mickey mice).
Social media went viral with the unguarded comments ECL uttered. He has been exposed as the most incompetent president Zambia has ever had. He decampaigned his legacy, if any. What’s the dictionary meaning of hypocrisy? Can he elaborate instead of speaking in tongues? Zambians haven’t forgotten that he is on record as saying, “we were voted out because we failed the Zambians.’’ How did he fail the Zambians? Honest people avoid double speech, especially when they seek forgiveness from the people who had given them the rare honour and mandate to become their president. It’s cardinal to own up and acquit oneself if there is indisputable evidence of wrongdoings.
HH offered ECL an olive branch over the feud these two have had. RB’s funeral had provided a rare opportunity for ECL to make up with the Zambian people - to tender a well-crafted apology for all the corruption that took place under his watch and seek forgiveness from them. PF leaders stole from us and ECL could even take the matter further by promising the return of monies and assets PF leaders are accused of stealing. Instead, he opted for confrontation!
Mind you, in as much as HH may drag his feet to have ECL prosecuted for all the crimes investigated so far and point to ECL, one must realise that ultimate court is reposed in the Zambians whose assets were stollen by ECL’s PF leaders, family members and cronies. Is this how you reciprocate HH’s genuine gesture of camaraderie? More so, at RB’s funeral? The man who would have lobbied for his soft landing!
PF leadership is smeared in corruption filth. Immunity can be stripped off any time. Don’t dare the Zambians and push your luck. I hope the former president’s handlers tirelessly give ECL updates about his tattered reputation. Only Zambians will have the last say regarding his survival. You don’t even show contrition and remorse over your seven years in office. Need I remind you that the noose is slowly tightening around your neck with every investigation of those who are currently helping with criminal investigations?
Most unfortunate that your handlers may not have prepared you for what to anticipate at RB’s funeral and how to handle the anticipation. They could have even advised you to dodge answering difficult questions - not even blocking Franklin Tembo jnr from asking you questions. You are the only surviving former president and deeply troubled. It’s true silence is golden instead of being confrontational. Will people be wrong to assume that you’re unrepentant and uncouth? Did you pay attention and read in between the line remarks by the former president of Botswana? What did you make of it?
ECL owed Zambians a hell lot of explanations and answers on many wrongdoings. Needless to put it straight that ECL’s support base is dwindling as people are fast realising that he miserably failed Zambians during his tenure as president of Zambia. Even your fanatical supporters are sticking with you purely for money! HH has outshone you with mature leadership style. Zambia is now a peaceful and livable country; investors will soon be queuing up to do business with the country. We thank God for this second liberation.


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03/04/2022

I have recently seen a number of posts by the opposition claiming that there are foreigners working at state house. The critics say this is proof that government is being ran by westerners and nothing good will be achieved by the new dawn government. I would like to submit that Zambia in its current economic state needs men and women of caliber to help Zambia get out of the bad state of economic situation. Yes we have educated Zambians at home and abroad but probably not any of them have been involved directly at a strategic level with getting a bad economy to a well performing economy. We need economists who have been involved for example with the development of the Asian tigers to work with the government as advisers. These could be economists from the West or from the Asian Tigers themselves. We could even have Rwandans as advisers, having shaped their economy to a well functioning economy. One of the first strategies the Asian Tigers put into action was sending thousands of their young people into western universities to study and bring back knowledge about how the western economies work. Zambia needs expertise from experienced professionals with first hand experience on how to transform an economy. This requires advisers at the top to help develop strategies. But it's obvious that Zambians cannot leave the whole process to foreign advisors based on our past experience where strategies developed where not appropriate. Foreign advisors will have to collaborate with local experts who have contextual knowledge in order to develop appropriate strategies. In conclusion, my guess is that if foreign advisors are really around, those crying "wolf, wolf, foreign advisors at state house " are simply afraid that they will help the government to get it right and then the opposition will be in opposition for a long time.

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