National Restoration Party (NAREP) leader Elias Chipimo says his efforts to meet President Edgar Lungu to sale his youth empowerment idea have been to no avail.

And Chipimo says his heart goes out to anybody that has tried to do something in this country but has ended up struggling because of their style and approach of rubbing themselves against the wrong side of those in power.

Speaking when he featured on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk programme to promote his youth empowerment scheme dubbed “Twenty Percent Generation (TPG)” yesterday, Chipimo complained at all efforts to meet the Head of State had failed.

“I have not ever spoken to the President ever since he came into power. I have made several attempts to reach him going through several channels to meet him but none of this has succeeded. The last time we encountered each other was at the Mulungushi International Conference Center before the first election when he became President and that was when he was still a candidate. I have really made several attempts to reach him, going through many different parties but none of them has succeeded. But I can’t stop just because I have failed to reach him because this [TPG] plan is something that can help the government, the country and I can’t wait until I am a President before I can implement the project,” Chipimo said.

“And if TPG happens and by God’s grace I pray it will happen, you will find that politics will not be in news items on ZNBC news. You will find that politics will be a footnote, it will only be relevant when elections and other things are coming up but the big stories will be on development and how Zambians are now coming up to break through exporting our goods. We must put Zambia first.”

And Chipimo said he sympathized with those who had tried to make a difference in the country but struggled because of their approach of rubbing off the wrong way with those in power.

“It’s always just so troubling to think that 52 years after our independence, we are still in a situation where no serious Zambian ownership of a major mining operation or major industry is actually able to demonstrate it and then those people [in government] don’t do anything. I mean look at Fred M’membe, you know my heart goes out to Fred Fred M’membe. I wish and pray for M’membe, I actually pray that The Post can come back [because] we need an alternative voice in this country,” he said.

“It’s not that I want people to be insulted or shouted at but I just want Zambia to be able to look after itself and Fred helped us to do that. Yes he injured a lot of people but this man right now is down and my heart goes out to him, my heart goes out to Hakainde Hichilema, my heart goes out to anybody that has tried to do something in this country and has ended up struggling because of their style and approach rubbing themselves against the wrong side of whoever happens to be in power. It’s time we started to exercise some real tolerance.”

Meanwhile, Chipimo questioned President Lungu’s decision to direct ZCCM-IH to drop the fraud case against First Quantum Minerals.

“Now if we come to this ZCCM-IH issue, you are seeing that there is power that can be exercised by a President. But this power is always exercised in a way that is not explained to people. Let us know, yes there may be big issues at play here but why are we not being told why this directive was issued? What does it mean and what are the implications if ZCCM-IH wants to do something? This is why we must allow people to have their own power and not this dependency on the politicians,” said Chipimo.