Copperbelt Province Minister Bowman Lusambo says even if he did something stupid and President Edgar Lungu decided to fire him, he would remain a Lamba and son of the Copperbelt Province.
And Lusambo has challenged Chishimba Kambwili to report him to the party Central Committee if he has issues with him other than rushing to the media.
Early this week, Roan PF Member of parliament Chishimba Kambwili told President Lungu that the only way to end the PF confusion on the Copperbelt was to fire Minister Bowman Lusambo whom he referred to as a “boy”.
“Copperbelt yes is in confusion and there is only one boy who has brought confusion and that is Bowman Lusambo. Fire Bowman Lusambo and there will be no confusion on the Copperbelt period! The truth of the matter is that the confusion on the Copperbelt is there, brought by Bowman Lusambo, that is my opinion. To end the conflict on the Copperbelt is to fire Bowman Lusambo, that’s all! All the issues on the Copperbelt border on the behavior of Bowman Lusambo. Bowman Lusambo is just a confusion, that’s all he is. Even from where he came from, MMD, he was just a confusion and if people want to be economical with the truth, let them blame other people but for me, the problem is Bowman Lusambo, period!” exclaimed Kambwili,” Kambwili said.
But in response, Lusambo said whether minister or not, he was still a representative of the people in the Province.
“We have got only one Minister for Copperbelt Province and that is Honorable Bowman Lusambo appointed by His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lungu President and a great leader of this great nation. And the President wasn’t guessing when he gave me this portfolio, he knew me, he knows my capacity, he is aware of my capacity of delivering to this province. Apart from that I am Lamba from Copperbelt and am the son of the soil, am not new to this province, whether Minister or not, I will remain lamba and a son of this province, so I cant go anywhere, I have come here to stay. Yes the President can make a decision if I do something stupid or if I do something beyond the President’s control, he can make a decision to drop me as a Minister for Copperbelt province but I will still remain a son of the province,” Lusambo said.
He then wondered why Kambwili was not reporting him to the Central Committee if he was doing wrong.
“I want to advise the Honorable Member of Parliament for Roan, Honorable Kambwili; Honorable Kambwili is an MCC (Member of the Central Committee) and he should not even be seen to be talking like that. If there is an issue, as the MCC member, he should take that issue to the Central Committee and they can deal with that issue through those channels, the President is a chair for that committee. If Kambwili wants to register his grievances as MCC, let him use the proper channels and if he has seen that am a problem, let him use a proper channel through MCC and talking to the President that the Minister for copperbelt is a problem, he is the one who has caused this and that,” he said.
“And when the President came, he invited all Copperbelt based members of the Central Committee to attend that meeting, but he did not. Just two days after that meeting, Honorable Member of Parliament for Roan came up with that statement. He wasn’t in the meeting but if he wanted to express all those grievances, he would have come and say it out in the presence of the President because he wanted to address the President using the wrong procedure. The president doesn’t listen to media, the President doesn’t get instructions from the media. As a party, we have the highest organ of the party which is the MCC and Honorable Member of Parliament for Roan Mr Kambwili is a member of our Central Committee.”
He also too offence with Kambwili calling him a boy.
“First and foremost am not a boy. That is from his point of view but am not a boy, am the Minister for Copperbelt province with authority and am here to execute my job,” said Lusambo.