National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili says the only reason President Edgar Lungu is in China is corruption.

And Kambwili says President Edgar Lungu’s pronouncement that Zambians have accepted the 30 ngwee tariff on Internet calls is arrogance of the worst kind.

Meanwhile, Kambwili says he will not stop asking Presidential Spokesperson Amos Chanda to desist from making policy statements no matter how many times he is insulted.

Addressing journalists shortly after attending a court session in Lusaka yesterday, Kambwili charged that President Lungu visited Huawei offices in China to seal corruption deals.

“And why should the President go and visit an office of a contractor in China? Because Huawei is not a government institution. It is not a donor. It is only a contractor contracted by government to put communication towers. The President goes to China with a lot of people only to go and visit an office of Huawei. Corruption. Nabaya mukufola imwe mulechula (He went to get paid when you are suffering) and when elections come, you are busy voting? Lwenu mukatampa ukulya abana benu (It’s up to you. You will start eating your own children),” Kambwili, the rebel Roan PF member of parliament, charged.

He accused President Lungu of being a danger to the Zambian people, saying he was in State House only to make money.

“This man is a danger to this country! He has made so much money! Looking at the road construction? Wherever alekule (building) a house, he puts a road. Wherever Ba Chitotela is building a house, they take a road there and yet you in Matero, you in Chawama, you have got houses where there are no roads and then you are standing and say, ‘Lungu, Lungu, Lungu.’ It’s up to you,” he said.

And on President Lungu’s remarks that Zambians had accepted the controversial 30 ngwee Internet tariff, Kambwili said the Head of State was being arrogant.

“How can a man who knows that the entire country has rejected that 30 ngwee Internet charge go to China and announce that the people of Zambia have accepted and it is final? That is arrogance of the worst kind! Every reasonable leader in the world must listen to the cries of the people. The people of Zambia have said no to this [30 ngwee] charge on Internet [calls], and he goes to China and announces that the people of Zambia have accepted and it’s non-negotiable and it is final?” Kambwili wondered.

“You know, that is why I say; Ba President benu, anyway naine wine niba President bandi. (Anyway, he is my President, too) But ine nalibasula sana (I do not regard him highly anymore). Ba President besu bafilwa ukulanda muno mu Zambia ati (Our President failed to say here in Zambia that) the 30 ngwee Internet charge has been accepted. Baya mukulandila ku China (He goes to say it in China). When he is in Zambia, he doesn’t even address a press conference. He doesn’t communicate to the country and he goes to talk in China. Are the Chinese voters to Lungu? So, you can see that this 30 ngwee charge has everything to do with Huawei that is if you are reading in between the lines.”

Meanwhile, Kambwili added that he would not stop insisting that Chanda should not issue policy statements regardless of how many times he was insulted.

He described as shocking Chanda’s remarks where he said if the International Monitory Fund (IMF) took 50 years to come through with a balance of payment support programme, Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe would not wait, but look elsewhere for help.

“Amos Chanda at it again. He is telling off the IMF. How can a presidential aid be the one to announce that IMF must go because China has given us good terms? This country is being taken for a ride. That is not Amos Chanda’s job! That is supposed be announced by either the Minister of Finance herself or the Minister of Information and Broadcasting [Services]. We are not going to get country-policy issues from a presidential aid! A presidential aid is supposed to be confined with issues at State House. He is just to inform the nation when the President is going out? When the President is having a meeting? What the President discussed in the meeting. The presidential aid has got no mandate, whatsoever, to talk about national policy because policy [matters] are [made by] ministers and [the] President,” said Kambwili.

“So, this young man again is overlapping his boundaries and I have said I am ready to be insulted. I am ready to be called names that I have killed people but, I will not stop talking about the wrong things that this government is perpetrating on the people of Zambia!”