NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili says his party will easily take over Copperbelt Province because the newly elected PF provincial leadership holds no impact.
And Kambwili says it is a waste of public resources for President Edgar Lungu to be flying out of the country to resolve political differences of other countries when he has failed to allow democracy to flourish in his own country.
Speaking at a press briefing at his residence in Lusaka Wednesday, Kambwili said those saying that the PF government was performing, needed to be taken for mental checkup.
“If a political party cannot attract quality people to stand as provincial chairmen then that political party is gone. You know you don’t need a scientist, you call for elections on the Copperbelt and allow small containers to stand. Even just here in Lusaka, [Kennedy] Kamba wants to be provincial [chairman]? Okay, but this party has finished! The way this party has finished, it can’t even form government anymore. Look at the quality of the people who stood for elections on the Copperbelt then you will tell that the party is finished. I am sure even Mr Sata in his grave is changing positions. Please attract leaders. Bowman Lusambo tells you the truth and you say he is wrong. And for us it’s a blessing in disguise for Copperbelt to have a small container because we will just pass smoothly. Come on Chipoka, up your game because Copperbelt is already finished. They have left it for us. That is how God works when he wants to remove people from power,” Kambwili said.
“People are saying that the PF government has performed. How can you say that the PF government has performed? What is the plight of the civil servants today? How is the living standards of the civil servants today? Because a successful government, a government that has done so well, you only determine their success looking at the way the civil servants are living. It must be understood that government is the largest employer and the way government is look after its employees, the way government employees are living determines whether the country is on a correct trajectory. If the civil servants are suffering, if the civil servants cannot manage to take their children to school, if the civil servants cannot have three course meals, if the civil servants can walk all the way from Emmasdale to Matero where he works because he cannot afford to jump on a minibus, then you say this government has performed. There must be something wrong with you and you must go to Chinama to be checked,” he said.
He wondered why God allowed President Lungu to lead Zambia.
Sometimes I do ask God that where did you get Edgar Lungu from because bringing us Lungu was bad luck, a president who doesn’t think of other people’s sufferings. He is not a president worth his salt. Today a civil servant from his salary cannot afford to pay housing allowance and yet you say this government is a performing government. Are you not ashamed? Have mercy President Lungu. Practice Christianity and you are on test this year, give the civil servants a salary that they deserve [and] housing allowances that they deserve,” he demanded.
“You saw what happened in France when the French president announced that there would be a fuel increment, there was a yellow vest protest. They made the French president to rescind his decision over the fuel increase. So you Zambians do you think that when Kambwili speaks alone without your involvement things will change? And you even know me Zambians [that] I don’t just talk. I am an action oriented person. Whatever I have done in this country I have a history. I am not like these who are jumping from one town to the other [saying] I want to be president [but] they don’t know why they want to be president. I want to be president because I know what it takes to be president and I Know people’s sufferings. This year I urge you all civil servants more especially your unions that as you sit to deliberate on your conditions of service, you should not accept a salary increment that is going to have housing allowance paid at lower than the market price of houses at the moment.”
Kambwili appealed to the SADC to drop President Lungu’s chairmanship until he resolves issues in his own country.
“And if you are a sinner, don’t go and stand to tell people that you should be like me. I don’t want to be like you. I will not even want to learn anything from your leadership style because it’s a disaster. You are president of Zambia, there is no democracy in Zambia, the opposition cannot have meetings in Zambia, an MP can be arrested for addressing his own constituency then you say ‘I am the chairman for SADC politics and whatever,’ resign, come home, bring democracy in Zambia, bring the rule of law in Zambia, institute a proper constitution in Zambia [and] then you can go to SADC and become chairman for SADC organ on politics and security,” said Kambwili.
“What you are doing now is hypocrisy. It is actually a waste of public resources for President Lungu to fly from Zambia to a meeting in Congo Brazzaville to talk about democracy and good governance when there is no good governance in Zambia. For two years, tell me which political party has been given a permit to hold a meeting? Stop wasting Zambian money to go and attend to those meetings and I am appealing to SADC to drop Edgar Lungu with immediate effect. Tell him [to] go and correct the wrongs in his country, then he can become chairman for SADC.”
And reacting to Kambwili’s statement, PF media director Sunday Chanda charged that the Roan member of parliament was Hakainde Hichilema’s useful idiot who had been promised a position of Prime Minister if UPND formed government.
“We are very much aware that honourable Chishimba Kambwili is a useful idiot for Mr Hakainde Hichilema and that is a fact he can never run away from. Mr Kambwili has always wanted to stand as president and the coalition of opposition political parties has taken the position that they are going to field one candidate in 2021 and that candidate is of course Hakainde Hichilema. This is a rebirth of the UDA and Kambwili has been promised the Prime Minister position from what we know and he cannot deny it,” said Chanda.
“And once again he has gone against his own words. His role in that alliance is to attempt to escort Hakainde Hichilema to State House. Again when we say he is a useful idiot for Mr Hakainde Hichilema he must not take it personal because that is what useful idiots do. Again we want to place it on record that the political alliance by opposition political parties stand on sinking sand and it cannot stand the taste of time. It’s a bubble that is waiting bursting and it doesn’t concern us at all,” said Chanda.
