Democratic Party president Harry Kalaba says the Environmental Investigative Agency EIA cannot lie on the involvement of President Edgar Lungu in the illegal trade of Mukula logs.

According to Special Assistant to the President for Public Relations Isaac Chipampe, Monday, President Lungu said the recent story which implicated him in the illegal sale of Mukula logs was false news being perpetuated by some Zambian Journalists.

But Kalaba argued, in an interview, that the EIA could not lie on a report like that magnitude.

“Those people (EIA) can’t lie! For them to go to the extent of bringing out the name of the President they are not joking! He is not the first African President to have been in that office. His [duty] is to ensure that he preserves the country’s heritage, his [duty] is to ensure that the rule of law is adhered to, but he is the first one undermining the rule of law. How do you explain a situation where a President tells Chief Nkula that he has given authority to government officials, politicians to cut five containers each of Mukula tree and then he gives chiefs another 100? I mean what authority does he have to do that?” Kalaba questioned.

“So it tells you that the President is abusing his office. And now that he has been exposed, he is crying ‘no it is not true’, it is true! The President has abused his powers and he has been involved in those Mukula trees, those people have spoken! I don’t think they can lie, I don’t think they can lie. Between the Environmental Investigation Agency report and President Lungu’s statement I wouldn’t believe the report not the President’s statement because remember how many times he has told us that there is no corruption in this country and yet we are seeing it.”

He said President Lungu had lowered the standard of the Presidency and the only solution was for Zambians not to vote for him in 2021.

“So on his part he should also know that he has lowered the standard of the Presidency as well as our international image has been dented because of his involvement in those activities. If he is found in those issues what about the Permanent Secretary, what about the director, what about the administrative officer it’s free for all. So the only solution is to kick them out in 2021,” he said.

“Forget things like Impeachment those things in Africa it’s very complicated because the only way in Africa that you have to remove a leader is through the ballot box. Let us concentrate on 2021, we will remove him. It is just a few months before 2021. My own opinion is that Zambians should stand up and work with the DP and remove President Lungu. He will be kicked out in 2021! He created enough scandals for himself. Every scandal you see procurement of oil, procurement of [materials for] that road, procurement of that… only because things are not coming out when things start coming out it is when you realise that the President is involved in almost everything. So it is sad and very sad for our county.”

And Kalaba said President Lungu lacked the ambition to drive Zambia’s developmental agenda forward.

“You will need a leadership that is proactive not reactive, you need a visionary leadership, you need a different leadership; a leadership that will call sin by its rightful name, you need men and women of decorum that will go in those offices not for self-aggrandisement but to serve the people of Zambia who have been deprived of quality leadership for far too long. So leadership has got everything to do with it don’t be cheated. Everything is leadership, everything has to do with leadership. Today Rwanda is an advanced country than ours why? Its leadership.” Said Kalaba.

“Today Singapore whose GDP was same as Zambia at independence is better because of leadership. Today we are talking about Kenya which is not allowing foreign enterprises to take advantage of them it is because of leadership. So these things have to do with leadership. President Lungu is not ambitious, he is a very unambitious President! You need an ambitious President to drive Zambia’s ambitious agenda and that is sitting right well with the Democratic Party under Harry Kalaba.”