IT is impossible to stop Zambians from all walks of life from seeing President Edgar Lungu, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, says Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Isaac Chipampe.
On Monday, a multitude of PF cadres flouted COVID-19 guidelines to witness the commissioning of the Makeni overpass.
Rather than enforce the COVID-19 prevention measures, President Lungu expressed delight at the presence of the PF cadres, most of whom were unmasked.
“Ladies and gentlemen and most important for me, fellow PF party cadres. We are here because of you. We shouldn’t lose sight of your presence. You made us what we are,” said President Lungu.
But reacting to widespread criticism in an interview, Chipampe said President Lungu was serious about the fight against COVID-19 although it was impossible for the Head of State not to interact with huge crowds at showpiece events because all stakeholders wanted to see him.
“The President is serious about COVID-19. The President was invited to that function and it was a public function as you know. So, it was almost impossible to stop people from coming to see the President, they wanted to see him. It was a public function, it was not in Nakatindi Hall or in some hotel it was outside. So, how are you going to stop people from coming to that function? The President was invited so if you want details about the organisations, ask the Ministry of Local Government, that was their function. You can’t expect the President to stop people from coming to that function,” said Chipampe.
“If you were the President yourself can you stop people from coming? Because the people lined up from Makeni up to Kamwala…can you stop them from coming to the road? Is it possible to stop people? The message has been sent to the people as you are aware the President has always spoken about COVID-19 and everyone knows there is COVID-19. He has been very consistent about it. But whether we will manage to stop people who want to see the President is another question.”
3 Responses
The president would have found an alternative rather than putting people at risk.
And what you don’t realize is this it’s not just about what happened that day it’s what happens after. People stop believing Covid-19 is real and Protecting themselves is no longer a necessity but rather because a certain shop keeper demands it or a guard at the entrance demands it.
Chipampe is talking rubbish. President Lungu should lead by example. Such gatherings at a time when COVID is escalating in Zambia are dangerous and can be avoided. They should be avoided even if just one Zambian was to get infected. The truth is Edgar Lungu is campagning and all he thinks about are Bill 10 and winning in 2021.Anything else does not matter to him, including Zambian lives. President Lungu`s conduct amid COVID 19 is irresponsible and reckless bordering on criminality. He must be called to account.
It is not that people want to see president Lungu. They were mobilised to give an impression that PF is popular.