LOSING Mwandi PF candidate Iris Kaingu has thanked President Edgar Lungu for believing in her when few people did.
And Kaingu says changing government does not mean progress.
In a video statement on her loss, Tuesday, Kaingu thanked President Lungu for adopting and believing in her.
“I would like to thank my President who I love so much from the very bottom of my heart, thank you so much Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu. You sir demonstrated a love for your people, for us. You fought a good fight, I am very, very proud of you sir. Thank you for adopting me on the mighty PF, thank you so much sir. So many people did not believe in me but you believed in me. Thank you so much for trusting me with that position. The mandate is somebody else’s right now but I promise I will try my level best to take care of the people of Mwandi the best way that I can,” she said.
Kaingu also congratulated President-Elect Hakainde Hichilema for winning the presidential election and further condemned the violence that has rocked some parts of the country.
“I want to talk to you all about [my] loss but before I do so, I would like to say a huge congratulatory message to the President-elect. I do believe as the Patriotic Front, we put up a big fight. I do believe the UPND also put up a good fight. We each had a role to play and I truly believe the will of God prevail in our lives. We are One Zambia after all and One Nation. It’s very heartbreaking, to be honest, to lose but it’s not the end of the road for us all. As the PF, I believe in our manifesto, I believe in our plans. The mandate is not ours anymore of course but I really wish the UPND the very best,” she said.
“It breaks my heart to see all the violence that’s happening, all the deaths. I pray everyday for a Zambia that gets United. I pray every day for a Zambia that gets to love and care. Please, brothers and sisters, parents out there, this is an earnest plea from me, please stop the violence, please. There is no need for us to burn it all down just because we won, just because we didn’t win. We are talking about real lives and real people. We have to move on as a country, we have to move on as a people of Zambia. What does Zambia represent?”
She further urged youths to take a leaf from President Lungu and President-elect Hichilema and to quit the violence.
Meanwhile, Kaingu said changing government did not mean progress.
“My final sentiments to you Zambia is that changing government doesn’t mean progress. Changing government means changing the way we are doing things currently. Let’s forget ahead, let’s develop our own history, let’s export. We are a beautiful country and the sky is the limit for us,” said Kaingu.
