PF vice-president Given Lubinda says US President Joe Biden was “offside” when he referred to the previous administration as being corrupt.

In a letter dated September 24 and addressed to the USA Embassy in Lusaka, Lubinda said the US president missed an opportunity to extol Zambia’s democratic credentials.

In the letter, which was also copied to Commonwealth, European Union; chairperson, African Union, and SADC representatives, Lubinda said PF resented being branded as corrupt.

“We wish to inform you that we are concerned with the remarks the President of the United States (POTUS) Mr Joe Biden made about Zambia regarding the just ended elections. In our view, the leader of the so-called free world was “offside” when he referred to the previous administration as having been voted out of office due to corruption instead of concentrating on the bigger picture—Zambia having proven for the umpteenth time that it had great democratic credentials where others have failed on the continent,” read the letter.

“Zambia is a 57-year-old democracy and President Lungu was not giving up power for the first time, he did that before in 2014 after the death of President Michael Sata when he was acting President. As a Party we feel it is very unfair to call him corrupt at the world’s largest stage in New York because it simply takes fire away from others in Africa in future. Mr Biden should have been rooting for President Lungu to be a Nobel Prize of Mo Ibrahim Foundation winner. Mr Biden failed to be the adult in the room. We extol President Lungu for his magnanimity and we extoll the Zambians for being resilient and democratic, we resent being branded as corrupt.”

Lubinda argued that President Biden failed to publicly acknowledge that former president Edgar Lungu was an exemplary democrat who needed to be celebrated.

“We therefore, wish to state that Mr Biden should stop telling the world lies about Zambia as their democracy cannot match ours. Viva Zambia, viva Africa. We therefore demand that the next time Mr. Biden speaks especially about Zambia, he should be mindful to build than to divide us. We believe in the words of his former boss the great POTUS Barack Obama “Yes Zambia Can”,” he said.

“Biden failed to commend President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for a smooth hand over of power that could not even happen in the United States where his predecessor sulked like a little baby and never handed power to him with civility. Mr Biden failed to do what Baroness Patricia Scotland of the Commonwealth in London, President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, the African Union Chief and many others did in recognition of President Edgar Lungu´s magnanimity in passing on the button. Mr Biden failed to publicly acknowledge that President Edgar C. Lungu is an exemplary democrat in the real sense that needs to be celebrated and not painted with a graft brush.”

Meanwhile, Lubinda stated that President Biden presided over an administration that was responsible for the loss of 13 lives in Afghanistan under his watch.

“Mr Biden also forgot to notice that he lives in a glass house and must never throw stones. He presides over an administration that is responsible for the loss of 13 young lives of service men who died needlessly trying to “create democracy” in Afghanistan on his watch. The democratic victory of Zambia belongs to Zambians, young and old and not the USA. The victory belongs to President Lungu and the youth, Mr Biden should know that,” stated Lubinda.