DEMOCRATIC Party president Harry Kalaba has wondered who President Hakainde Hichilema was complaining to when he said things in Zambia move too slow when he is, in fact, the architect.

Last week, President Hichilema lamented that he hated that many things in this country moved too slow, adding that he hoped to work with China to modernise certain things.

But in an interview, Friday, Kalaba said the President was the one that was making things move slow.

“What is making things slow is supposed to be worked on and he is the one who is in charge so who is he complaining to? I think the problem we have with our President is that he is more of a talker than a doer. He just talks and when he says things are too slow what is too slow? He told us that when he comes in, this will happen and that will happen, nothing has happened of that sort. And he has told us when he has been criticised of being slow, the President has said he is being methodical. When people have said things are not moving at a pace they should have moved, he has told us himself [that] people should be patient,” he said.

“At his last presser you will recall what he said, he said ‘people are thinking this thing, the fight against corruption is going slow, it is because we are doing it in a methodical way. We are slow but sure’. Those were his exact words. So when he says that the problem in Zambia is that things move slow, he is the architect. He is the one that is making things move slow. Ever since he came things have moved slow. We have witnessed business houses collapsing because they cannot get their payment, contractors who had bided for their monies, [it] has not been paid because government cannot pay. And when you ask them the answer has been government is doing audits.”

Kalaba insisted that the President should not dupe the Chinese and Zambians by telling them that things were moving slow when he was the architect.

“The Ministry of Health stayed for seven months without procuring medicines for the country. Why? Because the President had said that he was doing forensic audits. We have had problems with fertilizer procurement because the President has sat on it. So in this sector, it is him who is taking a hand there. So I think he should not be duping the Chinese or duping the nation by telling them that things are moving slow when in fact he is the one who is the architect of things going slow,” said Kalaba.