We have a problem with leaders who debate all issues using the amount of money they have, the many years they have lived on earth or the higher education they have obtained in life. Such leaders always attempt to shut their critics by suggesting that since they live better lives, no one has the right to fault them.

It might be a topic to do with a dishonest politician. Instead of responding to the issues raised, the accused leader will rush to tell off the young critic saying ‘I became rich before you were even a smile on your father’s face’. Uuumh? Where is the connection?

We are saying this in view of Mr Miles Sampa’s reaction to the News Diggers! editorial opinion, which was derived from the story that he gave to the media. We are shocked that the PF mayoral candidate is refusing ever saying that President Lungu would call him to give him money whenever he said he was broke. We are stunned that Mr Sampa doesn’t remember admitting that he needed a job and encouraged other people to find sources of income.

Maybe we need to take this opportunity to remind our news sources that we at News Diggers! earn a living out of paying attention when people speak and recording what is said. It is our core business to remember past events and reproduce them where necessary. Therefore, those who would like to deny what they don’t remember saying in the past must first visit our audio channel at “ https://clyp.it/u/newsdiggers ” to refresh their memories before they embarrass themselves.

Take a listen:

In line with what Mr Sampa said concerning the reasons why he had gone back to join the Patriotic Front after condemning the leadership of President Edgar Lungu, our opinion rightly observed that he was looking for an income. He confessed that everybody abandoned him after he resigned from government and only President Lungu would give him money for some drinks, and we reminded him of the resignation speech he gave in Matero where he said he wanted to suffer with the people.

Our opinion, which we are entitled to, was that given what his mouth had said in the past, Mr Sampa did not have a selfless motivation for seeking to be elected Mayor of Lusaka. We detected hunger, frustrations and vengeance in his language, all of which are not good attribute for a leader. We feared that apart from serving the residents of Lusaka in his spare time, he would be focusing of accruing wealth so that he won’t need to rely on President Lungu’s help after leaving office. We were concerned that he would use his Mayoral authority to hit back at those who once abandoned him.

Was that an insult or a malicious opinion to share? We don’t think so. But how did Mr Miles Sampa respond when our reporter called him for an interview?

“Your editor is being personal. Tell him to stop being personal, and you misinterpreted that phrase I made in reference to the President as my elder brother. I meant he was looking out for me in terms of love. Everybody needs to be looked out for and that’s what I meant, so he used to check on me and find out how I was doing while other people were not checking on me. But at no time have I been bankrupt, never, okay? Before your editor even started working, me I was already driving expensive cars,” Sampa boasted.

“Even while your editor was still at school, you should tell him, me I already had a house in Kabulonga, okay. Even now that I was out of politics I still live in the same house, still driving the same cars, still eat same meals, still go on holiday when I want to. So you are just playing opposition politics. And if you look anywhere, there is not nobody that I owe, I still have a lot of assets, the same ones that I had before and during and after I left politics temporarily. I am back in politics because I miss serving people.”

Take a listen:

What has this issue got to do with the poverty of the News Diggers! editor? Is he the one who is seeking to be elected mayor? If you were so fortunate to start driving expensive cars long before this editor arrived from the village, why are you still so desperate to get a government salary from the same editor’s taxpayers’ money? If you simply miss serving the people, why not use your wealth to start a charity organization where you will work as an unpaid volunteer?

In our view, it is just lack of humility that causes political leaders to debate with their wealth instead of their brains. They feel more important because of their material possessions and they don’t want to listen to what people think about them. We have said this before when disagreeing with the UPND vice-President Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, among others. It’s always about how much money they have, and less about the self-sacrifice they are willing to make.

But we are never intimidated by such people. We have found a very appropriate career which doesn’t require any wealth to execute. At the very least, our job only requires a pen and paper; and we can provide a selfless service to the people. It doesn’t matter how long ago we were born, or what wrecks we drive when going out to gather news. As long as what we write is the truth, there will be people out there to support our cause. What cause are you fighting for Mr Sampa?

Our reporter was very wise to ask this PF mayoral candidate to explain what happened to his presidential ambitions. His answer was categorical. He said he doesn’t even want to discuss that topic because he is no longer interested in the presidency. He added that President Lungu will decide whether he should stand as a mayor again in 2021 or go back to Matero, but he won’t be contesting the presidency.

This answer made very big news to us because we know that we will be back to reproduce this recording in a few years time when he eats this vomit. It could be months if he loses the mayoral election and the PF tosses him aside ahead of 2021.

For now, it is clear that Mr Sampa is running away from his shadow because it’s too dark, and he hates our responsibility of ensuring that it follows him on every turn he makes. We want to assure Mr Sampa that the day he will stop pursuing a public life will be the last that he will hear from us.

We have nothing personal against Mr Sampa as he claims. In fact, we are sure he can still make a better president than Mr Lungu if he uses the massive wealth he has to acquire a few life principals and some deworming pills.