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Sata should explain why flags were flying at full mast when he went to campaign-Mulongoti

Mike Mulongoti addressing the media at the conference [1]
Mike Mulongoti addressing the media at the conference

President Michael Sata should explain to Zambians why the national and presidential flags were flying at full mast when he went to campaign in Vubwi and Malambo after he had declared seven days of national mourning in honour of former South African president Nelson Mandela, People’s Party (PP) president Mike Mulongoti has said.

Mulongoti has charged that President Sata had exhibited the worst form of hypocrisy by electing to ignore Mandela’s mourning period which he had declared and went to camapign in Vubwi and Malambo, when the whole world was in mourning.

Mulongoti said Zambians were still waiting for an explanation from the presidency on why Sata was the only president who was missing when more than 50 Heads of State converged on Johannesburg to celebrate the life of the world icon and anti aparthied hero.

He said it was shocking that President Sata and the entire presidential detail as well as advisors seemed not to know that the national and presidential flag should have been at half mast at the venues where Sata was addressing a rally in Vubwi and Malambo.

Mulongoti said it was sad that President Sata had decided to fly the presidential and national flags at full mast when world flags were at half mast.

The People’s Party leader said it was clear that President Sata was not indisposed to have failed to travel to South Africa adding that it was more hectic to travel for campaigns in the two constituencies in Eastern Province than to attend the funeral of Mandela.

He said Zambia was fast relegating itself to the backyard of the international community by its inability to interact with other nations in the region and other parts of the world and that that the country’s diplomatic relations with other countries had deteriorated to worrying levels.

“President Sata has exhibited the worst form of hypocricy by going to Vubwi and Malambo constituencies for campaigns when the whole world had converged on South Africa to mourn Nelson Mandela. And it is very sad to learn that the national and presidential flag were at full mast when it ws him who had declared the seven day national mourning. President Sata declared a national mourning in honour of Mandela, he refuses to go and attend the funeral but choses to go for campaigns during the mourning period. Worst of all he lets his flags fly at full mast,” Mulongoti said.

Mulongoti said the presidential operatives should have advised Sata on how to deal with important days like national mourning adding that it was embarassing that the President had gone aginst his own declaration. He said it was worrying that Zambia was losing freinds in the region and other parts of the world because of the unpredictable and erratic behavior of the President Satas. Mulongoti said it was not right for government to underpaly the absence of President Sata at the Mandela funeral because that was an opportunity for the Head of State to have physical contact and interaction with other world leaders.

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Comments Disabled To "Sata should explain why flags were flying at full mast when he went to campaign-Mulongoti"

#1 Comment By Saulosi On December 17, 2013 @ 6:48 pm

Iwe Mulongoti the president was on official government business.I wonder why you always try to twist facts in your attempt to sound relevant on the political scene.Smh

#2 Comment By Daka On December 17, 2013 @ 7:25 pm

So apparently this Mulongoti wanted all government business to stop just because Mandela was dead ? C’mon old man life must go on.Your argument lack sense and merit.

#3 Comment By ndobo On December 17, 2013 @ 7:31 pm

Yes!! iwe mulongoti, you dont know that president was on official government business during the 10days national mourning for Mandela.. so yes the flag must fly full mast during the 10days mourning period for Mandela because the president was official government business.. Emperor`s new clothes,, only the wise can see that it was a wise move by the president

#4 Comment By idah On December 17, 2013 @ 8:08 pm

Mulongoti is right. Campaign ne cililo icafina nicinshi. You behave like monkeys in the maize field. You guys are bad advisers to the president, Sata was supposed to stay mu state house than going to make campaigns in Vubwi.

#5 Comment By Nostradamus On December 17, 2013 @ 9:02 pm

You guys are sarcastic…. nadabwa, that word sounds like Sata.
Ba Mulongoti where were you when we busy smoking ku lupako to let ngoshe out!? This is time you showing up, that why people refer your party name to PK’s song “Pwetete Pwetete”.

#6 Comment By buchi On December 17, 2013 @ 9:03 pm

iwe Saulosi, your CNP(Chimbwi No Plan) + CNI (Chimbwi No Idea) his time is up!!
Decalres national mourning but goes to campaign, flies flags at full mast, this Chimbwi will die ntangalala!!!

#7 Comment By Wanzelu On December 18, 2013 @ 2:47 am

The best thing this toilet cleaner should have done is to tell the nation the truth that he has no time for national morning because he is busy campaigning. He should not have declared national morning in the first place if he knew that he was not going to honour it.

The job he used to do cleaning toilets and carrying matuvi at Victoria station left him with a permanent confusion in his brain. All the things he does are out of confusion.

You can not teach an old dog new tricks. The job Sata knows best is to clean toilets, and settle scores using violence. All in all he is a confused man period.

Zambians, next time vote for a sane person and save yourselves from embarrassment.

#8 Comment By Wanzelu On December 18, 2013 @ 3:00 am

And those minions supporting such disgraceful behaviour should know that it was very s.tu.pid of Sata to go campaigning during the period of national morning. What ever national duty he was attending to ,surely could have waited for ten days until the national morning he declared ended. He was not forced to declare ten days,he did it out of confusion. All major countries who have sane leaders only declared at most 3 days because they knew they had to attend to other national matters urgently.

If he thinks by campaigning during national morning he is going to win Easterners over , he is just wasting his time and building castles in the air.
We Easterners are not stupid like those he promised flushing toilets during the campaigns,shockiningly no toilets have been delivered to date.

#9 Comment By AccuGrade On December 18, 2013 @ 8:45 am

@ Ndobo, I was almost getting distraught until I read your comment in between the lines….

#10 Comment By YardieMan On December 18, 2013 @ 1:08 pm

All of you who are stating He was on government business are dull, there is no connection with between government business and campaigning. campaigning is the self promotion of oneself/party to influence or promote oneself or interests, so what part of govenment business is that?

#11 Comment By We The People On December 17, 2013 @ 6:48 pm

Please Mr Mulongoti you should have known by now that Mr Sata cannot explain anything he utters because he never knows what comes out of his mouth, he just talks and it’s up to the listener to take it or leave it.

#12 Comment By Italian Presidential Material On December 17, 2013 @ 6:57 pm

The man does not know what mourning is and never attends funerals. Not even his ministers after campaigning for them. I wonder what workmanship is there.
Once you are died and you are forgotten?????

#13 Comment By Vota card On December 17, 2013 @ 6:54 pm

‘Cycle Mata’ as Kalaki used to call him is a big big disappointment for mother Zed. I regret having given him my vote. It is clear that he has no advisers at all. A sensible man can not go against his own declaration. There are tree things involved here, first he declares a 7 day national mourning and fails to honer that then he flies the flags at full mast and lastly he breaks the electro conduct by pre-campaigning. What a leader

#14 Comment By buchi On December 17, 2013 @ 9:06 pm

CNP + CNI !!!!

#15 Comment By Stirflow On December 17, 2013 @ 7:09 pm

What a miserable whinger Mulongoti has become. Bashi Syreeta please get a life and try to be objective just for once in your life. I agree that people have the right to complain, but this guy has nothing better than to complain about petty issues. None of of the issues you are complaining about will win you any sympathy or votes!

#16 Comment By Fwenkula On December 17, 2013 @ 7:13 pm

This is too petty. Did people expect the world to stop turning just becos the great one had passed on? The man was accorded adequate respect and a state funeral befitting his status. Life has to go on. Find a life sir.

#17 Comment By The Observer On December 17, 2013 @ 7:37 pm

Indeed life should move on but your president should not keep on deceiving people. Too much fi donchi kubeba. He cannot even respect or honor his own words!

#18 Comment By Tom On December 17, 2013 @ 7:23 pm

Apapena ba Sata has failed mwe.What kind of a president is this?

#19 Comment By buchi On December 17, 2013 @ 9:07 pm

Ka bili a sata sata fye!!!

#20 Comment By John On December 17, 2013 @ 7:25 pm

I wonder why people even want an explanation from that parasite. He has no respect for anything. Zambia should learn a lesson from such men who have no regard for their fellows. He know everything and nobody should oppose him or his ideas. The man is arrogant to say the least!

#21 Comment By Kaingo On December 17, 2013 @ 7:35 pm

Ba Mulongoti, do you even know what it means to have flags at half mast? The president declared, and individual settings depending on what is happening, may decide to fly the flag at full mast, while other parts of the country fly at half mast, and there is nothing wrong. At the same time, you being a sort of senior person in Zambia should avoid discussing such matters in public just for political mileage, you are lowering yourself far below your statue. The reason for Sata absence at Mandela’s funeral, I am pretty sure was communicated government to government, and that can stay like that. It is not every president in the world that attended the funeral anyway, and do you think it was a must for Sata? be real bampongoshi baandi pliishi.

#22 Comment By Be sensible On December 17, 2013 @ 8:28 pm

When our Leader has blundered let us admit and there is no way you are morning and you go and do the political campaigns. Be sensible.

#23 Comment By eagle’s eye On December 17, 2013 @ 7:50 pm

I think the question Mulongoti is asking is “why the flags at full mast when the President had declared a 7 day period of national mourning”. It’s a simple as that.

#24 Comment By Cindy On December 17, 2013 @ 8:48 pm

Point!

#25 Comment By buchi On December 17, 2013 @ 9:08 pm

CNP + CNI !!!

#26 Comment By DIP STICK On December 17, 2013 @ 8:08 pm

WHY DID MULONGOTI BRING THAT OUT IMMEDIATELY HE NOTICED IT THAN TO RECORD IN HIS DIARY AND TRY TO USE IT FOR SOME CHEAP POLITICAL MILEAGE?
HAD HE RAISED THAT ISSUE, PROBABLY FLAGS WOULD HAVE BEEN LOWERED BEFORE THE MOURNING PERIOD ELAPSED. THAT OBSERVATION MAKES HIM PARTY TO THE BLAME HE IS TRYING TO RAISE.
IT’S NOT AT ALL AN ISSUE FAR AS I SEE IT

#27 Comment By Cindy On December 17, 2013 @ 8:14 pm

As if that would bring Mandela back!

#28 Comment By Ulemu ndi Wabwino On December 17, 2013 @ 8:27 pm

Then if it will not bring him back why declare SEVEN days national mourning?Senseless

#29 Comment By Cindy On December 17, 2013 @ 8:46 pm

Am up to my neck with your pettiness you guys why are you so hormonal lately?Blowing the Trumpet on small issues, I know Madiba was a great man but can we now give this issue a rest? Hes gone, no amount of praise nor action will bring him back, give the president some credit he has been working, by the way…. Bo Mulongoti, what have you done for Zambian lately?

#30 Comment By pompwe On December 17, 2013 @ 8:23 pm

he thinks he will never die soon..!

#31 Comment By one Tonga On December 17, 2013 @ 11:21 pm

so will u.

#32 Comment By idah On December 17, 2013 @ 8:43 pm

Singing sorrowful songs when the declarer goes out on political campagning is not mourning. When HE blunders let as accept it so that it shall not repeat itself no wonder he does not want to come for dialogue with his counterparts in opposition on many National issues which are hanging related to his leadership.

He does not reconcile with others because of his obstinacy kind of mind.

#33 Comment By Dylan On December 17, 2013 @ 8:46 pm

He was afraid of being beaten by the people deal to their terminology of SA being backwards. Backwards has fol lowered him back. Insults and cheating bounce back.

#34 Comment By Ba Maureen On December 17, 2013 @ 9:14 pm

Tuleke nokunya pantu Mandela nauma akaputi kuchulu ! Afterall those foolish South Africans even left out KK on the list of those to speak even at the burial. Nomba ninshi

#35 Comment By sunkutu kadansa Hichilema On December 17, 2013 @ 9:39 pm

Empty rhetoric Ba Mulongoti. It is not the job of the President to lower flags to half mast. A political rally is not considered of entertainment nature so its business as usual. Whoever was responsible for that made the mistake. We move on…..

#36 Comment By Steve On December 17, 2013 @ 11:13 pm

How do you go campaigning when your neighbor has died.

#37 Comment By Chusi On December 18, 2013 @ 1:52 am

Iwe Mulongoti,
so you wanted the president himself to personally go and lower the flag on his official car and at state house? Please discuss issues that are important. Maybe direct that question to the people that were supposed to do that. He declared 7 days of morning. That is all the president had to do Mr Mulongoti.

#38 Comment By Democrat On December 18, 2013 @ 6:07 am

Not all presidents attended the funeral. Its not the president’s responsibility to lower flag, probably he did even notice the the flag on his car was at full mast coz the flag is not as big. Then the issue is too small for the president to respond to it. Ba mulongoti plizzzzz get a life.

#39 Comment By Enka On December 18, 2013 @ 6:29 am

You elected an illeducated villager from mpika with no diplomatic ettiquete or an understanding of complex governance dynamics.Sata thot running GRZ was like being a village elder thats why he’s always embarrassing us.

#40 Comment By matipa On December 18, 2013 @ 9:00 am

hahahahahahahahahaha………………………………………

#41 Comment By Kitwe Kabwe On December 18, 2013 @ 7:07 am

Mulongoti you have got what you voted for. you decampaigned the wise RB for sata. so stop complaining because sata suffers from sch- and is a sick man whom you can’t reason with.

#42 Comment By Mwape On December 18, 2013 @ 7:16 am

You have said 50 countries but the world has about 192 countries, thus about 146 did not attend or they sent representatives…….bane condemn meaningful things.

#43 Comment By matipa On December 18, 2013 @ 9:04 am

correction, as from SABC there were over a hundred heads of state, besides SA is our neighbour, how do you shun a funeral of a neighbour? its un zambian

#44 Comment By Desire On December 18, 2013 @ 7:57 am

Iwe ka Mulongoti South Africa declared a 10 days national mourning were as to Zambia 7 days mourning which already elapsed the day Sata was in Vubwi. Counter Check your arguments koswe iwe. You had your chance with MMD and you can’t fool us anymore with your pwetete pwetete Party of yours to us you re still the same Rat we new in RB’s goverment

#45 Comment By Vulamukoko On December 18, 2013 @ 9:12 am

Mulongoti You getting petty leave H E alone .

#46 Comment By Tunkkubyu On December 18, 2013 @ 9:13 am

for Sure ZWD pwetetes have really invaded our beloved LT. Please start sensoring these hooligans from gómbe illede for the love of peace.

#47 Comment By S.K On December 18, 2013 @ 9:17 am

Why was 7 days of national mourning declared? What is expected of the citizenry and president during that period of national mourning? Why declare what you not going to respect, was it for public relations?
Mike another issue of being relegated from International Community. That is true, the president carries the biggest image of a nation than any other. The president’s attendance would have meant well to our SADC membership and the International Community at large. Forget about PP for now! Forget about Mulongoti’s background! these are immaterial on this issue. Compaigns could be done even now.

#48 Comment By Me On December 18, 2013 @ 9:24 am

Mweba lepontela ba Sata bonse muli nkonko sana

#49 Comment By Kalok On December 18, 2013 @ 9:35 am

So actually flying flags at half-staff is law punishable by something in that country? Eish? How Africans have distracted themselves by pumping symbolism into their lives at the expense of progress. It irks me sometimes! In the US of A it is NOT mandatory that a declaration to fly a flag at half-staff must be taken everywhere! Change your constitution already, to throw out some of these backward symbols for once. Now shoot!

#50 Comment By Cyco Matta On December 18, 2013 @ 11:14 am

Response from Cyco Matta “ Waba i***** Mulongoti, when you supported me did`nt you know that am mad? Let those who listened to Chanda Chimbwi complain and not you. ***** be careful with what you wish for. Am now kateka exactly the way you wanted it to be.

#51 Comment By Nkandu Wesu On December 18, 2013 @ 12:16 pm

U people supporting Sata are just as insane as he is! In yo own wisdom u think he did the correct thing? No wonder we can’t develop! Cadres everywhere supporting Stupidity! Shame on this illiterate man u ve put in plot 1!

#52 Comment By Monk Sq Analysis On December 18, 2013 @ 1:28 pm

Ba Nkandu Wesu, you can do much better than that, please.

#53 Comment By Monk Sq Analysis On December 18, 2013 @ 1:27 pm

Ba Nkandu Wesu, you can do much better than that, please.

#54 Comment By mr brain On December 22, 2013 @ 11:35 pm

‘so answer it yoself since mr sata doesn’t hav any explanation.

#55 Comment By mr brain On December 22, 2013 @ 11:41 pm

answer it yoself since mr sata doesn’t hav any explanation.foolish man.?