State House has justified international trips undertaken by Government Ministers.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda says government cannot afford not to make such trips as long as Zambia still shares bilateral relations with other countries.
In an apparent reaction to the suggestion by All People’s Congress (APC) president Nason Msoni for government to cut down on international trips to save money, Mr Chanda said all government international trips are necessary.
Mr. Chanda told Qfm News by telephone that one has to be thoroughly foolish not to understand that international affairs are a disperse of the Foreign Affairs Minister.
He said the Foreign Affairs Minister is the number one diplomat for the country and therefore has to make international trips more often.
Mr. Chanda has wondered how it can thus be expected that the Foreign Affairs Minister can continue to exist if the country bans international trips as has been suggested by Mr. Msoni.
He said it is therefore an extremely foolish suggestion to make because it is also not expected that Zambia can continue to be a member of the UN, SADC and AU if government international trips are banned.
Mr. Chanda has since challenged Mr. Msoni to state how he thinks relations between Zambia and Nigeria would have been if the Vice President Inonge Wina did not represent President Edgar Lungu at the inauguration ceremony of the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr. Chanda has further advised the media to guard itself against ignorant political leaders as the journalism profession risks being dragged into the sewers if the media does not do so.
Journalist are trained to hunt for the news. The role of the media is to report, the more sensational the news, the higher the sales. It is a business. Your response on the issue was to the media and you have informed. If you do not want to be in the news, do not make the news. No two ways about it.
Leave the media out of your frustrations.
Amos try being reasonable and respectful, you are in government. You have a point to make but make it with the maturity that your office deserves.
AMOS, LET ME ADIVE YOU THAT THE SUGGESTION IS NOT FOOLISH. IT IS YOUR RESPONSE WHICH IS FOOLISH AND UNREASONABLE. THE ADVICE BY MR MSONI IS SENSIBLE AND TIMELY. FIRST AND FOREMOST, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE MINISTERS’ WORK IS PRIMARILY IN ZAMBIA, NOT ABROAD. MOST OF THE ISSUES MINISTERS TRAVEL FOR COULD BE DEALT WITH BY OUR AMBASSADORS. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR MISSIONS ARE FILLED WITH INEPT AND INCOMPENTENT REPRESENTATIVES WHO ARE RELATIVES OF THE PRESIDENT AND HIS MINISTERS. IN ADDITION, MINISTERS TRAVEL FREQUENTLY TO MAKE MONEY AND FOR THE PLEASURE OF IT. THERE LIES THE PROBLEM. IT UP TO THE PRESIDENT TO CONTROL IT. HE IS THE CEO.
government International trips are what we here in Kanyama compound call shopping sprees.
Indeed Nyau for one just needs to count the number of people accompanying to question what assignment each one of them has on the trip!