President Edgar Lungu has said that Zambia is ready for the introduction of Dual Citizenship.
The President said that he is pushing for dual citizenship to enable Zambians in the Diaspora to take part in the governance and affairs of the nation.
President Lungu said that dual citizenship will also help repatriate home skills and capital held by many Zambians living abroad.
The Head of State was speaking at a PF ‘Meet the President’ Fundraising Dinner organized by the Party organs in New York.
Mr Lungu said that there was need for the local private sector to forge links with foreign private sector in a bid to spur economic development.
The presidential pronouncement on dual citizenship attracted the jubilation of Zambians living in the U.S who turned up for the dinner.
And President Lungu said that there was need to scale up efforts towards the promotion of the welfare of vulnerable women and children in society.
He said this was in line with the ideals of late President Michael Sata.
And PF Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri said that the financial mobilization venture is aimed at making the party self sustaining as opposed to old regimes that abused of public resources for partisan moves.
Mrs Phiri said that the PF is raising its own funds in readiness for next year’s general elections.
The President’s bow hat was auctioned for Ten thousand U.S dollars.
Renowned musicians, Mampi, JK, Marky 2 and Wile took turns in entertaining the patrons.
in as much as this is a welcome stance, he also has personal interest as his dtr is a US citizen.
This is long overdue!
Those are mpty words.
Talking and doing it are two different things.
Mr. Sata said the same thing and when it was time to act, he grew cold feet.
You would be silly to believe that, and you probably believe in Santa too
Thanks
BB2014
No, Mushota. Presidents Kaunda, Chiluba, Mwanawasa and Sata were opposed to dual citizenship. It is only RB and Lungu who have been in support. Now, it will be up to Parliament to decide. So far, we do not know the position of UPND on this matter.
This will turn out to be another EMPTY PF PROMISE!
The only thing PF can claim to do well! More ubufi!!!
Just give us the CONSTITUTION as promised in 90 days!
Mr President, just do the right thing. We need a new constitution that will address all issues, not just the dual citizenship clause.
Jasi only TOKO TOKO and TOKO all ze time but no do. Wasi long’o wisi you Zambia people?
We have heard this patronizing rhetoric before….please lazy bum Edgar just enjoy your hotel suite, your character jet, your dollar allowances and fly again to Lusaka to prepare for the next by election whatever date it is.
LIES LIES LIES, there was no one who offered $10,000 for a hat.
I didn’t attend because I was so EXHAUSTED with the Pope in town…. Edgar was nothing to me, but friends said it was like a kitchen party.
Your thoughts are shallow, no wonder you are struggling in USA to survive and doing donkey jobs! Get educated my friend about dual citizenship. It will benefit majority zambians than just looking at lungu’s daughter.
@Nostradamus
I thought chagwa was in New york to meet the pope and get baptised,,,,, so he failed again???,,,, so he was in the big apple to selll salaula hats,, no wonder there is loadsheding in Chawama,,,chibipa mwe
Dual citizenship is a double edged sword. Think of unintended consequences of opening floodgates to immigrants from countries that promote the export of their EXCESS populations to dominate the economies /factors of production and thus usurp political leverage. Permanent residence for former Zambians & their siblings and spouse is the answer for now until Zambians truly take charge of the economy. Thereafter DC can follow. This NOT a matter of copy & paste laws from the developed world.
MUSHOTA, DO YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND ENGLISH. YOU CAN BE EXCUSED BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN SCOTLAND. Mr SATA NEVER SAID HE WILL PUSH FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP. IN FACT HE WAS OPENLY AGAINST IT. HE HAD HIS OWN REASONS (RIGHT OR WRONG) FOR BEING AGAINST DUAL CITIZENSHIP.
Edgar’s last hope are the diasporans. This is a hard shot mate. You are trying to dupe the wrong flock mate. Just do what Sata wanted to do. You are with Sata’s vision in one breath and the extreme opposite in another. We diasporans won’t save you. Just get on with it.
yes finally now this is new i will scream in jubilation for
Only idyoots can be in jubilation, I don’t care which passport I use when I get to Zambia, I always talk to immigration in my Luapulan-Bemba. No one has ever charged me that ka $30 for entry visa in my own country.
This is good not to abuse public funds and I pledge $500. per to PF from this month end of September, 2015
When will people understand what sort of a person lungu is. He will say anything just to be popular. He has no vision and so he just waffles where ever the popular wind is blowing.
You have just described tribal hh
Oh yeah.
This is long overdue.
We are eagerly waiting for the introduction of dual citizenship.
We want a people-driven constitution now.Any delay in enacting a new constitution means that PF misrule continues; our people are suffering because of the current flawed constitution which the crooked Frederick Chiluba,in collaboration with Michael Sata,enacted.
There’s no need for Lungu to boast about offering dual citizenship to Zambians living outside the country.
So who has paid for all those PF cadres to travel to New York? This is abuse of public funds at its highest order.
“He said this was in line with the ideals of late President Michael Sata”.
In short, Lungu is clearly saying he does NOT mean what he is saying about allowing Dual Citizenship in much the same way Sata never meant what he initially said about the very same subject. So, this subject is dead in the water.
As for the alleged jubilations in USA, if they ever happened, I am sure they must have been from a few un-informed students on Govt scholarships. No normal functioning adult successfully in work / running a business out here can be that thick.
Comment:what capital and human skills .when 99.99% diasporans are economic refugees and opportunists .
Edgar Lungu is solving Zambian problems by creating more Zambians bravo Mr President .
Population is a key to development. You think Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia are beginning to rise by accident?
Where are the pictures? I didnt go because I had commitments at my job and I live in San Francisco. The event of meet the president was not properly advertised. I also heard later that the prices were $1000, $500, $300 and $200 for this event. Those are crazy prices even for us people in the diaspora! K10000 to meet the president?
Then just go back to Zambia if you can’t manage even the little $500 . if people back home can’t complain of cash why should you.
If pf can’t do it then no other party will do it. Remember majority parliamentarians are pf. If opposition are relying on upnd to do it if ever they will come in power then it will take 30years to pass. Lets just support pf on this one. Politics aside .
Nice, you use Kwacha in the US?
The only people who oppose everything in this country , you can even see the compass where they come from . These directions you can not even admire them.
What will take for some bloggers to understand a simple issue like dual citizenship. Have some of these bloggers been to school? Have they interacted with colleagues from countries like Ghana and Ethiopia with dual citizenship laws? Why are they opposed to this?
… Hope this comes to pass,meanwhile I take a back seat ,fold my hands and wait.
You can’t have your cake and eat it as well.
Tasila Lungu is an American citizen. This is such great news. So let us let you the Cadres talk this one out.
Viva president Nawakwi.
Why push? Just declare. After all you declared a Christian state. It was NEVER debated
Henry Banda also needs dual citizenship in order to avoid the law. Unless the law died with Sata…
Nzelu,what is there to admire about Nigeria? Even Ghana.Zambian doctors are paid better than Ghana ian doctors.Chinese and Indians are investing in Zambia without having dual citizenship bcoz there are adequate laws which supports foreign investment .U do not need dual Citizenship to move your so called tied up Capital to Zambia.The president is doing it for Tasila Lungu.
Ba EL – It does not matter if he is doing it for Tasila. By the way, it is not him but Parliament. Why are you scared of dual citizenship? Do you know that the Indians you are talking about are still using the buildings that they built in 1934 to sell their merchandize and whatever they make is stacked away in London?
Some comments… kwena mu Zambia mwaliba abupuba mwe.
Adviser, u sound arrogant and ill informed come to Lusaka and see the new buildings indians have build, not the 1934 u are talking about .
Bt when will I b appointed ur excellency, I need a job plz
#Mushota I agree with you this time. Lungu is just wanting to please his fund raisers. It is just talk. We will only believe him once we see it in the New Constitution which he is failing to release.
Some of you always miss the point. Lungu is just a president. Government is run by technocrats from PF, UPND, MMD and many other parties. If you believe one man can run government then you need to get back to primary school and learn civics.
All systems we use are crafted and approved by parliament that includes UPND your preferred party. Is HH going to fire all current civil servants and hire his own only from UPND? He can only succeed if all zambians support him. As long as we have people like you, Nawakwi and HH that all they know is to condemn and boast that only them have the answer, Zambia will not develop. ZAMBIA WILL ONLY DEVELOP WHEN WE ALL FOCUS OUR ENERGIES TOGETHER AND WORK HARD FOR OUR MOTHER ZAMBIA. At times I feel Kaunda had a point when he ended multiparty politicks…
I really love this ‘fund raising’ or should I call it ‘fund milking’ When LPM became President he ‘took over’ the party funds and became sole signatory only he and Maureen knew ok and sometimes Darlington how much was ‘raised’ when he died the coffers where empty. When MCS took office he ‘appointed’ Wynter redlips Kabimba as CEO of the Party and asked to form a company to ‘fund raise’ he went around the world with one Chibesakunda whose wife is now Ambassador in China. We all know Wynter preferred politics so he became Minister and the ‘fund’ disappeared so we back to ‘fund raising’….
Iwe Chinene, you’re the one who need to go back to primary school. The technocrats have already written down what the people want in the constitution. The opposition have been demanding for the new constitution to be released from your PF Cobra man and to your Lungu but your Lungu has no guts to authorise the release it now. What he wants is to amend the current one thinking that he’ll rule again after 2016 election. But he will be out of office past 2016. Now he has power to create districts and to hire a private plane at over $300K without consulting.
Our forward thinking President has made a landmark statement which should be well received, don”t ever expect HH to even come close to such a liberal and down to earth way of thinking. Yes mistakes have been made but EL is trying hard to rectify them, problem is the people surrounding him are doing a disservice to the govt and nation as a whole. It will be tight but PF is still taking the polls come 2016.
He just wants your votes do not be excited how easily these politicans play with your minds.
The fund raising didn’t go as per plan .There was no marketing strategy .It just turned out to be a party for the entourage . They came with funny hats and poorly printed T-shirts .Learn from the counties mentioned Nigeria and Ghana have benefited a lot from dual citizenship .We are always behind in everything . when will we ever learn ?
But why were those lousy musicians carried along? Awee nabo Ba Lungu!
By the way Zambian visa starts from $50 dollars not $30 when entering. Point of correction. When was the last time you went to Zambia iwe?
I’m surprised at the low quality of some comments on this issue. If the efforts of ECL are not supported by us in Diaspora then forget it. True only RB and ECL have come to support DC. Sata was violently against. In fact that’s why it has stalled. HH is not opposed to it. He has said so many times on Zambia Blog Talk Radio. So if you guys continue being split on this issue do not blame anyone if nothing happens. You have to do your part. You can’t always depend on others to do heavy lifting. The countries where you run to had to be built by others.
Comment: You guys amazes me. You can’t for once appreciate. I am ashamed.
With the US$ currently trading at K13.40, it would be wise for those in the diaspora to build & buy off Zambians!!! Yafunta dollar kapena boma???