Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Amos Chanda, has said that, despite auteristy measure introduced by the Government, the trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the funeral of the opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, who died two years ago was a necessity.
In a post, seemingly responding to criticism about the trip, Mr Chanda said that there were certain crucial matters of state that would always be an exception and this trip was one of them, and wondered how President Lungu would not honour a special invitation from sister nation without any good reason.
Below is the full post
In any difficult economic period, people are easily irritable but I can assure you in terms of the “unspoken nuances” and “ intricacies” of international diplomacy, the massive “hidden benefits” of good neighborliness, this trip would have justified even a larger delegation.
This is the first trip to the DRC by H.E President Lungu since he assumed power in 2015! Need I say more!
In this delegation, there are three provincial ministers (Luapula, North Western and Copperbelt) whose territories border the DRC; the only female gender in the delegation is Livestock & Fisheries Minister Hon Kampamba Mulenga ( DRC remains one of Zambia’s largest livestock and Agro markets).
Yes, Etienne Tshisekedi was an opposition leader who died two years ago, but whose son is it that is now president there? How would President Lungu not honour a special invitation from sister nation without any good reason.
Yes, we in austerity time, but there are certain crucial matters of state that would always be an exception. This was a hugely necessary gesture at state -to- state level.
On the sidelines of the state funeral, President Lungu held tripartite talks with his DRC host and H.E Dennis Sassa Nguesso of Congo Brazzaville. In this meeting the President was accompanied by relevant ministers in the delegation.
And in terms of the inviolability of the “principle of reciprocity” in diplomatic practice, this one day trip was a necessary reciprocal act to honour the DRC president’s visit to Zambia early last year.
Within this year the increased positive exchanges between Zambia and DRC will assure the two peoples of the necessity of sisterhood of these two nations.
keep defending them….one you will be answerable beve ninshi bali mufyalo
Ba Lungu need to grow up. That is a funeral of an elder, therefore he should have gone with respectable people like:
Yaluma, Mukupa, Inonge, Sumaili, Chief Nkana, Chief Kazembe. And people would not have complained that much.
But he takes the worst cheap criminals like Kaizer pick-pocketing at funeral, and Amos taking selfies. It is the people he picks which annoys people. Ba Lungu, chinjeni abanenu….
I don’t believe anything this Toad says.
Im a phd holder.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
They justify anything including a funeral of someone who passed 2 years ago…they have no shame these crooks.
There is COSAFA today, but as usual these State House spoils Zambian atmosphere….. annoying
Ati ” This is the first trip to the DRC by H.E President Lungu since he assumed power…
He assumed POWER?
Tinpot dictator language
I highly doubt this is the first time Lazy Lungu has visited DRC maybe officially but I know for fact the old jet 9JONE registered on Flight24/7 radar.
On firsts…when is he going to address a Press conference at State House since he got elected?
Who keeps a corpse for 2 years…not even chicken or meat in my fridge is deemed edible for that long.
PF and ECL will never change.Zambians are just too naive .Character can not be counterfeited.They can only be removed. It is Zambians that must remove them.
Guys I am in another predicament. My mixed race son’s blonde girlfriend has just sent me a text message saying she thinks am cute and fit. You people what would you do in my position? I blame these good looks. I am tired of people hitting on me at my age. Should I tell my son?
#2
I would say to you
Go F***ck your mother. And lick her Clito***
If you are female go suck your dads D***K
You are a sick human being. Keep your imaginary family to your yourself. Really do you think you are scoring points or making people laugh.
Go and have your mind checked !!!
Lusakatimes we dont need this trash. This is not freedom of expression but abusing privileges
LT characters like this should be banned from this site. This is pretty much spamming this site. You banned him before please do the needy again.
I can smell the feaces surrounding my post. They are out in full force. Can Lusaka timed do the right thing and ban the gut using foul language please
He really Wants to imitate Mushota. Do you also have a quack doctorate?
The pf will defend anything even if lungu anyela pa mukazi wake ati i it’s good for development. My Swiss wife is very disappointed in us Zambians. Update bane it seems my wife might be pregnant l. We have been trying. I will let you all know soon once confirmed
That plastic doll isn’t pregnant, it is a balloon, you just over pumped it. Follow instructions, before it burst leaving you with an erection on a Sunday afternoon.
Nostrad.i.c.kson kikiki jealousy will kill you bro. Just because your right palm is your partner does not mean we all are tbat pathetic. Ama hule fulu ku England. Go out and meet some one so that u not angry at us who are happy and married
Another Eswatini ” luggage” soon.
Nostrad.i.c.kson kikiki jealousy will kill you bro. Just because your right palm is your partner does not mean we all are tbat pathetic. Ama h.u.l.e fulu ku England. Go out and meet some one so that u not angry at us who are happy and married
and when is the president going to speak to the Zambian pipo through a press conference on the happenings in this country.
He’s a coward he’s scared of the press Scared of HH scared of Kambwili scared of everything except flying
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (the late) former Cuban communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008.
He said “When you know TEACH when do not know LEARN. PF government doesn’t want to LEARN they want TEACH”. The Macroeconomic and Monetary policies are not working. KCM is a sacrificial lamb as it is one of mining giant which financed PF coffers during the presidential and general election. There are still making more or worse Political and Economic mistakes daily.
I just could not resist a pop at your lies Chanda ……
What bilateral talks can be held on a Saturday, at a funeral. ????
Plezzz , your lies and excuses are getting pathetic
He thinks we are PF yes men waiting cap in hand for freebies do we will agree with all the shiit he spews
Na malilo kuli invitation shuwa? This is one hell of a hopeless spokesperson if ever there was gauging mwe. Ine nadabwa maningi ndithu! You make deals ku malilo iwe ka Amon (Oh!? Ni Amos ka?)
I think as a nation, this was a good trip especially that Etienne was father to current presido in DRC. DRC is very strategic nation to us.
Mr Chanda you are spot on here. Kudos. I am usually critical of my president, but I think this was a good decision. Good luck.
You, did you see the size of that delegation, to attend a funeral of the father of a president ??? Not even a former president…
Only Paul kigame attended with a 4 man team and the Brazzaville president also attended and lungu with a plane load of PF
Amos you should have just kept quiet. No need to be spinning. Don’t insult Zambians.
The logistics of the trip, cost Zambian Tax Payers. The best you could have done is to just send a representative from the ministry of foreign affairs.
This is the father of the president. Not the president of Congo. The people of Congo mourned him a long time ago.
Why didn’t these fyuuls obey my instructions? I directed that His Excellency must be quarantined in order to save costs as per cabinet emergency resolutions. And what do these PF fyuuls do? They leave the keys to state house in the custody of that low thinking cadre Amos Chanda!!
Tomorrow you must bring the keys to me, without fail!!
Chanda was among the 25 man PF delegation that filled the presidential jet ,
And Amos Chanda, so what have you said little boy? That was rub..bish, try again when you come back from your night school lessons in civics.
Bane I do not like Amos Chanda, but he is right when he says there are certain trips that you can not quantify in terms of diplomacy. Even you people condemning, do you not go for funerals of people even when your home budgets are tight.
Some people are just dullards how can you make comparisons between a govt and a homestead regarding this issue…do you have diplomats all over the country to represent your family? The sad part is that this is the calibre of advisors that surround Lazy Lungu…they have a simplistic view of issues: if some criticises then he is opposition…this is why Bowman was distributing food stuffs with proceeds of crime just after FIC report as he does not understand the ramifications of such actions. There is no leadership everyone is his own boss provided you dont challenge the main boss.
there is nothing wrong with lungu attending, even though the man was an opposition figure, it is the fact lungu goes with a plane full of people all getting paid GRZ allawances, just for the sake of filling up the seats in the plane.
Checking one two
The huge entourage as usual. Clear indication the measures are fake
If I’m not mistaken This administration did a state dinner for Former President of DRC. Mr Kabila.
Now you’re attending Etienne Tshisekedi funeral?
When one remembers KK’s Press Advisors compared with these Ba Kankuni..you just mourn to see how low the country has descended!! Felix upon being sworn in has visited all neighbouring countries he regards with respect! He never came here! After seeing a delegation that looked like going for a meeting but for a funeral,Am sure he (Felix) has even convinced himself for not treating us as priority despite our strategic position!!
Only Africa do you bury someone 2 years after the fact, so sad
So you tag along 4 Provincial Ministers and your Livestock and Fisheries Minister + Kaizer ++ for a one day funeral. What time did you have to discuss bilateral issues with your hosts who were obviously too busy with funeral arrangement and the re-burial. Its actually insulting to take a delegation to discuss bilateral issues when your hosts are in mourning. So you did not go in good faith.
Oh my God, what an explanation from umwaice kabova Amos Chanda. A huge delegation to a funeral that includes Livestock Minister Kampamba Chewe because Congo DRC presents a huge market for our livestock. Such an explanation clearly tells us the trip was not about mourning but about business opportunities. What a shame for these leaders of the so-called Christian and African nation called Zambia. They have messed Zambia to an extent where they cannot even think properly about what they do.
Just a few weeks ago the Egyptian President declined an official invitation from PF’s Lungu because he had domestic issues he had to take care of first in his country this is why most of us are saying this is the most pathetic government we have had so far and what’s sad is we their is probably a mentally challenged PF cadre still blaming Bloomberg, IMF , the opposition parties for Zambians problems
These corrupt scumbags!
Elizabeth her family and servants.Want hanging on a gallows.Peter Carlos Hinds.