Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Lungu’s presidency is too close to criminality

Share


By Maiko Zulu

The interrogation and reported the arrest of former Presidential Press Aide Amos Chanda has turned yet another bad page in President Edgar Lungu’s legacy. The proximity of serious crimes and bad governance to Mr Lungu’s Presidency should worry every concerned Zambian regardless of political party affiliation.

Amos Chanda was the closest person to the President, perhaps next to our mother Esther Lungu and the fact that DEC is on his case says a lot about what happens in the corridors of State House and government circles as a whole. Many people have insinuated that there is rampant abuse of authority of office among those in government and Chanda’s case just qualifies the fears.

People close to Mr Lungu have been reported to be consistently on the wrong side of moral leadership. Only recently my elder brother Kaizer Zulu was in the news not once, but several times. Whether the allegations against Kaizer are true or not is another thing but the fact that these allegations keep surfacing should be a cause for concern because Kaizer is not an ordinary citizen, he is the President’s, right-hand man. And he is not the only one.

Today Mr Lungu is on record opposing the Constitutional Court ruling over illegal use of government resources by Ministers during the 2016 campaigns. In a normal democracy, all those who won elections using illegal means should have had their seats nullified after the Con Court judgment. As a matter of principle, the President should be the first person to protect the integrity of the Judiciary.

We have the issue of Bill 10 which has deeply divided the country because of tyrannical clauses like the one allowing the Executive to acquire loans without the approval of Parliament. These are Mafia-like maneuvers and back door Constitutional amendments which the majority of Zambians are up against. Again, the President’s arrogant response to a question on Bill 10 during his press interaction points to further arm twisting of citizens abetted by the President.

Mr Lungu needs to begin to distance the Presidency from criminality and tyranny if he needs the support of Zambians. He cannot afford to be on the wrong side of morality and expect the country to rally behind his leadership. Zambians are maturing in political decisions making and politicians should not expect that business will be as usual.

As for Amos, I cannot pass any judgment on him because he has not been found guilty of any crimes, maybe not just yet. However, his case has subtracted from the people’s expectation of the State House and the Presidency.

On a positive note, it was good to see the President finally addressing the media and taking questions. Perhaps Issac Chipampe has brought some new thinking at State House.

38 COMMENTS

  1. I am surprised that this issue being raised by Brother Maiko would even surprise any one. Lungu is a habitual thief who was de-registered by the LAZ. It is a well known fact that Lawyers who, when they become thieves, can be unrepentant. In fact, to use Brother CK’s adage way of describing events: inputi isula taileka! No way that Lungu can stop his trait and trademark. Actually, Zambians gave a monkey a key to the banana plantation, in Brother Lungu. Lungu unfortunately, will steal the seedlings on his way out. Given the third term he will steal even soil and the Zambians will be left with nothing! Mwanya!!!

    • I think we need to be careful towards elections in 2021 with our current leaders. I have a strong feeling most of them will flee the country since we r told most of them have stashed their wealth abroad. The best is to seize the passports until after the legal process

    • Let’s be clear here.
      Chanda is presumed innocent until the courts proves otherwise.
      If he is innocent, Zulu’s article is fake news item.
      If he is found guilty, Chanda’s transgression of the law by corrupt practices is personal.
      Like sin, you can’t be an accomplice to Zulu’s adulterous behavior for example if Zulu hammers outside his matrimonial set up, I hope he doesn’t, he must bear his own cross.
      The naivety in this article is not only appalling but preposterous. The narrative and links are fictitious and from the pit of hell. The president and his office are not witnesses to Chanda’s wrongdoing, if any.

    • Zambia is witnessing the biggest looting in its history, by its own people. Zambians have allowed it! Lungu and friends are set on a mass wreckage and they are doing it so smoothly.

    • Please let’s stop this brainless mentality of calling public officials terms like mother if Ester is your mother then Lungu is your Father. Do you pay your father for clothes, upkeep and transport?

    • It is just hard to comprehend what happened to wisemen in Zambia to allow crimes go about in broad daylight.
      Why all wisemen like Miyanda just closing their doors and watch thieves running the country?
      Seriously, close the government, and fumigate it before reopening.

    • The Commission of Inquiry into voting patterns and electoral violence says President Edgar Lungu encouraged violence among his party supporters by appointing Chishimba Kambwili, Stephen Kampyongo, Davies Chama, and Bowman Lusambo as his Cabinet Ministers.
      The 15-member Commission, which was chaired by Justice Munalula Lisimba in its report, revealed that petitions were received from stakeholders that the President encouraged violence by appointing people who allegedly uttered hate speech and engaged in physical violence.
      The commission was appointed by President Edgar Lungu following pressure from local and international stake holders.
      According to the report, the petitioners singled out Kampyongo saying his appointment to Cabinet to be in charge of the Ministry that maintains law and…

    • Analyer, “Zambians will have nothin left. Mwanya!!!!” Why are you insulting us Zambians? This is not good for social media and the nation. Are you Zambian?

    • Lungu coming from a poor background has failed many Zambians. One would expect such a person with Humble begins to have a heart for the poor. Yet again we are very wrong. Zambians should vote this man out because his Greediness has gone so deep.

    • “The president should be the first person to protect the integrity of the judiciary ”
      Thank you Maiko for reminding our sleeping president of his duties but as a musician you also need to remind the president that he should be the first person to protect freedom of speech. He doesn’t and you know that music is about freedom of speech.
      Instead he enjoys being protected by a colonial law of defamation of the president a direct enemy of freedom of speech

    • HAZALUZA HAGAIN because he is a habitual thief. I mean the Privatisation Thief and tax evader! The inside trading thief who thinks everyone is a thief.

  2. Well said Michael. Very objective analysis.
    Its a fact that wherever there is something rotten, flies will gather..Similarly, wherever there is corruption, those that feed on corruption will gather.
    The people around the president clearly show what kind of man he is.
    As the bible clearly says “can two walk together unless they agree “?

    • Only a captured president would all disgraced State House Aide Kaizer Zulu his counterpart Amos Chanda, Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo and Minister in-charge of National Development Planning Lucky Mulusa to celebrate the arrest of UPND President Hakainde Hichilema in style at a pub on 8 Reedbuck road in Kabulonga.
      The four senior PF officials took turns boasting how they had made sure they had fixed the opposition leader and how they were controlling state institution.
      The officials who were in the company of another mercenary, Lewis Mosho and some former Post Journalist and what looked like prostitutes, drunk the night out and only left 8 reedbuck after midnight.
      “Natuka chita ka cikala…kalemona kwati ni ka President nako. In fact Ba (kakoma) Kankanja is very weak if I didn’t…

    • Bwana president if you can call Chushi directly and tell him ‘nge ifyo naumfwa (what about this I’m hearing?) Can you cancel it!’” according to Kalaba.
      Then you can stop the violence, killings, corruption … by making calls.

    • @Journey Man
      Can two walk in sync unless they synchronize lock and barrel in their step? You summarize the issue very well. Zambians will live to regret their docility. Even in Malawi, citizens have been heckling Mtarika and the guy is in a hot seat as I type. But we Zambians, well the story is lamentation after lamentations and shouting at the Holy Spirit even on issues He gave us the power to resolve. Zambians are sickeningly naive and believe that Lungu will hand over power at a click of a finger. We are in for a long slog unless a cataclysmic event occurs at the next polls.

  3. This is a bold statement from someone who cares about the state of our nation. I totally agree with these sentiments.

    I have noted that the investigative wings are becoming courageous and investigating the so called untouchables . I hope and pray that this is the start of a clean up process to get people to account for their actions, omissions and of course the massively accumulated wealth.

    • Well said, Lungu is the chief thief of all thieves in Zambia, Nigga just fall short of robbing his own citizens at gun point, maybe it will happen once he has milked the treasury. Scatter teeth and his ka stup!d govt or cabinet are all thieves and useless or rather dull chaps, These PFoools have really not only destroyed the country but the economy.

  4. The higher the status of victims of criminal libel, then the higher the damage and compensated. When scandalizing national leaders, this is one of the realities that scandalizers must reckon with. It is better to proceed with arrests, warrant of arrest, interrogations swiftly and quickly in such a manner that the taxpayers do not lose more revenues, all in political drama. Very often, the opposition political accuses the ruling party of corruption, money laundering, tax evasion and abuse of office for political ends rather the pursuit of justice over justiciable criminal offenses.

    • Spot on! This is very rich coming from someone who was against the introduction of holograms to curb piracy in the Zambian entertainment sector. Makes you wonder why… Could it be that nobody is willing to buy his cr@ppy music and his political career is a disaster?

  5. The Truth of the matter is a True Zambian President never steals from his country! Only chances of unknown origins steal! Zambians must be careful how they choose leaders!

  6. When lungu is called a corrupt theif everyday , and he is silent , you think he is silent because he is humble ????

    He is silent because he knows what he stole…

  7. In 1990 we were told that kk had looted the treasury. They claimed he had stashed billions in an off shore account. MCS after crossing over alledged kk had a jet on the runway waiting to whisk him away once he lost. Others said they would show us his torture chambers and give name some of all the people he killed. Fast forward FTJ had stolen billions and he would be locked up???just saying

  8. I don’t agree that Amos Chanda was the closest person to the President, perhaps next to our mother Esther Lungu
    However you do correct yourself later in the article when you rightly identify the closest person to Lungu. It is Kaiser Zulu

  9. Today’s politicians are opportunistic and hollow. They lack substance and ideology. Maiko’s article is just unsubstanciated accusations which any Id!ot with a smartphone and connected to sites like watchdog or observer can write. Maiko has tried his luck at the ballot and failed several times due to lack of a well prepared political message. We need a next generation of politicians with ideology and facts, Maiko is not in that category unfortunately.

  10. [11:14 am, 14/11/2019] Altara Credit: JOB VACANCIES at CRH Global.

    The Employment office of CRH GROUP OF COMPANIES Al Ahmadi Kuwaiti and Manitoba Canada offices has approved the employment of qualified interested applicants into the following vacant positions
    available to enhance quality service delivery.
    Qualified Medical Doctors , Service Technicians, Facility Maintenance, Mechanical
    Engineers, Electrical Engineer, Heavy Duty Truck Drivers, Chefs, Project
    supervisors, Technical Design Engineers, Welding and supervisors,
    Construction engineer, sales Marketers,Human Resources, Administrative
    executives, Geology project managers, Accountants, Environmental Experts, Office assistants,
    Civil Engineers, Plant Start-up, Machine
    Operators, Construction and Installation experts ETC…

  11. The fact that people at State house are being interrogated should give hope to all Zambians that the PF government is transparent. People at statehouse are human and prone to all sorts of vices that come with being in such exposure. It takes only very strong human beings to avoid the temptations. Now the fact that there is such transparence tells you that you are dealing with a President so transparent that you can see through him. You cannot hear of such issues in other Countries or with other administrations while in Government. So the conclusion by smokers are hell bent after being disappointed because they though that ECL was going to employ them after their support in 2015/16. Bitter dirty people!

  12. Amos chanda is innocent.its just a sugar coating stunt.A tricky a get the news in the newspapers that PF is fighting corruption.

    • Mail Zulu’s article has no substance. You can’t say all state house employees are supposed to be hollier than thou and are supposed to be monitored by the President. State house employees are normal human beings like anybody else working for any company with all traits of individual difference. To go and work at state house does not in any way cleanse an individual from all inner characteristics of an individual and the President is not a supper human person or Jesus Christ to know what bad or good habits of an individual. Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s be fair with some of these overt issues that are very straightforward before we start branding the innocent President with all sorts of bad names.

  13. The government under His Excellency The President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu is in a hurry to develop this country and will not allow any lawlessness which may affect his vision, however if anyone is proven guilty has to be held accountable for committing a crime.

  14. So all those prayers are just there to throw dust in peoples’ eyes. The goodness is that God cannot be mocked.Neither can He be cheated. He is all knowing. What one sows he or she will reap. He or she might run away with it,as at now, but time will come when accountability will be required of you. Pilferage and stripping of government resources, have rendered and subjected the nation to debilitating poverty. Most of our brothers and sisters have gone to early graves because of someone who has looted the national coffers. Ubuchengeshi bwa nkoko pungwa tasakamana. You think you are very clever by stealing from the poor people of Zambia but time will catch up with you. You are fighting for political leadership just because you want to be stealing from the poverty stricken people. Shame on…

  15. President Lungu is human. He may 100% not know what his appointees are doing and remember human beings are very manipulative. Amos Chanda has excused his job well such that it is not easy for the president to know what he does in his private life. There is no government on this planet earth which is pure and free of mistakes committed by individuals.
    Sometimes it is until someone exposes him/herself that the president and the country comes to know. So the president ought to be given a benefit of doubts
    Paul Simbeye

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading