By Sunday Chilufya Chanda
Even though by a fluke one had an opportunity to lead America for one term and the other one is a perennial “no term” presidential candidate having lost five times in a row to a democratic process, there appears to be striking similarities between former US President Donald Trump and UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema. The pair have mainly three things in common: their overinflated egos full of hot air; their know-it-all attitude and above all; their excruciating cluelessness of government processes.
Hichilema as expected, has once again not disappointed in exposing his ignorance on statecraft and government processes. His limp attempts to create an issue over the non-issue of the appointment of Mansa Central Member of Parliament and former Minister of Health Dr Chitalu Chilufya to the Parliamentary Budget Committee once again exposes Hakainde’s witlessness of the highest carat. It is disturbing that the leader of Zambia’s largest Opposition Party cannot distinguish between budget and expenditure, let alone audits.
It had to take Ms. Laura Miti to offer a public lecture to Mr. Hichilema on basic Government processes. We hope the student paid particular attention to his teacher!
At this rate, if his ignorance of statecraft with regard to budgets, expenditure and audits were to be weighed in gold, the UPND leader would no doubt be a bigger millionaire than he currently is- just like Trump!
For four years America reeled under the weight of a President with a puffed up ego and a burdensome lack of understanding of the basic functions of government. Never, ever should Zambians be subjected to the Trump-like impulses and cluelessness of such self-centredness as the UPND leader appears to display.
The ignorance shown by someone seeking the highest office of the land is particularly excruciating. His support base has more reasons to worry about their “messiah”.
The author is Patriotic Front Media Director At the Party Headquarters.
Half or more of America voted for President Trump.
Gary Englund Actually only 46.1 % voted for Trump
Gary Englund Sorry 46.9%
Barbara Johnson that’s millions more our population..grasp that “millions”
Put the lens in your brain. You are damn my friend the end is near.
Sunday Chanda should stop boring us with his long articles on an individual. Let him write about his Party’s failure to improve the Zambian economy from 2011 when they found all the economic fundamentals positive. His party in government has managed to 1. Increase inflation to double digits 2. Depreciate our currency against major currencies 3. Increased our lending interest rates from 12 % to over 30% 4. Increased fuel prices from below K10 Per litre to over K15. These are some of the things Mr. Sunday Chanda should be spending time explaining to Zambians on how his Party in government messed them up and now we’re in a Pig hole where we are failing to honor most of the payments falling due. What an incompetent group of individuals who have failed to come up with better strategies of improving our economy.
Emmalito Lias why? You don’t want to hear the truth about your clueless leader. How can he lead a nation when he does not even understand parliamentary activities? Am sure his MPs just laugh.
Joy Musonda Kambole
So those who are giving us expired drugs,corruption,gassing us,destroying our economy etc are not cluel according to you.
This comment is as ignorant as the statement by HH. Whatever you said is example of your ignorance about economics and how it works.
Sunday you have just hit the nail on the head. HH is making our government lose focus hence they forgot to pay the $56.1m coupon payment on January 30, 2021
Sunday Chanda is making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill. HH is not in Govt ECL is.ECL has shown that he doesn’t the Basic Functioning of Govt inspite of serving for over 6 years as State President. ECL in spite of being a Lawyer doesn’t understand what “elected and sworn in twice” means. He doesn’t understand what “handing over Power to the Speaker of Parliament means. ECL didn’t understand that in 2016 after Parliament was dissolved Ministers couldn’t continue serving becoz that was illegal. The Constitution is very clear that ECL cannot serve as a State President 4 a period exceeding 10 years but he wants a Third Term which will meaning serving for 11 years and 6 months. In short ECL doesn’t understand how a Govt which believes in Constitutional Democracy and Good Governance…
Mountain out of mole hill? I can’t believe this. Agreed, HH is not in government, but he wants to be in. He must be aware of all the intricacies of administration. Would he employ a layman as CEO of any company he owns? If not, why should we elect such a novice to run our country?
Knowledge of government processes in Zambia includes buying substandard drugs and delivering them to patients with great fanfare. It also includes contracting any number of foreign loans and whn the exchange rate collapses, u get surprised. This is so great a way of running government that it leads to being a sole presidential candidate.
Whats with this animal and HH. We have civil servant without salary for now. Your mouth can save better talking into those issues for now of shotfall! Kids are going back to school, loud your shit on PPE and collective efforts to provide safety for all people involved. Is HH anywhere close to Trump?? I cant wait u kneeling before HHas he assumes office. That line is boring as hell for now. Pick a better line please.
Luba Quombe which civil servants are big paid up to now?
Useless
Dr Chitalu Chilufya is generally perceived as a Corrupt Person. How ethical is it to appoint an MP who has been accused of Corruption and dismissed as Minister of Health on the basis that he engaged in corrupt activities? Appointing such an MP tainted with Corruption blemishes the Parliamentary Budget Committee. U can’t hire a perceived thief to look after your money. Can u?
Diye ma team yako aya …Sunday chanda.
I still wonder why chitalu chilufya is doing outside prison after subjecting thousands of innocent Zambians at health risk.
Sunday Chanda’s vision is impaired. He can’t see that ECL, M7 and Donald Trump are in the same Whatsapp group Election-wise. The three Leaders are all Power Hungry. ECL is hungry 4 a Third Term even though he has already been elected and sworn in twice. HH and Joe Biden are in the same Whatsapp group, truly Democrats.
The General Public think that HH is in the same Whatsapp group with Joe Biden while ECL is in the same Whatsapp group with Donald Trump and M7. In most cases Perception is Reality. We shall know by their actions on August 12,2021.
Mr Sunday Chanda , why not talk about the missed $56.1 million coupon payment on January 30, 2021.
Remind ECL to pay for the debt PF contracted.
Chanda is right. It would be worse if in unlikely event that Upnd wins this year’s general elections, HH would he surrounded by a bunch of ministers who will be very blank in terms of the operations of the government because most of them will be alien to the government Operational etiquette. In the first one year or so they will run the government on try and error method. So help us God.
Just like Sata tried to abolish constitutional offices arbitrary?
Just like Lungu told his ministers to ignore a court order to refund money they had ‘earned’ illegally?
Just like Lungu thinks that using the police to suppress the opposition and kill innocent citizens is good governance?
Just like Lungu turns a blind eye to the unbridled corruption, stealing and misuse of public funds taking place in his government?
Just like Lungu thinks that denying Northwestern, Western and Southern provinces development is good statecraft?
Just like Lungu thinks that expired drugs and other defective medical supplies are the panacea for all the health problems poor Zambians are grappling with?
Bwana there is no school that specifically trains presidents. Who trained Kaunda, Khama, Nyerere’,…
TALK ABOUT HONEY BEE, PEOPLE ARE DYING, NOT IVO! ?
Government is taking action against Honeybee. The faulty drugs are being recalled. The matter is being investigated. And most importantly, no one has died. Please don’t spread fake information. Give the proof if you have.
This guy’s reasoning is that of a kid
HH is in the same Whatsapp group with Joe Biden while ECL is in the same Whatsapp group with Donald Trump and M7. That’s more like it Sunday Chanda.
Opposite side
I wonder which watsapp group Sunday belongs to….
Sunday Chanda is talking about Parliamentary Budget Committee. The Committee failed to budget Money to pay Euro Bond Holders USD 42.5m in interest in November 2020. On January 30, 2021 failed allocate USD 56.1 m to pay interest to Bond Holders again. So Zambia’s total defaultments to Bond Holders amounts to a total of USD98.6m so far. That’s what Sunday Chanda should be talking about. So far the Parliamentary Budget Committee is of no use to Zambia’s external creditors.
He’s given money to spread propaganda !!!!!!!!
I too can help given the right money :)) :))
Very petty if you ask me…
Talking about expenditure and budgets , yet the moron don’t know Zambia has missed a debt payment……..????
It is very surprising how a person like Sunday Chanda who seems quite polished but with brain can still defend PF.
Its possible to loose 10000 times as long as there is chitulika constituency
Awe Chi Chanda buka……bobe your government which knows the operation of the parliament has failed to pay nkongole you are busy talking about hh kumanyoko
Unfortunately, HH has always warned his MPs not to participate in any government duties. Whatever reason he may give for this, obviously, it is just out of fear of losing his MPs to the ruling party. By so doing, he has deprived his MPs of the necessary experience and this means that if UPND wins this year’s elections, governance will be quite chaotic for some time as it will be job on training alongside vengeance against PF and we should brace for untold suffering for Zambias. Of course, we know that their scapegoat will be ” We are still repairing PF damage”
Hh doesn’t understand statecraft. He understands corporatism. If anything, he’s a useless politician that’s why he’s ran upnd like a personal social club not like a GRZ-in-waiting. Laura had to school him because she was disappointed with his lack of knowledge of the state and politics. Kambela is turning in his grave for the great blunder he made.
You people you really don’t know what you talk about HH here you are claiming he doesn’t know how the government works, and yet you are the same people who have been accusing him of having benefited massively from privatization. So which is which? This shows that you are dull or too jealous of the man.
Just wait for August, you will see. Abengi muleba amalofwa.
Trump is an aberration in many respects. He concocted a movement, he personified his stature within a democratic space similar to an authoritarian and then had as many minions as possible do his bidding while having them ascribe to a “higher power”. Only cults and skilled evangelists succeed in doing so. Were it not for strong institutions we would have had something of a North Korea budding in the USA. Sunday article does not do justice to the many adherents who still found favor in the decisions Trump made — and they are many by the way because they were implemented and succeeded!
Lungu and Museveni belong to the same WhatsApp group too
Yea they are two ignorant business men who cannot take a loss
You are just as ignorant as Trump. You think when you have money and influence in the corridors of power that all is well. You at Trump even the Twitter account he used to abuse and shame people who were only trying to help him is gone! It will be the same for you and Edgar, mukalila bachimbwi imwe.
It is Follie to write such a shady article on an individual you know very well that is incomparable to you and indeed the Party you represent. At individual level Sunday has nothing on HH and generally HH as an individual is more measured than You Sunday. Any trash you spend writing about HH its public knowledge that it’s untrue for the only Political opponent PF fear is him. So why waste ur bloody energy to write so much for someone you know has no clout?? We know the game you and the lot play. You are sacred lil’ men!!!
The man has no idea …the only thing is knows well is how to rant over anything…as long has he has opened up his mouth…
Kukanwa ! iwe akulyafye ifwakwiba efyo fyaba filafungunya iwe cadre!
INSTEAD OF YOU TALKING OF SENSITIVE ISSUES LIKE THE EXPIRED DRUGS ISSUES AND MANY MORE AFFECTING US YOU ARE BUSY WASTING YOUR TIME AND ENERGY TELLING US IRRELEVANT THINGS
We have always called HH a cry baby and and an amateurish. Tayali last week called him “distressful”.
These UPND bloggers hiding behind Mutale, Mwansa and Musonda to glorify HH are actually Hamwene, Hamusankwa and Halwindi respectively, We know their monkey tricks. Kikikiki!
Sunday Chanda belong to the same group of sycophants as Kaizer Zulu – So much hatred for an individual given an opportunity would eat his flesh – in Kunda we call it ‘Mfwiti’
SO ACCORDING TO SUNDAY CHANDA, BUYING 42 FIRE WHEELBARROWS IS KNOWING ABOUT GOVERNANCE, 52 MIRACLE HOUSES, HONEYBEE SCANDAL, MUKULA SCANDAL, GASSING AND CURRENT SALE OF MINES BY THE GOVERNMENT IS KNOWING ABOUT GOVERNANCE RIGHT? LET ME NOT EVEN MENTION THE ROLLING INFLANTION RATE, THE KWACHA DEPRECIATION AND THE DEFAULT ON LOANS TOO. WELL IF THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE WHO KNOW ABOUT GOVERNANCE ARE ABLE TO DO THEN AM SIMPLY NOT INTERESTED IN VOTING FOR SUCH.
The way some people think leaves much to be desired. A wrong is a wrong. Surely there were other people to be considered in that position without raising eyebrows. If i were Dr. Chilufya, i would reject such an appointment to let the sleeping dogs lie. The man is on the center of serious allegations and he chooses to ignore that. Ethics are difficult to deal with but one would expect Dr. Chilufya to handle such a situation with care. I think he will cost PF an election if they dont hanle this well. People are tired of hearing Dr. Chilufya just like it was with Chitotela.
There is nothing wrong with not knowing. No one was born knowing everything in the world. We all learn by asking questions and by making mistakes. It is actually better to be ignorant and learn BEFORE you get to need that information than to come to needing the information and falling short. Lungu became President before he knew anything. He said it himself that he had no vision. Everything Lungu has learned, he has learned on the job, as deputy minister, minister and President. Allow HH to be ignorant now and learn from it than start learning after making fatal mistakes for the country.
You are right. There is nothing wrong in not knowing and none was born with knowledge of everything in the world. But do you think being in politics for 15 years and not knowing the basics of administrative procedure is a sign of a serious politician who wants to become President of the country? Certainly not.
Huyu mtu mjinga sana and here’s the category where he falls…small minds like Sunday Chanda focus on individuals,average minds focus on events and big minds focus on ideas.
This observation by Sunday could be right. Certain positions held by high ranking officers in institutions need wider consultations,research and analysis from assistants and or professionals before issuing a statement. Unfortunately, most people think that if they don’t issue a statement/s on certain happenings then they become irrelevant.
Zambians must watch what has taken place today in Uganda. M7 has been finally sued with his Electoral Commission in the Supreme court and the courts have accepted the submission.
This man doesn’t know nothing about Donald Trump except the crap on TV, you have vaccines and ventilators now because of that man. The stock exchange is almost collapsing now in Biden’s face. Biden is a career politician who is going to do nothing but please the big tech who are trying to control your lives than the small man in the streets.
Indeed, Under 5 is same WhatsApp group with Trump. Both are cry babies when it comes to elections and Under 5 is on record of asking Zambians to emulate Americans in voting for a business man as president and to add to that he once told us he was talking to trump to sort out ECL and other African leaders. Pure Under 5 stuff.
Ignorance about the administrative procedures can lead to disaster. We have seen that in past few days. Hakainde Hichilema has shown us his level of understanding of government procedures. I am surprised, he is still adamant and not willing to accept the truth. He should immediately step away and give someone more worthy as Presidential candidate.
The Americans erred in electing a businessman as their President. He ran the country like his company and see, what he has done and where he brought it. Same thing will happen here also. It is very dangerous to have a person who has privatization on his mind, without any knowledge of administrative system, at the top post. He will ruin Zambia and flee.
Electing HH to the post of Republican President, would mean signing our own death warrant. Sunday Chanda is absolutely right. Good that Ms Laura Miti lectured him publically.
Isn’t it strange that the one who is consistently criticising the ruling party of all the mistakes under the sun, himself is not aware of what he talks about! Had he been really interested in welfare of people, HH would have come up with a blue print of development by now. But since he has got none, there is no other option but to resort to petty criticism and get exposed in the process.
HH can come up with a blue print for development but as long as you vote for people like Edgar Choipa Lungu and Lusambo. Nothing beneficial come out of it. Mwanawasa worked hard and left a blue print to build on Edgar destroyed everything and borrowed unwisely. you need people who are visionally not thinking the Chawama style or drinking utu tilitili.
We must learn from the mistakes of others. Good that HH has exposed himself, now it will be easy for us to make decisions.
It was the last thing expected form a leader who makes tall claims about changing the country. Now that, he has put the foot in mouth, he must be junked. Even the UPND members should rethink on his candidature for the top post. They should consider other leaders like Garry Nkombo.
Ba Chanda alakalile ku Zed. I shall always remember you as someone who was on national television telling people that Zambia does not need reserves. Now look you are even defaulting on Euro bonds and you can’t pay for petroleum products importation. Nomba akantu ni Mopani and KCM, these mines will soon be bankrupt and end in Chinese hands. Bupompwe bwachila na Lungu wenu. Mulekwatako insoni.