By Kapya Kaoma
President HH’s BBC interview, in which he skunked Zambia’s creditworthiness to creditors while undressing himself as ignorant of International Relations and Global Financial workings, only proved my initial assessment of his candidacy–unless he grows up, Bally will remain a Baby President. The poor man is erratic, insecure, and mostly pitiable whenever he faces cameras. Walking back his rants on Twitter will only make him a Trump in African skin.
I refuse to be part of the myth that HH must be given time–he is the President and must be held to account. I won’t join the HH cult. Just as I called out Lungu’s poor leadership, corruption, the rottenness of the Judiciary, the Police, the Big Man money wasting kantemba called Anti-Corruption Commission–it is stinkingly corrupt and only works to punish enemies of the President, I won’t treat President HH otherwise. The Presidency is not an internship. President HH is already making executive decisions with a lasting impact on the Nation. He must be held responsible from the word go. As I argue in, “Raised Hopes, Shattered Dreams,” “dictators are made and not born.” Our failures to hold Presidents accountable from the moment they take office is what creates monsters–I refuse to be part of this horrible tradition.
Despite his worshipers’ denials, the President himself understood his pathetic performance in that interview. Sending another childish tweet to assure creditors not to “worry about [Zambia’s] current financial position,” and to end with, “As the youth of Zambia would say, “Bally will pay,”‘ however, says much more about his priggish attitude, than advance the nation’s cause.
Presidential interviews are meant to promote the interests of Zambia at all costs. Creditors are waiting to see how he acts on arresting corruption, increasing accountability and transparency. They are not interested in what the youth say–but what the Zambian President says. Zambian youths can shout” Bally will pay”–another lie aimed at promoting his egocentric imaginations. Bally won’t pay Zambia’s debt, the nation will pay. To the Baby President, such praiseworthy shouts would entice more tantrums against the PF. The problem is, the PF doesn’t exist on contract national debt, Zambia does. Presidents rarely take policy-related foreign interviews for this reason.
President HH may have run the UPND alone, but he won’t govern alone. He needs professional policy analysts to make him look intelligent; they have to tell him how to prevent such embarrassing scenarios. He needs a good media team to vet which interviews to take or pass, and tell him what to say. Moreover, Presidents are prepared for big interviews–this is how the media world works. Presidents rarely write their speeches, but have experts do it. They only deliver them. If HH has such a team, he must replace it as soon as possible. Not every foreign media will be kind to him, another reason his team must vet interviewers in advance.
Let me bring it home. Assume someone asks to borrow your money after revealing that they are drowning in debt. “I thought I owed creditors K13,000, but after looking at the books, I realize my debt is much bigger than that. My account has only K2000, and my workers are stealing even as I speak. Please lend me some more money to help rebuild my business.” Unless you are a fool, lending is off the table. President HH had an opportunity to prove to creditors that under his leadership, Zambia will manage its debts, and responsibly contract new ones. Instead he told them Zambia is a skunk. It is what it is, our President junked Zambia’s credit worthiness.
The BBC interview was simply shameful, Ignominious and shockingly humiliating. Worse still, the developing trend in the HH Presidency of ignoring the facts is worrying. Why announce to the world what Zambians don’t know? It is bad PR. Besides, if he didn’t know, why didn’t he ask for the information during the transition? Maybe he does not read, or he is simply ignoring the facts. It is one thing to mislead Zambians during the campaign, but when the President misleads the world, the National economy is the victim.
President HH represents Zambia and has the role of selling it positively. In fact, he is Zambia to the world. Until his followers help him to know this basic truth about the presidency, Zambia will be in a fix as Bally continues to rule as an opposition leader
Bally worshipers think the President simply told the world the truth about the rotten Lungu administration. But this is not what the world heard. To Creditors, our President warned them to lend Zambia at their own risk. This unmeasured statement would reduce Zambia’s bargaining power in contracting new debts, as well as invite high interest rates with short term payments. But who cares? He is Zambia’s Trump–his followers will remain loyal as long as he can tweet!
President HH narcissistic behavior needs taming before it explodes into an unmanageable crisis. The collapse of the Bond forced HH to tweet “Bally will pay,” but the damage is already done! .Unless you’re Trump, the world does not run on tweets, but on disciplined policy.
International Relations and Foreign Policy 101, is this–always put the interests of your nation first. As President, HH does not represent himself or the UPND, but the Nation. I understand his obsession with the PF regime, but there is only one President, Hakainde Hichilema. We have mechanisms in place to deal with the PF corruption and ; he is in charge of all instruments of power. What the world wants to see is actions, as opposed to shameful and unmeasured rants.
I am afraid, the FTJ Chiluba reincarnation is before our eyes. Like erratic HH, President Chiluba didn’t understand the workings of government either. His first years were all about the KK regime. Like HH, he imprudently revealed state secrets to the outside world for his own egotistical interests–he was the best. We now know that Plot 1 has tunnels and Broadcasting equipment. We know where the Presidential banker is–the very banker he needed in an attempted coup. The reason? To show Zambians and the world how evil the KK regime was, and how Chiluba would clean it up. Did he? History can’t be rewritten.
President HH represents Zambia and has the role of selling it positively. In fact, he is Zambia to the world. Until his followers help him to know this basic truth about the presidency, Zambia will be in a fix as Bally continues to rule as an opposition leader. Sadly, like a toddler, he is opposing himself against himself. Is this another psychological problem Bally should fix in himself?
I agree.
ECL simply kept quiet and defaulted on Eurobond payment- what did that loudly say to the int’l media and creditors?
The power of the mouth can do or undo.
Am happy the president realised the negative sentiments on BBC required a tweet to fix the void.
Let’s praise him because he corrected himself. To me Zambia is forward tuned and more creditworthy than before.
Na manje cabinet ikalibe kuoneka!
In my school days the most quiet pupils in the classroom were either dull or…. But too naughty out of the classroom. Edgar Lungu never spoke to us nor the international media he was like Deity who only speaks through medians.
Low IQ article. Criticizing just for the sake of it. Catch a chill pill. Enjoy the new freedom where you can afford to expose your stupidity & every one can give you airtime. This presidency hinges on the youth agenda, that’s the fundamental mandate from 2.8M voters. There is no crisis here, HH is building a state which will be trusted by the international community by being transparent & truth to win over confidence & draw over investors & creditors again. No more PF smoke screens & mirrors. We have work to do. Kaoma just keep your negativity to yourself while WE THE PEOPLE roll up our sleeves & work with HH to build this broken economy.
You have a big baby in the state house…this under 5 is really living up to his under 5 name…always HH thinks whites are more superior……Kagame,Mangufuli,Mugabe…I will just mention these 3 names and you know what the story is…..HH is a crooked sellout and you can see people offering money without any shame…that’s how they feel about us…can you go to India with borrowed US$300 million and offer to buy a company
His cult followers will never see any wrong in him…he promised Jobs……how is he going to create employment….he has killed the Tourism industry….and he is killing diasporans with manipulated kwacha gains…we had a Bandit President but now we have a Bandit plus a liar..2 in one…..it shall end in tears
HH has no cult followers.
Mr Kaoma never gave chance to President HH wining the election. He was a PF cadre through and through and continues to be one. His articles should, therefore, be seen in that light that we are dealing with a caff whose mother cow has died and now can no longer suckle milk.
Under five! Sata was right!
Those undergraduates, inexperienced youths voted for him and now the fruits are showing. This chap is not mature enough to be president.
In the meantime his party is petitioning over 400 election results, implying that the elections he won by a landslide were not free and fair!
Zambias population is Around 20 million let the agenda be for the 20 million and not the 2.8 million sample size that voted for the president
Yeah the fact that the president has started forming his cabinet he must now be held accountable as he has the right as per constitution to bring who ever he feels can work best with him.
He should be held accountable and move the country forward, blaming too much on the outgoing government disaster they left is surely misappropriation of agenda ..
Every youth has hope that HH will change things as he promised within his term of office or within first two years..
And yes State security must not be compromised And exposed ..
That must remain a secret
On HH followers.. there’s no difference between them and those of former president ECL. They are always apprehensive each time you point out a wrong in the president. They shouldn’t forget that whatever Bali does affects 20m Zambians not just those who voted for him. Yes we’re again about to create another monster in State House as we have done for the past 60 years.
I asked one person why he doesn’t vote. He told me that he can’t vote for lies. He said he would only vote if one candidate would be candid enough to tell me that NAINE NDEFWAYA UKUYALILAPO. I believe him and have since followed this philosophy.
LT why are your promoting such toxic Articles??? Freedom of speech is a good thing, but it should be based on the Truth along with evidence of FACTS. It is wrong to allow LIES to be spread through your outlet. On the contrary The BBC Interview was excellent! HH was very articulate. It’ is not rocket science knowledge that LT has ALWAYS been ONLY loyal to PF. Remember There is only one president at a time which means you need to get used of the fact that HH is the president. Every Zambian should want the president to succeed in running the country, because if Zambia succeeds each and every person benefits from it.
Kapya Kaoma again with his useless articles…would you rather have a President who doesnt understand economic issues, never makes an appearance when his govt defaults, never releases any reports by you will see him at the next by-election dancing on the stage.
These guys like Kapya Kaoma are stuck in Lazy Lungu’s mediocrity of how not to govern a country.
Deja Vu – But you would rather complain all day on LT yet you didn,t want to vote….really laughable!!
#16 Matt I thought that was reason ECL lost the election…. suppression of the press and free speech?
Deja Vu – “…. there’s no difference between them and those of former president ECL. They are always apprehensive each time you point out a wrong in the president. They shouldn’t forget that whatever ….”
You are now giving advise yet you are pigeon holing people as HH followers contradicting your statement …majority of the people who voted for UPND wanted change, a new mindset to take over from the rot of the pervious govt.
This is a rant from someone who misses the point. HH can’t sugar-coat the reality of our economic distress. The ECL government were the ones who invited IMF and failed to get any agreement because of their financial indiscipline. However, I agree with the point about potential for this government to also slip into the same kind of conduct, but that’s because we lack a Constitution that adequately defines and separates functions, providing guidance and guardrails. I’ve got a lot of respect for HH and expect a lot to be done but we need to address the issue of the Constitution urgently because it underpins everything. HH is human and things happen. We don’t want what happened with LPM, dillydallying and messing about with the ill-fated NCC, instead of calling a referendum on the…
Deja Vu – Your ECL lost because of lack of leadership he is not a leader and has no leadership traits add on to that rampant corruption, lawlessness, cadres etc
You failed to pay an instalment of nkongole when it was was due to be paid. That was enough evidence of the country being broke, anything else you are saying is hot air. Its your adult president and the one he took over from who were adults but babies in the minds who created the problem and hopefully baby president will sort out the mess left by those who messed up.
Your emotions have really been hurt.
#18 It doesn’t matter whether I vote or not, Mr Hakainde has the responsibilities to me and everyone in Zambia. You might as well tell me to stop paying taxes if I don’t vote. There are people like the Jehovah’s witnesses who don’t participate in politics but they are entitled to the same protection like everyone else. Voting is a choice, human rights are an entitlement.
We knew this was going to happen. It has taken under 14 days to indeed expose our man.
Even some appointments left bad tracks. When did being dismissed by the previous Regime become a qualification?
So good, qualified and hard working people will not be looked at because they were not fired before?
Bally will fail to fix it. He is too obsessed.
Even appointed 3 commanders from 1 province and called it regional balancing!! Kaya??
The cadre incarnate. Your demigod was quiet throughout his presidency, did that result in creditors having more confidence in Zambia? – the answer is NO. Today you have the audacity to offer counsel to a free state president when a while ago you swam in the glory of a dictator and all your articles ululating the foolishness of degenerates that allowed cadres to kill and reign supreme.
This is a people’s government that will be ruled with rule of law with functional institutions. The international creditors ain’t fools to blindly believe in false rhetoric, they examine your macros as country before they can trust your word.
Question to ba Kaoma and fellow bloggers, WHEN GREECE WAS BROKE DID THE GREEK GOVERNMENT HIDE?
What is the point of saying you’re well when you’re very sick?
So you wanted the president to say we’re well when we have such heavy local debt stretching for 10 years? Pensions unpaid,50,000+ unemployed teachers,nurses, laboratory scientists, doctors, broken down x-rays,cancer radiation machines,no drugs at UTH Cancer Hospital for THREE YEARS,THREE YEARS!
Okay I don’t why the people in the diaspora who haven’t been in Zambia for the last 10years are busy trash talking about what the new administration has done so far. Okay he sent a bad picture to the foreign creditors but he quickly rectified it. You don’t know how it was like been infringed on was like, seeing broad day light robbery buy the high government officials and the impact it had on our economy when you were busy watching Netflix in your apartments. Give the man time and we know he won’t deliver all the promises at once but if he fails we will vote him out. That’s what we do don’t worry about your tuma dollars just because the kwacha is appreciating. Instead of been bitter bring your money into Zambia and save in kwacha.
Deja Vu – Again you are contradicting your statement about adopting non voting philosophy by stating that it doesnt matter whether you voted or not!!!
Its surprising to see all the online journalists coming out criticising Hakainde for telling the world the truth mind you its the same world that supplements Zambia’s budget. When retirees were rolling in the mud at Ministry of Justice begging for their pensions of their deceased husbands and PF was busy giving out cash transfers in opposition strongholds where was this author? These people have absolutely no shame..
#26 Tarino what contradiction? I said whether I vote or not I am entitled to State protection as a citizen. So I can not keep quiet. I pay taxes and other obligations. What about foreigners? Do they vote? Are they not protected? Don’t be PF minded
HH is creating a reputation as an honest president. What he’s saying is not a secret. Investors are not dumb, you think they get information about the economy from the president….. some people are so thirsty to criticize the president, they want him to fail, they want the country to fail.
Kikikikiki Baby president = under 5
People can talk mwe. But let His Excellency know that “silence is golden ” sometimes. Whether true or false, you can’t be washing your dirty linen in public, and this notion of Bally will do this, that…should end because government is a system and not a one man show.
@Deja Vu #16 if you read my comment I said freedom of speech is a good thing, However, freedom of speech doesn’t mean one has the right to abuse it to peddle LIES. Journalists have an obligation to reporting the facts pertaining to any given article is of paramount importance.
I rarely contribute to some of these debates about our beloved leaders and their capabilities. This is one of the best articles in 50 years. Let leaders learn something from it. Kaoma, congratulations. Leadership calls for responsibility within Zambia and outside. A president is the father of the nation. A father who is ever divulging private information about his family in public does not love himself and his family. He is just embarrassing himself. Sorry friends, the president should revisit his communication acumen.
#34 Matt you didn’t complain when one private media accused the PF of ethinic cleansing by claiming that 150 teachers from one secondary school who hailed from southern province were retired in national interest. Did you. Common sense tells that one school can’t have 150 teachers All from the same tribe.
He should walk circumspectly.
Rev Kaoma, to call people ‘Bally worshippers’ is not fair. Zambians were brutalised for the last 7 years and the trauma that they suffered under Lungu and his PF will take time to heal. The victims include HH himself. You cannot just wake up in the morning and be OK. HH needs COUNSELLING so that he can move on. The question to you REVEREND is: HAVE YOU TALKED TO HH? Or, you just want to show off your writing skills? You are also behaving as though State House is still closed to advice. HH has said that he will be accessible. That is one good thing at least. The last tenant of plot one was insulated.
We need this kind of checks and balances – point out whatever you think is a risk to governing our beautiful country Zambia. The new president, like Trump, has never been in government before, which is a very big compromise on its own. He will need a lot of support and that’s where constructive criticism comes in.
@33
Exactly what he is….baby President…now slowly….not slowly but quickly he’s realized that non of his promises will be fulfilled….Nada….and the clock is ticking
Sometimes we need to realise that leadership call for decorum. In Bemba we say mpyanango apyana nabala meaning when you take up leadership you take up ownership of the good and the bad that you find. Nobody is saying the President should not tell the truth its how the truth is communicated besides his own institutions are disowning his statement going by the statement of the Accountant General and ZRA as well as the challenge by the former minister of finance for Govt to state the the particulars of the hidden debt. Listen UPND supporters we want our President to succeed but we’re uncomfortable about how he is going about certain important issues.
Truth hurts. Why should HH lie to make PF clowns feel better about themselves?
Words and actions should correspond…I
UPND supporters wants HH to be President for the UPND supporters only…it’s a shame and looking at his appointments so far…he’s just targeting his loyalists…
It shall end in tears for majority of Zambians who voted for him
The British have their own problems much bigger than ours so don’t expect any sympathy. You could sense the rhetoric horrified Lukwesa and she handled HH with caution. He dodged most questions and again concentrated on the “I” not “We”. He wants to alarm the world to justify the scramble of resources in the name of investment. We are watching.
Listen sycophants, Kapya is only the messenger. Don’t kill the messenger. Help Baby Boss to grow up.
HH is learning and it is well!
From the day President Hichilema appeared on BBC saying the reserves are empty Kwacha has performed badly to international currencies. There is need for the President to torn down….he sentiments on Zambia has power to cripple the economy as the President he should select words to say in public domain other wise he is shooting himself in the legs. As president he has all the resources to turn around the economy positively.
I never knew that I would have take homes from upnd Kapya’s writings but these mean alot to me:
*Presidential interviews are meant to promote the interests of Zambia at all costs. Ballirious has been discrediting Zambia since since. I wonder if he will change.
*Assume someone asks to borrow your money after revealing that they are drowning in debt. “I thought I owed creditors K13,000, but after looking at the books, I realize my debt is much bigger than that. My account has only K2000, and my workers are stealing even as I speak. Please lend me some more money to help rebuild my business.”
When a Journalist is so openly hostile to a sitting President, you have to wonder about his objectivity. As a Zambian I am looking forward to a fresh start. This should come from all Zambians. PF sympathisers should all join us!!
One thing I noticed that the kwacha suddenly dropped a few ngwees after that interview. Thats after a bullish trend for weeks that made us think we are on our way to 10 against the dollar. I hope we aren’t going back to 22.
It’s government in opposition.
There’s a lot of sense in this article. The author may sound somewhat emotional or appear to exaggerate but in a nutshell he is right: the international community weighs every word that is uttered by a head of state and this may have an effect on the entire nation. No matter how bad things are at home, it is important for leaders to send a positive signal externally – especially if they expect help from outside (IMF) as in our case.
You will never witness Chinese, Russian, American or Arab leaders putting their countries in a poor light during an interview. They will all speak positively about their nations on the international stage despite the problems they face internally.
@ Deja Vu # 36 and Rightfully so. Because there was evidence to prove it was happening. Majority of Zambian were well aware of of the ethinic cleansing under PF’s regime. People lived in fear under PF. Why was that???
Every Zambian should be rooting for Zambia to SUCCEED not FAIL. Which SIDE are you ON?????
Well spoken..
I have always been telling the Zambian people about HH… I told them that hh will finish the five years only on condemning the regime of the former president.. he is putting the country in a critical situation .. the people of Zambia are only praising him with so called BALLY WILL FIX IT.. but when?? He was telling the people of Zambia promising them that I will fix it in two days time which is not possible but since he said it we consider it.. reducing of prices he said food is very important and that’s true but we can’t see anything as the major goal he would start with.. he is putting himself into the bottomless pit… Real Zambians must this where someone completes his term only on speeches and unnecessary speeches
Nine Chale it is wrong to lie to creditors about your finances.Its very wrong to bury your head in the sand… exhibit #1 is how PF defaulted on the Eurobond .
Kapya Kaoma so HH’s interview is somehow more embarrassing than Lungu’s much publicized default on the Eurobond? Oh please gimme a break.
This is one of the worst articles in fifty years written by someone who will never ever understand how the world operates. If there is someone who led and still leads a cult and criminal organisation, it is Lungu. You try to get a loan from a Bank or financial institution by lying or falsifying information and see if you will get it. You wanted him to lie in your so called Christian Nation. Nobody gets a loan or help by lying.
That’s Nine Chale married to a Germany muzungu living in a German village and s/he is there talking about not telling it as it is on BBC…as if BBC do not have data on Zambia.
Spot on bwana! Mudslinging your own country. Is that the new form of democracy?
The BBC has more information about Zambia than the writer of this meaningless article will ever know even if he lived for a thousand years. BBC doesn’t need to hear it from HH, they have it already just like all embassies, foreign missions and potential investor’s. It beats my imagination that people want HH to lie about Zambia in order to get loans or help, what nonsense. A sovereign debt can never be a secret. You poorly initiated people like the author of this article will be the first to complain that he didn’t tell the truth about the debt in order to get help from cooperating partners.
Kaoma Kapya, a reverend? Hmmn a misnomer? or just a title? Not even David said that against King Saul! As Charles Ngoma said, HH has said his door is open, why not give him your learned advice, it is easy to destroy, but to build takes time!
This is wasteful demagogery. Just remember that the world had written Zambia off, excerpt for China. HH did just fine, don’t over estimate your wisdom too much. And don’t underestimate HH’s business and economic acumen. HH’s Presidency is one of the best thing that has happened to Zambia this century. And who are you again Mr Writer?
??? Zambians debate Even when they know there is a mistake… It’s like the scenerial of chiluba revealing the tunnels…
We are giving HH 100 days in which to learn the ropes. Being in opposition for this long does not give him the experience he needs to run the complex economy of nowadays. HH needs to be cautious, we all know that he is going to make several mistakes while in office. He must stop acting as though he is still in opposition. This article is spot on, to those that are biased towards the messiah who has brought help” Help is on the way” as he used to tell his audience. They will try and fight back defending the indefensible. We all need Zambia to succed but we must be objective. HH is the last one to talk about unity when he told his MPs to boycot all parliamentary undertakings.