State House has reacted angrily to a comment made by Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President Edith Nawakwi in which she alleged that President Hakainde Hichilema will be the most corrupt President by the time he will be leaving office.
Featuring on Millennium Radio this week, Ms Nawakwi charged President Hakainde Hichilema will be the most corrupt President by the time he will be leaving office because he lives at his private residence and people do not know what he does there.
“By the time HH leaves office, he will be the most corrupt President because he lives at his private residence and we don’t know what he does there,” Ms. Nawakwi said.
But Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Bwalya said Nawakwi should know that Zambians no longer have the appetite for the kind of political sensationalism and rabble rousing she has always championed.
Mr. Bwalya said the FDD leader is attacking President Hichilema to gain public attention.
Presidential Spokesperson accused Ms. Nawakwi of being out of touch with the needs of ordinary citizens.
“Ms Edith Nawakwi should take stock and reconcile the fact that Zambians no longer have the appetite for the kind of political sensationalism and rabble rousing she has always championed in a futile bid to gain public attention’s Nawakwi must be reminded that at the last general election, Zambians resoundingly rejected her desperate and toxic running commentaries underpinned by lies, false accusations, ethnic hatred and propaganda targeted at President Hakainde Hichilema,” Mr. Bwalya said.
“On the contrary, the people of Zambia voted for President Hichilema and gave him the mandate to deliver free education for thousands of children, deliver historic public pensions reforms to allow for partial access to contributions, deliver a devolved and enhanced CDF for better constituency development, recruit tens of thousands of civil servants, resolve the debt crisis, fight corruption and restore the rule of law – all of which the President has delivered in the first 12 months of being in office, with pensions reforms nearing a conclusion,” he said.
Mr. Bwalya repeated that President Hichilema will continue to focus on prioritizing the needs of ordinary people by making sure that public resources are prioritized for the greater benefit of the people of Zambia.
“Ms. Nawakwi’s clear lack of appreciation for the rapid development milestones President Hichilema has achieved in the last 12 months is a clear demonstration that Ms. Nawakwi is out of touch with the needs of ordinary citizens.It is regrettable and shameless, that while President Hichilema is relentlessly working to deliver a robust and inclusive economy for all Zambians by lowering inflation to its lowest in many years, stabilizing the Kwacha, creating a predictable and fair economic environment for private sector participation, opposition political party leaders like Ms Nawakwi are petting around on non consequential issues in a failed quest to derail the President. Let me reiterate that the President will continue to focus on prioritizing the needs of ordinary people by making sure that public resources are prioritized for the greater benefit of the people of Zambia,” Mr. Bwalya said.
Last month, Ms Nawakwi warned the UPND led Government against relying heavily on the pending International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package for the local economy recovery.
Featuring on Camnet TV’s National Matter, The economist and former Finance Minister in the MMD regime challenged the New Dawn government to come up with a plan that will improve the economy of citizens.
“I heard our President say that watch me by June (2022), read my lips and I am yet to read anything but the question that we need to ask ourselves as a nation. This package is meant for debt relief so that we pay our creditors. What is our programme that we Zambians have in place for my mother in Chinyinji, for my mother in Chama to put food on the table? That is the programme I am looking for from the Government and the Zambians. That is the programme that we Zambians need to sit and discuss a local martial plan. To get ourselves out of individual economic quagmire and get our nation out of abject poverty,” she said.
We are watching
Ok Iam a student of logic and would like to point out some flaws in the statement: he will be the most corrupt President because he lives at his private residence and we don’t know what he does there,
Why HH would turn out to be the most corrupt president wouldnt be narrowed down to the fact that he lives in a private house. Nor to the fact that we dont know what he does there cos we wouldnt know what any president does even in State House. Or do private houses make people very corrupt? We should therefore separate these issues and just ask HH to live in State House because we pay for it. We arent paying for the extra costs of him living outside state House. Also if some terrorist were to bomb his community house he wouldnt be well protected at community house.
I said the same thing even before that crook hh was allowed anywhere near the instruments of power. The truth hurts, hence the angry reaction by state House.
I am thinking about resigning from blogging on lusaka times. I have had a long successful illustrious time here and have met some good bloggers and likewise some f00Is. I will let you all know the official date I will leave to concentrate on building my party pf.
Ofcourse you ***** you said same things cos u and Edith nawakwi are PF thieves who licked lungu’s ass and got paid as tribalist bashers, but the majority Zambians rejected your tribal hate
Benson you are one of the many f00Is I have met here. Congratulations
Good riddance to you sir, the space you currently occupy is best utilised by dumping sewage waste on it. In 13 years of PF you can point to nothing you achieved except being a public nuisance.
FDD President Edith Nawakwi may have a point after all. Using a private residence instead of a publicly designated public residence-cum-presidential office of a head of state to conduct affairs of the state may actually render the conduct of affairs of the state by a sitting president opaque. Zambians should not expect transparency and accountability from the manner President Hichilema has replaced State House with Community House. Any right thinking Zambian will be excused to think President Hichilema has “something to hide” by conducting the affairs of the state behind the smokescreen of his Community House. This is unprecedented in the political history of Zambia.
Supposing he allows state secrets to be accessed because he takes files home? Like whats happening to Trump now, Would we charge him for having taken top secret documents home without permission? What about leaked phone conversations because his neighbours may be spying on him? Is he going to be charged for such?
It’s unprecedented yeah. I think HH is just being childish trying to act like a bragging spoilt teen who wants to show his peers that he doesn’t need the perks of the job.
He’s trying to boast that he has enough money to look after himself. That will infect the attitude to his job
I, HH, Nawakwi, Masebo etc, were at UNZA at the same time. I am told that after HH became a successful businessman, Nawakwi desperately wanted to be his girlfriend, but the reserved HH was not interested. This is most likely the reason why this woman keeps firing off these incoherent and incomprehensible insults and accusations at HH.
HH comes from a tradition where you rise and fall on the results of your own work. While there are many policies on which I differ with him, I am completely satisfied that the man is the cleanest person to ever become president of Zambia. We know this because MMD and PF investigated the man left, right and center, and found zero. They arrested him 15 times but all they could do was trump fake charges about treason because he chose to drive on the same…
Can HH demand the default judgment the courts entered in be honoured so that this woman can be pushed into oblivion. Zambia doesn’t need dinosaur politicians like her and KBF
Do we know what used to happen at Nkwazi House under the past presidents? It’s not WHERE you are but WHO you are, because if you are corrupt then that’s it. Some people are always in church, or even live in church but they are very corrupt both materially and morally. So ba Nawakwi your point is pointless. Speak about something else.
When the over 300 houses were pulled down, if it hadn’t for the opposition parties, NGO’s and the church groups, nothing positive would have sprung. All accolades are heaped on UPND for job well done at other players’ expense. Nawakwi observation will be alluded to later.
Thank me later.
She thought she would be the VP if that drunkard Lungu had managed to steal the elections
EVEN THE DEVIL CANNOT BEAT THE PF CORRUPTION
SIMPLE AS THAT
Can we please avoid dragging the President’s office to respond to opposition parties? Let’s try to be professional. Let the UPND SG respond to Nawakwi. Bwalya’s job is to communicate President’s pronouncements as it relates to Statehouse.
It is beneath him to do this. And we also need to tame Kawana, encourage Kasanda and sort out UPND AND government media.
I think that Kelly’s Kaunda guy should be incorporated into State House. These spokesmen are amateur and too partisan. They can’t differentiate between national issues and partisan political issues. Usually character assassinations like Nawakwi being a rabblerouser are left to party politicians. They should not be lifted onto the State House dias.
There is a lot of emotional immaturity in this office because most appointees interpret their appointment nepotistically. Remember the one who brought a quarrel with Kambwili onto the State House platform? They think the President has appointed them as a friend, to defend his person. They fail to understand that they aren’t defenders but advisers for the information dissemination of the office. Isaac Chipampe, Lungu’s last appointee in this position was the only emotionally mature guy that has worked in that office. All of them from Richard Sakala on to thhe present have been very jaundiced. They never facilitated relations between the President and media.
What has happened to arresting those who defame the president and fly them to far flung provinces? Someone simply said HH was not a Christian and is now doing time at Chimbokaila.
The magistrate who locked him up needs to have his practice license revoked. How do you imprison someone on such an innocuous statement? What if I said HH wasn’t a moslem? I would be locked up for that?
Carrington Maize saga at it again
I don’t trust her
And by the way, Has she even returned katundu wa bana? Just asking for a friend
Sh is just the most fooliest beach in zambian political arena satan is better than that fool.
The best answer to give is to simply render an attack on the DBZ loans that she has defaulted on, effectively responding that her mother would have more money if someone with a much more valid business had been given the loan. That said, you could also point her to the CDF. As for responding to such statements, these are not worthwhile.
nawakwi, dear Aunt, focus on rebuilding your life and political career or step out of politics and focus on building Zambia. avoid being insulted, not all of us belong to a political party and life outside politics is awesome unless you admire what is happening to your friends in Pf who are spending money and time at the courts. You should now spend your energies to support and bless not attacking the Presidency because time is running out
A totally discredited woman………..
Unashamedly Used by PF and lungu in the farm and kidnapping saga………..
She asked how much the goverment is spending on making the Community House habitable, befitting the president in terms of security, logistics and communication hardware. Are these infrastructures going to be “deinvested” from there when HH ceases to be president? Is what GRZ spending, if any, recoverable?
These are the questions they should have responded to, not name calling on her personage.
They can deduct that costs from the salary HH is not claiming……….
Imwe naimwe ba Shipaka. You just dont wake up and say this and that cost will be deducted from a salary. A salary is protected. Any deductions must be authorised by the payer and payee.
Thanks for your suggestion, but the president has not outlined how his forgone perks will be used. Am sure he has a distinct exercise for his hard earned salary Your unlikely idea may even be farfetched.
State House is an office.
How many people live in their office.
Additional, in this and age there are many people who work from home. I do.
Many of you people are so backward, get with the modern world
Women politicians are like that Silvia Masebo predicted another State Funeral when Edgar Lungu became president.
There is no need to be sexists ….
I am not being sexist I am only stating a historical fact
Don’t argue from ignorance. State House is both a home and office. All presidents in the world are strategically housed like that because it would be dangerous and inconvenient for them to travel between office and work.
Nwankwi talks like she has never been in cabinet surely you think if HH7 was in State House it would be any different…Lazy Lungu had crooks visiting was that publicised, you think everyone who visits takes a photshoot.. As Anthony the best way to respond to the Nawakwi is telling the public when he will move to State House even Donald Trump who lived in his luxirious Trump Tower had to reluctantly move White House.
Additionally what Nawakwi should be doing is lobbying the opposition to table a bill that makes it mandatory for the President Elect to move into State House after X months after being sworn-in.
DOES IT MEAN THAT ALL WHO STAY IN RIVATE HOMES ARE CORRUPE? HHa a democrat encourages citizens to respect priacy of others but hates corruption and stealing incluing maze saggary. Eeve jesus encouraged privacy but hated the thief, destroyer and murderer. Any way am not suprised to hear of such statements from a rejected zambian politician and failure because thats the way the rejected zambian politicians behave
He works from State House and lives at community house. Get it straight folks !
Presidents dont work and live like that. Show me one apart from HH who does that.
He has Eagle 1 and the Zambian flags right in front of his private residence. Besides, he has been meeting foreign dignitaries from community house. Where are state files being kept.? In Community House ? This is exactly what we are hearing about Donald Trump in the US who, despite having resided at the White House, carted confidential state files to his Florida residence. There is need to separate between what is private and public affairs for a Head of State in the manner HH discharges his official duties. Zambia LTD is not his private business!
To illustrate and illuminate, was the painful mineral tax holiday discussed at a private residence before it was tabled at state house and imposed on us? I do not know and it is not necessary for me to know what is discussed at a private residence. Then again, Zambian citizens have no privilege to raise concerns about what goes on at a private residence but the state house. Think and reflect. Assets are not being declared, friends of the political party want to benefit, fertilizer single sourced and many more. Just to ask, where was the meeting held to exit Lungu, the KCM liquidator, and the DPP ? I hope, if such meetings were there, it was not at a private residence. With that observed, enter caring Ms Nawakwi.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…
Mr Bwalya, do not debase yourself by engaging in a back and forth with this woman. As you have correctly noted, all she seeks is relevance and she has no moral limit in the things she will say and do to get it. She wants to drag the presidency down to the mud where people will not see the difference between her and the presidency. Don’t fall for it and continue to focus on issues that are critical to the development of the nation. If need be, let the UPND youth respond to her. Remember she once declared that her main goal in life was to ensure that HH did not enter state House? Now she has issues with him not living in state house as if her mother in Chinyinji would be better off if he did.
But Anthony has not answered the concerns raised by Edith with regard HH staying at his private house
The point is that it not right for a President to live in a private house. remember Hilary Clinton of USA used a private email to do her work but she was prosecuted and cost her an election.
this is a bad precedent.
Listening and hearing are two different things. To me its like the UPND camp has stopped listening. He is the Commander in Chief. Come on guys you can not be COMMANDING a nation from BEDROOM, olo self contained. Tarino, Garlc and Shu Shu Shu are right
Where have you been Nawakwi. We thought you had repented and ready to be relevant? We have moved mama. We are a different country now. You campaigned against HH. He has proved you wrong. Forget about it.
probably just talk about security. Remember the devine character of Hehemah 2 vs 11-20 nehemiah was actually advised by Godnot to release any how the plan of what and how he wss to rebuild the dstroyed walls of jerusalem. Nehemiah himself began by sayi, ‘I never told any one about…………’ what he was planning to d, And for sure he eventually managed to rebild the wall. nawakwi and his boss ecl failed to rbuild this country because …….but HH is managing becase….
Reacting to speculation is a waste of one’s time. Let your deeds vindicate you.
Let it go sister Nawakwi…we all know there’s a thin line between love n hate, the boat took off n you missed it.
There is to much of and Lungu witchcraft at plot 1.
HH works at State House and lives at his house, what’s wrong with that. Has anyone considered how much bugging the PF have done in State House, so they can listine to matters of State.
I whole heartedly agree with HH.
Focus on what HH is doing for the country instead of wasting your time of where he lives.