By Amb. Anthony Mukwita
“I want to invite and recognise the sixth President of the Republic of Zambia (H.E Edgar Lungu) wherever he is…that there are times the country needs you it doesn’t matter what we feel about each other…we must be together during those times,” President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia 28th December 2022.
At the cusp of Zambia joining the rest of the world, exiting 2022 and entering the ´new year´ 2023, I, like many Zambians woke up to some great news from President Hichilema today.
No one was getting arrested, no one was getting belittled or berated.
Instead, President HH ´no.7´ made what many pundits say was a rare reconciliatory public statement during a State House event regarding his predecessor President Edgar Lungu who handed over power to him last year, 2021 August.
“I want to invite and recognise the sixth President of the Republic of Zambia (H.E Edgar Lungu) wherever he is…that there are times the country needs you it doesn’t matter what we feel about each other…we must be together during those times,” President Hichilema said.
The statement has been warmly received in Zambia and even beyond, but questions abound now on whether it will open a new ´warm page´ between President Hichilema and his predecessor, as relations since the elections have been rather frosty.
If the wounds heal between the two ´brothers´ between now and new year, many Zambians believe 2023 could be a year of reconciliation instead of the current ´differences´ that have divided the southern African nation in the middle politically with a lot of blood in the water.
Analysts, however, feel President Hichilema must go beyond the ´statement´ and throw in a couple of ´action points´ such as drop probes against his predecessor, his wife Mrs Esther Lungu, the former President´s daughter Tasila and son Daliso.
In the United States, the country whose democracy Zambia embrace, Presidents since the days of Ronald Reagan have been leaving each other ´love letters´ to demonstrate that the nation was bigger than them and that, “its just an election, win or lose…not the end of the world.”
This ´brotherhood´ if the handshake happens between President Hichilema and President Lungu is one, I am willing to pen another book on.
I have always believed that what unites us, as Zambia is much bigger than our political differences; it will also show political maturity that makes Zambia a budding unique democracy.
From Lusaka to Washington: The Love Letters.
• Barak Obama wrote a ´love letter´ to successor Donald Trump despite frosty post and pre-election encounters
• Ronald Reagan wrote a ´love letter´ to George W Bush and the list has gone on until Trump happened.
The benefits of a possible ´new love affair´ between Hichilema and predecessor Lungu are immense because it means, right at the bottom of the rank and file, we can also cease fire and break down political barriers. The HH team must make haste on this positive presidential direction.
Divided we stand, united we just crumble.
But the jury is still out.
But, on dropping of Charges against Lungu family members, uhm!!
Separation of Powers?
Rule of Law?
Time is the mother of everything.
Where was Lungu in 2017 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 on Tuesday night celebrated 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…
Why do blacks think an action is right only if the imperialist has done it? Nima inferiority complexes che: From Lusaka to Washington: The Love Letters.
• Barak Obama wrote a ´love letter´ to successor Donald Trump despite frosty post and pre-election encounters
Stop promoting homosexuality in Zed. “The benefits of a possible ´new love affair´ between Hichilema and predecessor Lungu are immense”????
LUNGU IS CHILDISH. THE MAN WAS QUALIFIED TO BE A COUNCILOR NOT THE POSITION HE HAD. HH IS TEACHING HIM MANNERS.
HH7 has always offered to drop the charges against Lungu and his family, once they return all the stolen loot!
I do not support such….if ECL stole let him appear before our courts so that he can either be convicted or set free. As it is we will never know whether ECL stole or not…..maybe HH has failed to establish anything against ECL hence the apparent dropping of “charges” Or HH wants to be forgiven when he leaves office.
Let Lungu appear in court end of the story….or stop talking about thefts which never happened
And when will HH return what he has stolen?
The man lied that he was to hang but was saved by good lawyers…..all of know that his release was negotiated by Commonwealth’s Miss Scotland.
The problem is someone didn’t recognize the friend as president. Would he have said that if he lost the elections
NO, NO, NO, there should be NO dropping of any criminal charges against Lungu’s relatives. Justice has to prevail. And in any case it is not HH prosecuting Lung’s family, it is the people of Zambia , against whom they allegedly committed those crimes
prove the crimes or shut up
@magaba, That’s why I said ‘allegedly’. The courts of law is yet to convict them. You should know how to read and understand English
Many of us want a good working relationship between HH and ECL. The presence of General Miyanda at that function has given us a lot of hope. This is beautiful. That’s what we want. Please put nation above self and followers will respond positively and Zambia shall progress as a nation
The office of the president overwelmed president Lungu at the beginning of his tenure but grew into the job and was advised by very experienced presidents on the African continent. 2H is beginning to realise what he has put himself into and that the Zambian people are learning very fast. Continue to sleep walk into the job and you will only see one term and a life of investigations. We are not happy with your dodgy deals.
ECL I LOVE YOU. HH I LOVE YOU. LETS US EMBRACE THE ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION MOTTO.
Kikikikikiki! It’s a bait.
Mwandi ECL stay out of this man’s lane. Stay clear. Stay at arms length. What satire! If there is something I have vividly picked out’a this man’s life is inconsistency. He says one thing today and does the other tomorrow.
If this man was sincere and feels he needed the galant man one ECL, he should have called him by his name, H.E. former and and the 6th president of this beloved country Zambia Edgar Chagwa LUNGU. You don’t use the camera to call for ECL. Use secret calls. We also know that your cadres in force and service institutions yearn for ECL’s blood. It’s fake.
Unfortunately Lazy Lungu has no choice but to respond he needs HH more than HH needs him…Lazy Lungu through his family and his bootlickers have too much dirt on them. Tasila has not even been questioned for fencing off a govt forest in Sinda, Chawama hen Ester still has penging issues at the court.
Yes otherwise trade carefully.
YE, ECL, I hope the security at your home was completely addressed by this man’s administration.
What an embarrassment that was.
When you know, you know.
Hh is childish. Ecl recognised hh as soon as he stole and won elections. But it has taken hh over 8 years to recognise the father of the nation ecl. The only reason he wants to recognise our father is because hh has now realised he has no farking clue what he is doing. He has failed and needs our fathers wisdom. Ecl door has always been open to everyone. It is hh who shut off his brain to advice from ecl. Let hh suffer. He is losing elections. Mark my words. Kaleza
Unfortunately our President cannot be trusted anymore.He says one thing and does the opposite.He has employed Cadres in sensitive positions who are ready to Lynch you at anytime you oppose or criticise the Messiah
Politicians are all the same they are busy cutting deals in the background…there are so many cases that ACC has just stopped and dropped because they are connected to Lazy Lungu.
The ball is in Lungu`s court now….
He need to apologize for the loss of innocent lives that occurred during his reign.
At this point HH has done more than is enough, let that crybaby come out of the hole and grab that peace leaf that has been offered.
Like a few other bloggers above. I am AGAINST dropping any criminal charges. Had ECL won the elections, HH would be d;e;ad by now. as Lungu was ruthless.
General KANNE
Stop this every day nonsense from you. Did your fortune teller inform you that HH would be dead by now if ECL had won. If Lungu wanted HH dead he could have sent someone to assassinate while he was in power. Especially the way HH behaved in Mongu in his cars and UPND Cadres, towards the ECL presidential motorcade. That was serious national security matter. A lot of political figures in the world were disgusted as documented in western media. HH he got away.
@ Whatever
Gassing HH in his bunker, was that not an attempt to assassinate ? The Mongu case was a traffic offense committed by HH driver, and was NOT a National Security matter. Had HH motorcade been the one that abruptly disturbed the ECL presidential motorcade, then yes, that would have been a security issue. But HH was already on the road.
Stop covering up for ECL, he was ruthless and brutal. He Promised to put HH in jail, had he won, with the brutality exibited by PF cadres…., you don’t need a fortune teller, to determine what would have been of HH this time of the year. PF was all out to finish HH. That is fact.
Here is another rat calling himself ambassdor as if its something he earned at Postgraduate or some accolade…of course its Anthony Mukwita wanting the govt to drop all charges on Lazy Lungu and his corrupt clan…you call yourself a diplomat but all you did was serve one man even writing autobiographies for Lungu whilst in the embassy. People dont care whether Lazy Lungu is arrested or not if found guilty…they are more interested in the cost of living reducing and eliminating corruption that’s why they voted for HH.
ECL, you’re being set up for failure and embarrassment. You will be blamed for what ever will go wrong simply for being close to the man. Just see how the civil service is being blamed after being given incompetent cadres as their bosses and board members. I can already imagine HH saying, ‘I was advised to do abc by ECL, see now things are a mess’. I would stay very far from a man who can’t be trusted if I were ECL.
This is a very strange move but not entirely suprising coming from a real CNP. The questions that Shi Anderson Junior must answer are (1) Is the country in a crisis? (2) Is HH’s perfomance 1 yr Plus in power satisfactory? (3) Is HH the right person to unite our great nation? (4) Does he realise that he has appointed people in important developmental positions based on his tribal inclination and not competence? When is he going to pay back what he undully benefited during the privatisation of our national assets? H e must lead by example. Lungu had his time as head of state and did what he did for his country, he handed over power to you Hakainde in full view of the whole nation at Heroes stadium, Hakainde you made your MPs walk out of parliament all ythe time. You also never attended…
… You also never attended any national event (save fot KK’s funeral) when you were in opposition. So what has changed? Hakainde, it is your time we need development not lies after lies. Playing to the gallery will not help you. Your employers ( the electorate) are eargerly waiting for you to fulfill what you presented on your CV.
No need for love letters…..ECL needs to face the courts first.
Once his cronies,Kampyongo, lubinda,Kaizer Zulu etc meet their fate in court for corruption and abuse of office
the man is just playing to the garally what has changed over night for him to want to embraces ECL, these are what i call crocodile invitations if really wanted ECL he would have sent him an olive invitation, the man is playing politics this government is on record saying we will never going to consult ECL on anything lelo ati what what what, My funso is HAS ECL CHANGED FROM WHAT YOU WERE TELLING THE ZAMBIANs AND THE WORLD BECOUSE OF CHRISTMAS? let boss ECL stay out of the lime light. long live ECL.
Oh NO, NO, NO, lest we forget that ECL caged HH for more than 127 days on charges that could not be sustained. However, ECL is free today, not harassed, withhold his entitlements and has even the audacity to continue politicking without any restrain. So, how much olive branch must HH extend to him?. ECL absented himself during this occasion where HH publicly wished he was around as former head of state. ECL himself must grow up and provide leadership as former head of state. If ECL is aggrieved he should say so and has the leverage of things as former head of state. Any thing less will always make him catch-up with HH who has proved too smart for endless petty politicking.
… You also never attended any national event (save fot KK’s funeral) when you were in opposition. So what has changed? Hakainde, it is your time we need development not lies after lies. Playing to the gallery will not help you. Your employers ( the electorate) are eargerly waiting for you to fulfill what you presented on your CV. Contrary to the suggestion by the author that the probe into corruption for Lungu and his family be dropped I have a different view. If HH is seriouds about fighting corruption then he must allow the due process of the court to take place. HH is a wrong person to exonorate anyone. Just as he should answer questions when he relinguishes power on the privatisation issues.
Lungu needs to publicly apologise to HH and the Zambian people…………
Hell ,
lungu even banned HH from attending the funeral of KK…………
That just shows how evil the man was to the opposition
Lungu should apologize for all the wrongs he’s done.
Ba Kaizar Zulu.You are still a crying child. You admired Edgar Lungu. Because you are are of Malawi origin. And you were alcohol drinking comrades. You admire him because he used to allow to misbehave in public . Beating and torturing people in public. Grabbing others farms and destroying their crops. You are living because Zambians are peace loving people. In other countries you should already been locked up.
President HH’s documented inhuman actions against former President ECL & his family (etc) were actually based on fermentations brewed by 3 principal Heads of Security wings, namely Police IG, ACC Director and DEC Director. If these 3 Officers created false allegations against ECL and his family, including some prominent PF members, it follows then that the above-mentioned Heads of Security wings must be cleansed from the UPND Govt. Otherwise, let the Courts of Law make rulings on the fate of ECL, his family, some former Ministers and senior PF leaders.
These PF thugs only come alive when there is something that saves their corrupt skins or benefits them personally…anything else they are quiet next it will that Emmanuel Mwamba posting another article. They would happy to even suggest amnesty for all their crimes.
It’s factual in HH’s recognition of the past president as he too recognizes that their personal differences should not interfere with the shared good for the country and it’s citizenry! Governing is not kids play and legal issues for best of country shouldn’t be politicized but be left to the appropriate institutions to deal with! HH has his own brand of governing which should be left to blossom than adulterated with past governance practices!