The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) has wished President Levy Mwanawasa a quick recovery.
Dr. Mwanawasa on Sunday suffered a stroke while on national duty in Egypt and was subsequently admitted to Sharm-El-Sheikh International Hospital in that country.
UPND president, Hakainde Hichilema, said the general membership, staff and management of his party have been saddened with the illness of Dr Mwanawasa in Egypt.
Mr. Hichilema said in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today that the President’s illness has come at a wrong time when the whole world was looking to him as chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to provide leadership over the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
He said there were several other issues at home and in the SADC region which Dr Mwanawasa should attend to hence the prayer for him to recover quickly.
Mr. Hichilema has since urged other political parties and the Christian community in the country to continue praying for the speed recovery of the President.
Dr. Mwanawasa’s condition has been described as stable.
[ZANIS]
Great stuff UPND. Keep it up and do you part also in the development of our only Zambia.
We desperately need economic and social independent in our country. To that end, you have a role to ensure that the Zambian dream does not remain in a nightmare.
To the Zambian Republican President LPM, SC, and his family, I wish you all the best and please stay focussed on quick recuperation so that you can continue to serve us in the selfless way you have tried.
LMP, find a replacement. the are bad sense, we dont want to have a political vaccum.
its not levy to find a replacement.its the pipo of zambia
HE IS SICK LET HIM REST AND GIVE POWER TO SOMBODY ELSE
We must start looking for a replacement right away.
UPND needs to fill the gap left by Sata as he has now joined forces with the chief plunderer in LPM.
All peace loving Zambians,both at home and us in the diaspora,wish SC LPM quick recovery. However,we can help this great leader and his family to objectively advise that Ba Levy steps down honourably,on medical grounds.Madiba did the same and he is still alive,we still love Ba Levy and will continue to do so even after he is out of office.I appeal to those close to him to seriously consider this christian and unselfish counsel.
I wish LPM quick recovery and once he recovers, he really should IMMEDIATELY start grooming someone who will take over from him in 2011. In fact I would go as far as saying he needs to bring forward the MMD convention where they should elect a candidate. Then he should appoint that candidate as vice president to do all the running around for him. LPM is not really fit for this presidency job, he needs rest and to basically slow down. Strokes do strike again. To be fit he will need to lose like 50Kg and I doubt he is capable of that at this stage.
Let him start grooming somebody soon for once so we can have a smooth transition. He has done well and brought sanity in Zambia after what FTJ did
Pipo lets be serious our beloved president is sick. If we all love him let us pls advice to call for early elections or just resign. He needs to rest his mind at TEKA farm instead of travelling miles and miles across atlantic ocean. He will still be given the respect even after the presidency. If he was my uncle I will definitely advice him to step down. Which is more important presidency or life?
LPM deserves the quickest recovery just like any patient. After that, we can then look at whether he needs to be replaced or not. The Presidence is not an office which should be taken lightly lest we go 10 years backwards. Its not that LPM is not replaceable..Nah. He is and there are so many well meaning Zambians who can run the country but right now what we need is continuity on what LPM has done so far and probably will continue doing till 2011.
The best thing that LPM can ever do is to step aside and save his dear life.MMD chaps,let’s be realistic and show love to our bro.
Well done UPND, makes sense HH.Mina batu in Zambia there is democracy, wait for 2011 and have your own choice.He’s a human being sick and he need to rest and back for national duty as his mandatory given to him by the Zambian people themselves.
Our hearts and prayers go to LPM and his family. LPM suffered a minor stroke some three years ago. If he had listened to medical experts. This stroke could have been avoided. And if he doesnt listen now. Something more tragic may happen. Sorry guys but i have to tell it as it is. Its time for him to step aside. presidency comes with a lot of presure. I dont think he can handle that, if he values his life let him step aside. Even if he doesnt let him think about his family. Its not worth it, go to Teka farms and rest. You have done your part LPM.
Ba State Counsel balalya sana! Bafwile bachinja.We as Zambians should get to the point where public health education should include obesity….the Prez should lead the way. Putting on weight is not a sign of prosperity it is a sign of impending ill health even mortality.While I wish him a quick recovery, he should as should all Zambians cut down on food portions.This takes a lot of discipline which we as Zambians lack in several other areas such as HIV pandemic ( failure to be disciplined to abstain, be faithful to one partner or use protection) or even our soccer players. An example of the combination of both the food and indiscipline problems is Collins Mbesuma.
Lets take note of obesity.
I wonder where those of you say LPM eats a lot are basing your arguments. I personally have seen people who eat a lot and are terribly skiny, I have also seen those who are fat who eat only a little. Have you ever heard that some things are genetic in some families??? There are also pipo who are skiny and yet are hypertensive. Lets refrain from using arrogant language and just wish him well. We are all just speculating about the cause of his hbp. He needs the support of all of us in this difficult time, not as a President but as human being. LPM has got qualified health advisors and I am sure just like all of us he loves his life. So lets be reasonable.
Why should people in diaspora be wishing him a quick recovery, when all he could say about us was that we are traitors, he infact is a worst traitor by not seeking treatment at UTH, ala ifya pakanwa fila bwelela!!!
mil:
While I agree with you that genetics play a role, individual discipline is still valid.Obesity and overweight conditions whether genetic or not come down to one thing ; energy balance – energy in, energy out.The type of food you eat,eating habits,and quantities all play a role.We cannot simply surrender to genetics and hope for the best.Why is it that celbrities who have personal trainers and dieticians are all in shape? Do they all have the same genetics? Certainly not! The truth is Zambia a society is transitioning from a High energy manual labor intensive agricultural society to less labor intensive mental and technology driven economies.We however are not changing our eating habits
Continued…We still have three huge meals a day ( which was energy efficient for the agric but not the new situation.We do not even exercise as much.Simply put: we are adopting the rich mens diseases because of the progress we are making.We are becoming victims of our own success and we should face it, admit it and act on it.DISCIPLINE, DICIPLINE, DISCIPLINE!!
Papa J
A person does not need to be gloomed to become a president.
I have briefly read through the UNPD manifesto brief recently published in the press and found it interesting and enriching. But I failed to find something that clearly makes UPND unique among Zambian political parties. The missing peace is on how UPND will be held accountable for its promises. The simple way to demonstrate this is by including a monitoring and evaluation system (perhaps a national M&E system) that will ensure effective monitoring and learning and reporting at identified timings to instil confidence in the populace. There are alot of learned men and women who can assist with this. I have no doubt that with a practical M&E system the party will garner national and internation
The president’s illness is serious blow to the nation but Government should stay afloat, on top of things until LPM is back. Wishing him full recovery