Opposition All People’s Congress Party President Nason Msoni says he is ashamed to have associated with a weak President who is failing to decisively act on the corruption of Agriculture Minister Dora Siliya.
And Mr Msoni says the failure by President Lungu to act on the dodgy exportation of maize to Malawi has the potential to damage the country’s international relations at regional and global level.
But Information Minister Mulenga Kampambahas reiterated that the Zambian Government was clean in the maize deal which has taken Malawi by storm as it was not directly involved in the exportation of the commodity.
Speaking in an interview Mr Msoni said President Lungu had demonstrated his weakness and failure to run government as he has failed to decisively deal with the maize exportation saga.
He said the President has opted to run behind the Government Spokesperson and that his actions are disapointing to people who campaigned for him in the hope of giving him a second chance to run government effectively.
“We can not have a President who can’t act, he has completely failed to address it in other words even the fact that he has failed to address the matter effectively and has opted to go behind the Government Spokesperson demonstrates his weakness and failure to run Government and I must say that we are very disappointed with him.
“The idea that we campaigned for him was not that we agreed with him hundred percent but we felt that he needed a second chance to show and prove he can do a better job as a President but he has failed us, he has failed Zambians and that is a tragedy that we are confronted with and we are ashamed that we associated with a weak President who can’t act,” he said.
And Mr Msoni said President Lungu was risking the country’s international relations by remaining mute as the country may be isolated by her friends in the region.
“Malawi is anxiously waiting to see how President Lungu will respond. Although he appears not to take keen interest himself personally but I think that the damage ultimately will be far too great for President Lungu regionally and internationally. We fear for him that he risks being a bearer in the region because obviously Malawi is whispering to other regional leaders over the failure by the Zambian President later on even to comment to address the short comings by his Minister.
“It will be unfortunate if as a result of his failure to act Zambia becomes isolated because these are some of the consequences that can befall this country that regionally Zambia may become isolated because of the failure to act by an incompetent President,” he noted.
Mr Msoni advised President Lungu to heed to advise by people who care and are telling him to get rid of corrupt individuals whom he described as greedy politicians who betrayed the MMD and led to its humiliating defeat 2011.
“I think what he stands to lose out is far greater than protecting wrong doers. I think he is taking a big risk because this group of people or person he is protecting has the capacity to bury the Patriotic Front alive in a similar manner they had buried the MMD. It this same group of people who came to MMD and betrayed what MMD stood for, these were the most greed group of politicians who ceased the party for their own selfish interests and drove the party to humiliating defeat and later they abandoned the party to come and fuse themselves in the Patriotic Front.
“These are not true friends of President Lungu, he must be aware that by the time they are finished with him, he will have no political legacy to talk about, everywhere Zambians will pour scorn on him whenver they see him. He has a unique opportunity now to redeem himself or sink with the Patriotic Front. The true friends of Mr Lungu are those who are telling him can you take action and can you act now because it is in your own interest you need to be seen acting even in the region,” he said
He further said the country cannot have the luxury of having a “titular President” who was unable to do anything.
“People are holding for you to act and show them that you are in charge of this country otherwise you are rendering yourself into a titular Head of State, a Dr do little who can’t do anything, Zambia can not afford to have a luxury to have a President who can do nothing or who does nothing. You owe it to Zambians, you took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, what in essence you are doing is betraying your oath of office,” he said.
He advised the President to stop being too close to his subordinates as that is what is making it difficult to act against those found wanting.
“I think there is a danger when a leader over fraternizes with his subordinates, when matters of this nature arises he is held hostage, he can’t act cleanly because he has over fraternised. It is always important for leaders to keep a distance from subordinates it is important when you assume the office of President and appoint cabinet you take a distance from your colleagues because that arms length distance enables you to take action but when you bring everyone close to a point were you even fail to act that in itself effectively renders you a completely importent President who can’t act,” he said.
But Government Spokesperson Mulenga Kampamba on Wednesday told Parliament that the Zambian Government did not engage in any inappropriate as it only facilitated the export of the maize by waiving the ban of the exportation of the commodity.
On the names mentioned in the report by the committee in Malawi Ms Kampamba said she would not comment on the findings in Malawi because she had no jurisdictions.
While the Zambian Government continue to deny its involvement the investigations in Malawi revealed that the Malawian Minister of Agriculture was aided by his counterpart from Zambia in the questionable maize deal.
It makes one wonder if the Malawian committee was wrongfully accusing “Smart Dora” of being involved in the maize deal which has led to the firing of her counterpart whom “she aided in the importation of maize from Zambia.”
Msoni is foolish