I TOLD Edgar Lungu to follow Michael Sata’s footsteps who used to say that he was allergic to corruption, Chishimba Kambwili told residents of Mpatamatu in Luanshya.
Drumming up support for NDC’s Roan candidate Joseph Chishala in Mpatamatu section 22, 23, 24 and 25, Kambwili told the crowd that he had reservations about entrusting a drunkard and thief with the country’s resources.
He said he told people that visited his house to convince him how President Lungu should be supported for the presidency when the man was a drunkard who also stole K39,000 for a widow when he was a practicing lawyer.
Kambwili said it was sad that after promising to fight corruption and take care of the needy in society, President Lungu has been doing the opposite.
“I told Lungu that promise us that what Sata used to do is what you will also be doing…follow his footsteps. Sata used to say that he was allergic to corruption, so we also want you to fight corruption. We also want you to care for the underprivileged and we told him to know that Zambians are not only entitled to good living, it’s their birthright…we asked him if he was agreeable, he said yes and that’s how we supported him,” Kambwili explained.
He said him and others campaigned for President Lungu who had no capacity to speak fluently.
Kambwili said President Lungu’s failure to address issues saw him elude a BBC journalist in the USA.
He said in three years as President, Lungu has never held a press conference to inform the nation of what his government was doing.
“I even told the rest to go for campaigns in the southern part, then me and [Davis] Chama who was the secretary general we said let’s go to Copperbelt, Northern, Luapula and Solwezi. That’s how we started the campaign. I would fly in the helicopter because he himself does not know how to speak properly. When he is talking to you it’s hard to hear what he is saying…that’s why three years in office now, no press conference, alatina ukulanda nabantu (he is scared of talking to people),” Kambwili said. “He went to America and when BBC wanted to interview him he said, ‘I am not ready’, what a disgrace. A President of a country shunning the media, ukwishiba ati tapaba. Filya mumona balanda fyakubalembela tebalemba (his shunning of the media means he knows nothing. What you see him say is not written by him), So to tell him to speak without a written speech you would see that he knows nothing. You would hear him say ‘open a bottle of Castle beer’.”
The former Roan PF member of parliament said it takes an intelligent person to run a country.
“I beg you, as you go to vote, look at your children who are in school, who are unable to go to school… Since we began that programme of educating those that could not afford to pay, I have educated 7,000 of the orphaned children,” Kambwili said. “This number is for those at secondary school level and those in universities and colleges are many. Some are engineers, so working for people does not mean one has to be in the ruling party. I started when I was in opposition.”
He urged Chishala to live among the people of Roan just like he did.
Kambwili said even when he was minister, every weekend he would go back to Luanshya because he dedicated Saturday to solve and hear people’s problems in the constituency.
He said going back to Luanshya was a norm that was known even by Sata.
Kambwili warned Roan residents against being bribed with cash by people who have made themselves filthy rich amid people’s suffering.