Bishop Chihana
Lusaka Clergy Bishop Simon Chihana has taken a swipe against President Lungu for issing tribal remarks.
Bishop Chihana says he is dismayed by the recently tribal language used by President Lungu against his challenger Hakainde Hichilema of UPND.
Bishop Chihana said this in aa statement to Zambian Eye this morning:
We are completely dismayed by the tribal utterances of the Republican President Mr Edgar Lungu, which he continues to make against his political opponents and particularly Mr Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND.
The President’s remarks made at the political rally in Senanga are very unfair and unfortunate, especially that he is a signatory to the memorandum of understanding that was made at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the presence of God through the servants of God, by which he is supposed to abide by.
The remarks related to Honorable Sakwiba Sikota as one who should have been the one to have taken from the late Anderson Mazoka are not in good taste at any level of politics and especially that he took the smearing tribal campaign to the Lozi people who he knew well that they were of the same tribe with Mr. Sikota, this is totally a tribal remark of which by now we expect our senior politicians to have graduated from because it is even not long ago that the President made another tribal remark in eastern province, where he asked for the vote based on tribe as one being one of them. This does not occur well and we wonder how we can collectively fight tribalism in Zambia.
We challenge our politicians to be campaigning on issues only, such as high levels of poverty, non availability of medicines in hospitals, the unstable standards of education, high levels of unemployment and the fight against corruption.
As one who was part of the special guests to the convention at the Mulungushi Conference Centre and i personally opened the convention with prayer, it was to my full knowledge that there were nine provinces represented and Mr Hakainde Hichilema won from eight provinces and this never meant Mr Sikota was any less qualified, and if anything, Mr. Sikota was a great admiration in the UPND circles and at national level.
The definite position is that, all things happen with time and chance when opportunity is ceased, just like the way Dr. Nevers Mumba beat his rivals coming from behind.
Statement by: Bishop Simon Chihana
IFCC President