.Hakainde Hichilem

By REBECCA MUSHOTA –

STATE House has advised United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema to tone down on his political rhetoric because it is irritating Zambians.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations George Chellah said yesterday that Zambia was bigger than any individual.
He said in a statement that it was the desire of everyone to move forward with all progressive forces and not people like Mr Hichilema who was driven by unguarded ambition and self-aggrandisement.
Mr Chellah said Mr Hichilema seemed to be obsessed with his voice and that he was so disillusioned to the extent of believing his own propaganda.
He said the opposition leader’s view that the Constitution-making process would revive his consistently dwindling political fortunes was misconceived.
“If he doesn’t wake up soon, he will suffer a rude political shock in 2016. Let him realise that currently the country is calm and peaceful, the ‘tension and acrimony’ he is referring to only exists in his mind particularly that he is bitter and angry all the time and offers no objective checks and balances to the elected Government.
“Clearly, he is a victim of an inherited political vision. We wish the late Anderson K. Mazoka [MHSRIP] had lived longer and saved us from the current trial and error headship in the UPND,” Mr Chellah said.
He said the late Mr Mazoka’s shoes had proved to be a hundredfold bigger than Mr Hichilema’s because the amount of unrepentant anger and unpatriotism he carried was the opposite of who the late leader was and stood for.
“The truth is the UPND urgently requires a new and mature person in charge if they are serious about keeping Mr Mazoka’s vision afloat.
“Mr Hichilema needs to be reminded that his cantankerous political rhetoric is irritating the Zambian people as there is nothing new in his daily submissions about various national issues that are laced with pessimism and doomed prophecies. Besides, his jaundiced analysis always appears hapless and abortive,” Mr Chellah said.
He said Government had had a robust agenda to get Zambia working again, and that its contract was with the millions of Zambians and not leaders with pessimistic, poisoned and divisive minds like Mr Hichilema’s.
“We reiterate that we seek positive engagement with various stakeholders concerning the affairs of this country.
“Zambia is bigger than all of us and it’s our desire to move forward with all progressive forces and not people like Mr Hichilema who is driven by unguarded ambition and self-aggrandisement,” Mr Chella said.