By CHUSA SICHONE
in Kawambwa
PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has said Zambia is not a ‘Cinderella Republic’ where anyone can come and speak as they wish and meddle in the affairs of the country in a bullish manner.
The President warned that external forces will continue to try to ‘bully’ Zambia if the country remains dependent on handouts from outsiders.
President Lungu observed that over-dependency on handouts led to oppression and that was the reason some foreigners thought they owned Zambia and wanted to dictate the running of the country’s affairs.
Speaking to journalists after concluding a tour of the Kala Marine Barracks in Kawambwa yesterday, President Lungu challenged Zambians to be self-reliant and to fully utilise the natural resources the country was endowed with.
“Why should we be importing vegetables? Why should we be looking elsewhere? We can generate wealth within our territory. No one will respect us if we become economically dependent on outsiders.
“That’s why they also want to transgress into our political arena and begin telling us what to do. You are free politically, but economically if you are not free; you are not a free person,” he said.
He likened that to a home scenario where a neighbour wanted to meddle into a couple’s marital disputes just, because he paid rentals for them.

• PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu inspects a guard of honor on arrival at KARA Barracks in Kawambwa where Government is constructing 995 housing units for the 48 Marine Commandos. Picture by ALEX MUKUKA/ZANIS

President Lungu said Zambia was a sovereign State and thus he did not want anyone to undermine that, as was the case in other African countries.
“People think that they can bully us because our economy is weak, so let’s strengthen our economy. Politically, we are very strong, but economically, we are weak. So because we are weak (economically) they think they can twist us,” he said.
He added; “But what am seeing now is that people think that Zambia is a Cinderella Republic, where they can come and try to push us in the corner and try to tell us, ‘no, arrest that one, no release that one. We will not do that, but we are going to strive to retain our Independence politically and economically,” President Lungu said.
Mr Lungu noted that First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda and his friends did not liberate Zambia in vain as they wanted the country to be free from external influence and oppression.