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VETERAN politician Elias Chipimo Senior has showered glowing praises on his lawyer-turned-politician son, describing him as a man of un-matching integrity and character.
Mr Chipimo, who was speaking on Hot FM’s Red Hot Breakfast show, praised his son Elias, the leader of the opposition National Restoration Party (NAREP), as someone who is intelligent and full of integrity.
Mr Chipimo Senior, a former diplomat, said Elias junior, a lawyer, is not into politics to make money or earn a living.
Mr Chipimo, who trained as a teacher but turned politician, said Elias is already spending too much money on his political programmes.
“He [Elias] has one quality, he has integrity and in fact he isn’t in it for money, for the start. He is spending too much money for what he has but he is dedicated,” he said.
Mr Chipimo said he has had discussions with Elias Junior in an effort to persuade him to reduce spending his resources on his political programmes.
“I discussed this with him before he took on the task and said to him that if I were you, things are so bad, I would have to step in to try and check that,” Mr Chipimo Sr said.
Mr Chipimo also talked about his children’s growing up and described Elias Junior as the most difficulty during his childhood.
“He [Elias] has heard this before. He was an extremely difficult character when he was young. Perhaps of my seven children, the most difficult very clever but loved to play too much.
“He would come home with packs full of marbles and things he toiled with and played with at school.
“His mother would ask him ‘have you got any homework to do?” ‘he would say no! mum.
“At 3 o’clock in the morning he would wake up and realises that school teacher would be asking him, ‘where is your homework?”.
“He would come crying and knocking on the [bedroom] door, saying mum homework. She was so incensed, she would always pinch him by the cheeks and then he cried and then she sat him to start doing the homework,” he recalled.
Meanwhile, Mr Chipimo said political opportunists who lack vision have caused confusion in the country and have not inspired the young generation.
“There is confusion in the country because of opportunists who just dream of something to do and in next morning they change their mind. There is no direction in that kind of situation,” he said.
Mr Chipimo said because of such opportunists, Zambia has lacked inspiration with which it was founded.
“When we fought the battle against colonialists, we wanted to be free and when we became free, we began to tie ourselves in our chains…,” he said.
Mr Chipimo commended President Kaunda for managing the country even at the time when Zambia was going to war with then Southern Rhodesia and South Africa.
He also said that there has been no progression on young leaders getting into public office.
