Govt blasts Hichilema

GOVERNMENT has called on Zambians and United Party for National Development (UPND) members to question the credibility of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema as a political leader.

In a statement issued yesterday, chief Government spokesperson Mwansa Kapeya said the remarks attributed to Mr Hichilema that he was happy to have called back President Michael Sata from ‘malingering’ in the United Kingdom (UK) should leave Zambians wondering if the opposition leader was fit to be a political leader.

“Remarks attributed to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema in The Post edition of Monday, February 10, are at best disappointing.

“Zambians, including UPND members, should, if they have not already started, begin questioning his fitness as a political leader,” Mr Kapeya said.

He said Government was also happy that President Sata’s trip to the UK had exposed Mr Hichilema’s level of understanding of the duties of the President.

This, he said, should make the Zambian people begin to question whether he deserved to be the president of a serious opposition party and later on of Zambia.

Mr Kapeya, who is Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, said Mr Hichilema should know that even when the President was on leave, he did not abandon his duties.

He said Mr Hichilema had earlier misinformed the nation that President Sata had been flown to India for treatment and now that the Head of State was back, it was difficult for the opposition leader to remain credible.

“Mr Hichilema should not talk about the President ‘malingering in the UK’, he should inform us about how the President is recovering in India since he reported about the alleged illness,” he said.

Mr Kapeya said Mr Hichilema should realise that there could only be one President at a time as that would help him with his health.

He said the opposition leader was still recovering from the 2011 election defeat.

Times of Zambia