During an interview with ZNBC on September 7, 2014, President Lungu, who was then PF secretary general, Minister of Defence and Minister of Justice, said he had no intentions of seeking the office of Republican President because of his poor health.
Lungu said, when asked why he would not be interested in running for president, that the office of Head of State needed someone who could withstand its pressures.
“I have many reasons Grevazio, I have answered. I said the job is too demanding, my health can’t allow [it], I am diabetic and that position requires somebody who can handle all the pressures that comes in that office,” Lungu said then.
However, following president Michael Sata’s death last October, Lungu went ahead to contest the January 20 presidential poll, which he subsequently won after defeating 10 other hopefuls.
Commenting on the development, Senanga Central UPND member of parliament, Likando Mufalali, said opportunism had helped President Lungu’s progression in politics.
Mufalali, who is also UPND national youth chairperson, noted that just like the party he belonged to, the Head of State fell short of the truth and clarity on many issues.
“The crisis that we have is such that he is unable to manage, not because he is sick but because he has no capacity to manage and because he is one person who does not keep promises or who does not keep his word. The fact that he said he was unable to manage and he wouldn’t go for presidency as indicated on the 7th of September, I think he should have abided by that than for him to force himself on presidency,” he said yesterday. “Now he is unable to [function] due to various reasons and we are not going to celebrate anything; that is a misfortune on his side but we are going to say that the fact that he had actually known that he was unable to manage the country, I think is good enough that he should have stayed away and he could have left other people capable to manage this country than for him to throw himself when an opportunity arose. I think in short, he is an opportunitist who does not believe or abide by his word. Mr Lungu is an opportunist who actually has been diving on positions that remained vacant and he took advantage of certain situations at any given time [and] he was able to move on. So I think the PF, as a party I would say, is a party that has been saying what they do not believe in and Mr Edgar Lungu is a living example of saying what they don’t believe [in] and portray it as something that they believe in.”
Mufalali said President Lungu should shoulder the blame of him collapsing in public because all along, he knew that he was unwell.
“I think it is him to blame for failing to accept his condition when he actually knew about it, but the Zambian people are also to blame because he had told them that I cannot take [it] so I think on one hand, he is to blame because he knew his condition. After being told, I think the Zambian people should have adhered to that,” he said. “He was pushed, I think there are several greedy persons who surround him who really wanted him to come in and that’s why at any cost, they were pushing so that they win, even when it was apparent that things couldn’t work for them [but] he proceeded after promising the Zambian people that I cannot take the position of President because of my condition but because of his failure to adhere to himself, I think he has brought us to where we are here where we got embarrassed, collpsing in public.”
Mufalali further said with the PF’s trademark of ‘Don’t Kubeba’, its members had also started believing that everything should be shrouded in secrecy.
“The fact that the President himself who is heading the country at the moment at one time indicated that he was going to avoid the seat of the President because of his ailment, but he ended up going for it, I think is an indication that they don’t believe in anything, they don’t believe that the truth should be the only way to achieve or to lead the people,” he said.
Mufalali also urged the President to always remember the importance of living by one’s word.
Below is an extract of the verbatim between Lungu and ZNBC’s Grevazio Zulu on September 7, 2014:
Grevazio Zulu: If you are given an opportunity to run for [the Republican] president in an event that His Excellency President Michael Sata steps down would you go for it?
Lungu: Grevazio, I have acted now for many times on this position of President and I tell you this position isn’t an easy one, it’s a very demanding job. I have no interests and intentions of becoming President of this country.
Grevazio Zulu: You haven’t answered the entire question, sir. Why not go for it?
Lungu: I have many reasons, Grevazio. I have answered, I said the job is too demanding, my health can’t allow [it], I am diabetic and that position requires somebody who can handle all the pressures that comes in that office. I repeat Grevazio; I have no intentions of becoming President.
UPND
says President Edgar Lungu should have himself to blame for accepting
to become Head of State when he had earlier announced on ZNBC that he
could never agree to lead the country because he was diabetic.
During an interview with ZNBC on September 7, 2014, President Lungu, who was then PF secretary general, Minister of Defence and Minister of Justice, said he had no intentions of seeking the office of Republican President because of his poor health.
Lungu said, when asked why he would not be interested in running for president, that the office of Head of State needed someone who could withstand its pressures.
“I have many reasons Grevazio, I have answered. I said the job is too demanding, my health can’t allow [it], I am diabetic and that position requires somebody who can handle all the pressures that comes in that office,” Lungu said then.
However, following president Michael Sata’s death last October, Lungu went ahead to contest the January 20 presidential poll, which he subsequently won after defeating 10 other hopefuls.
Commenting on the development, Senanga Central UPND member of parliament, Likando Mufalali, said opportunism had helped President Lungu’s progression in politics.
Mufalali, who is also UPND national youth chairperson, noted that just like the party he belonged to, the Head of State fell short of the truth and clarity on many issues.
“The crisis that we have is such that he is unable to manage, not because he is sick but because he has no capacity to manage and because he is one person who does not keep promises or who does not keep his word. The fact that he said he was unable to manage and he wouldn’t go for presidency as indicated on the 7th of September, I think he should have abided by that than for him to force himself on presidency,” he said yesterday. “Now he is unable to [function] due to various reasons and we are not going to celebrate anything; that is a misfortune on his side but we are going to say that the fact that he had actually known that he was unable to manage the country, I think is good enough that he should have stayed away and he could have left other people capable to manage this country than for him to throw himself when an opportunity arose. I think in short, he is an opportunitist who does not believe or abide by his word. Mr Lungu is an opportunist who actually has been diving on positions that remained vacant and he took advantage of certain situations at any given time [and] he was able to move on. So I think the PF, as a party I would say, is a party that has been saying what they do not believe in and Mr Edgar Lungu is a living example of saying what they don’t believe [in] and portray it as something that they believe in.”
Mufalali said President Lungu should shoulder the blame of him collapsing in public because all along, he knew that he was unwell.
“I think it is him to blame for failing to accept his condition when he actually knew about it, but the Zambian people are also to blame because he had told them that I cannot take [it] so I think on one hand, he is to blame because he knew his condition. After being told, I think the Zambian people should have adhered to that,” he said. “He was pushed, I think there are several greedy persons who surround him who really wanted him to come in and that’s why at any cost, they were pushing so that they win, even when it was apparent that things couldn’t work for them [but] he proceeded after promising the Zambian people that I cannot take the position of President because of my condition but because of his failure to adhere to himself, I think he has brought us to where we are here where we got embarrassed, collpsing in public.”
Mufalali further said with the PF’s trademark of ‘Don’t Kubeba’, its members had also started believing that everything should be shrouded in secrecy.
“The fact that the President himself who is heading the country at the moment at one time indicated that he was going to avoid the seat of the President because of his ailment, but he ended up going for it, I think is an indication that they don’t believe in anything, they don’t believe that the truth should be the only way to achieve or to lead the people,” he said.
Mufalali also urged the President to always remember the importance of living by one’s word.
Below is an extract of the verbatim between Lungu and ZNBC’s Grevazio Zulu on September 7, 2014:
Grevazio Zulu: If you are given an opportunity to run for [the Republican] president in an event that His Excellency President Michael Sata steps down would you go for it?
Lungu: Grevazio, I have acted now for many times on this position of President and I tell you this position isn’t an easy one, it’s a very demanding job. I have no interests and intentions of becoming President of this country.
Grevazio Zulu: You haven’t answered the entire question, sir. Why not go for it?
Lungu: I have many reasons, Grevazio. I have answered, I said the job is too demanding, my health can’t allow [it], I am diabetic and that position requires somebody who can handle all the pressures that comes in that office. I repeat Grevazio; I have no intentions of becoming President.
- See more at: http://www.postzambia.com/news.php?id=6763#sthash.RbAqOqS7.dpuf
During an interview with ZNBC on September 7, 2014, President Lungu, who was then PF secretary general, Minister of Defence and Minister of Justice, said he had no intentions of seeking the office of Republican President because of his poor health.
Lungu said, when asked why he would not be interested in running for president, that the office of Head of State needed someone who could withstand its pressures.
“I have many reasons Grevazio, I have answered. I said the job is too demanding, my health can’t allow [it], I am diabetic and that position requires somebody who can handle all the pressures that comes in that office,” Lungu said then.
However, following president Michael Sata’s death last October, Lungu went ahead to contest the January 20 presidential poll, which he subsequently won after defeating 10 other hopefuls.
Commenting on the development, Senanga Central UPND member of parliament, Likando Mufalali, said opportunism had helped President Lungu’s progression in politics.
Mufalali, who is also UPND national youth chairperson, noted that just like the party he belonged to, the Head of State fell short of the truth and clarity on many issues.
“The crisis that we have is such that he is unable to manage, not because he is sick but because he has no capacity to manage and because he is one person who does not keep promises or who does not keep his word. The fact that he said he was unable to manage and he wouldn’t go for presidency as indicated on the 7th of September, I think he should have abided by that than for him to force himself on presidency,” he said yesterday. “Now he is unable to [function] due to various reasons and we are not going to celebrate anything; that is a misfortune on his side but we are going to say that the fact that he had actually known that he was unable to manage the country, I think is good enough that he should have stayed away and he could have left other people capable to manage this country than for him to throw himself when an opportunity arose. I think in short, he is an opportunitist who does not believe or abide by his word. Mr Lungu is an opportunist who actually has been diving on positions that remained vacant and he took advantage of certain situations at any given time [and] he was able to move on. So I think the PF, as a party I would say, is a party that has been saying what they do not believe in and Mr Edgar Lungu is a living example of saying what they don’t believe [in] and portray it as something that they believe in.”
Mufalali said President Lungu should shoulder the blame of him collapsing in public because all along, he knew that he was unwell.
“I think it is him to blame for failing to accept his condition when he actually knew about it, but the Zambian people are also to blame because he had told them that I cannot take [it] so I think on one hand, he is to blame because he knew his condition. After being told, I think the Zambian people should have adhered to that,” he said. “He was pushed, I think there are several greedy persons who surround him who really wanted him to come in and that’s why at any cost, they were pushing so that they win, even when it was apparent that things couldn’t work for them [but] he proceeded after promising the Zambian people that I cannot take the position of President because of my condition but because of his failure to adhere to himself, I think he has brought us to where we are here where we got embarrassed, collpsing in public.”
Mufalali further said with the PF’s trademark of ‘Don’t Kubeba’, its members had also started believing that everything should be shrouded in secrecy.
“The fact that the President himself who is heading the country at the moment at one time indicated that he was going to avoid the seat of the President because of his ailment, but he ended up going for it, I think is an indication that they don’t believe in anything, they don’t believe that the truth should be the only way to achieve or to lead the people,” he said.
Mufalali also urged the President to always remember the importance of living by one’s word.
Below is an extract of the verbatim between Lungu and ZNBC’s Grevazio Zulu on September 7, 2014:
Grevazio Zulu: If you are given an opportunity to run for [the Republican] president in an event that His Excellency President Michael Sata steps down would you go for it?
Lungu: Grevazio, I have acted now for many times on this position of President and I tell you this position isn’t an easy one, it’s a very demanding job. I have no interests and intentions of becoming President of this country.
Grevazio Zulu: You haven’t answered the entire question, sir. Why not go for it?
Lungu: I have many reasons, Grevazio. I have answered, I said the job is too demanding, my health can’t allow [it], I am diabetic and that position requires somebody who can handle all the pressures that comes in that office. I repeat Grevazio; I have no intentions of becoming President.
- See more at: http://www.postzambia.com/news.php?id=6763#sthash.RbAqOqS7.dpuf
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