Masumba defends Lungu over foreign trips

Tue, 13 Dec 2016 14:55:01 +0000

By MUKOSELA KASALWE

IT IS archaic and petty politicking for the UPND to criticize President Lungu over foreign travel when the trips have proved to be beneficial to the country, says former Patriotic Front (PF) Mufumbwe Member of Parliament Steven Masumba.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Masumba said that that it was old fashioned and petty politicking for the UPND to criticize President Lungu over foreign trips when they had actually proved to be beneficial to the country, stating that the opposition party was only interested to get in power.

He said that Zambia was not an island or a country which did not believe in the importance of bilateral relations; whenever the President went out of the country he interacted with the business community and that the results were there for all to see through pronouncements made.

‘‘It is sad, archaic and cheap policing for the opposition leaders and more importantly the UPND who have continued challenging the President on his movements which is quite sad because these trips have proved to be beneficial to the country.

‘‘Even at a personal level you need to associate with other people and it is those same people who will bring influence as well as change; what the President is doing is interacting with other countries to attract various investors,’’ he said.

Mr Masumba  said that the criticism coming from the UPND was not genuine but that it was only desperate for power and that the Zambian people should realize that the party did not mean well.

He said the opposition should be ashamed of some of their criticism as they would be the same people to criticize President Lungu if he were just to remain in the country.

‘‘I think the opposition must be ashamed with some of their criticism as much as we welcome divergent views but let them be genuine.

‘‘The challenge we feel we have with these people is that if the President chose to remain in State House they will be the same people to say ‘look at this President, he is a loner’. No, long ago during the Presidential inauguration they were the ones blowing trumpets that only a few other Presidents had come to attend the event.

‘‘But I know that the Zambian people are able to see that they do not mean well,’’ he said.

Mr Masumba, a former deputy Sports minister, said that through the President’s influence mega power investors such as Aliko Dangote had come to the country and that the situation had helped stabilize the prices of cement as there was no longer a monopoly on the market.