Kambwili bitter populist

Sun, 12 Mar 2017 08:34:03 +0000

IT is clear Mr. Chishimba Kambwili has set himself a course of being a bitter and highly vociferous critic of the Patriotic Front (PF) as he is cheered on by opposition UPND.

He has become a darling of the opposition and negative clique. Each time he rises in Parliament, the opposition is assured of a controversial and negative voice against the Government.

In his constituency he has chosen the populist path, second guessing Government even for policies that he may have contributed while serving as Cabinet Minister.

In Luanshya, he has turned an industrial issue of re-hiring retrenched miners into a political ploy, disregarding the role of both the Unions and the Ministry responsible for labour.

The obvious intention is to position himself for 2021.

His quest to gain popularity over and above the party to which he claims to represent has extended him to extremes and always against the tide of reality.

For example, Mr Kambwili was among the first to criticise a non-existent and totally bogus and ridiculous Government directive to restrict hours of driving for public service vehicle (PSV) to four hours.

No such directive had been issued and yet he was prepared to comment, of course in the negative.

He had not done any research or contacted the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) or any authoritative body to verify facts but he was prepared to go on record opposing the policy.

Such is the desperation of Mr. Kambwili.

There is urgent need for the PF to find means of curtailing this outlandish and inflammatory statements which generally appeal to the public.

His foray into the mining industry especially in relation to the plight of ex-miners is sensitive and of far reaching economic implication.

His populist antics will no doubt appeal to desperate ex-miners who they will consider as a saviour because Government and the ruling party have failed to protect their interest.

He has constituted a 10-man committee of ex-miners to pressure Government to order the Chinese-owned CNMC Luanshya Copper Mine’s Baluba Underground to re-engage all 1600.

Mr Kambwili is not concerned with the economic and practical realities, he simply wants to be seen as the man who forced Government to do something for retrenched miners. Failure to recruit all the 1600 miners will be seen as failure on the part of the Government.

Ostensibly, Mr Kambwili is suggesting that Government has failed. This is utter nonsense and he must be stopped to ensure tranquillity prevails in our country.

Using the full glare of the media, he has instituted a team of 10 ex-miners to travel to Lusaka to meet republican Vice-President Inonge Wina to protest against their non-engagement. This is highly populist and certainly otiose and self-seeking.

The Provincial Minister Honourable Lusambo has been fully engaged in discussion with the mines. He has been fully briefed about the economic and financial imperatives that the Mine is facing and has undoubtedly briefed Cabinet which includes the Vice President.

At the same time the labour movement has not gone to sleep. It is alive to the situation and is familiar with the situation on the ground.

Mr Kambwili must sober up or be made to sober up because his populist approach to issues will cause alarm, despondency and instability in the long run.

The type of hooliganism propagated by Mr Kambwili as exhibited by his display of unpalatable language in Parliament last Friday is unacceptable and a threat to orderliness.

Since his dismissal from Government, Mr Kambwili has turned himself int0 a rebel within the PF party and has become antagonistic with fellow party members. He vents his bitterness at whoever he imagines is working against his political ambitions.

While urging Mr Kambwili to tone down in his language and be realistic in his manner of looking at things, we urge the party to seriously consider a final stint of dialogue to dissuade him from destroying the party from within.