BALLY HAS FAILED TO ‘FIX IT’
… but he wants people to be clapping – Kateka
- He is behaving like a starring in a movie who wants to win everything
- He came with wrong motive to fix people and not to govern
By Tony Nkhoma
NEW Heritage Party president Chishala Kateka says President Hakainde Hichilema conducts himself like the main actor in a movie who wants to win every battle instead of executing his role as President mandated to run the affairs of the nation.
Speaking when she featured on Hot FM’s Hot Seat Programme on Tuesday, Kateka said it was unfortunate Zambia was currently being ruled by a President who was acting like a star wanting to win everything even when had lost.
“Zambia does not need a star in a President where everyone should be clapping even when things are wrong. He went to the government with the motive that he was going to fix it, but he has failed and he wants people to be clapping,” Kateka said
She said Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) came into power with the wrong motive to fix the people instead of governing them.
Kateka urged the UPND members not to be clapping for everything, even wrong things being done by their leader and party.
“They keep clapping to so many promises Hichilema sugar coated in pretext of fixing it which has openly failed,” Kateka said.
She said Zambians were suffering especially with the ongoing power outages which had affected their productivity.
“He said he was going to fix the country but Zambians are going through extreme energy challenges. People of Zambia are finding challenges because of the long hours of load shedding,” Kateka said.
Kateka said Hichilema and the UPND missed an opportunity to leave a good legacy for Zambians and the country because he assumed presidency with sinister motives.
“Hichilema leaves a legacy and a trajectory of killing the democratic space where the opposition are denied their freedom of assembly and speech,” Kateka said.
She said the opposition was in the process of electing a leader to contest next year’s general elections.
Kateka said the chosen leader would have a tangible plan to liberate Zambians and improve their lives.
She said Hichilema should have followed on the trajectory of former presidents who helped build the democratic space of the country
“No we haven’t been given enough space and room to thrive. The opposition has struggled to find space in the political space because they have been tormented,” Kateka said
She said the democratic space had shrunk under the leadership of Hichilema and the UPND.
“I feel we struggled in the previous general elections in terms of space. It’s unfortunate. What legacy will Hichilema have when leaving office, where the democratic space in the country has shrunk,” Kateka said.
She said Hichilema and the UPND only have a year in power to pave the way for the opposition leader.
Kateka says Hichilema was the only Zambian leader who would leave a bad legacy of only jailing his political opponents.
“As opposition, we can’t have a rally. Even for me to go and meet a number of our members, I have to get a police permit. The law does not say get a permit but inform the police. But even if you inform the police, they will still come back and tell you not to assemble,” Kateka said.
She said the United Front was more than ready to provide leadership to Zambians in the 2026 general elections
“It is very key to who we want to become as a national leader. We need a leader with national aspirations. We need a leader who does not just go into politics to save interest in sectoral groups,” Kateka said.
She said Zambia did not need a star president but needed a leader who could listen to the various economic challenges facing Zambians.
