Lungu should swallow his pride and dialogue – Kalaba
By Staff Reporter
Democratic Party 2021 presidential candidate Harry Kalaba has challenged President Edgar Lungu to swallow his pride and realize that dialogue is a give and take process.
Speaking in a telephone interview with NewsDayZambia.com yesterday, Kalaba urged President Lungu to humble himself by talking to other politicians saying, “the one who should be humble enough is the one who has the instruments of power”.
Kalaba stressed the need to allow the church with historical record to lead the dialogue process.
“You remember in 1990 it was the church that was at the center of the dialogue process. When it came to debt cancellation it was the church again that was at the center. There can be no better institution to lead the process. I will be part of the dialogue process if the church continues to take the lead and not the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID) that has been playing double standards. This kind of thing can’t work. I leave it to them to sort it out with the church,” he said.
And when pressed to explain his conspicuous absence at the interparty dialogue meeting at Kapingila House on 28th December 2018, Kalaba was quick to point out that “its not a question of me attending but it’s a question of me agreeing with the principle and I agree with the church in leading the process.”
Kalaba challenged politicians to talk to each other as it was the only way of solving national issues quickly.
“I did not resign from my position as foreign affairs Minister just to be part of some form of alliance. I have my own agenda for the Zambian people. I opted to put my convictions to taste for the Zambian people and I need all the time. I am part of the dialogue process but not the alliance,” he said when responding to the question of the 10 political parties working alliance.
And when asked what his new year message was for 2019, the Democratic Party leader directed this reporter to his facebook page where he said he had re-posted his one-year old ministerial resignation message.
“My fundamental belief is that my allegiance should not be with a position, Party or Person but it must be with the country and its people. My conscious and everything I am have directed me to choose the country over my individual comfort. To some, this may appear like an act of defiance, yet to those close to me, to those who have watched me wreath in perpetual pain and mourn over my country, this may more or less be a relief because I have finally found peace in my mind and heart even in the face of losing the comfort that the position of Minister brings to give both expression and action to what I believe in,” read the post in part.
Kalaba was absent at the dialogue meeting that over 30 opposition parties attended last week despite his party representatives being in attendance.
The Dialogue process generally evoked an overwhelming response which saw notable political parties that have been advocating for the process like UPND and National Democratic Congress (NDC) being represented by their leaders Hakainde Hichilema and Chishimba Kambwili respectively. But perhaps the Socialist Party 2021 presidential candidate Fred M’membe’s surprise entry could have been the one that stole the show.
