JACK Kalala says President Edgar Lungu is a sadist, whose conduct is beneath that of Republican President.
Kalala is former special assistant to president Levy Mwanawasa for policy and project implementation and monitoring.
President Lungu would turn exactly six years in State House on January 23 this year.
In a statement, Kalala stated that one would expect that President Lungu would mature and develop some presidential qualities and conduct himself accordingly.
He said it was unfortunate that such has not been the case with President Lungu.
“He continues to exhibit the uncultured mentality of incivility and cadreism,” Kalala stated.
Last Thursday, airport authorities at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka blocked UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema from flying to Ndola.
Hichilema was scheduled to attend the burial of Copperbelt Province UPND youth chairman Ronald Bwalya Manenga in Kitwe.
Manenga died in a road accident on the Ndola-Kitwe dual carriageway, on his way to Ndola.
President Lungu was visiting some Copperbelt Province towns from Thursday to Saturday.
Kalala complained that instead of showing sympathy and empathy, at least for the sake of the bereaved family, President Lungu directed the police to block Hichilema from attending Manenga’s funeral.
“He also decided to travel to the Copperbelt on the pretext of inspecting projects. This conduct is not only inhumane and inconsiderate under the circumstances but also unbecoming of a Republican President,” he stated. “One wonders whether he consults his advisors for advice and guidance before taking certain actions.”
He stated that the illogical conduct only exposed President Lungu to be a failed leadership project.
Kalala noted that national leadership was a serious undertaking that required serious mindedness, purposefulness, magnanimity and selflessness.
“Unfortunately, President Lungu lacks these fundamental qualities of leadership. He has lamentably failed to provide the necessary leadership needed in our democratic dispensation,” Kalala stated.
He wondered how the President could fly to the Copperbelt, “wasting public resources, for the sole purpose of blocking a citizen to attend a funeral of a fellow citizen?”
“Isn’t this being inhumane, heartless, insensitive and inconsiderate? Isn’t this lacking love for the neighbour?” Kalala asked. “It is barbaric and disgusting that a Head of State should engage in such mean and despicable conduct for political reasons.”
Kalala added that President Lungu’s irrational conduct showed that he was happy at Manenga’s tragic death, for having been a UPND youth official.
“To President Lungu, Manenga’s death was good riddance and it gave him satisfaction and pleasure,” he stated. “He even found it right to undertake an unnecessary trip to the Copperbelt to block HH from attending the funeral so that HH could be seen in bad light and as not caring for his deceased party member and the bereaved family. This is being sadistic and beneath the conduct of a Republican President who should be there for every citizen.”
Kalala stated that President Lungu has proved beyond any doubt that he has failed to provide the necessary leadership to the nation.
He added that the best that Zambians could do was to retire President Lungu in national interest on August 12 this year.
“In any case, he has already served six years out of the 10 years provided for in the Constitution. To elect him for another term of five years would lead to a constitutional crisis,” stated Kalala.