Finally the 4th session of Parliament has been opened by HE Michael Chilufya Sata. There are a number of issues that one can choose to discuss on the event of yesterday, the 19th September 2014 at Parliament. I would like to look issue of the Presidents health. I will dwell more on his health because I have not read the full speech which the President did not read very well to make an objective and informed comment. I will make comments after accessing it sooner than later. Like have stated many times that our President is not well, yesterday my assertions from what we saw, were proved correct. Certainly our President has not been enjoying good health and there are so many indications to ascertain this fact. Unfortunately a number of people have questioned my intentions each time I have spoken about the il-health of the President, but I would like to state it, like I have done in the past, that I love our President and I have no reason to wish him ill. On the contrary I always wish him well and pray for him. Why speak about the President’s health? It is folly to ignore the health of the President of any nation because he is at the centre of everything in the centralized governance system like ours. The President is like a locomotive engine which pulls all the wagons carrying policy cargo such as economic policies, agriculture, education, health and many other national policies. If the locomotive engine slows down, everything follows suit. The analogue is exactly the same with a governance system. If the President is not well, it is highly unlikely that things in the Country will move normally, something somewhere is bound to go amiss. Well meaning Zambians cannot fail to see the ramifications of the current poor health of the President that has characterized Zambia for number of months now. The wrangles in the party are so apparent, which would not be the case if the King Cobra is at his best. In terms of governance, you can overwhelmingly feel the inertia in many government workers and yet many were scared for their jobs due to their poor performance. The Sata we have today is not the same one who rocked the Ministry of Health in 1995. Nurses used to fear to sleep just in case he (Sata) walks into the hospital. But today, no government worker is scared of President Sata because he is confined to State House. Policies on the economic front keep oscillating in the absence of an affirmative voice of the President. Our workers voted and danced to have Sata as their President so that they can be liberated from ruthless and disrespectful employers but today, they have their minister cutting deals at Inter-continental and later on crying foul after failing to mint. Corruption is as smelly as chicken dang in the infrastructure contracts. Zambians are not benefiting substantially apart from being employed as traffic controllers and cement-mixers. The King Cobra I know, in good health would do much more in all these areas. It is not Sata’s Fault so why Lie? However, health issues are beyond every human power no matter what status or position you hold. As a strong Christian believer, I only look up to God when it comes to health. President Sata has not chosen to be sick of whatever he may be suffering from. It is natural to get sick and we must sympathize. I do sympathize and pray for our President with a genuine heart. What has displeased me in the poor health of the President is the lies that has characterized it. At no point has anyone come out clean to announce that the President is not well. Instead people have been lying through their teeth that the President is fit and working. Surely is what they have been saying correlated with what we saw yesterday at parliament or in Mukushi and Zambezi. All those people who have spoken so vehemently of the good health of the President must be ashamed of themselves for not speaking the truth. Facts were laid bare when we saw our President; he is not well as they have been purporting. Who is Responsible for the President Sata’s Health? While I condemn those who have been lying on the Presidents health, I hold President Sata himself and the First family responsible. The sickness of any person is very private in spite of the position one holds in the Country. We can discuss his health but only to a point where it affects the person’s performance as a public worker. It is not necessary to know what exactly is wrong because the individual has a right to his privacy. It is enough to announce that someone is sick, and whether he can still carry on his duties or not. That said, I wonder why President and the government officials have not come out clean on this matter. The law is on their side in that, falling sick is not an automatic disqualification from Presidency. Further the law allows a President to take leave after appointing someone to act. On the other hand, the President still enjoys an overwhelming goodwill from many Zambians and therefore they would be on his side in times of difficulties. All considered, the President does not need to strain himself to prove what he is not at this point in time. I, therefore, think that the people around him have failed to advise him so that he can take it easy and still enjoy his position as an elected President and the goodwill of the Zambians. The first family must also be held responsible for failure to give confidence in the President that to them he is their head of the family, a father, a grandfather a man they love and would want him health before being President. I know President Sata has a strong character but he also listens. Conclusion It is clear the president is not well, so no one should continue making a fool of himself by stating facts other than what we have seen. The president needs to be supported during this difficult time and advised to take it easy to allow full recuperation. The law is there to be used in this situation and enjoy the good will of Zambians. Let us pray: May the Good Lord bless our President, give him good health, strength and wisdom so that he can govern this Nation which you have bestowed on him when you allowed Zambians to elect him. Through Christ our Lord – Amen
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:33:03 +0000