HICHILEMA’S UK TRIP, SHOCKING! HE WANTS TO BE ADDRESSED AS “Dr.” SAYS KALABA
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Kalaba has described the trip to United Kingdom President Hakainde Hichilema has undertaken as shocking.
This comes after President Hichilema who has since arrived in London left the country Monday night.
On the picture President Hichilema with his wife Mutinta and Zambia’s High Commissioner to UK, Machenje Mazoka on Tuesday on his arrival in that country.
But Kalaba who is also one of the opposition alliance UKA member of the Presidential Council has penned a statement below punching holes in Hichilema’s trip:
Whoever is advising Mr Hichilema on International Relations is ill informed in terms of setting out priorities.
Either President HH doesn’t have well-schooled advisors, or he is simply ignoring the advice he is given, In my view he should have prioritised his fellow SADC colleague’s inauguration Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa especially that Zambia is the Current SADC chairperson of the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security instead of rushing to the UK for a speaking event. These are the very elections our former Vice President Enock Kavindele went to monitor on his behalf. Its shameful Mr President. Shunning events like the swearing-in of fellow SADC Presidents and missing other top-level events on the continent only alienates Zambia from its neighbours further for the first time in almost 60 years of independence.
It’s noteworthy´ that President Hichilema did not attend the burial ceremony of the fallen vice President of Malawi Saulos Chilima and has ´skipped´ congratulating regional leaders on their elections several times.
We are aware that President Hichilema is doing the bidding for the UK for self-serving purposes and not for the greater good of Zambia and SADC.
We understand he is begging for an honorary degree because he wants to start being called “Dr HH” and for that he just wantonly ignores SADC, what a shame.
The next government that takes over Zambia in 2026 will have a huge task re establishing good diplomatic relations after President Hichilema´s exit because, the damage he has done in just about three years is too much.
Zambia has become a ´laughingstock´ in continental diplomacy since Mr Hichilema became President.
Harry Kalaba
President,
Citizens First,
Member of the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA).