‘Childish’ Katuka under fire

THE call by Stephen Katuka to sell the Presidential jet is childish, former United Party for National Development (UPND) presidential advisor Edward Mumbi said yesterday.

Mr Katuka is the national secretary of the UPND.

In an interview Mr Mumbi described Mr Katuka’s suggestion that Government sell the presidential jet as not only childish and silly but inhuman.

Such suggestions could only come from a small mind and silly.

He said envy would not take the UPND membership and leadership anywhere but only continue to diminish the party.

Mr Mumbi said it was disheartening that the entire UPND membership could not offer solutions to what was affecting the country but concentrated on politics of bitterness and envy.

It was shocking that a group of UPND members had no imagination what to offer to Zambians.

“All they do is bring issues that have no substance,” Mr Mumbi said.

He was reacting to remarks by Mr Katuka that President Lungu should sell the presidential jet and use the proceeds for importation of power from South Africa.

Mr Katuka said the decision to increase electricity tariffs was irresponsible and a sign of poor leadership by the Patriotic Front.

He also said the proceeds from the sale of the presidential jet could be used to cushion the hunger situation in the country.

But Mr Mumbi said it would be very dangerous to entrust power into the hands of a political party with members whose bitterness and frustration from a string of electoral defeats since 2006 had effectively impaired their normal thinking.

“The problem with the UPND is that they are too pretentious. They think if they formed government they will be using bicycles to travel in their quest to develop the country,” he said.

“You don’t need to sell the presidential jet to import power. Only a mind which is very small can think like that. In terms of power we should be looking at it from the wind approach and not bringing in senseless ideas.”

UPND leaders should be thinking clearly and seeing beyond their noses to give sensible solutions to the current situation the country was facing.

“They should be talking about encouraging investment in the energy sector and people can see sense in them,” Mr Mumbi said.

He said the UPND leadership was becoming personal and petty, which had become a source of worry.

“If the UPND formed government by accident they will even fail to understand what to do for the Zambians,” Mr Mumbi said. .