FORGIVE AND GET TO WORK, SINKAMBA URGES HH
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema must emulate other lead ers like Nelson Mandela by forgiving all those who al legedly wronged and scan dalized him because he has a duty to deliver on his prom ises and not lamentations, Green party president, Peter Sinkamba has said.
In an interview, Mr Sinkamba observed that the President needs to quickly discard the narrative of com plaining and pointing fingers at those he perceived as enemies.
He was commenting on the statement the President made when he interacted with the media during the World Press Freedom Day Conference held in Lusaka on Wednesday. The President accused some media houses of deliberately scandalizing him and calling him a Satanist when he was in the opposition.
The opposition leader said that the President must not resort to taking on or hitting back at those who wronged him because he was supposed to provide answers and not lamentations.
He pointed out that one thing that was common among leaders was that they all went through some form of victimization.
He cited the likes of the late first Republican President, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda and the late first democratic President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela as notable examples to emulate.
Mr. Sinkamba said that Dr Kaunda would have resorted to hitting back at Britain after independence, but he chose not to and today Zambia was reaping the benefits of his forgiveness.
He also noted that Nelson Mandela did not also hit back at his adversaries, but pro moted forgiveness and recon ciliation. He said that without this, South Africa would not have been an economic pow erhouse in Africa today.
The Green Party leader therefore pleaded with the President to forgive all those who wronged him so that he can serve the public with a free mind.
He said that holding grudg es against some sections of society for past wrongs was a distractor that must be avoid ed though painful.
He was hopeful that the President would find it in his heart to resist the temptation for public lamentations which had a potential of creating negative perceptions that would be difficult to undo.