By Staff Reporter
Former Foreign Affairs permanent secretary George Zulu says he wants his friend Colonel Panji Kaunda, who has been appointed High Commissioner to Malawi, to prove the young people wrong that old men can do it better.
And Ambassador Zulu said President Hakainde Hichilema is lucky to have “an economic doctor” Brenthurst Foundation’s Greg Mills as his friend, in order to help address “the mess created by the criminals who turned our country into a failed state.”
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Zulu, who also served as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy and as Zambia’s top diplomat to Japan and Australia, urged Col Panji not to “emulate the likes of Emmanuel Mwamba and the others” by engaging in partisan politics, but serve as a true senior civil servant.
“And I want him to prove to those who are saying they have sent an old man, the young people, that old men do better. Let him bring the Mchinji Railway Line back to life and bring back the growth triangle involving Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique which was started by the United Nations in terms of trade,” Amb Zulu said.
He urged Col Panji to be all embracing to all Zambians regardless of their political party affiliation, religion, race, language and gender in the same manner he said he handled matters which caused him to be fired from the diplomatic service by then president Fredrick Chiluba after he welcomed Dr Kenneth Kaunda, and that he was also fired from Australia by president Edgar Lungu over suspicions that he was sympathetic to the then opposition UPND.
And Ambassador Zulu said he was saddened with the attacks South Africa’s Greg Mills and President Hakainde Hichilema were facing over their friendship.
“UPND found Zambia broke. The PF under their leadership turned this country into a failed state. So the mess created by the criminals who turned our country into that rot should know that we need doctors now, that can help us fix the mess. Greg Mills and his team have worked on the reconstruction and democratization of a whole range of African States and enjoy the confidence of the UN and even the AU,” Amb Zulu said. “In fact Greg Mills is not new to Zambia. That’s why former president Lungu said we are not good at reading, otherwise we would know that Greg Mills was here under Rupiah Banda in 2010 and even with president Lungu in 2016.”
He said he was saddened that Mills was being singled out as an “outside advisor” simply because “he is white and not black, and therefore represents the imperialists interests.”
“He’s a white African. If he was black these poisonous voices would not be there. We are very happy to have a white coach coach the national soccer team, and come up with strange hatred when it’s political matters. Greg Mills is not European but white South African. He’s one of the leading experts on building African states that have failed,” Amb Zulu said.
He said even President Hichilema had personal friends and must not be crucified for that.
But put to him that the concern those attacking President Hichilema have are over what they termed state-capture fears, where the President’s friendship could be used as a door-way to capture state resources by foreign multinationals, including the recent license given to the Brenthurst linked Anglo-American corporation for the exploration of cobalt, soon after the President had announced the critical role that resource would play in the 21st century technology and soon after the MoU had been signed with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi, amidst assertions to give 10-year concessions to the mines, Amb Zulu insisted that it was not a bad idea for Anglo-American to come back into the country 20 years after they left.
Asked on concerns that they left the country when they were needed the most and were now coming back because they had realised that mineral prices were high on the global market and were intent solely on making huge profits, Amb Zulu defended Anglo-American as having left because of policies that were put in place by the MMD at the time, despite the fact that president Levy Mwanawasa had just been elected into office.
“It’s not them who moved away at the time, even the Canadian Embassy moved. Levy Mwanawasa was still coming in as MMD President. So it was still going to be the same MMD policies. Frederick Chiluba was still in charge. He issued a statement that this is not a take over, this is a handover. Anglo felt it was the same programmes,” said Amb Zulu.
