By Isaac Zulu
President Hakainde Hichilema is creating new positions in government to create employment for his friends and associates, Bowman Lusambo has charged.
Commenting on the creation of the position of media director at State House, which has seen President Hichilema appointing former Evelyn Hone lecturer Clayson Hamasaka to the said position, Lusambo, who is former Lusaka Province Minister, charged that going by the appointments that the head state is currently making in his appointments, it is clear that he is trying to appease.
He stated that the appointment of Hamasaka to the position of media director at State House is a tribal appointment.
“We knew when Anthony Bwalya was being appointed as press aide that he won’t last in that position. And the creation of a position of media director at State House, which has seen the appointment of Clayson Hamasaka to that position has a tribal tag,” Lusambo stated in an interview. “And I can assure you, just like I talk or speak out on these issues in Parliament, President Hichilema is creating new positions in government in order to create jobs for his friends and associates. The President is making appointments of appeasement. Nipano tuli. If President Hichilema had wanted Hamasaka to be head of the communication department at State House, he should have appointed him there and then just after his innaguaration. But he appointed Anthony… and the young man received a lot of support. But today he is technically knocked out. And because of that, he will not perform. I know what I talking about. These boys are people that have not faced big challenges in their lives. Anthony Bwalya is being tortured mentally and he is being tortured physically.”
He said he pity the Presidential press aide.
“Anthony used to stay in Kabushi… he is a Kabushi boy. The father used to reside in Kabushi and passed on. His uncle is a UPND constituency in Kabushi. So, I know Anthony very well. He is equal to the task. But I pity the young man. He has been relegated; demoted.”
The Kabushi lawmaker continued.
“I would like to congratulate Hamasaka. He is a very strong man who has moved the President to give him a job by creating a position that never existed at State House. He is a very powerful. And me I like people who are like Hamasaka because he has been critical of President. And that is why he has given him that position. And since 1964, this is when we are seeing the position of media director being created at State House. It’s unprecedented,” said Lusambo.
He stressed that the President should consider redeploying Bwalya to any government ministry to avoid a situation where the press aide would be working with frustration at State House.
“And now that President Hakainde Hichilema has created the position for Clayson Hamasaka, he should have just put his foot down and drop Anthony Bwalya. As things stand, the young man won’t be working well. He will be undermined and will not perform according to his ability,” explained Lusambo. “So I would like the President to make a decision to protect the young man. Remove the young man Anthony Bwalya from State House and let him be given the position of permanent secretary. Anthony is not from the media fraternity, but he can work in any government ministry as permanent secretary. That’s my recommendation because maintaining Anthony at State House; the young man won’t perform.”
