By Patson Chilemba
It is painful when you consider what Michael Sata and Guy Scott went through to lose elections in this manner, says former First Lady Dr Christine Kaseba-Sata.
And Dr Kaseba has urged President-elect Hakainde Hichilema to stay in touch with the ordinary people, as State House is a very difficult place which shields presidents too much.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Revelation, Dr Kaseba said she was sad that what her late husband president Sata warned about has come to pass.
“You know Patson, I would say yes he might not have envisaged it (PF) was going to go out in 10 years. But he had warned us,” said Dr Kaseba, who was initially hesitant to speak on account of being a civil servant until it was put to her that her comment was important as the party that had just lost power was her late husband’s, something he labored for for 10 years to get into government. “He kept saying iyi party nimishila, mukayonaula ngatamuchenjele (I have left you with this party, you will destroy it if you are not wise enough). And it has come to pass unfortunately.”
Dr Kaseba, who is Zambia’s Ambassador to France, said the outgoing ruling party should have been constantly asking itself on how best to safeguard their late leader’s labour.
“It’s painful when you consider what Sata and Guy Scott went through and lose, especially the way we lost,” Dr Kaseba said. “I think PF will need to go back to the drawing board, identity where the party could have drifted from the earlier vision and manifesto, because it is the same manifesto.”
She said she hoped the PF would not end up in the same manner the former ruling parties, UNIP and MMD have ended up.
“I hope it doesn’t end up the way the others have, where people jump ship,” Dr Kaseba said.
Asked if she was ready to part of the PF’s future, Dr Kaseba said she was a civil servant, but that if people wanted to consult on the ethos of what Sata stood for she was ready for consultation.
On her advice to incoming president Hichilema, Dr Kaseba said the President-elect should remain open minded and be in touch with the people who voted for him.
“State House is very difficult because the system may shield you from the people…make it very difficult to interact with the common person who might want to give you vital information on how things are,” said Dr Kaseba.
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