Republican President Edgar Lungu says it is illogical for people to question the source of his wealth when he was one of the “good lawyers” during his practicing days.
Speaking when he featured on ZNBC’s special interview on Thursday the President said the people accusing him of failing to account for his property were being insincere because he had roof over his head and was building before he became President.
He said he was not a pauper as some people have been trying to portray him.
President Lungu explained that there was nothing surprising about a civil servant building a house because you don’t need to be corrupt for you to build a house.
“State House has been accused of being very corrupt. ‘How can a journalist build a house?’ to build a house are you corrupt? Somebody says no, ‘Lungu was a pauper, yes I was a pauper but I had a house, a roof, and I had small businesses running, I was constructing. Now somebody today says, he should account for his property, I have not failed to account for my property because people have been seeing me grow, and by the way I was a lawyer and I don’t know whether there are so many poor lawyers, and I wasn’t ‘in the middle of the road’ kind of lawyer, I was one of the good ones so you cannot turn around.
He added that people should add some decency to their politicking.
“I don’t think I was the top notch but you cannot say ‘where has he gotten the money from?’ you look at my jacket and say, where has he got the money from? C’mon! Let’s be real! You say ‘that guy was a journalist, now he is driving’. How many journalists drive? These politics should be laced with decency.”
He called on Zambians to learn to appreciate each other whenever they see that their friends are doing better.
“When your friend is doing well, upload him, but if he is not doing well, you find out why he is not doing well. So there is a problem, we are very petty and because of being petty, we are losing focus and because of losing focus the country cannot move forward. I sit and I listen to parliament, as soon as they start, I watch them on TV and I say ‘oh my goodness me! We are not doing Zambians the service that we are supposed to do.”
And President Lungu said lack of understanding of some terminologies used in the Auditor General’s report is making people lump everything as theft.
“We need to begin learning these terms and concepts. What is misapplication? What is misappropriation? What is theft and so on?…people should begin appreciating fully what the Auditor General’s report carried. Most of it is historical. I heard her Honor the Vice-President saying ‘the people who are involved in dredgers will be apprehended’, she said this in Parliament, I called her, I called the minster in charge of the matter and I was told ‘no, no, no, in fact, the dredgers were delivered and part payment was made so it is still ongoing. There is an element of lack of knowledge in the public domain about what constitutes misapplication and what constitutes misallocation and fraud, theft and so on,” he said.
He said politicians will continue accusing them of corruption but time will vindicate them.
“But to our friends who have no political capital to use to get others, they will say there is corruption but for me, I will look at them and say ‘let them say what they want to say but time will vindicate us because that report is public and you need to know that the Auditor General is part of the Executive, the Auditor General us one of us. And the Auditor General also have to interface with the law enforcement agencies to say ‘this case is prosecutable, this case has been cleared and so on.
“So I don’t want to appear to be abusing these institutions which are at my disposal by settling scores and say ‘arrest this chap, arrest that guy because he is proving a threat’. No, I won’t do that because this is what I came for to just do the right thing,” he said.
LAZ has suspended and reinstated practicing licenses of many lawyers in this country before and will continue to do so.
Even the lawyer for the opposition Martha had her license suspended and reinstated as well and she even defends the opposition leader in some cases in court and there is nothing wrong with that.
The law states every one is innocent until proven guilt.
Therefore, for someone to tell the whole nation that John or Mary are corrupt without evidence and prosecution warrants that the alarmist to be arrested and locked up on grounds of commuting an offense of inciting the public and promoting hate speech.
mr president you say people making noise about corruption which is not there only shallow thinkers will believe you because why it is that when a person leaves your govt you starting case of corruption if there isnt.
Clearly Edgar lungu is defending the thieves because he is also a thief.Is he telling Zambians are not learned to under the so called terminology he is referring to and that he is the only one is educated and understands English better? Anyway,just as he has indicated time will tell when his immunity is fucken removed and taken to task. For now he he is a smart guy with his minions but
Lunatic Lungu is insulting our intelligence. Thus small thug had no practising licence to be working as a lawyer after LAZ withdrew it. He is as usual, lying through his stinking teeth. He has no shame in lying to Zambians, and as such, this guy must be jailed for life after his term of office ends.
President Lungu you should not have wasted taxpayer’s money by parading yourself on public broadcaster to defend your percieved dubiously obtained wealth. Instead you should have taken this opportunity to deal with corrupt deals currently in the public domain such as $1.2 Billion dual carriageway, MoH ambulance deal, stinking Fire tender and the Tollgate scandalous contract.
Have you been told by now that Kenya is building a similar dual carriageway at about half the cost of Zambia yet twice the distance of the Copperbelt -Lusaka. Even IMF has put Zambia on notice and we can’t access any meaningful funds from World Bank.
Even successful business people have hardly made the kind of money, we are told that you are worth unless your lawfirm clients have grown in size and value; meaning that you have high profile cases that you are being paid in $$$$millions.
Mr President, i think you need to be very careful and humble . Don’t insult our intelligence and dignity by telling the whole world that your world of economics has done so well while the rest of law abiding and God fearing Zambian businessmen has been moderate/bad. Those words you spoke will come to haunt you in the near future.
Finally, I would like to appeal to all Zambians to begin auditing this regime of PF and teach them a lesson in 2021 elections. Surely, everyday a current deal is taking place whether at RDA or Local Govt or MoFinace or MoHealth or FRA or MoAgric or ZESCO or State House. Zambia is no longer safe. Let’s all Cry for Our Beloved Zambia.
Being economical with truth, using truth to tell more lies, Edgar forgot to tell us he was a disgraced, debarred lawyer for stealing a client’s money.
I just like what the president has explained, really how do people would think any one can remain at one level through years .
Indeed to any wealth acquired there must be some history every one is building in Zambia but they forget how president had been a lawyer one of the top jobs any where in the world.
Now he is president he qualifies to have a lot of friends his office puts him in lime light, just by his office you can have money either you like it or not .
You may realise that he gets his pay which he cannot use because of the office.
There are so many presidential candidates do you know why they are fighting for that office ask them,!
So, that is the genesis of corruption my dear nshilimubemba. You if are going to obtain money by virtue of your office… that is corruption my friend…. open you eyes
Mr President you have defended them well in this article. Sure some of us are calling every unclear action by public servant corruption. Maybe we really do not understand the terminologies used in these high offices. And if there is nothing wrong with the Auditor Generals reports, then we do not want then published or aired on TVs/Radios next time so that only the learned can be briefed.
May I please ask you as the Father of this Nation what method is being used of late by these in government offices when recruiting Teachers.I suffered to educate my sister who Graduated with a Merit in Sec Sch Teacher Diploma in 2012 but has been left out Since 2013 to the recent recruitment.
My major concern is that those who are completing this year 2017 have already been recruited. Kindly let me know in case I do not understand some of these things so that I do not think its corruption.My plan has been to meet the relevant authorities but I have always been denied access because of my poor status in society. Hence using this platform to air my views so that you can help me and many other citizens who are suffering.
Thank you