By Kapya Kaoma.
On July 12, 2021, HH delivered his speech on President Lungu’s failure to address the COVID-19 Pandemic. He sought to play Joe Biden against Donald Trump, but came out as Trump–only the audience was Zambian. Like Trump, Bally ducked from topic to topic while exposing his ignorance on COVID-19, the government workings, and the health care system. It was his own making. He recently belittled the Pandemic by rushing to ECZ and to the Courts to litigate against the legality of the suspension of political rallies during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
HH should have begun by acknowledging that the COVID-19 Pandemic is not a partisan issue–it affects all Zambians regardless of party affiliation. Then call on all political parties and stakeholders to meet with President Lungu to see how best to mitigate the spread of the virus, now and especially during the upcoming elections. There is a need to plan on how people would get to the polls and vote safely, as well as protect poll workers from the virus.
He should have called on the government to provide free masks to the public and that the spread of the virus must be contained by all means necessary–masks save lives. All Zambians must compliment government efforts by donating masks to those who cannot afford–we are in this together. He could have pledged a number of masks he would have donated–thereby claiming moral leadership from President Lungu.
Thereafter petition the president to issue the mask mandate. Every person must wear a mask in public. Sadly, Bally blew it up–he spoke about the pandemic without masking up. His team must comprehend that how he presents himself to the public is political. Worse still, he didn’t tell us his position on masks, aside from that people entering markets will be required to wear masks. Is this expected in busses, in shops, schools and in other places of common interest?
In addition, he should have encouraged people to get vaccinated. Like Joe Biden, he spoke about following science but made no effort to tell us who his COVID-19 team would be. He said people are afraid of vaccinations because of conspiracy (the word he failed to pronounce) theories out there, but then blamed PF cadres for getting all the vaccines in Zambia–which is an oxymoron. Besides, he told us the vaccines won’t be compulsory, but it will take 12 months to vaccinate the whole Zambia. This is a very slow and threatening rate. And how will the country reopen when people are not compelled to be vaccinated?
He should have avoided going into the workings of the programs he didn’t understand. HH, for example, promised to move COVID-19 vaccination from the Department of Infectious Diseases at UTH to the Department of Child Health at the Ministry of Health. The rationale? Experience. Not so fast. COVID-19 is an Infectious disease and belongs to the very department. The vaccination process includes scientific research about the virus–thus asking another department to do the work is mere ignorance. In addition, the COVID-19 vaccination is at a grand scale compared to child immunization. Since the Department of Child Health has children and mothers to serve, adding COVID-19 vaccination to its workload will only overwhelm it. We are talking about an additional 8 to 12 million more people to vaccinate. Ideological programs like the one he is proposing are only a waste of resources and time.
Similarly, he didn’t need to make grand budgetary promises–doctors and nurses are not the only ones on the frontlines. Yes. We need more doctors, nurses and nurse aids. Bring back all retired doctors and nurses and pay the military officers allowances. Add volunteer packages too. Suspend PAYE for doctors and nurses for up to a year. Before you know it, other civil servants will join in demanding allowances. So where would Bally get the money for his promises?
In his Trumpian zeitgeist, HH believes Zambia has the capacity to make all the equipment needed to treat patients of COVID-19. Thus he shamelessly stole Joe Biden’s condemnation of Trump’s failure to activate the Defense Production Act; the law that would have allowed companies to produce extra “ventilators” needed to keep COVID-19 patients alive. HH used it on Lungu–he blamed him for lack of Oxygen in hospitals and promised to produce enough Oxygen for all health care centers across the nation once in office. Unfortunately Oxygen is not all there is to the treatment of COVID-19 patients. There are other things involved.
HH also promised to build temporary hospitals using tents, stadiums, and schools–if the United States did it, “why can’t we did it also?” What he does not know is that those beds would need to be wired, powered up, and fitted with hospital equipment. Hospital beds are not just mattresses–we will only be creating death chambers and risking health workers’ lives. The U.S did so because it had funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Just in 2020, for example, New York alone sought $60 billion for COVID-19. Zambia’s capacity and resources to produce equipment and beds required to fully treat COVID-19 patients are highly limited–we should maximize prevention over treatment.
HH is a smart businessman but a yucky politician. He always blows up chances to be presidential when opportunities avail themselves.
Bally fixed himself again.
People shouldn’t criticize for the sake of criticizing. Bally asked the Govt to declare Covid 19 a National Disaster. What is wrong with that? Asking Govt to allocate more Financial Resources to Covid-19 Management was the Right Call. Diverting Donor Aid foreign exchange from Covid-19 to Roads is wrong and insensitive. HH was socially distanced in a spacious Garden so he removed his mask so that he could be heard clearly. Kaoma is biased and jealous of HH’s State of the Nation Presidential Speech. HH given a chance would make a very Good President who will make Zambians Proud.
I like the last part-“HH is a smart businessman but a yucky politician.” And that’s the truth.
Bally fixed himself again
Tasteless article.
Lazy journalism.
I hold a PhD
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Well encountered reply to Bally. That Man doesnt seem to know whether he is going east or south. He goes on to say we should never compare Zambia to other countries like S.A but he himself compares Zambia to S.A and Rwanda ONLY WHEN IT SUITS HIM. HH is clueless and unfit to lead this country in all honesty
The Secretary to the Cabinet Dr. Simon Miti who is also a seasoned medical doctor made a strong instructive statement and that is “Let’s take the fight against covid-19 into the communities”. The battle is to prevent infection! But I’m not surprised because as usual most of Hichilema’s statements aren’t well-thought. They don’t make much sense. Does he consult? The problem is that he got rid of all sensible and knowledgeable people from the UPND. He’s only remained with maniacs like Ackson Sejani, Jack Mwiimbu, etc. What do you expect?
I said it much earlier that Under 5 kabudo was trying out a Joe Biden. When Trump won elections in 2016, kale kale, bwangu bwangu, he was out congratulate and urging Zambians to emulate America and vote in a business man for President.
I suggest kalusa takes a break from politics when he loses next month because it’s clear what causes him to blunder is fatigue after losing so many times.
HH ended up exposing his own failures in an attempt to blame PF for the pandemic. If he was so concerned about people, he would have not organised road shows and rallies.
HH has always been Trump of Zambian politics. He needs to improve himself and ends up having egg on face. Ironically, he thinks it is the way to gain sympathy of people.
How long are people going to tolerate this nonsense? I hope, he learns the lesson when voters will cut him to size for the sixth time in a row, come August.
Expecting any honest confession from the criminal like HH is futile. He will never be honest even to himself, forget being honest to the country and people.
I differ with you on the point of asking government for free masks. No doubt, government should have done it, but who was stopping HH from distributing masks to people? Ironically, he has posted a photo on his social media page criticising high prices of commodities. In that photo, only HH is wearing mask and no one else. This is the glaring proof of he being the most irresponsible politician.
Forget speaking on pandemic without masking up. He has been at the forefront of violating Covid19 protocol. The third wave was kicked off because of his road shows and political gatherings.
Don’t even mention appeal for vaccination. He is clueless about the vaccine. He has confessed that in an interview to media. When the journalist asked him about his opinion on vaccine, he was so confused that, he could not answer the question!
If anyone thinks that person like him can make a good president, then he is in dire need of medical assistance.
SORRY, NOT EVERYBODY WAS BORN A LEADER, KIKIKIKI!
JUST FEELING BAD FOR BLIND FOLLOWERS LIKE BWANA MUTATI AND OTHERS THAT ARE IN THE INFAMOUS ALLIANCE TRYING TO “HELP” THEIR DESPERATE FIREND!
Has HH been vaccinated? Has anyone seen the photograph? This is the proof that he doesn’t believe in the vaccine and therefore he is misleading people.
The world has seen, a successful businessman can’t essentially be a successful and good politician. So give us a break.
Bally is better off with these guys than the appointee is with Malanji, Chitotela, Kampyongo, Lusambo, Sikazwe kikikikki what a bunch of illiterates!
To all those short sighted people who called for “Lock downs” go and see what is happening in South Africa.
200 shopping malls to the ground. Warehouses, shops everything destroyed.
The imprisonment of zuma is just a smoke screen. The real reason is poverty which has been exacerbated by the failed LOCK DOWNS.
People have nothing to eat what will they do. They want to work but if government locks them up in the name of “saving lives”. What do you expect the people to do ? How will they survive.
Please when you give recommendations don’t be too emotional. Look beyond and see the reality on the ground.
Had Zambia locked up we might have seen such lootings as well.
Don’t follow the west blindly. We not Europe we are Africa. Look at the ground realities…
This hatred of HH choke some people one day! All HH did was to provide leadership and suggest means to combat the pandemic.
1. Declaring the pandemic a national disaster would have drawn emergency funds & mobilization of the defense health systems.
2. Quarantine all people from hot spots for 14days in well prepared quarantine centers. Would have managed to isolate the disease.
3. Stop gallivanting in pretense of developmental inspections when they are super spreaders.
Otherwise Bally fixed it. He acted as the head of state by giving that national address. Like him or hate the guy is a leader!
HH NEEDS a speech writer. He is too stingy to pay top dollar to the best writers in Zambia.
This hatred of HH will choke some people one day! All HH did was to provide leadership and suggested means to combat the pandemic.
1. Declaring the pandemic a national disaster would have drawn emergency funds & mobilization of the defense health systems.
2. Quarantine all people from hot spots for 14days in well prepared quarantine centers. Would have managed to isolate the disease.
3. Stop gallivanting in pretense of developmental project inspections when they are super spreaders. See the spike of covid 19 in Eastern province after such visits.
Otherwise Bally fixed it. He acted as the head of state by giving that national address. Like him or hate him. The guy is a leader! My vote on him.
Kapya Kaoma has 20/20 vision. Musankwa Hichilema is unteachable. He is the” river which will not drink the goat when taken to the goat” ha! ha!
Does anyone know which Province is having few people getting vaccines? Because their god has told them Covid 19 is not real but a scheme by PF to cancel or rig the elections.
He thinks its CHOLERA, where you can just put beds and patients lay on them. This Covid 19 its a respiratory disease. I have not head of any developed country that has opened stadiums as covid 19 centers.
I can say as a medical doctor that there is very little one gains by wearing a mask OUTDOORS. Prevention is to avoid touching MEN (Mouth, Eyes, Nose) and washing hands with soap and water. It is possible to convert temporary structures as Covid centres. It is possible to have 1,000 more doctors within a month. South Africa had 11,000 Cuban doctors with a short time when Mandela became President, after many white doctors fled the country. Italy received scores of doctors and equipment from China. In a medical emergency, there are thousands of doctors from around the world who are willing to help. Furthermore, we are not as ignorant as we were about Covid treatments. Just like HIV-AIDS, no one should die of Covid without other underlying illnesses.
This scares me about businessmen & political leadership. Facts on ground are that they don’t appear to make good leaders. Look at Trump of USA & now potentially Ramaphosa of RSA. Had Trump continued USA would have become Basket case. Ramaphosa needs to wake up & realise that looters are products of pure capitalism who have been left behind. Unfortunately thinking of capitalist is usually self preservation first. May be because what builds them up to become rich is capitalism. Capitalism is a selfish concept. It’s not about how we can all come out as winners but how I’m better than you because I’m smart & you are all dull & I therefore deserve to be ahead. May God help us. God Bless Zambia
bally , indeed fixed himself moronicaaly
H² is like yuck.
Yuck yuck.
We’re perhaps not just fit for some of the ideological games.
The best for Africa shall forever be those who made efforts to free us from the enslaving subtleties of westernisation,
there,s time for us to make best out of the ideas of kaunda, nkrumah and nyerere
Mr Kapya Kaoma, when you want to write about something don’t bringing issues you have little knowledge about. As much as you may hate Trump, he is the one who spearheaded the vaccine manufacturing against advise by medical gurus that no vaccine can be made in a shot period of time. Economies are opening because of Trump’s warp speed vaccines. Please stick to Zambian politics.
Kapya Kaoma stop writing lies and instead concentrate on how you can stop being corrupt. If you are being paid by PF so be it, but please do not write just about anything because PF with cash handouts have paid you to do so. Be an upright Zambian. You hate HH because you know given a chance to rule , HH will probably be the first ever Republican President to end or minimize corruption. No bs anymore from anyone. PF knows it and ECL knows it so they are scared to the T….
Wake up Zambia be the Change you want.
All PF bloggers supporting this nonsense need to have a serious medical check up. They are anti-Zambia. Non patriotic….it’s very clear for all to see that ECL and the PF have failed to govern need I say more. …?
Wake up Zambia be the Change you want
RED IS A THREATENING COLOR THATS WHY HH LOSES ELECTIONS. TRY CHANGING THE PARTY UNIFORM TO A CALMING BLUE.
Instead of bickering here, why don’t we just go and vote come August 12th. Lets be all Zambians first than bull crap cadres be it PF or UPND. All this noise making is just that. Noise making. Kapya Kaoma on which side are you hiding and trying to instigate chaos for or against a republic of Zambia. Please, you can run but you can not hide in synonyms. For everyone of us Zambians, we just buried our founding father Dr Kenneth David Kaunda. South Africans are back at it again killing foreigners. When do we all become Zambians because I was okay after independence because we lived in unity. This is my appeal.
Well said @MayandaMulenga, let us give HH the chance to govern and see what he can do. I’m sure he will do the Job a hundred times better than the current regime.
Every day social media and newspaper is flooded with HH name does this mean that he is the biggest rival to ecl