…says it can never be too coincidental that the President always gives excuses on the National Day of Prayer
Lusaka, Friday, October 20, 2023 (Smart Eagles)
Member of the Patriotic Front (PF) Celestine Mukandila has slammed President Hakainde Hichilema for yet again shunning this year’s national day of prayer.
Mr Mukandila, the Matero strongman has wondered why the President always finds a way to not commemorate this important day which falls on the 18th of October.
He said this when he featured on Millenium TV’s “Pulse Nation”.
“It is extremely shocking, the kind of hypocrisy that is there in politics today. I call it hypocrisy because on one end, the head of the house, or the Head of State, despising this particular day…why? Simply because people thought it should a day when we put our heads together, put our hands together and try and reconcile as a nation,” he said.
“But here is an individual, well respected, Republican President deciding, barely two years ago, deciding that it is a useless day. I am doing more important things in the US. This kind of attitude has continued. Every other year we have this day coming up, its either there is an excuse from the Head of State to say I am not going to be present, or there is a trip that is miraculously created, such kind of coincidence, the Zambian people are seeing.”
Mr Mukandila said it can never be too coincidental that the President always gives excuses on the national day of prayer.
“It can never be too coincidental that every time we have the national day of prayer, the Republican President is not present to commemorate this important day. I think at some point, we should be able to remember and realise that we are all created in the image of God. And it is through prayer and through us dedicating this particular day as an important day…” he said.
“The Head of State should at least take one particular day and sit with the Zambian people to commemorate this day. These issues of indicating that it is a useless day, I think Zambians who have always considered this nation as a Christian nation, Zambians who have appreciated that this nation is guided on biblical principles like Michael Sata indicated that we are going to rule this country on the biblical principles of the 10 commandments, these are principles we want to continue having.”
He said for the PF, they believe in the fact that they can only be saved by the God.
“This day which was commemorated yesterday was actually declared by former president Edgar Lungu who was the Patriotic Front leader. As a matter of fact, we have always informed the Zambian people that the Patriotic Front remains a religious party, it remains, it remains a Christian party. It remains one that believes in the tenets of Christianity,” he said.
“Zambia is declared a Christian nation, it is actually constitutional, why then should the Head of State continue shunning this? I think there is a point where the Head of State should put politics aside, let’s have a serious introspection and at least just attend even one day of this particular event.”