Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Lupando expresses joy over work as envoy

Lupando expresses joy over work as envoy
By Mwila Chansa
Wednesday June 18, 2008 [04:00]

FORMER Republican vice-president Lupando Mwape has said he has integrated well as a common person after leaving the second highest office in the land. And Mwape, who is Zambia’s Ambassador to China, said life after the vice-presidency had been enjoyable. Commenting on his life after leaving Government House, Ambassador Mwape yesterday said in Lusaka that he was enjoying his work as an envoy.

“Life has been extremely exciting and enjoyable. Here I am, talking to you on a one-on-one basis. There is no one looking over my shoulder to see who I am talking to. So I am a free citizen like anyone else,” Ambassador Mwape said.

He said it had not been difficult for him to adapt from holding the second highest position in the country to being at the same level with the deputy permanent secretary because he interacted well with people even when he was vice-president.

“You see, this demonstrates one thing that when you are up there, do what is expected of you so that when you come down, you do not feel lonely or isolated,” he said.
He said he had no hard feelings or bitterness in his heart after what happened during the 2006 elections.

Ambassador Mwape lost his Lukashya parliamentary seat to Patriotic Front candidate Alfreda Mwamba during the 2006 elections.

President Mwanawasa then appointed him as Zambia’s Ambassador to China, a position that is equivalent to a deputy permanent secretary.

And Ambassador Mwape said he had no intentions of bouncing back to politics in an event that his contract as a civil servant came to an end. He said he would be happy to settle down in his village in Lukashya constituency of Northern Province and ensure that his Kachumu Community Development project proceeded as he envisioned it.

And Ambassador Mwape said the Chinese did not select which goods should come to Zambia but that those traders who went there negotiated in an open market and bought what they felt was fit for the Zambian market. He said any investor first surveyed his market and looked at the people that patronise that market and that there could be fear that if expensive goods were brought to Zambia, a ready market would not be found for those goods.

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