Syakalima likens Rupiah to a ceremonial President

Syakalima likens Rupiah to a ceremonial President
By George Chellah
Mon 22 Mar. 2010, 04:01 CAT

RUPIAH is behaving like a ceremonial President, Siavonga UPND member of parliament Douglas Syakalima has observed. In an interview, Syakalima expressed dissatisfaction with President Banda's frequent foreign trips at the expense of addressing problems facing the country.

“This is why we are saying that the man is not serious, he just came on the scene to play around. How do you describe a person who was away to China for 10 days, comes back he sits briefly and I don't know whether he even goes to the office, I really doubt,” Syakalima said.

“He sits briefly for two or three days, flies to Malawi, comes back and goes to Namibia now for a ceremony which is just taking one day. For him, he decides to spend almost half the days that he spent in China. So what time does he have for the country?”

He admitted that it appeared President Banda was just a ceremonial President.

“If he wants to do that he is the one who is in government, why doesn't he bring the Constitution so that we change? So that we have a Prime Minister who will be working and controlling government and him, he becomes ceremonial because only a ceremonial President behaves the way he is behaving,” Syakalima said. “So if he wants and I don't think that we can refuse to amend the Constitution so that we make him a ceremonial President so that we have a Prime Minister who will be leader of government. So that things are easier because for us… him being President carrying executive powers which executive powers he is using just to fly around, it doesn't make economic, social and political sense at all.”

He said President Banda was running away from his country.

“In fact, when he went to China he knew that he would be going to Malawi and Namibia. So he could have cut the days he was sending in China to compensate for the days that he was going to spend now in Namibia,” said Syakalima. “But more so, it was just a ceremony Namibia swear-in ceremony, he could have just gone and come back. In the meantime, these floods are ravaging our compounds. He just went there to go and check and then after checking he has run away, that's how you can describe him.

“He is just running away from his own country but now we don't even know where he is going next but I can bet he might not stay more than two weeks before he leaves.”

On Saturday, President Banda left for Namibia to attend the 20th Anniversary celebrations as well as to witness the inauguration of President Hifikepunye Pohamba, who was re-elected for a second term of office.

Among the people who accompanied President Banda were Zambia's first president Kenneth Kaunda and deputy foreign affairs minister Professor Fashion Phiri.
The President is expected back in the country tomorrow.