If it were entirely up to President Michael Sata to tell the nation how he feels medically, or later on his whereabouts, he could have no doubt done it.
This is a man even at his former brutal best, when his venom could leave an occasionally weak hearted assistant in tears for his sharp tongue who still found time to find decency at Saint Ignatius Catholic Church every Sunday.
He tore his opponents mercilessly apart in whatever political form they surfaced and the list of his verbal conquests abound – Sylvia Masebo, Levy Mwanawasa, late Benny Tetamashimba even his now turned bedfellows Fred M’membe and the Nchito brothers did have time at his venomous tongue.
But in all his then refined political savagery he still found time to appeal to his supporters not to riot when he lost power in the 2006 general elections when he clearly felt he had won.
Fast forward to 2008 when he once again lost elections to Rupiah Banda he let it go and soldiered on but in all this the vultures were watching.
And when they jumped on board and usurped his war he had long lost himself. Mind you this is the man who had shocked his own party by reconciling with his long time political opponent President Levy Mwanawasa leaving his party members including Guy Scott in shock.
Vultures saw an opportunity and jumped on board and by the time he was being inaugurated in September, 2011 he had to look back to the newspaper headlines and pictures Fred M’membe’s Post Newspapers had carried in his crusade.
At that stage he had already lost the plot and out of gratitude employed half the Post Newspapers staff either in the diplomatic mission or government with the chief prize going to his typist George Chellah whose duty it was to record even the cobra’s whispers.
No one should forget The Post was crumbling under the weight of debt and in President Sata they saw a messiah and pulled all the stops to call on any favours.
By the time President Sata was appointing tribunals to investigate judges he had long lost track of himself and even bought into the idea of installing a user friendly Chief Justice in Lombe Chibesakunda.
Who wants to forget how savagely the so called cartel- a union comprising the trinity of M’membe, Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito and Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba fought to install erstwhile good man Patrick Matibini as Speaker of the National Assembly giving them control over the judiciary, executive and legislature.
With the trinity Matibini (Speaker), Chibesakunda (Legislature) and President Sata (Executive) in their pocket, the cartel will surely be fancying that the information blackout continues.
If it were a matter of decency who would take issue with government informing the nation that President Sata is sick? Who honestly does not know that President Sata is sick? Who does not fall sick?
Even the most health of people die BUT why has it been so hard to just tell the truth? Why is it so important to cage the President away from the people that voted for him?
What do they know? Dear brethren, in the words of the literary legend that is George Orwell the only good President to them is a health one or is it a dead one?
But somehow someone will have to pay for the cover up one day. On that day you will pray you are on the right side of the law! Or is it the right side of the Lord?
But I can bet you my last rebased Kwacha the cartel have the President where they want him – with the glorious trinity in their pocket why they care about 13 million plus Zambians!
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