 If you are above stairs, you are level free. Now you have to go to the pillar. If you are in the pillar, you will be in the place where you sleep. Now you have the power to sleep. I want to ask you something. How many people are there in the 26? Are we together? Yes! So many people are missing. How many people are there? We are changing. Let's go. First and foremost, I want to thank you, all of you, for being patriotic. For being patriotic in that when you feel that leaders are not leading you according to your expectation, or if the leaders are not providing a service that they promise that they'll service, they'll provide. The best way to do it is to show them that we are not happy. It is your democratic right to voice out that you are not happy. But in voicing out these concerns, please be aware that we have a country to protect. Zambia has always been known as a beckon of peace. And in your efforts to show the government that you are not happy, please don't be violent. Don't be violent or don't do anything that is going to jeopardize the peace that we have enjoyed since independence. Obviously politics is about providing a service to the people of Zambia. Or anywhere in the world, when politicians are elected, you expect that things must change. But surprising now is that things are getting worse. And if we are not cared for Zambians, one day we'll wake up and find there is no Zambia to talk about. So your show of anger against those in government is the right thing in the right direction. And for me all I can do is that I'm going to write a letter to the president to tell him that I received a group of youths who came to complain about the high cost of living. Please do them to complain. About fatalizing, et cetera, et cetera, so that it can also take action. We are not doing these things to try and degrade or indeed fight the government of the day. Politics is about service. Both the opposition and those in government have the responsibility to the people to correct wrongs. So you're coming to me, we'll not end here. I'll write to the president to indicate the things that you have complained about. Thank you. Let me say this. That as you were coming, I heard you singing one song where you were saying the symbol of the UPND. Now when you sing like that, people would think that you are devaluing the people of southern province who believe in railing the animals. When we are talking about politics, let's not bringing the issue of tribe. We should never bringing the issue of tribe because in this country we need each other. We need the people of southern province. We need the people of western province. We need the people of northwestern province. We need the people of central province. And our prime concern must be to unite all the regions through our motto of one Zambia, one nation. So I beg with you, please don't bringing the issue of Ngombe because that is synonymous with the people of southern province and they may feel insulted. When there is a problem, when there's a problem, let's face the problem and not bringing the issue of tribe. During the last elections when I spoke about region of voting, tribe of voting, people started calling me a tribalist. I have never been a tribalist and I'll never be a tribalist. For your own information, four of my brothers and sisters are married to Tongas. My young brother Chisanga is married to Tonga. My young sister Sampa, who is the last one, is married to a Tonga. My young sister is married to a Tonga. My older brother Pasta Kanbudi's first wife was Losi. So we believe in diversity of tribes. So to label me as a tribalist is unfortunate. And that's why I've spoken about this issue of Ngombe because I don't want to encourage demeaning any tribe in this country because in diversity we can succeed. So as you go out please that song, if you want to sing about the UPND, talk about Kwanja. They are symbols. Don't talk about the Ngombe because the Ngombe is not UPND and it's not a symbol of UPND. But like I said, I am going to take this issue of your suffering to the president and ask him to do the correct thing. Indeed, even me have observed that people are suffering. They are not going to stop exporting electricity when the people of Zambia are suffering. Listen to the suffering of the people. Listen to the complaints of the people and do the right thing. I know that Lord shedding can be minimized if we stop exports. But our friends have said they will continue with exports while we are suffering. Let me thank you for voicing out and please as you go back to your respective houses or respective homes just know that this will not end here. I will do a letter to the president and I will give a copy to your leader. Thank you very much for coming. First and foremost, let me say that it is very difficult to comment about the removal of Antony Wadia from status. Suffice to state that he has been demoted. In fact, he has been demoted very badly. Presidential aides, advisor to the president on economic affairs, advisor to the president on political, the presidential aides are above the permanent secretary in grading. Their grade is between the deputy secretary to the cabinet and the permanent secretary. So they are above the permanent secretary. Now, if you are removed from being above the permanent secretary and redeployed into foreign service, where the highest position there is the head of mission, who is either a high commissioner or an ambassador, their position in the ministry is director and the deputy ambassador is assistant director. Now, Anton was a civil servant from above the permanent secretary to be demoted to a director in the ministry. That is very, very unfortunate. If it were me, I could have rejected that position. And there are people who have done that in the past. You remember very well that when President Chiluba died, Mr. Chitalu Sampa, the late Mayor saw rest in peace, was minister of defense. When Manawasa came in after Manawasa won election and took over from Chiluba, he demoted Mr. Chitalu Sampa from minister of defense to deputy minister of defense. Mr. Chitalu Sampa declined to take up that position. That is what we call integrity. But in this country, people have lost integrity. Now, to comment on the circumstances that led to that demotion, it will be very difficult because I am not preview to the reasons why he has been demoted, except to say he has been demoted. And you saw it coming. Well, somehow, somehow I did tell Anton Wadi one day when he was bragging that he was at state house and working well with everybody. I told him you are not part of the team. And sooner or later, you will be removed because of the experience that I had when I went to the UPND alliance. So I knew that it was very difficult for him to fit in that equation. But like I've said, we don't know why he has been unless the President gives us the reason why he has been removed. We may start speculating until maybe the man committed an offense that made the President to remove him. I just hope it is not what people are thinking or what I'm thinking. I just hope because in this country, we need each other. We need all tribes. If it is the reason is that what people are speculating have seen on social media, people speculating it is this tribe. If it is that, we need to avoid that because we need all the tribes in this country and we need to work together as 73 tribes of Zambia. So I hope and trust that it has nothing to do with tribe. If it has something to do with tribe, please, let's stop it. Bembas, Tongas, Kaondes, Namangas, Nsengas, Kundas, whatever tribe, we all need each other. And in life, you don't choose to be born Bemba. You don't choose to be born Lamba. We just find ourselves being born in those tribes. So it is very difficult for me to comment on the issue of Bwadia, only to wish him well in his future endeavors. Okay, just the last one. Many people have had, there's a mixed feeling concerning presidential trips. To say that this same man highly talked about is when his predecessor was in power. Yesterday, if you visit my Facebook page, was it yesterday or the day before yesterday? I advised President Akainde Ichilema to avoid these foreign trips. It is now becoming embarrassing and unnecessary. I quoted a tweet where it said the president must cut off, not cut down. There's a difference between cut off and cut down. When you say cut down on foreign trips, you are saying reduce them. When you say cut off, it means no more. That's what President Akainde said. Don't move anymore, because the economy is under distress. But the economy is still under distress. And one other reason he gave was that the price of fuel was too high. We need to save money. The price of fuel is now much higher than it was in 2019 when he was condemning President Lungu for undertaking foreign trips. And I have said, if we continue on this trajectory, people will lose trust in politicians. The result will be that there will be apathy during elections. I want to reemphasize that President Akainde Ichilema must avoid unnecessary foreign trips. Governance is not about the presidency. That's why he has ministers, he has ambassadors, he has high commissioners. Some of these meetings can be attended by those people who are already in those countries where the meetings are held so that we don't spend taxpayers' money. The president has undertaken 30 trips. Together with what year, the one he has gone to is now 31 trips in one month, in one year, seven months. It's unacceptable, Zambians. It's unacceptable. Speak against this thing. And for our colleagues in the UPND, you know why we lost elections in the PF. We were defending everything. Even if something was wrong, you would find somebody from PF saying, no, it's just okay. And until the people of Zambia said, oh, so it's okay. Let it be okay in the ballot. You are also going in the same trajectory, praising us. Tell the president the truth. This is wrong. This is right. As for me, President Akainde Ichilema, please. Thank you. Okay. One last. The US Treasury was in Zambia, and she did indicate that Chinese, the Chinese government is getting a lot of minerals without investing back in the country. That statement has been received with a lot of mixed feelings. You've been in the government the previous when you've worked with the Chinese. Is it true that the Chinese have not invested? I don't know what extent she meant, but do you believe they haven't invested much? Well, whatever she meant, let me say that we should not particularly single out China, as those who are getting minerals without investing properly in the country. Because Zambia has not benefited much from the mineral resources, but it's not China has only come in now. Most of the mines were run by the Europeans or the Western world. So for her to say that again is China. That is why yesterday I was advising the president to be very careful the way he's engaging the Americans. We all know that there is a trade and there's a trade war between China and America. And let not the American use us to fight the Chinese. That statement coming from the Americans is very unfortunate and unfair to China. We all need to have the benefit from the copper industry in Zambia. But singling out one particular country is not fair. All of them without exception have been very selfish in terms of investment in Zambia. They come to invest in the copper industry, but they don't want to invest in the manufacturing industry. Do you know why they want to treat us like a dumping ground for their produce? So it's unfair that she singled out China. She must say all of us have come to Africa to get minerals without investing and taking care of the welfare of the Africans. So please China, I mean America, we are not going to help you to fight China. We are a non-aligned country. We keep friendship with all of you and nobody should use Zambia to fight another big power. We are not going to accept that. Thank you very much.