By Isaac Zulu
Party for National Unity and Progress (PNUP) leader Highvie Hamududu has challenged the police that if they claim to be independently executing their duties they must arrest UPND national youth chairperson Gilbert Liswaniso for threatening violence on innocent citizens.
Featuring on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People talk programme, Hamududu called for the immediate abolition of the Public Order Act, further stating that police must stop their conduct of wanting to appease those in the ruling party.
“Police officers are not police officers for the ruling party, they are police officers for Zambians. Stop appeasing and pleasing the ruling party. We don’t need oppressive laws. And if the police officers are still insisting that they executing their duties, let them go and arrest Gilbert Liswaniso who is threatening violence on innocent citizens,” Hamududu said. “The police officers should implement the law and not act on instructions from the President. We should not be discussing foolish things for so many years such as cadreism.”
And Hamududu has said that political alliances are “a progressive way of practising politics in a democracy.”
“If you look at countries like Kenya, political parties that have been forming goverment come to power through political party alliances. This should be encouraged even here in Zambia. It is progressive. Political party alliances promote civility and maturity in politics,” said Hamududu.
He opposed the UPND government’s free education policy, as what the UPND administration has done is to “remove subsidies on fuel and electricity tariffs, but pushes the money in another hole called free education.”
Hamududu said that public schools will need to pay salaries to some a staff, stating that “the UPND government’s free education policy is not sustainable.”
He further said that the fight against corruption should not be politicised, saying fight against graft in Zambia has been politicised such that “almost all the political parties that come in power tend to target their political opponents or individuals that served in the previous goverments.”
He explained that there is need to change the narrative and ensure that corruption is fought across all sectors, by strengthening state institutions.
Hamududu stressed that the fight against corruption requires strong institutions.
Hamududu further stated that even individuals appointed to oversee institutions mandated to prosecute corruption cases can be compromised because they are not superhuman.
He also applauded Malawian President Lazarous Chakwera for taking a bold decision by dissolving his entire cabinet due to high levels of corruption in that country.
He stated that the decision taken by President Chakwera is indication that the Malawian government is not being “selective in its fight against corruption.”
And Hamududu said that Zambia needs a Constitution that will stand a test of time.
“Our Republican Constitution still has some lacunas. And it needs attention such that we can come up with a Constitution. Unfortunately, the stumbling block in the Constitution making has been the ruling parties. Under UNIP the stumbling block in the Constitution making was the party in power. In the MMD goverment, the stumbling block in the Constitution making was the party in power. In the Patriot Front government the stumbling block in the Constitution amendment process was the party in power. And I hope that the UPND administration will not fall in the same trap,” said Hamududu. “This country is like a broken record. I don’t know why goverment in government out keep on repeating the same mistakes.”
