By Patson Chilemba
PF central committee member Paul Moonga says President Hakainde Hichilema must simply discuss things with former president Edgar Lungu rather than carrying out any investigations against him, saying he must behave in the same manner Lungu behaved towards Rupiah Banda.
And Moonga said Socialist Party (SP) leader Fred M’membe is happy to receive the defection of Margaret Mumba from the PF “who can’t even express herself in English.”
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Moonga said he firmly supported investigations against all those who might have committed wrongs when the PF was in power, except president Lungu, as the presidency was an institution.
He said in the western world, which viewed itself as the master of the whole world, people there did not go after their former presidents. However, state institutions in the United States are currently going after their immediate former president Donald Trump over several allegations.
“It’s a taboo. The day one you are in office as president you have committed a crime already, that’s why they give them immunity by the nature of the office. So HH my dear young brother, the best thing he can do is behave like president Lungu did. He became president he never went for Rupiah Banda,” Moonga said. “Whether he stole or did not steal Rupiah Banda, he made him a free man. The bahaviour of late president (Levy) Mwanawasa, May His Soul Rest In Peace, he divided the country where now Bembas saw that the Lenjes were now after the Bembas. That should not repeat itself. The country was divided under Mwanawasa…when we know this was a man as solicitor general he was friends with Isa Galedoo, and Kaunda fired him as Solicitor general of being a corrupt man as a lawyer but here we are, I am sorry to say he’s in the grave. Hero worshiping Mwanawasa.”
Moonga said “the world is so difficult, as such we should keep and preserve our presidents office.”
“Not ba Lungu, we are talking about office of President. I can no longer use any derogatory message against HH. He’s now a president…whether he’s wrong my language now should have respect for the institutional office he is holding, not himself as HH,” Moonga said. “He’s now President of Zambia. All of us we need to pay respect to the President of the Republic of Zambia. When he goes wrong we should call him aside, not going to papers. Why not dialogue with HH, why go in the paper? It’s foolish. It’s like you Patson you go and talk to a paper about your wife, mukazi wanga atundila pa bed. Then you are a nuisance.”
Put to him that a President was just like any other citizen, a glorified servant among all the servants, and therefore must be held accountable in whatever form, including in the newspapers, Moonga said that is where people have gone wrong, saying a way must be found of engaging the President.
“I have the number for HH, I can call him ‘Mr President I need to see you over this sort of issues’. I must engage the President of Zambia on pertinent issues to discuss. The moment always in the papers, undressing each other kutukanana we are not going anywhere,” Moonga said. “So I am saying to President HH if ba Lungu has done anything wrong address your former boss. He’s still your boss because he’s former president, (he’s) number 6, (you are) number 7, because you shall never be number 6,” Moonga said. “Find time and sit with your brother…oh emakani aya. Meaning HH should call his brother, ‘my brother I am now in this office I have seen these things in my office which you did, which I don’t think they are correct. Can you tell me what happened here. Oh no my brother I did this because of ABCD. Oh okay fine, what do we do? Okay the matter is closed. There is so much in that office.”
On the things Lungu did in his private capacity which did not correspond with the position of trust given to him as head of state, Moonga said there was nothing Lungu did unless it was before the presidency.
“Why bring them up now? Patson (If) you are my father then you have divorced my mother and whatever my mother did against I should come and punish…bygones are bygones. You forge ahead,” Moonga said.
Asked to categorically state that he was suggesting that if Lungu committed any wrong it must be treated as bygones, Moonga said: “What I am saying the two of them should sit together, if there is something he has done, the investigations team will come with a report, ‘Mr President we have got this report about the former president can you decide what to do?’” Moonga said. “The good thing of leadership, by John C Maxwell, the 17 values of leadership is to call your brother, say this is what I have discovered, this is the report I have. Do you have anything to say? No this is a wrong report, the boys are cheating. There are some reports which are not correct.”
Moonga said people have been accused incorrectly.
“So what my brother HH should do as a citizen right; Young and fresh, full of energy, sober, doesn’t drink beer, SDA elder; sit down with your brother HH, mukwabo, my brother, these are the things which have come out from the investigations what should I do?” Moonga said. “The two of them should talk without anybody knowing. And these officers (investigative agencies) also should stop the nonsense of publishing issues before even they go to court. Publicity all over. Foolishly now they are now writing of clearing people…foolish institution.”
Moonga said there was only one Zambia which must be guarded jealously.
“For now whether we like it or not we have HH in State House, in charge. Our job is to advise our brother. Where he has done well let’s say thank you. Where he has gone wrong we should not rush to the paper, we have to admonish him,” Moonga said, insisting that Lungu should be an exception in the investigations. “Correct. That’s an Institution bwana. It’s not Edgar Lungu, we are talking about office of the Presidency. It’s an institution than cannot be undressed by anybody else. It will be so foolish for anybody to undress the former head of state. Those are our living figures, memories, heritage. We have only two, unfortunately, we have lost the rest. How I wish everybody was there, the way I saw the former first ladies together. Those are what we have as a country.
“Ba Lungu, ba Banda, the first ladies, President HH must use them for the betterment of this country. Ba Lungu go to this country go and represent me with my ministers.”
Moonga wished good health upon President Hichilema, former presidents Rupiah Banda and Lungu, the former first ladies and the entire government of UPND.
“The entire cabinet of HH, Jack Mwiimbu, my brother there from Monze, my brother Garry Nkombo with sweet English from Mazabuka, Cornelius Mweetwa sweet English from Choma. I wish them all the best to deliver to the expectation of the Zambian people,” he said.
And Moonga has belittled the decision by long time PF member, Mumba’s decision to join the SP.
“My brother Fred M’membe has no members I can see now he has taken Maggie Mumba my dear sister, a nonentity she can’t even express herself in English, losing candidate in the provincial elections. Because there is no position, Maggie Mumba has found herself now in Socialist Party and M’membe is very happy, babwela ba PF, Fred my young brother…get the cream of the people,” he said.
He further said the UPND should work towards fulfilling their promises to Zambians.
“If UPND can deliver to Zambians expectations let it be in power for 100 years. If there is a failure we will take advantage…PF was in government for 10 years…there is no government that has done so much, not even America who can score so much progress as PF has done. Nobody. That I can challenge anybody,” Moonga said. “Instead of doing what they promised Zambians they are burnt on pointing fingers. When I win elections immediately fuel will come down, people are getting money through the middle men, fuel will become K12 it has gone above K20. (He told) civil servants ‘I will give you K1500 across the board.’ Those are things President HH would have implemented. Felix Nkulukusa, young, highly competent, well appointed, good appointment. I salute HH, the man he has appointed is highly competent, corrupt free money. HH should come up and honor promises, give people K1500 across the board.”
On the calls for reconciliation in the country, Moonga said he did not have any problem with those in the UPND, saying the only thing he has reconciled with was how to address President Hichilema as he was now an institution.
“He’s my young brother. Now he’s my head of state I need to respect him. The Zambian people spoke. They chose. It will be foolish of me not to honour him and accord him all the respect he deserves,” he said.
Moonga said if the UPND were going after people vengefully, God will judge them harshly, but that he was in support of them going after those who indeed abused their offices.
“If I stole, the system should follow me…reconciliation should only come if they have found me with a case and ask for forgiveness,” Moonga said, boasting that he never engaged into any contract with government institutions during the 10 years PF was in power, saying “I just live as a small scale farmer.”
“So if people are using the office to acquire wealth, the law must visit them. If anybody acquired wealth dubiously at the expense of Zambians, (please) have no mercy on them, they should come out in the open and say we did this wrongly kindly forgive us colleagues,” said Moonga. “The Honourable thing to do when you are wrong is to say I am sorry…but UPND should not go for vengeance. Go for genuine cases.”
