By Patson Chilemba
Zambians must vote enmass to counter any rigging schemes by Edgar Lungu’s murderous, thieving and corrupt regime, Colonel Panji Kaunda has charged.
Speaking with Daily Revelation Media, Col Panji railed against maneuvers he said were aimed at intimidating people from campaigning and voting, following President Edgar Lungu’s decision to unleash soldiers onto the streets.
He said it should also not be discounted that there could be moves to limit internet access in the coming days, and more underhand methods to impede opposition campaigning, going by the President’s confession that he had learnt lessons from the Uganda elections.
Col Panji said killings from political violence should be condemned regardless which political party was involved, but he felt that had been used as an excuse by the President over his decision to unleash soldiers across the country, so that he could control events before and after elections, even in the event where elections did not go in his favour.
“We condemn the killings, and by the way it hasn’t been proved. It’s all being done to rig and intimidating Zambians. In other countries who are not democratic they even cut the Internet. In my view people will vote in large numbers and most likely against the PF,” Col Panji said, adding that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) was calling for trouble by saying they would ban the erring party from the elections if police investigations proved allegations against those accused of committing murders in Kanyama, the UPND.
Col Panji said the opposition must not become too excited, but invest heavily in election monitoring, by picking vigilant observers “and not just any villager.”
He said the person he was supporting, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and the UPND Alliance can accept results of a free and fair election, but he was certain that if there was going to be huge turn out, the ruling PF stood no chance of “stealing.”
“If there is apathy we will have this murderous and thieving thieves, and corrupt ones for another five years. It’s the most corrupt regime in the history of Zambia,” Col Panji said.
He condemned the PF’s tribal politics as evidence that they had failed to adequately account for their time in office.
But asked if he thought Hichilema was being attacked over that issue because of his own past when he failed to initially condemn those who backed him, Col Panji said he could have done that, but that was now water under the bridge as he had learnt his own lessons, and UPND was now made up of people from across every tribe in the country.
“The only way is to go out and vote in large numbers to make it difficult to manipulate. You must be on guard,” Col Panji, adding that he hoped it would not come to a situation where President Lungu refused to accept the outcome in the event he lost. “Because everything is under his control; the ECZ, police.”
Col Panji urged Zambians not to be intimidated from campaigning and voting by the presence of soldiers on the streets, saying they are the ones who wanted change, and the soldiers would not be there in voting booths.
“I was seeing a caption on CNN that we (Zambia) are clamping down on the opposition, but we should not be cowards. It’s us to rise up and be counted,” said Col Panji.
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