By Agness Changala
Hakainde Hichilema promised heaven on earth but he has failed to even deliver purgatory, says Socialist Party (SP) leader Dr Fred M’membe.
And Citizens First (CF) leader Harry Kalaba has called on the International Community to voice out the same way it did in the previous regime.
Addressing the press at Chilenje Police Station after visiting Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) leader Sean Tembo, who is detained there in connection with alleged hate speech, Dr accused President Hichilema of being a liar.
“He promised heaven, he can’t even deliver purgatory. He lied to the people of this country. Ngamwamvotela ubunga mukalashita pali 50 (when you vote for me, you will buying be a bag of 25kg mealie meal for K50) Ngamwamvotela amafuta mukalashita pali 12 (when you vote for me, you will be buying fuel at K12) Ngwamwamvotela fertilizer mukashita pali 250 (When you vote for me, you will be buying a bag of fertilizer for K250). Lelo fyonse ifi imitengo nainina (But today, all these things the price have gone up,” Dr M’membe said.
He said he has information that the government wants to start importing mealie meal from South for the next 8 to 12 months.
The Socialist leader said South African maize is GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) and accused the government of wanting to feed Zambians on it.
“South African maize is GMO maize, they are going to feed our people with GMO mealie meal. Without them knowing and they are doing all this without informing the people so that people can make informed choices,” Dr M’membe said
Kalaba chipped in and said, “They a have already started.”
“We told them you can’t export maize, you can’t export mealie meal, when you don’t have enough stocks. There is panic now. This is not the way to run a country,” he said.
And Dr M’membe said the police have an intention of punishing and torturing Tembo into submission.
“So that he no longer says what he wants to say. Sean Tembo has a right to say what he wants to say, if he says something that is not in line, there are ways to deal with it. Not in this barbaric way. This is an abuse of the police. We have enough problems. There are problems of mealie meal which we should focus on. People are not eating. There is hunger in the country. We should admit that there is hunger in the country. They have brought hunger and that’s what they should focus their attention on,” Dr M’membe said.“What Sean Tembo says cannot lead to a crisis. Ideas or speeches don’t create a crisis. It’s them generating the crisis, it’s them who have been exporting maize and mealie meal, creating a shortage, increasing the prices of mealie meal beyond what many people can afford.”
Meanwhile, Kalaba said the country is witnessing corruption which is unprecedented.
He said President Hichilema was against corruption himself.
“He was talking against corruption, today as you and I are speaking, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema almost every sector you mention there is baba mukulu behind the project,” he said.
M’membe chipped in and said, “Ba President, he was not against corruption. He was against the corruption of others and not his own corruption.”
In response Kalaba said, “ahh I get it,” while laughing.
“Even a thief. If I am a thief today, I come and steal from you, you come and steal from me and see what will happen you,” M’membe said. “If you steal from a thief, a thief is more ruthless than if you stealing from an ordinary person. Never go and steal from a thief, a thief is more ruthless than an honest person.”
The Socialist leader said corrupt people are more ruthless on corrupt people.
He also observed that since Hichilema took over as President, no opposition political party has ever been allowed to hold a rally or big meeting apart from PF faction leader Miles Sampa who convened a meeting where he was heavily guarded by the police.
As Kalaba agreed with him, saying, “Yes to cleanse themselves, to launder themselves. To look innocent.”
The opposition leader called on the international community to speak the same way they spoke in the previous regime
“For me all I can say is, it’s a sad day for Zambia and my word to the International Community is this. The same way they were talking during the time of the previous regime, is the same way they should be talking even now because Mr. Hakainde Hichilema was hiding behind the veil of the international community,” Kalaba said.
He said when he was in opposition, President Hichilema went to SADC (Southern Africa for Community Development), the AU (African Union), and he went to the European Union to cry.
“Crying wolf when there was only a puppy. Today he has seen corruption that is unprecedented in this country and Mr. Hakainde Hichilema is not talking about it,” Kalaba said.
He said if a leader talks about something and they incarcerate him in the manner they have done with Tembo, and if it’s going to help reduce the price of mealie meal, so be it.
Kalaba said there is nothing wrong with opposition leaders airing out their own views adding that they won’t be intimidated.
He wondered how on Independence Day when there were so many government officials officiating at various functions, and a visiting head of state in the country, police still had enough manpower to guard Sampa.
Dr M’membe agreed with Kalaba and added that, “today parties are failing to hold branch meetings, ward meetings, small groups of less than 24 people they are not allowed to hold meetings, police arrest them charging them with conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
“What type of multiparty democracy is Mr. Hichilema seeking in this country? He asked.
In response Kalaba said, “He wants a one party state. That’s what he is advocating for. His behavior is all about that,” he said.
Dr M’membe said all the cries were about himself.
“Liberty is for himself. Freedom is for himself not for others. What is good for the gander is good for the goose. We opposed these injustices against Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, we are also opposed to these injustices from Mr. Hakainde to others,” he said.
M’membe said when Hichilema was being unfairly treated, the opposition voiced out adding that the records are there.
“And now that he is treating others unfairly he thinks that we should keep quiet. No, we will not keep quiet,” Kalaba said. “My view Mr. president is that we have got a battle ahead of us and here is one thing I would want to say here: united we stand, divided we fall. We can’t continue dividing our people into small groups that offer no guidance. There is a need for our people to unite against the major issues that affect their lives.”
Earlier, Kalaba described the police action to break into Tembo’s house while his children watched as barbaric.
“They are on mid-term break and they are traumatized. Surely you can’t even feel for someone’s children that this will have a long term effect on them?” Kalaba asked. “You go ahead and do something like that? I think this is barbaric. It is in human. Its only behavour fit for the animal Kingdom. You can’t treat fellow human beings like that. It’s not right and in that cell where they are, they are supposed to be about 15 but they are over 30 in there.
It’s hot and they have denied to give him beddings, they have denied to give a mattress so what is …and he has not been charged ba President.”
He said what they did to Tembo is meant to instil fear in political leaders and citizens.
“That if they can do this to politicians, what about you and ordinary citizens? It is an attempt by President Hakainde Hichilema to muzzle the politicians in this country,” said Kalaba.
“But I have a word for the President that many people have tried to do what he is trying to do and they have not succeeded. The only remedy President Hichilema has to stop us from talking is him reducing the price of a mealie meal.”
