By Staff Reporter
President Hakainde Hichilema says he will use the army to bring sanity to the country if the police are failing.
And President Hakainde Hichilema jokingly told Small and Medium Enterprises Development minister Elias Mubanga that he was as small as the ministry he was leading.
Meanwhile, the President said cabinet has agreed to amended the law to introduce stiffer punishment for those who spew hatred against others.
Speaking at a news conference this afternoon, President Hichilema said cabinet met on Tuesday and resolved to arrest tribalism and hate speech.
“We want to bring about amendments to introduce stiffer punishment against anyone who spew hatred against anyone,” he said.
President Hichilema said what was happening is what brought about genocide in Rwanda.
He said anyone who engaged in hate speech would be sent to jail for a long time .
He said once Parliament opened, the bill would be presented and for enactment.
President Hichilema said it was his duty to do what was right, adding that those causing trouble were given an opportunity to change but if they did not want to change, the law would be used to make them change.
On the rule of law, President Hichilema said cabinet had resolved that schools would now include teaching national unity to the children at an early age.
The President said it would be better to take care of the younger generation since the older ones were already spreading hate and had chosen jail.
President Hichilema said he recalled that when one person took over as president to complete the PF’s 10-year term, the country experienced thuggery, brutality and bloodshed.
He said the UPND had promised to restore order and assured Zambians that this was still being done.
“I am here to reinforce that position,” he said.
He said his patience should not be misunderstood by cadres who were engaging in thuggery behavior and illegal activities, and directed police to arrest all the UPND thugs who ran amok in Lusaka on Tuesday.
The President said if the government needed to reinforce the law to address thuggery and caderism, it would do so.
He said the police were not there to negotiate whether to arrest cadres or anyone misbehaving and did not have to wait for a call from Home Affairs minister Jack Mwiimbu or himself to effect an arrest.
“You don’t need the President to give you a call to enforce the law. If you fail to enforce the law, it will be admittance of failure to enforce the law,” he said.
President Hichilema also said he knows a thug who stormed a police station and whipped police officers and was not even arrested, warning that the government was looking into that case now.
“We are looking into that case now. Efyobalanda ati umulandu taubola,” he said.
On the UPND cadres, the President said they misbehaved and harassed innocent citizens, saying he did not want to be a President who was produced by thugs.
“If the police are failing, I will use the army. You can’t go in the streets and beat people. Someone encouraged that and not me,” he said.
The President also asked the judiciary to do their part.
On the fight against corruption, President Hichilema said the fight against corruption would continue.
He said the government was more ready than before as it had amended the the three laws which he said were standing in the way.
President Hichilema also said the government had also amended the practicing procedures.
He however, said no arrest of innocent citizens should be effected.
He emphasised that before people were arrested, matters should be investigated.
President Hichilema further said he had seen jitters and panic among some people who were committing crimes.
“The fight against corruption has two angles. One asset recovery, we restore money to owners so that we buy medicines in hospitals, schools desk and pay retires,” he said.
“You lose the money you stole so that you don’t hire expensive lawyers,” he said.
He said no one would use language or tribe to escape the fight against corruption.
President Hichilema also said no one would escape corruption fight because of being a member of a political party.
He also said no religion would protect a criminal.
” If you are an Adventist, me l am an elder. I will work hard to put you in jail,” said President Hichilema.
