By Isaac Zulu
UPND Central Province chairman Albert Chifita has advised leader of opposition in Parliament Brian Mundubile not to link President Hakainde Hichilema to the arrest of former ministers and senior PF officials by investigative wings.
In an interview, Chifita observed that investigative wings were previously not able to execute their duties independently and professionally because of political interference from the then ruling Patriot Front government.
He explained that, to the contrary, President Hakainde Hichilema has given investigative wings the leverage to discharge their duties independently and professionally; devoid of political interference.
“Brian Mundubile can speak the loudest on these issues because he was in the Patriot Front government, and these people thought that they would be in government for 100 years. That is why they were breaking the law with impunity. There was no law and order… the Patriot Front reign was characterised will lawlessness,” explained Chifita. “And now that it has dawned on them that they are not going to be in government in perpetuity, they are lamenting and accusing President Hakainde Hichilema of being behind the arrests of former ministers and senior PF officials that are going on; and are calling this as political persecution. Let them complain but the fact is that the current Head of State has given the Zambia Police and other investigative wings the mandate to operate professionally and independently.”
Chifita continued.
“During the previous regime, police officers were scared of party cadres and political interference from the appointing authority. I was also a victim of. I was coming from Mukobeko Maximum Prison, where our President was incarcerated; when I was assaulted. The people that attacked and when I reported the matter to police, the police officers on duty said: “Aah boss, we can’t take any action. It’s political… we are receiving instructions from above.”
He reminded senior PF officials and former ministers that the current inspector general of police, Lemmy Kajoba, has publicly informed the nation that the Zambia Police Service will persue cases that occurred and reported as far back as 2015.
“So why should Brian Mundubile accuse President Hakainde Hichilema of inciting or perpetuating political persecution? The President should not even come in this picture,” said Chifita.
He stressed that the UPND administration has made a commitment to the effect that there will be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption and in persuing other criminal matters.
“Stephen Kampyongo and his colleagues think that the Zambian people have forgotten how a chopper was stoned in his Constituency Shiwang’andu. In that helicopter on board was also now Vice President. The Zambian people have not forgotten about the gassing incidences that were happening during the time that Kampyongo was serving as minister of home affairs,” he recounted. “We want to know the people that were behind the gassing incidences and the burning of markets across the country when the Patriot Front was in government. And the investigative wings will investigate and prosecute individuals who were behind all those incidences. There will be no sacred cows in these investigations.”
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