Listen to Edgar’s advice

By Daily Revelation Editor

Chief government spokesperson Cornelius Mweetwa says former president Edgar Lungu is morally weak to advise President Hakainde Hichilema on UPND hooliganism and thuggery because he institutionalised caderism during his time in power

This reaction is coming from Edgar’s urge for Hakainde to take charge as commander in chief and instruct police to end caderism and hooliganism.

“Tell them to stop this hooliganism and thuggery we are seeing and don’t tell me that it was happening in PF therefore, it should continue. That’s how we lost it. We are lucky we lost it and kept it and gave it to you now you want to kill it for us. This is nonsense Mr President,” Lungu said. “You cannot sit there and observe things to say no because it’s Edgar Lungu it’s okay because it’s him being harassed it’s not right. Be man enough Mr President take charge of the country you are losing it,” Lungu said.

But Mweetwa did not take kindly to that saying as former head of state, Lungu could not address his successor in the manner he did.

He also said Lungu was not qualified morally to advise Hakainde on the same matters.

We disagree with Cornelius. In fact, Edgar is in a better position to advise Hakainde on the thuggery because as he has rightly admitted himself that is one of the main reasons why the PF was voted out of office. We are not just sure if Edgar has sufficiently changed his position on the caders, whom he called part of his office during his time in power, to ensure that he does not entertain their activities, both now when he’s out of power or if by chance he will be given the reins of power again.

We say so because politicians have actually proved untrainable. They will viciously condemn the same things they admire doing when given power. We understand Edgar’s remarks sounded a bit sarcastic when addressing Hakainde. That of course should not be tolerated. However, we understand they were coming from an angry person who has noticed inaction against the thuggery and the hooliganism on display from the UPND thugs. Nevertheless, Edgar has been president before and can surely control his emotions sufficiently even in the midst of extreme provocation.

In saying, so we do not lose sight to the very important advice Edgar brought out, despite the sarcastic manner he seemed to have conveyed it. We urge Hakainde not to focus his attention at the words Edgar used but the message his predecessor was conveying. It is very clear to all that in just these few days, the caderism the UPND claimed they had eradicated has roared its ugly head in full public view, and it’s well documented. We all saw how those little thugs unleashed their unruliness and showered insults on the former head of state as he was escorting his family members to the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) for interrogations.

We also saw how the machete wielding thugs ran rampant in Mandevu to disrupt the rally the New National Heritage Party (NHP) were going to have in the area. And we have actually seen no arrest from the same.

Today, some officials in the UPND are blaming Edgar’s return to politics for this thuggery conduct and claiming that the thugs who have been involved in these indiscretions were not UPND members, but hired guns meant to portray the ruling party in negative light. That stupid argument must be treated with the contempt that it deserves including the mouths it is coming from.

There is no need to actually apportion blame here because the thugs who are running rampant are actually true UPND members, and the best Hakainde and those in the ruling party can do is to act against them. And they better listen to the advice from Lungu as he has been through that and therefore advising them from experience. They can’t actually find a better advisor on this matter than Edgar himself.