By Patson Chilemba
Chama-South member of parliament (PF) Davison Mung’andu says former president Edgar Lungu is no match for President Hakainde Hichilema in 2026 should he listen to the “abena alebwelelapo” crowd to run again.
And Mung’andu said the “technical manner” President Hakainde Hichilema undertook the recent state visit to China was one of its own kind.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Mung’andu warned Lungu against standing again, saying the true reality of the people’s misgivings against him will become reality if he were to dare stand again.
“President Edgar Lungu had all the state machinery. He was a president of this country. He first has to tell us what measures he will put in place to defeat President Hakainde Hichilema now who has the state machinery in his hands,” Mung’andu said. “He defeated him when he had state machinery in his hands. He managed to remove him. Now that he has state machinery himself, President Hakainde Hichilema in his hands, president Lungu needs to convince us that this is what he will put in place to ensure that he gets back power then only then can some of us be serious about his return.”
He urged Lungu to deeply reflect, saying the reality will be different if he gives in to the “abena alebwelelapo (the group saying he’s coming back).”
Mung’andu said the majority membership of the PF was not with Lungu, and that the former president would do well to listen more to people like party national chaiman Davies Chama who has urged him to forego the presidency.
“I will be very candid, should he make that mistake, very few of those that are singing alebwelelapo, alebwelelapo, will be with him. It’s us who are telling him to say we want you to be a statesman who will be there with him,” Mung’andu said. “We all don’t feel right with how he’s being treated, but some of the sentiments of those saying alebwelelapo could be leading to this … Some of the people surrounding him have never controlled a constituency. I am part of the central committee myself as chairman of a province (Muchinga) and I have not even been told that he is coming back.”
He said Lungu has the right to stand but “he will get the reality of what majority of the Patriotic Front members think,” if he gives in to the calls.
“The question is what, is the creation of this hunger in the country? We expect the former head of state to help give solutions if he has solutions. For me it doesn’t need him to come back for him to offer solutions on how hunger situation can be taken care of,” Mung’andu said to Lungu recently agreeing with Mumbi Phiri that the issues of hunger she was complaining about was true and would therefore think about her calls for him to run for the presidency again.
He argued that even now, Lungu could help the current administration, especially that he is part of the same state going by the benefits he enjoys as former head of state.
“If he decides to come back as I said, watch the senior membership of the party. Are they together all of them with the happenings? The good example is the chairman of the party. You have heard the sentiments. So for me I would urge him not to listen to such voices,” Mung’andu said. “He should never, never, never, never actually listen to such voices.”
He said Lungu could be going through the challenges he is going through on account of the behavior of the same people that are urging him to come back, warning that “let him come back and he will see where again PF will be.”
And Mung’andu, who was in the presidential entourage for the recent state visit to China, said he was impressed with how President Hichilema undertook the visit to that country, stressing that he first went to areas with potential to collaborate or contribute to Zambia’s economic sectors before finally meeting up with President Qi Xinping in the capital Beijin, where the actual signings took place.
He said the country should now wait for the actualization of what was signed for to benefit the country.
Mung’andu said “this President is on a technical side, handling matters from a technical point of view”, saying to restructure debt for instance comes with certain parameters that a country should meet, where he said the country was now seeing fiscal discipline in terms of expenditure.
He said when people complain about the economy, there should be a realisation that money should be backed by goods and services, saying everyone that produces has money.
“Money should be backed with goods and services. We should understand that as Zambians,” Mung’andu said, saying the situation where people have money without doing anything is not how countries develop. “Countries are built by people working. So we should not promote a culture where people who do nothing but they have money. It doesn’t work like that. It means you are killing the country, you are killing the economy.”
He said there were certain things which could do with subsidies like the FISP programme, although the country should look at what point to apply the subsidy whether on the production side or consumer side.
