By Patson Chilemba
PF central committee member Paul Moonga has urged acting party president Given Lubinda to seek President Hakainde Hichilema’s audience on national matters, saying “we must stop these stupid things of going to the press just as a way of talking.”
And Moonga urged fellow central committee member Raphael Nakachinda to tame his tongue, warning that his tongue will land him into problems if he fails to control it.
Moonga also told PF national chairman Davies Chama over his statement that President Hichilema justified being referred to as a western puppet by his actions, that those in PF are not aware what is motivating those in government to make certain decisions as they are outside government now, saying not everybody in PF knew what Chama was doing when he served as Defence minister.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Moonga said Zambians must realise that there was one country and therefore it was incumbent for those in the opposition to respect those in the ruling party and vice-versa.
“And us in the opposition we should also be mindful how we talk to the head of state. He’s only our President,” Moonga said, and that those in government should not all the time be saying those in PF stole as it may appear that investigative officers were being instructed to arrest the former leaders.
Asked if he agreed with the description by some in his own political party referring to the President as a puppet of the west, Moonga said he was not sure if the President should be referred to as such, because a puppet is someone who follows without thinking.
“So let’s mind out tongue and use the appropriate language which shall not provoke the situation. Let us mind our tongue and use appropriate language which may not annoy anybody. Human beings are just human beings. We are prone to lose temper and so forth. I told somebody today in the (PF) blogs, I am leaving this blog because I don’t believe in Insults,” Moonga said, but asked who was insulting him, he said: “Among ourselves. I was asking a question: what is rebranding? Because this word of rebranding it has got so much in the mouths of PF, rebranding, rebranding. What is rebranding? So nobody seemed to have an answer. Because literally there is no rebranding in politics. All you need to do is to put a president there. Period. You won’t rebrand Paul Moonga.”
He wondered whether the word rebranding has become a new commodity, but that the “young ones in the blogs” who think the old ones like himself had expired unleashed insults on him.
He said he referred what happened in the blog in view of the term others were using on President Hichilema that he is a puppet.
“You know bad language is an insult. You are calling somebody that he’s a puppet, on its own is an insult. Vulgar language becomes an insult,” Moonga said, saying those calling President Hichilema must qualify it. “How is he a puppet? So qualify than just saying a sweeping word, he’s a puppet. So what? I am a fool! How am I a fool? Qualify what makes me foolish.”
Put to him that his fellow PF central committee member and former Defence minister Davies Chama said the President’s actions justified that term by giving concessions to foreign multinationals when the copper prices are up and that Swedish and Finish embassies flew gay flags but the government has remained mute over that, Moonga said: “We are now outside government. We don’t know what is inside. There are things that Chama was doing as minister of Defence which we don’t even know ourselves but we were in the same government…So we don’t know what is happening, why they are doing that. We must engage them than in the press, go and meet the President. The secretary general of the party and Given Lubinda make an appointment with the President HH.”
He said he was looking for a day when Lubinda would engage the President than going to the press.
“Let’s stop these stupid things of going to the press just as a way of talking. We should talk to each other not at each other. We should talk to each other not at each other. I am looking forward to where honourable Lubinda as intelligent as he is, eloquent in talking, he can engage President Hakainde Hichilema with secretary general on matters they think they are of national interest. Not in the press. Then we shall be building our country,” Moonga said. “No matter what you say about Paul Moonga in the press, I would be hurt, I am a human being. You may be right, I will find my defence somewhere. I am advising my president through you now, which is also not correct, and I am sorry, but I will use this platform to advise him. Whatever wrong things he is seeing with the current regime let him engage them on one on one. Not in the press. Then we shall find a platform. When they don’t listen now you can say we tried to advise, we have no choice now but to bring this matter in the public domain.”
Moonga said name calling would not take this country anywhere.
“This also goes to my young brother (Raphael) Nakachinda, please tame your tongue. It will bring you problems. This tongue God have us we have to use it properly. If you use it irresponsibly it can destroy the country. It can bring war. Mulomo (the mouth)! Nakachinda, my young brother tame your tongue. Use appropriate words to your colleagues. Use appropriate words, diplomatic words without insulting anybody. People will understand you without using any abuse language. Period!” Moonga said. “He is only 43 years old. He’s only one year, two years older than my first born son. He’s my son Nakachinda. Let us use appropriate words. We have only one country called Zambia…let us use appropriate words to each other without demeaning anybody, without showing that you know it better than another person. Collectively, we are still running the country together. They may be the ruling party, (but) we are also ruling as opposition. We have 60 members of parliament. We are part of the government.”
Asked who he was endorsing on those seeking the PF presidency, Moonga said he was looking for someone who had been in government and parliament before, including having been in politics for some time and held a political position.
Moonga said he was looking for a person that would offer checks and balances without necessarily attacking the ruling party.
“This issue of attacking the ruling party is not necessary. We should give construct criticism. If you look at me I have not condemned where they have done well the UPND,” he said.
Moonga said everything was in place over the holding of the convention according to party president Lubinda and acting secretary general Nixon Chilangwa, saying he was sure everything was in order and that they may not mention it, but was sure the K5 million needed for the event was there.
He said he was supporting someone who would lead the party to higher heights, someone who was fearless and would not bear going to prison and would not easily run away from arrest “because to go to State House you must go through a lot of issues.”
“It’s not easy. Pakudya uchi paka nzimu zonse zikulume (if you want to eat honey you must be bitten by bees), the bees must bite you to eat honey,” Moonga said.
Moonga further said the failures by the investigative wings should not be attributed to UPND.
“If an officer has erred by seizing a property for Lusambo which has been ably talked about by several scholars, even me a non-lawyer would tell you it was totally unacceptable after there is a restriction order to bring a seizing order. Lusambo cannot sell property until they finish their investigations. Now overzealous boys at ACC, they are civil servants, those are overzealous boys let them come down. They will mess up the system,” Moonga said.
He said President Hichilema found the ACC officials there as he did not employ them, neither did the PF employ them, saying there were some bad eggs who were messing up the whole system.
Moonga said he believed that most of the actions being carried out by ACC were being done by themselves and not the President.
“And also we should not as PF talk too much when we are arrested. I am happy what (PF acting president Given) Lubinda did…though I don’t agree with him because also there is another matter to be discussed by competent men and women whether it was worth coming up with a new court called Financial Crimes Court because they are the same magistrates, Moonga said.
He said all the cases were the same as there was no super matter, therefore there was no need to elevate some matters so that there is a creation of another court to handle them.
“So honourable Lubinda is right to have gone to the Constitutional Court,” he said.
On the misgivings some have on the matter Lubinda is presiding over party matters, Moonga said it was normal that some would not be happy over the manner Lubinda was running affairs just like the others were also happy with his work.
He said it was human nature for people to be emotional and have different views on matters.
“Losing power is not easy, people get emotional. Chibaba (It hurts) so you just have to be very strong and to accept defeat the way Paul Moonga had accepted defeat. Twalilusa, twalilusa (we lost, we lost). And I was the last man to leave Mulungushi. While the Mwilas had scampered, they had left. Lubinda, they were nowhere to be seen. You look around and you are just alone. Ah! Where are my colleagues? That does not mean I am the strongest by doing so,” Moonga said.
