By Kamuti Muyambela
Opposition PF vice-president Given Lubinda has described as mere chatter President Hakainde Hichilema’s words to unite the country, when all those holding key positions in the three arms of government and the defence forces are all from the North Western region of Zambia.
And Lubinda wondered why 100 days into office, President Hichilema is yet to move into the same Nkwazi House, which was occupied by six previous presidents.
Featuring on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk programme this morning, Lubinda said President Hichilema talked about uniting the country, yet the three top most positions in the executive, Legislature and Judiciary were filled by people from what used to be called North Western Zambia, and that is himself as President (Southern Province), Speaker Nelly Mutti (Western Province) and Mumba Malila (North Western Province). He said at parliament, the Speaker and the deputy speaker were from the same North Western region.
Lubinda said even the key positions in the defence forces; the Army, Zambia Air Force, Police, Prisons Service were filled by people from the same regions.
“What diversity are you talking about?” Lubinda asked, adding that in the Justice sector, the Justice minister, Attorney General and Solicitor General were all from the same regions.
But asked by the interviewer that many have acknowledged the balance in the appointment of ministers and permanent secretaries, which never was the case under the PF, Lubinda argued that the PF cabinet was more balanced given the pool they were drawing from, as they did not have members of parliament from the North Western part, but the UPND have had the fortune of having members of parliament from across the country, but that the balance was still tilted.
“I refer to the promise made by the President, he said he was going to balance the country and I gave you an example of the three heads of government…the three wings of government are they balanced? I made reference to Justice, the minister, Solicitor General, Attorney General, are they balanced?,” Lubinda asked. “Those that are visible to everybody, and the ones that are visible to everybody are the heads of these institutions.”
Lubinda said President Hichilema called those in the PF as thieves who were lining their pockets from fertilizer, promising that he would reduce the prices when he got into power, but he had changed the tone by saying former president Edgar Lungu already signed a two-year contract and would only be able to reduce the commodity after that period.
He wondered how the same President had awarded a US$50 million at $1,400 dollars per metric tone when Lungu’s was at $1000 per tonne.
“How will me justify that when he himself has increased?” Lubinda asked.
On those who were asking him why he was condemning some of the things happening under the UPND when the same were happening under the PF, Lubinda said people voted PF out in the belief that the wrongs which were being done in the PF should not happen under the UPND, and therefore those who were advancing those arguments were not being progressive.
He said when the PF were elected into power, they did not start arresting people in the MMD over offences that were committed years ago, adding that President Hichilema promised that no one would be arrested before investigating the matters, yet Davies Chama spent 12 days in police cells without being charged.
Lubinda said people should not be demonstrating in the first 100 days as that is the period a government endears itself to the people, and not in the manner University students demonstrated over the meal allowances which were promised to them but had not been fulfilled.
On the assertions that the UPND always opposed everything the PF did, and asked if he would act differently by commending the positives he had seen in the UPND, Lubinda said he was happy the President had acknowledged that rebuilding State House was important, something he said the PF were called names over.
He said the only disappointment was that instead of thinking about the Office, they were instead thinking about the President’s residency, Nkwazi, “which in the last 100 days was not suitable for the the President to dwell there”, yet renovations did not take that long for the other six presidents.
He charged that if the government was going to put security installations befitting the President at his private Community House, that would be tantamount to abuse of office, in the same category as the security installations at former president Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla residence.
Lubinda said he was also happy that the government has acknowledged that Covid-19 is real, something he said they should have encouraged when they were in the opposition.
He further said the UPND was able to listen when people advised against forcing people to vaccinate, saying United States President Joe Biden was on record as having said they would send Aztrazeneca doses, whose efficacy has not been proved.
Asked if he would consider vying for the Kabwata seat, Lubinda said he would wait for the party to decide before putting in his personal views.
Lubinda further urged President Hichilema to emulate Lungu, saying in situations where the country was threatened with drought, like what is happening now, Lungu took to his knees, saying the President should encourage people to pray.
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