By Patson Chilemba
PF national Chairman Davies Chama says those who were urinating money in beer halls, should not be demonising those who were sacrificing their hard earned income to build property.
And Chama who said he listens to the insults from party members in WhatsApp groups, challenging those who are insulting to contribute towards raising the K5 million for the holding of the general conference in order to justify their insults.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on Party members who are up in arms against their leaders for asking them to contribute towards the K5million for the holding of the party conference, when they could simply choose “two thieves from among themselves” who served in former president Edgar Lungu’s leadership to raise those funds, Chama described that argument as subjective.
He said one could build property by prioritizing resources, saying members of parliament for instance on a daily basis get sitting allowances which sometimes may not even make it necessary for them to touch their salaries.
Chama from a K1000 sitting allowance one could by 500 blocks per day, and 15000 by the end of the month, which he said could build any mansion one dreamt of.
He said there was an attempt to scandalize former leaders with properties, as people were building everywhere.
“And also I don’t want to demonize those who drink. Other people are also drinking on a daily basis, spending so much money but at the end of the year, you have been drinking, spending money on drinks. And you know when I used to address members in the Defence Force I was talking about investing in property…it pays that you just put away K200 a month to buy blocks and in five years you will have built a very decent retirement house,” Chama said.
He said he would joke with those in the Defence forces that some people “urinate blocks”.
“Do you know what I mean? You go and buy a castle. Castle is how much? Maybe about K10. So K10 maybe a block is about K5. So basically you drink two castle, and you urinate the two blocks. So whenever you go to a place, you are in a bar you are urinating blocks,” Chama said. “The other person is investing but at the end of five years you want to compare the way you have lived your life and someone who has been investing and you want to compare. Just like you can’t compare apples to mangoes.”
Chama said it was therefore not fair to judge people equally because their spending differed.
“So this is where we have a challenge in this country, anyone who has built because you are seeing a person has been investing over time they have been sacrificing, when they knock off they are at the plot working very very hard. But you have been around but you want to come and compare because you are seeing the end results of somebody’s hard work over a period of time,” Chama said. “And now because you want to justify your status and your suffering you think that somebody has stolen. This kind of mindset of poverty will not take us anywhere as a country. We need to have a mindset shift to make sure that we all start thinking investment and prosperity then this country will be prosperous.”
Chama said he was not bothered, saying he listens to the insults in the party WhatsApp groups and just laughs it out.
“We are just different people. Others maybe they get comfort in insulting, blame game, some of us we take up the responsibility so that we make a difference,” Chama said. “…and that’s what leadership is all about, to understand the emotional make up of our members. And we appreciate every contribution, even insults we appreciate them.”
Chama said people were oriented differently, saying he saw no need why people should be emotional and even go to the extent of insulting.
He said if they were so passionate about something they should step up to contribute in the same manner members contributed towards the PF during their opposition time before 2011.
Chama wondered why people were insulting as if someone was holding a gun to their heads.
He said certain people were demanding certain things, but when the ball was thrown in their courts they resorted to insults, adding that those who were emotional about it, are the ones who should even step up so that they have the license to justify their insults.
“Because once they step up then maybe they can have a licence to do what they are doing, that we have contributed but this thing is not taking place. We have raised now the K5 million. Let’s go to the general conference. Because there is a notion that maybe someone is delaying the general conference deliberately,” Chama said. “We are just calling upon those who are insulting. It’s honourable to say if you don’t have anything to contribute you just say okay me I have nothing to continue and no one is forcing anybody. The same people they have been demanding for a general conference. If you have listened to the voice notes those are the same people who are demanding for the general conference.”
Asked on arguments that they were in the ruling party not too long ago to have gone broke, Chama said the party was from spending in the general elections, and a lot of people were still paying debts on account of the same elections.
He said besides that “people are being persecuted” and have not recovered fully, saying even the party may have some debt which it is still settling.
“Unless you are suggesting that the money should have stolen money from somewhere, from the government coffers,” Chama said.
But asked on the observations by some members that the people who served in the former president Edgar Lungu leadership stole, and that “they should just choose two thieves from among themselves to sponsor the convention”, Chama said those asserting that did not have any grain of information because they could not point out where the money was stolen.
“It’s unacceptable. This is imaginary and singing to the song of the UPND because this is the propaganda which is being propagated by the UPND leadership that people stole. But if people stole they must have tangible evidence,” he said.
Asked on the reported K4000 monthly contributions by each of the 60 members of parliament, Chama said even if the party were to save that money it would take a long time to raise K5 million. He said the party had a secretariat which was running and people had to be paid, including sponsoring by-elections.
