By Staff Reporter
We derive no joy in Bowman Lusambo’s troubles, says Southern Province minister Cornelius Mweetwa.
Speaking with Daily Revelation on the nullification of Lusambo’s Kabushi seat by the courts of law, Mweetwa said for the UPND was restrained to comment when something like this s happened asthmatic is the operation of the law at work
He said this was not the first time a seat was being nullified as the same thing happened when the PF won the 2011 general elections.
Mweetwa said he considered Lusambo as his own brother and friend and sympathized with his situation but that the law was the law.
“We derive no pleasure in seeing a colleague undergo such kind of circumstances but then he must pay attention to what is it that has led to this. So it is a lesson, not to him, him he is a victim of the operation of the law. The lesson should be drawn by us that when we go into elections what are the dos and donts so that we don’t have this kind of situation. So I think that there is no joy in laughing at him or whatever. No! We just have to draw lessons and say okay fine, ext time if I am in this election situation how should behave? Period,” he said.
Mweetwa said “we don’t want to behave like wizards who are heatless. That seat has just been nullified today so we cannot being to rate our chances of winning that seat. No!”
He said there will be a campaign period and the message the party would sell to the people is what will determine whether they will win, but giving a glimpse, Mweetwa said the UPND will campaign on what they have done in the last 11 months.
“And if the people of Ndola, Kabushi in particular, will be happy that their children were employed, 30,496 regardless of affiliation considerations, regardless of political affiliation, that some of their children have been employed under to be announced tomorrow health workers, that retirees who had been in the books of government, they will go and sign outside Ministry of Justice, no response have been paid, that arrears for KCM workers were paid, that arrears for Tazara workers were paid, that there is no political violence, no caderism, police are not abusing the Public Order Act to victimize citizens all in the name of the law but violating human rights….if the people are going to agree with us I think that winning Kabushi will be the easiest thing so to do because many people who voted for PF in Kabushi, this time when they look at the sanity and serenity, peace and unity reigning supreme in this country cannot dare to think that PF should ever come back,” Mweetwa said. “So PF should stop talking about rebranding, they must be talking about disbanding. Period!”
Mweetwa said the UPND would not go out to prove anything in Kabushi, arguing that they have no issue to prove politically because President Hakainde Hichilema was elected overwhelmingly in a landslide, saying the test for the UPND was on the economy and rule of law.
“Those are the issues where we can say test us and we are willing for a challenge, not politics. Winning a by-election is not everything. But what do you do after winning is what matters to the people of this country,” said Mweetwa.
