Maravi

PF has people masquerading to be knowledgeable - HH
By Kombe Chimpinde
Tue 04 June 2013, 14:01 CAT

HAKAINDE Hichilema says the PF has people masquerading to be knowledgeable on government policies. But home affairs deputy minister Steven Kampyongo says Hichilema is a big hypocrite whose hypocrisy will not take him anywhere.

Meanwhile, the UPND says it will in the next few days present an update report of alleged PF constitutional abuses to SADC, AU and Commonwealth.

Speaking when he featured on UNZA Radio's Lusaka Star programme, Hichilema wondered whether Kampyongo understood economics better than him.

"He doesn't and that was the ignorance I was talking about earlier. There is a total misconception. When you listen to (Wynter) Kabimba talk, you listen to all these PF sympathisers, including ministers, you can see there is an assumption that government money belongs to them. That is the problem. You have people masquerading to be knowledgeable in the PF. This is why as citizens, we can't allow the country to be run from the dark room," he said.

He said the PF had continued deceiving Zambians.

"This is part of the cheating that has been going on by the PF leadership," Hichilema mocked, with constant reference to Kampyongo, who appeared on the same platform last Tuesday to explain the government position on the removal of subsidies.

"First month they were saying these subsidies (removal of subsidies on maize and fuel) was meant to punish the rich and not the poor, but the rich are continuing with 800 litres. Kampyongo himself is continuing with 800 litres of fuel in a month despite the high price increment," he said.

"It is the poor that have to rely on mealie-meal every day. They do not have options of potatoes and rice and all that stuff…a woman in the market who used to buy her tomatoes from Chamba Valley at a lower price, now the grower has to increase the price, because of cost of production."

He said every Zambian was feeling the pinch with the exception of greedy leaders.

Hichilema said ministers had been lying to the people that the removal of subsidies on fuel and maize had no effect on the poor, something he called playing a 'fools game'.

"These people are deep at sea, they are completely lost and want the people of Zambia to pay the price. Kampyongo or whatever his name is, is out of depth and he was here to defend a policy he does not know even an iota of it," he said.

"Including this issue of buying buses, it will be a situation where now corruption under PF will increase. They will manipulate this money to give to cadres and relatives."

But Kampyongo said that he was aware that Hichilema was infuriated by his featuring on the institution's radio station because he thought he had monopoly over the students.

"I got to the radio station on Tuesday and interacted with students and he was surprised and infuriated that I appeared because he wanted monks to be unleashed but the students were very peaceful and appreciated the programme," he said.

"Why is HH panicking and thinking he is the only one who has a monopoly of wisdom? We may not be economists but we know how to dissect these policies. I am an elected member of parliament who has been given a mandate to lead the people that elected me. So, I am on firmer ground than him who has never received the mandate of the people. Let him not ride on the students."

He said it was clear that Hichilema had a bad taste pronouncing his name by saying 'whatever the name is', an indication of how disrespectful and tribal he was.

And briefing the press at the party secretariat yesterday, Hichilema announced the move to present an update report of alleged PF constitutional abuses to SADC, AU and the Commonwealth was aimed at compelling the international community to intervene.

Hichilema said the country was undergoing tremendous difficulties under the PF in form of abuse of their rights of freedoms and expression.

'The Commonwealth submission has gone and now gathering interest, when we submitted, they were calling us bitter but can they still say we are bitter?" he asked.

"We are going to make a supplementary submission of others who have been battered. I hope the journalists and Oasis Forum will support the submission. Only one (news) paper will remain behind."

He said the assault of people that had gathered to pray at Matero's Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BiGOCA) last Friday was among the examples of many of such abuses that would be documented for the international community.

"PF leaders organised thugs to beat worshipers. I was supposed to be in church and I was aware that I was one of the targets for that panel. It's sad that people we put in office are the ones battering us," he said.

Hichilema also condemned Matero PF member of parliament Miles Sampa, who went to apologise to the church for the incident, whose culprits had not yet been traced on Sunday.

"He went to send a simple message. 'I can kill you. I can batter you but I will pay you.' They are not even using their own money but money removed from subsidies," he said.

Hichilema also repeatedly referred to what he termed the low calibre of people in the PF.

He repeatedly boasted that the credentials of his officials were there to see on the internet while most of those in the PF had just paid their way into getting university degrees, further challenging President Sata Michael Sata and justice minister Wynter Kabimba to a live broadcast debate on ZNBC on subsidies.

"When the blind in knowledge, those with limited knowledge, are explaining issues of subsidies, they can mislead people. I want the PF to choose any member of UPND who they can debate with to see whether they will say nothing or something."

And UPND vice president-political, Dr Canisius Banda yesterday implored Zambians to protest against the PF like the people of Turkey were doing over its alleged bad governance.

Banda, who described the PF as an organisation of fraudsters, said the UPND would continue holding rallies whether the PF liked it or not.
"We will continue speaking whether they like it or not. We have seen what is happening in Turkey (Ankara and Istanbul), the people there, they are protesting against the government…."

Labels: HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PF, STEVEN KAMPYONGO

posted by MrK @ 5:24 PM