… don’t provoke police with illegal rallies
By ANNIE ZULU
THE Movement for MultiParty Democracy (MMD) in Eastern Province has suspended its alliance with the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) but would continue to support President Edgar Lungu until his term expires.
MMD provincial spokesperson Zephaniah Kaleya said this follows demands by the PF in the province to have MMD leader Felix Mutati removed as Finance minister for allegedly being disloyal to the PF.
But PF Eastern Province chairperson Andrew Lubusha has told the Daily Nation in an interview that the PF was not shaken by the suspension of the alliance by MMD.
Mr Lubusha said the ruling party would still remain intact, with or without MMD.
“We are not threatened by their suspension of the alliance, we are still strong and we will continue to serve the Zambian people as the party in power, so nothing will change. Our responsibility is to deliver on our campaign promises to the people and that is what we are concentrating on,” Mr Lubusha said.
He maintained that Mr Mutati must choose between PF and MMD.
Mr Lubusha indicated the only way Mr Mutati could fully help the PF in improving the livelihood of the Zambian people was if he joined the party.
He said Mr Mutati had been playing two-faced for a long and that it was now time for him to choose on whose side he was.
“The only thing we are demanding for is for Mr Mutati to give us a clear direction, if he wants to continue with MMD let him do that, but he should not use government resources. Our stance still remain the same, we want to know where his original loyalty is,” Mr Lubusha said. By BENNIE MUNDANDO DO not blame the police command when it unleashes its battalion on you for daring it by defying its advice and insisting that you will go ahead with your planned countrywide rallies, the Zambia Direct Democracy Movement (ZDDM) has warned the UPND.
On Wednesday, UPND secretary-general Steven Katuka said the party will hold rallies across the country even without police permits, saying it was not expecting police to object because the PF did the same and were not stopped.
Mr. Katuka said peaceful and lawful assemblies, demonstrations, meetings and rallies were part of the democratic tenets that must be allowed like the PF members have been doing against Finance Minister Felix Mutati of late.
“We intend to hold several thanksgiving rallies across the country without a police permit and we expect the police to allow us like they have allowed anti-Finance Minister Felix Mutati protests during this threatened state of emergency,” Mr Katuka said.
But speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, ZDDM leader Edwin Sakala said it was wrong for the UPND to drag the police in its political mantra by putting its command under undue pressure by fanning illegality so that the opposition party can consolidate its claim that Zambia had become a dictator, in an event that its leaders were arrested.
Mr. Sakala said it was wrong for UPND to look for every opportunity that presents itself to provoke police into running battles by agitating for chaos and acrimony and that should they be brutalised in the process of pushing for rallies without notification, they should not cry foul because they will have themselves to blame.
“UPND has always wanted to make this country ungov- By BENNIE MUNDANDO and CHITE MTONGA
THE Commonwealth and Catholic bishops should counsel UPND leader, Hakainde Hichilema to recommit to the peace process before any dialogue can take place.
Both the Patriotic Front and an alliance of youths have urged the initiators of the proposed peace process to start by talking to Mr Hichilema so that he can assure the nation that he had changed and not what the nation had been subjected to in the last few weeks.
“No dialogue or reconciliation must take place before the Commonwealth compels the UPND leader to recommit himself to the process because he has become truant since leaving prison and may not honour the agreement,” Kennedy Kamba, the Lusaka Province PF youth chairperson has said.