DICTATOR HH EMBARRASSING HIMSELF – LUSAMBO
UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema should be ashamed that President Edgar Lungu has not been responding to his provocations and does not even hold meetings to discuss him or any of the opposition leaders, Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo has said.
And Mr Lusambo has said Mr Hichilema should take an introspection of himself before calling others dictators because it was actually him who was a dictator in the UPND by not allowing others to take over from him.
Mr Lusambo was reacting to a statement by the UPND leader that former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was the “God Father” of dictatorship in Africa who taught the ruling PF how to steal votes and deny people’s rights to assemble, demonstrate and voice out their concerns.
During the Copperbelt UPND card renewal exercise in Kitwe on Sunday, Mr Hichilema said Mr Mugabe was the “God Father” of dictatorship in Africa.
At the same meeting, the UPND leader also said he won the 2016 elections, but President Lungu and the PF allegedly stole his votes, adding that if the election petition was to be revived, the government of thieves of President Lungu would get out of power.
But, Mr Lusambo wondered why the UPND leader was always issuing provocative statements against President Lungu when the republican President was not even responding to his attacks or holding meetings to discuss him or any of the opposition leaders.
"Why, why should Mr Hichilema continue to attack or provoke President Lungu when the President does not discuss him or any of the opposition leaders. Whilst Mr Hichilema is insulting President Lungu, President Lungu is busy discussing issues of development. He is not talking about Mr Hichilema.
"So it is shameful and embarrassing for a person who calls himself a leader of the biggest opposition party to continue attacking a person who does not respond to his attacks.
“We expect him to provide leadership. It is not the fault of President Edgar Lungu that Mr Hichilema has failed to recover from the loss of the 2016 elections," Mr Lusambo said.
He said Mr Hichilema was the only dictator in Zambia because he had held on to the position of UPND presidency despite losing five times as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Lusambo said, if the opposition leader was democratic, he would have allowed the party to go for a convention to allow for new leaders to take over, but because he was a dictator, he was still holding on to the party presidency while calling others dictators.
"Now, if Mr Hichilema can hold on to the party presidency despite losing five times, what if you elected him republican president, what would happen? Can he leave the Presidency?
“That is one question you should ask yourself before you elect certain people into government,” Mr Lusambo said.