UPND WON’T BEG
…It’s government’s duty to implement planned programmes
UPND officials will not go on their knees to beg for development because it is the mandate of government to implement planned programmes, party spokesperson Charles Kakoma has said.
The party has since directed its Members of Parliament (MPs) to perform the duties for which they were elected but not to go on their knees to beg for development which the State was obliged to do.
Mr Kakoma clarified that the MPs had been shunning public
events because the ruling party tended to politicise their presence to make it seem like they were rebelling against their leader, Mr Hakainde Hichilema. He said that contrary to insinuations that UPND had directed its MPs not to lobby for development or work hard because credit would be given to the ruling party, the MPs had been ordered to perform their duties diligently.
He said that UPND elected officials should work hard and show the people that they had an alternative government.
Mr Kakoma however reiterated that the opposition MPs would not reduce themselves to beggars or hero worship ministers as the government was supposed to deliver without parliamentarians lobbying for anything.
He claimed in an interview that UPND leader, Hakainde Hichilema, expected their MPs to ensure that their areas of operation were taken care of.
Mr Kakoma explained that the goal was to ensure that there was a very big difference between a constituency manned by the PF and that manned by UPND MP’s.
Meanwhile, Mr Kakoma also explained that UPND parliamentarians had been shunning public events because their presence was always politicised.
He explained that the ruling party always wanted to portray the presence of UPND members at public or government events as backstab on Mr Hichilema.
Mr Kakoma reiterated that UPND MPs like any other should be able to interact or speak freely at public events because they represented the people.
President Edgar Lungu has on several times expressed concern that opposition MPs were not available to work with government.