RUBBISH CLAIMS

IT is lies, lies and more lies.

But we are not surprised over the change in tactics adopted by the anti-Bill 10 grouping seeing that they might not succeed in Parliament, by planting lies.

The anti-Bill 10 campaigners have resorted to try and question the conscience and integrity of those Members of Parliament from the opposition who support the bill.

They are now claiming that the Patriotic Front government has hired a privately-owned company, YengaTech, to try and bribe opposition MPs.

Their motive is to show the public that the PF government is desperate to have Bill 10 passed and will resort even to bribery to succeed.

But we have no doubt that this smear campaign is directed at Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa, the UPND Nalikwanda MP.

Prof Lungwangwa, with his Solwezi West counterpart Teddy Kasonso earned the UPND’s wrath when they refused to walk out of the National Assembly when Bill 10 was introduced in the House.

Another MP who defied his party was Mr Joseph Chishala, who represents Roan constituency on the National Democratic Congress ticket.

For the UPND, the action by Prof Lungwangwa and Mr Kasonso was open rebellion having defied express orders from their leader, Mr Hakainde Hichilema to have nothing to do with Bill 10.

For all its opposition, the UPND has not pointed out any clauses in Bill 10 on which it is uncomfortable.

It is this stance that majority of Zambians have found wanting, especially that they are not prepared to debate and argue their points in Parliament.

We have no doubt the smear campaign alleging bribery is coming with the blessings of the UPND.

Prof Lungwangwa has described the bribery claims as rubbish.

Prof Lungwangwa, who was part of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 10, said he could not comment more as he had on several occasions justified his support for Bill 10.

He said it is rubbish to suggest that he and others have been bought to support the constitution amendment number bill 10 of 2019.

The Nalikwanda MP said no one could buy him to support Bill 10 and that every decision he had made was out of his conviction.

It is pathetic that in their desperate attempt to stop Bill 10, an innocent businessman has been accused of being used by the PF to bribe the MPs

YengaTech company owned by Danny Yenga has dismissed as malicious the story in an online publication alleging that President Edgar Lungu has engaged the firm to bribe opposition MPs to support Bill 10.

A company representative, Mr Emmanuel Chisanga said such assertions are false, baseless and malicious. He said the story is the work of the enemy whose intention is to malign Mr. Yenga’s professional standing.

Zambians ought to remember that anti-Bill 10 campaigners should be monitored closely as they have shown they are prepared to use underhand methods to succeed.

It is surprising that even when the courts have ruled that the government has not broken any law in taking Bill 10 to parliament, they still want to show this is being done with a sinister motive.

With the full blessings of the UPND, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), Chapter One Foundation Limited, a non-governmental organisation, unsuccessfully petitioned the Constitutional Court to declare that the Constitution Amendment Bill 10 of 2019 violated national values and principles in the Constitution.

The Constitutional Court ruled otherwise but it seems for some groupings, the “war” is far from over, hence the changing of tactics.

The bottom line though is for Zambians to rubbish such claims.