We’ll criticise UPND now, not in 2026, says Muhabi Lungu
MUHABI Lungu has told the UPND government not to gag citizens and other stakeholders from holding it accountable as it governs the nation.
Mr Lungu, Zambia’s former deputy Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations said in an interview yesterday that people had the right to provide checks and that the UPND should not gag citizens from criticising it until 2026.
“The proposition by Government that people should not criticise them now until they have done their five-year tenure is very dangerous because democracy works best if there is constant oversight of everything that Government is doing by those who have an alternative view.”
“To suggest that those who have alternative views should wait until five years is very undemocratic, it is dictatorial and it is monarchical. It is as if they are expecting that we should see them as kings who only know what is best for the rest of us who are cloudy. That is very insulting,” Mr Lungu said.
He said in the next two weeks, the UPND administration would have done half of their term because five years is 60 months of governance and at the end of
February it will be exactly half.
Mr Lungu also said if the dissolution of Parliament in May (of the election year), was considered, UPND had actually done more than half of its term.
He said in other jurisdictions like the United States of America, midterm is regarded as campaign period for the next election.
“These people (UPND) have reached their midterm now and yet their record is not a very encouraging one by any measure. So, for them to suggest that the rest of us should not be critical is in a sense saying that they think they are the alpha and omega and so no one should criticise them.
That is wrong. They should allow all of us to be critical and that is the only way we can advise them to try and change course because things are obviously not well,” Mr Lungu said.
He said this was another extreme position Government had taken just like some citizens who were suggesting outrageous solutions such as introducing exchange rate controls.
Mr Lungu said extreme positions should not be encouraged. He also advised Government to be truthful with the citizens.
Mr Lungu said claims that some large copper deposits had been discovered on the Copperbelt were not true because even founding President Kenneth Kaunda was aware about that asset but decided to keep it for the future generations.
“This issue that has been going around by the Government claiming that some company which was given concession has discovered the biggest copper deposit is untruthful,” Mr Lungu said.
He said having worked with Dr Kaunda and many others in the mining sector, the deposits have been known for a long time but they were not exploited mainly for future use and technology was not as advanced as today.
Meanwhile, Mr Lungu has urged citizens not to make extreme suggestions in the wake of economic woes.
Mr Lungu said it is no doubt that the country was experiencing a lot of problems which were spiralling out of control.
“Obviously things seem to spiral out of control. The exchange rate, the policy rate which has been adjusted several times, there is very little money in circulation and whatever the UPND are doing doesnt seem to be working. I dont think anyone can dispute that. On the other side there are these issues which can be explosive like the Barotse issue, recruitment of teachers,” he said.