LAY DOWN YOUR GUNS AGAINST ECL, KALABA TELLS POLICE

HARRY Kalaba has said plans by the Zambia Police to arrest former President Edgar Lungu for advising government against police brutality are meant to instill fear among opposition political party leaders working with him and prevent them from talking about the continued shrinking democracy in the country.

Mr Kalaba, the Citizens Frist (CF) president says there was nothing treasonable with what former President Lungu had said and that Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda, had cut his term short after Zambians got disenchanted and demanded for early elections.

Mr Kalaba said it was shocking and ironical that the Zambia Police and the UPND propagandists had yet again elected to deliberately and maliciously misinterpret former President Lungu’s timely advice to President Hakainde Hichilema to be wary of the police misconduct in their quest to continue harassing and maligning the former head of State.

He said it was not treasonable for citizens to demand the resignation of President Hichilema or call for early elections if they were dissatisfied with the performance of the head of State.

“I have received queries from members of the press seeking to hear our position as CF on the statement by the 6th Republican President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu following the continued abuse on himself and some members of his party from the government through the state sponsored Police,” Mr Kalaba said.

“Our take is that the caution Dr. Lungu was giving is very timely advice and any leader worth his salt must take with open arms. Instead, our Police force is planning to effect an arrest on the former President as a way of sending fear in him and the rest of the citizens who feel disenfranchised by the shrinking political space,” Mr Kalaba said.

He said what former President Lungu had raised was what President Hichilema and his predecessor should have been discussing had the two been enjoying cordial relations.

He said President Hichilema had once told Zambians that he and his predecessor were talking and that had they been, what former President Lungu raised could have been discussed in one of their conversations.