BETTER A SATANIST WHO DELIVERS
…Eastern Province UPND youth chair attacks critics branding President Hichilema a Freemason
By George Zulu
THE United Party for National Development (UPND) in Eastern Province says Zambians prefer a leader accused of occult affiliations who feeds schoolchildren and provides free education over a self-professed Christian president who plunders public resources.
In a video circulated by Smooth FM radio on Friday, UPND Eastern Province youth chairperson Lyson Nyirenda said it was better for the country to be ruled by a Freemason and a Satanist as long as he was capable of providing food for school-going children.
Nyirenda made the remarks in defence of President Hakainde Hichilema, whom he described as the most vilified head of state in Zambia’s history, noting that critics had repeatedly branded him a Freemason and a Satanist.
“It’s good to follow a freemason who is giving people free education. It’s good to follow a satanist who is feeding school-going children into schools than having a Christian who is busy stealing from his own people. They were calling themselves Christians,” he said.
Nyirenda said President Hichilema was the most insulted and ridiculed leader in Zambia’s political history, warning that UPND youths would no longer sit back and tolerate such attacks against their party leader.
In apparent reference to late former president Edgar Lungu, Nyirenda argued that championing Christianity in public life meant little when those invoking the faith were simultaneously engaged in looting public resources while the rest of the population prayed.
“Under UPND, we don’t have Christians for a Hakainde. They are Christians for somebody. At the end of the day, we are busy praying, they are busy stealing,” he said.
Nyirenda said Zambia’s priority now was to bury Lungu before anyone could talk about Christianity.
“And for us, our message is very simple. As a Christian nation, let’s bury President Lungu’s face. They talk about Christianity. Because our satanist, the one they are claiming to say is a satanist, he’s been preaching, let’s bury our president with a dignified burial. But that hasn’t been accepted by our brothers.
“My message to my brother, brother Makebi [Tonse-Pamodzi Alliance presidential candidate Makebi Zulu], you come from the Eastern Province, mwambo wathu wamalilo ni three days [Our tradition for funerals is that when someone dies, we bury within three days]. Ngati muntu wamwalila, the third tiyike. Mwanje imwe a kirisitu mwagwilira malilo? Ise akunja, amene mukamba ati akunja, pali aba abili mukilisitu nindani? Ise satana wathu apeleka free education, satana wathu akana kumenya bantu, tiyeni tikakumane pa ground [Now you Christians have held on to the funeral. Us you label us the outcasts, between these two, who is a Christian? Our Satan is giving free education, our devil has refused to beat people, let’s go and meet on the ground],” he said.
Nyirenda said the UPND youths were ready for a serious battle to retain Hichilema in power.
“Our message is very clear, we are ready for the battle and we shall fight to bring back Hichilema. We shall go and tell people what our Satanist has done. Our Satanist is giving free education,” he said.
He warned against violence.
“We are just following the command from our president. Our president. We were told to say, anyone found wanting or on the other side of the law, you are on your own. And I want to echo the words of my president. This message also goes to my youth and also our political opponents. Let’s have a campaign that people buy into our message,” he said.
Nyirenda said the UPND was a peaceful party.
“And anyone doing that from my side as UPND, you are on your own. Because our president has been preaching peace. If there is a president who suffered for him to be president, he was locked up almost 19 times…he was charged with treason, charged with a bogus one for 127 days. But he didn’t pay back. He didn’t revenge. There’s no vengeance in my president. So why should we do that as his followers? So, he is an elder in the church, meaning that there’s God in him. So even us as his followers, we want to follow his footsteps,” he said.
