DON’T KILL PF
…Stop sowing confusion, Lubinda warns presidential aspirants
By Adrian Mwanza and George Zulu
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) acting president Given Lubinda has warned all party presidential aspirants not to kill the former ruling party as they campaign to take over the presidency.
And Lubinda says Zambians should prepare themselves to go to prison for speaking out on various issues of national concern, especially near the general election in August.
Speaking when he featured on KBN TV’s Big Hour programme Wednesday, Lubinda said anyone seeking to take over the PF leadership should be mindful not to kill the party by creating confusion.
He said there was no need for anyone among the aspirants to create confusion that had the potential to destroy the former ruling party.
“In any decent organisation you conduct your campaigns in a manner that is building and not destroying. And I wish to urge all those seeking to take over the presidency of the mighty PF not to kill it, not to destroy the party. They should not slaughter the PF for any reason,” Lubinda said.
He said he was not intimidated by any aspirant vying for the position of president, but that they were not using the right channels when campaigning.
“I’m not intimidated and, trust me, if you ask the people who are aspiring, they are free to campaign. But it’s the manner in which they are doing it that is what is causing confusion,” Lubinda said.
The PF is expected to go for a national convention where it is expected to elect its new president following the death of its former president Edgar Lungu in South Africa in June last year.
Meanwhile, Lubinda has urged Zambians to prepare for the most difficult times under the United Party for National Development (UPND) government.
Speaking when he addressed PF sympathisers at the Lusaka magistrates court yesterday when he went to offer solidarity to Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa, he urged Zambians to prepare themselves for harsh times as the UPND became more desperate.
“Things are bound to get hard before they get better. Hakainde Hichilema is spending sleepless nights. So, please, my friends, all of us, let us practise to sleep on the floor. Because we are all bound to be brought before cells and prison. Let’s prepare ourselves. Always have bombasa on,” Lubinda said.
He said what happened at the court yesterday, where police officers were stopping people from entering, was an abuse of power.
“What has happened today at court is totally unacceptable in a democracy. Courts world over are supposed to be open to the public. No one is supposed to come and identify themselves before entering the precincts of the court. But we saw today young recruits, police recruits, manning gates and asking people to identify themselves before accessing the court premises,” Lubinda said.
He said the police should realise that courts belonged to the people and the Judiciary exercised power on behalf of the people.
“This is totally unacceptable in a democracy. Courts are for the people. The Judiciary exercises power that belongs to the people. And all cases that take place in court are open to the public. The constitution of Zambia provides that justice will be dispensed transparently. And the police must be restrained from asking people to identify themselves before accessing court premises,” he said.
Police should have granted Sampa a bond instead of behaving in the manner they did.
