HH TRICKED COUNCILLORS
…He fooled them into endorsing him like children – Changala
By Mast Reporter
THE over 1,800 ward councillors who attended the meeting with President Hakainde Hichilema in Lusaka on Monday during which they were forced to endorse him as presidential candidate were tricked like little children, an activist has said.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt Patriotic Front (PF) councillors have denied claims endorsing Hichilema.
Governance activist Brebner Changala said as usual, imingalato was at play, where civic leaders were not given the agenda of the meeting, only to be shocked that the meeting was for the endorsement of the President ahead of the August elections.
In an interview with The Mast, Changala said the councillors were not given the agenda of the meeting and were surprised to attend what appeared to be a political rally.
“It is funny because those councillors were tricked as they were invited to attend a meeting whose agenda was not known, but when they reached the venue they were treated to a campaign rally. It was the usual imingalato at play,” he said.
On Monday, 1,832 out of the country’s 1,883 councillors were shepherded like school boys and girls into Mulungushi International Conference Centre where they were forced to endorse Hichilema for the August presidential election.
Changala said it was unfortunate for the United Party for National Development (UPND) to claim that over 1,832 councillors had endorsed Hichilema when it was not true.
He said the impression created that almost all the councillors had endorsed Hichilema was a shameless lie and an insult to the people of Zambia.
Changala said he was not shocked by the UPND’s deception anymore because the regime would do anything to deceive Zambians to hold on to power longer.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt Patriotic Front (PF) councillors have denied endorsing Hichilema.
Councillor David Phiri, who spoke on behalf of several others, said the reason they attended the meeting was to discuss their conditions of service with government.
Phiri said they were shocked that Hichilema overlooked serious issues affecting civic leaders and focused on his personal interest.
“We endorsed nobody. What we saw was a speech from a civic leader from Katete who we are told wants to stand as member of Parliament. So, she spoke on her own behalf and not ours,” he said.
The councillors said they had endorsed Tonse Alliance torchbearer Brian Mundubile as their preferred candidate and not Hichilema.
However, Changala said it was unfortunate that the UPND was using State machinery to cling on to power at the expense of the opposition.
He said Hichilema had gone flat-out campaigning while the opposition were left in limbo because police had not been allowing them to do the same.
“This was very wrong because even State institutions were being used to stifle the opposition’s efforts to carry out campaigns. I want to say the perception that councillors have endorsed the President is a lie, and it is the highest form of treachery that I have ever seen because they were not told what the meaning of the meeting was,” Changala said.
He warned that those behind that political rally at Mulungushi would soon be made to pay back the public money because it amounted to misappropriation since it was funded using taxpayers’ money.
And during the same campaign meeting, a councillor from Eastern Province who spoke for others was harshly booed for endlessly praising Hichilema instead of delivering a message on their welfare.
The councillors continuously heckled their colleague forcing him to abandon his praising singing.
