Press Statement
12th June, 2024
The continued use of humiliating language by the Patriotic Front leadership towards the Presidency is unfortunate and must cease immediately.
It is particularly disheartening to see President Hakainde Hichilema being portrayed as if he is begging for a meeting with former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. We remind those who demean the President’s genuine effort to extend an olive branch that belittling such a positive gesture, especially one made in response to a request from the Church, is unfair.
The President expressed his willingness to meet Mr. Lungu in response to a request from Reverend Patson Banda of the Reformed Church of Zambia.
Reverend Banda mentioned that many people would be pleased to see the two leaders working together for the country’s betterment. The President had the liberty to decline this request, as he has no personal issues to resolve with Mr. Lungu. It is Mr. Lungu who has issues to address with the people of Zambia, who claim he betrayed their trust during his tenure. Mr. Lungu and some of his family members are accused of amassing unrealistic wealth and are under pressure to prove their innocence through established judicial processes.
Despite these issues, the President accepted the Church’s request out of goodwill and respect, hoping to foster national unity and peace. However, actions by the PF leadership, such as the display of the book titled “How to Deal With Idiots,” an innuendo understood to refer to the President, and remarks by Raphael Nakachinda suggesting that the Presidency can call for a meeting “just to sit umungulu (purposelessly),” are totally unacceptable. Such meetings, like the Church-led ones at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross during the reintroduction of multiparty democracy, had clear agendas. It is unfair to reduce the Presidency to such levels of impoliteness.
We call upon the Reformed Church of Zambia and Reverend Banda, in particular, to state their position on the humiliating language used by Mr. Lungu and his supporters, such as Mr. Nakachinda, towards the President, as they were the ones who called upon the President to meet the former President.
Failure by Reverend Banda to admonish this behaviour will be understood by some citizens as a setup against the Head of State. How else should we interpret it if Reverend Banda and the Reformed Church of Zambia do not see anything wrong with the disrespectful remarks made about the Head of State following their request for a meeting with Mr. Lungu?
Furthermore, it is the considered view of most citizens that the tensions claimed by the opposition are a figment of their imagination. The opposition should note that the tensions they perceive are not national but personal. Many politicians claiming national tension are those with cases before law enforcement agencies and courts of law. How do such personal issues become national?
We call upon law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to ensure the speedy disposal of cases before their institutions to bring these matters to their logical conclusions. Zambians are now enjoying political and fundamental freedoms that had shrunk under the PF regime.
Therefore, the Republican President’s willingness to meet his predecessor does not stem from an assumption of national tension at all but willingness to listen not only to Mr. Lungu but other opposition leaders as stated at the Reformed Church of Zambia event.
(Original copy signed)
BISHOP JOHN MAMBO
PRESIDENT
I doubt that Reverend Banda will admonish Lungu ba Bishop Mambo. These are the compromised “wolves” in sheep skin that have brought shame to Christ’s church. An uncompromised religious leader would be talking to Lungu to humble himself and apologies to the people of Zambia and take up his rightful role of former president. There is nothing HH needs from Lungu, not even advice because Lungu is just an empty tin that wants to protect his family’s ill gotten wealth. I find it strange that this Reverend thinks HH is a problem who must humble himself and talk to Lungu; about what?
In the first place, there is no need for a meeting.
Whom ever raised the need for one is just another idiot looking for a handout.
PF have no shame. It seems they drunk too much Beer that they are still drunk and are not in a position to remember their pathetic behaviour.
When you appoint a drug abuser as political adviser and a street vendor as Minister of home affairs, you expect the kind of drama we saw during the 10 years of PF.
For them, it was party time and not time to work. When you have parents like any of that group, you should know that chaos will be the order of the day.
Bane, namukula, lekeni ibange pantu malemona kwati ni ka muvi kanshi ILYASHI LYACHALO lifwaikwa balya bantu bakwata ichikuuku.
Let the PF fight it’s own battles and not use citizens as pawns.
The men of the cloth should also sober up and show upright behaviours, not what we are seeing.
Mulekeni HH abombe bwino bane.
Praise singer
This senile old man does not know he is just a useful idiot where tribalists are concerned. Too bad
Rightly put by Ndine. President Hakainde Hichilema don’t have any issue with former president Lungu. Lungu is a problem to himself – Lungu has got something to do with himself which he is even implanting in his members such as Nakachinda, Mundubile, Kafwaya, Chitotela, the chief lie and propagandist Emmanuel Mwamba, nawuyu ati ndani, eyaa! Aaanhaaaa
Lungu has issues first with,
1. His own mouth because whenever he opens his mouth especially in public what comes out always is something else and his face changes to another being from a humble being to a snake in a wolves skin. Try to observe and see.
2. He has got a problem with his own wrong doings while in power / Office especially with the amasing of an explained wealth by his children and family including himself. This is a straight forward thing he just have to explain in the courts of law and whatever the outcome will show how it was done and the issue ends there and than ukulasabaila Kwena will not solve any problem but will add salt pacilonda.
3. What he did while in Office, that the law being what it is, it always follows wrong doers. For him these things stands, (1) not handing over power to the speaker during presidential election petition in 2016 that is a very serious case (2) threatening Constitution Court Judges during Dan PULES concocted case and not being sworn in as President elect in 216 by the Chief Justice while the Chief Justice was around in the Country. Why the Chief Justice refused to swore him is another case to explain. Not even the Deputy Chief Justice who were both in the country and around. But instead s junior Officer did that big function. Kayaaaa!
4. The issue of gassing will definitely point or rather end or stop and end with or at him plus many other big cases hence every time he opens up his mouth it’s another urgly thing because he knows that slowly the law is catching up with him.
So HH has no issue with him that needs dialogue or reconciliation. HH alimwelela kaleeeeee. But people like Lungu are such type of people who will not be saved – even the Bible is very clear on such type of people because of their or his arrogance and pride that sums up to disobedience. Look at how President Kaunda was humble, even after living state house. He was very humble that in itself maintained even his legacy nowonder even now he is being respected. Not balya. Umwine ati “Former, president, former president, kwisa; ukoooo!”
Ba Lungu nibaproblem palwabo and from the look of things he is such type of people who is very difficult to change. Otherwise HH wakae-ele. Just like Bishop Mambo has absolutely put it otherwise said.
I’m disappointed with the statement by Bishop John Mambo to drag Reverend Patson Banda saying if Reverend doesn’t condemn ECL it will look like a setup on President HH. Let’s learn to encourage noble ideas and spiritual guidance of reconciliation. The wrongs of PF or ECL cannot be blamed on a Servant of God with good intentions. That is putting too much pressure on the Reverend for nothing.
Reverend Banda requested President HH to meet ECL, the Reverend didn’t force or impose on the President and thank God the President agreed and that’s great. How ECL and PF reacts cannot be thrown back on the reconcialitor, it is not the issue of Reverend Patson Banda. And when the Reverend was requesting he didn’t side with ECL, to my personal opinion he means well. Regardless of the situation there nothing wrong for requesting such a meeting. Of course a crime is a crime it has nothing to do with the meeting.
My heart bleeds to see Reverend Mambo pop up only to unashamedly sing praises for the home team.Like all the others like Prof Baron Ndulo,he has been silent at the Batuke Imenda,Siayakalima use of the regional shield for protection against prosecution for hate speech!!
Here is an example of Praise Thug with a warped mind..i can’t see any logic in what he is saying.
Edgar Lungu is now an opposition leader. The issues he embraces are no longer personal issues. They are national issues..and he is now in league with other opposition parties which share similar concerns.
If there is dialogue, it should now be focused on governance issues, shrinkage of the Democratic space, abuse of the rule of law, the abuse of the 3 arms of government, Electoral Commission of Zambia’s misbehavior, and the Mingalatoon’s schemes to anhilate the Patriotic Front..and it should be under the ambit of inter party dialogue.
The time for dark corner Top Secret meetings is gone…You can’t isolate Edgar Lungu now.
If Hakainde thinks he will get a meeting with Edgar Lungu…the Top Secret meetings type he is dangling to the Catholic Church council of Bishops, he is wrong..and the Bishops only accepted out of courtesy..no wonder Arch Bishop Dr Alick Banda stayed away.
Take your Mingalatos elsewhere…We won’t allow Edgar Lungu to meet the sinking Hakainde alone. … Period. Call for inter party dialogue and ECL, Nawakwi, Saki, Sean Tembo, Pule …and the rest will be there.
There is absolutely no need for our beloved HH to go for a reconciliation meeting with Lungu coz there’s nothing to reconcile about. We don’t want our President to stop any criminal cases Lungu and all his associates are going through, or else we shall be annoyed with our beloved President Bally. Sir, our beloved HH, don’t call for any such meetings, these people don’t deserve such, they’re ungrateful. Remember that they never handed over power when your petition was active in the con court in 2016, the person who swore them in was not a Chief Justice nor the Deputy, so they have a lot of ‘skeletons in their closets’, so our Bally, no reconciliation with anyone. There’s no wrong you have done that deserves a reconciliation. ABASH IT.
Ze Fuhrer iz alvays right can never go wrong!!