HOME affairs minister and Shiwang’andu PF member of parliament Stephen Kampyongo says the government has no intention of barring UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema from contesting the Republican presidency next year.
He stresses that the PF is prepared to politically face-off with Hichilema, without resorting to any shortcut.
Kampyongo spoke on a special interview programme on Kasama Radio on Saturday evening.
“Speaking on behalf of government, we have no intentions of picking someone as a way of disenfranchising Mr Hakainde Hichilema from standing. We have competed with him before; he [was] trounced and we are still ready to face him on the political arena, not any other shortcut,” Kampyongo said.
He, however, indicated that questions related to privatisation which ‘people’ were posing must be answered through a transparent and structured process.
The minister noted that no one should be above the law.
“Everyone is equal before the law [and] it doesn’t matter what status you are in society – you must be answerable. Even me, if I’m found wanting, I must subject myself before the process,” Kampyongo said. “So there is no one who is going to do hush-hush to arrest anyone. We are not interested because competition we are able to compete politically. We have competed before and this person we are talking about has lost not to one individual [but] to many others.”
He asked what was special about Hichilema today: “that we can fear to say we cage him.”
“No! That is baseless and those who are agitating to say they will start going into lawlessness as a way of defending this individual, you should be counting your days. You’ll be the one found in… locked up when the person is out there,” he said. “Be patient! This matter [of privatisation] requires patience and objectivity and sobriety, to deal with. It’s not because a chief who is a beneficiary [and] an accomplice… to start using threats. Threats to who?”
Kampyongo said Zambia was bigger than the two individuals, in apparent reference to Hichilema and chief Mukuni of Kazungula, Livingstone and Zimba districts in Southern Province.
“So we are not going to be scared, we are not going to be cowards. We have taken up these jobs to ensure that we do that which is just. But at the same time, we are not going to act on impulse – we are not going to be irrational, we are not going to be emotional,” he explained. “That’s why we are saying there’s need for sobriety to understand what needs to be done in order to get to the bottom of this matter. It’s not as simple as people…. ‘No, lock up…’ We lock you where? That’s not our interest.”
Kampyongo further claimed that it would never be in President Edgar Lungu’s interest to punish his opponents because: “he is a product that can be sold.”
“He is a product that people have loved, have accepted. He is a product that came from nothing – when people were already campaigning,” Kampyongo noted. “But from behind he came to surpass them to become President because God works in different ways.”
He underscored that the government wouldn’t arrest anyone, “as a way of disenfranchising this person from participating in the democratic processes.”
“There will be no such a thing. But what we should not lose sight of is that people want answers and these answers are not going to come from radio stations, from TV stations. No!” said Kampyongo. “There’s need to have a process, which process will look through these matters and conclude them and close them. Those that will be found wanting, if people of Zambia will have their assets to be returned, that can only be determined by the process. Proper transparent process!”