Hamasaka’s statement careless and mischievious, says Kangwa

Hamasaka’s statement careless and mischievious, says Kangwa

By Isaac Zulu in Kapiri Mposhi (The Mast )

KAPIRI Mposhi PF member Godfrey Kangwa says State House chief communications specialist Clayson Hamasaka’s statement distancing President Hakainde Hichilema from interfering in PF affairs is “illogical, mischievous and full of contradictions”.

On Wednesday, National Assembly Second Deputy Speaker Moses Moyo declared nine PF parliamentary seats vacant.

His ruling received massive public backlash, with most stakeholders assuming that this was schemed by President Hichilema in his quest to have absolute majority in parliament and push for his desired constitutional amendments.

Among the constitutional amendments President Hichilema is rumoured to push for are the removal of the 50+1 clause for a winning presidential candidate and restore the first past the post system, removal of an elected Vice-President (running mate), and increase of presidential term from five to seven years.

But in his statement on Thursday, Hamasaka defended President Hichilema.

“We have seen insinuations and attempts to drag the Republican President Hakainde Hichilema into the ongoing PF leadership wrangles, especially following the expulsion of nine of their members of parliament. It has never been President Hichilema’s interest to interfere in how other political parties conduct their business. One of the strongest pillars of this President is his commitment to order and the rule of law in the country. President Hichilema’s views on by-elections are well known. He has repeatedly called on stakeholders to come on board and make recommendations on how this issue can be addressed to avoid them and save resources.

The PF exercised its legal and constitutional rights to expel their members from Parliament according to the provisions of their party constitution. They later took these matters to the courts where decisions were made that resulted in the expulsion of their nine MPs,” said Hamasaka. “Therefore, when a decision such as this results from the PF’s self-inflicted wrangles, the President’s hands are extremely tied despite his personal views against by-elections. There is no way the President can interfere with the independent arms of government such as Parliament and the Judiciary. If he were to attempt to interfere with the provisions of the Constitution, the same people accusing him would turn around and accuse him again. So far the President has demonstrated willingness and courage to push for reforms in legislation he is uncomfortable with such as defamation of the President and abolishing the death penalty.

These are laws that did not require constitutional amendments but those regarding by-elections are beyond him as they require consensus from many stakeholders to address the numerous lacunas in the current constitution that they themselves admitted to signing with their eyes closed. As far as we are concerned, the internal fights between the PF factional Presidents are historical from the time of the demise of the late President Michael Sata (MHSRP). Whether they fight, reconcile, fight again, and then turn to the courts for arbitration, President Hichilema has no business with that. They should resolve their issues and leave the Republican President out of it. President Hichilema is currently busy resolving more serious national issues created by the same people that are currently wrangling among themselves.”

But Kangwa warned that this may bring more tension in the nation.

“This may gather serious political consequences and add to the deepening socio-economic, tribal and political tension in the already deeply impoverished country and dangerously gaggle or baffle on the Principal (Head of State) especially that it came from a person who was erroneously elected from the stage managed type of internal party dubious election during a national holiday for all perceived public functionaries,” Kangwa said in an interview. “Avoiding it should have been the best. Doing it with impunity by the Speaker is not only unfair to our current diminishing economy but unfair to people of Zambia, which the current leadership promised to salvage from the drudgery of poverty. I fear that this may force on the large fast enlarged borrowings and money of recent relief from IMF costly to ourselves as Zambians and the future generations.”

Kangwa urged both the UPND and PF leadership to dialogue and find a common ground.

“Posterity may judge our opportunistic non-introspective, self-centred, greedy and unkind leadership harshly sooner than later. PF and UPND must sit down together and find a common and fair ground to help this country and avert unnecessary conflict in this our lovely, democratic, peaceful Christian nation with a wider ethnic diversity. With these developments, I wonder where we are heading to as a nation,” said Kangwa. “The press statement from the chief communications specialist to President HH is illogical and unfair to Zambians totally against the desires of the same President he is purportedly representing and confessed by himself in the same statement in view. It’s a careless and mischievous statement full of contradictions