UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema says he is aware that there are so many “straightforward” people in the PF government.
He says a UPND government shall not be of: “lesser men, like them (PF) and embark on a path of vindictiveness.”
Hichilema says in 2021, the catchphrase will be cila muntu neciwa cakwe (each one with their own misdeeds).”
“No! We want to prove to the people of Zambia that we are different. But to those who are dipping their fingers [into State coffers], their fears of being out of government are justified. And let me tell you here that there are so many straightforward people in PF, as a party and in government itself and that we know too well,” Hichilema said in an interview. “But I believe you know of the proverbial story of one rotten nut. Don’t you? To those straightforward men and women in there, I say to them sleep without any qualms; your job is not only secure but once we are in government, that job will pay you even better. That’s my promise to them and you should hold me accountable once we are voted for to form government.”
Hichilema said he wholly understood the frustrations of Zambians and that close to 10 years ago, “we in the UPND were the first ones to wave a red flag about this economic mismanagement.”
“[But] typical of them, our free economic advice was received with a lot of contempt and these issues are in public sphere. One would have thought that this relatively new PF team would be any better. But they came to entrench that economic mismanagement and to that, add their dictatorial ways. Look at how many media institutions have been closed since 2016 to date!” he noted. “Everyone who is critical of this dictatorship has been arrested and I’m talking about just in the last four years. Can you count the scandals, corruption cases, if you like, that these people have committed over the last few years? Talk about those 48 houses, the fire engines, the Ministry of Health ambulances, magnified contracts for roads and other infrastructure and many other misdeeds that, you, media people have documented.”
Hichilema said when he forms government next year, “courtesy of our people and God’s will, ours will be to fix the economy and not Lungu or indeed those cheating people that we are going to fix them.”
“If anything, only a small clique of the corrupt PF is worried about our government because if you are clean, finshi muletina (what are you afraid of)? Elo mwibikamo abakayele mu bupupu bwenu (don’t implicate the innocent in your theft); 2021 will be cila muntu neciwa [cakwe]. If you are corrupt, you will bear the brunt of your corruption alone. So, I want Zambians to internalise that fact; no one will be prosecuted because of their tribal inclination. I mean, when some of these people in the PF steal, do they steal for their tribes or for personal gain? So, why would an innocent Zambian lose sleep that HH will arrest us?” Hichilema asked.
Hichilema pointed out that the period from 2016 to now had been headlined by obvious autocracy, and also shady mass accumulation of wealth among some PF officials.
“Most of these people in PF had no income to live on for a day or week, just before 2011 or 2016,” he said. “So, how can they be this philanthropic today, in less than 10 years? The only money you can hastily throw around is the one you have not worked for. That’s why you see them putting money in personal investments that they have completely no knowledge about. That’s what undeserved income does; it makes you to start building castles in the air and I hope you understand that.”
The opposition leader said his explanation is aimed at giving Zambians a clear picture of why most people in PF were afraid of losing power.
“It’s nothing but their theft of public resources and how they have mistreated us, including other people who have called out their dictatorial rule,” said Hichilema. “But like I said the other time, we are seeking to go into government to fix the mess that PF has designed. And those who are clean have completely nothing to worry about our presidency, our government.”