I don’t know whether rats ate UPND’s 10-point plan scripts – Mukandila

I don’t know whether rats ate UPND’s 10-point plan scripts – Mukandila

By Thomas Ngala( The Mast)

THEY had a 10-point plan, I don’t know whether those scripts were eaten by rats in their homes, Lusaka lawyer Celestine Mukandila scorns the UPND government over load shedding and other challenges citizens are grappling with.

Mukandila, a PF member, recalled when he featured on Live Radio that President Hakainde Hichilema mocked the previous regime on how they handled load shedding and promised to fix it as he ascends to power.

He feared that the country is headed towards 16 hours of load shedding.

“So they will come in and charge you with an offence of hate speech, which equally borders on ensuring that the statement you are making should not be false. So here I am, I am on radio today, speaking to the Zambian people and reminding them that once upon a time Bally indicated on his social media platforms that having power in homes has become more like being in possession of an illegal substance. Now the question is, is it a lie? It is true… he mocked the load shedding that was happening. He lied to the Zambian people that I have completely gotten rid of load shedding within one year. But what we are seeing is we are headed towards 16 hours of load shedding,” he said. “In some areas, they are not even seeing power. But this is a service that we pay for… What we are seeing is unfortunate because our leaders have failed to provide alternatives. Alternatives that they themselves told the Zambian people that they had. They had a 10-point plan, which 10-point plan, I don’t know whether they lost those scripts, I don’t know whether those scripts were eaten by rats in their homes.”

Mukandila accused the UPND of being a government that is hell bent on punishing those with opposing views.

“Governments such as this one which is hell bent on punishing those with opposing views would rise and give people charges that are seriously malicious, all in the name of intimidating, curtailing people’s rights to express themselves, curtailing people’s rights to associate with any political party of their choice or any religion of their choice. So it’s a challenge,” he said.

Mukandila said democracy is currently at a brink of collapse.

“It is at a brink of collapse because these rights are being curtailed by the use of lawfare. What this government has been doing, has been using lawfare to curtail several human rights and the human rights violations have become so apparent,” said Mukandila. “We hope that this government should wake up and know to say that the kind of abrogation of rights using lawfare, such as the law with regards to seditious practices, espionage, the law with regards to hate speech, is not enough to unite this country. Because what we have now seen is lawfare being used to disintegrate the peace that we have, unfortunately.”