NDC national chairperson Richard Luonde has advised Lusaka Province PF chairman Kennedy Kamba to sometimes keep quiet on certain issues.
Kamba has come under intense public attack after he urged PF members to treat Lusaka lawyer John Sangwa as a politician and deal with him as such.
Chapter One Foundation and historian Dr Sishuwa Sishuwa have petitioned President Edgar Lungu’s eligibility in the Constitutional Court.
The duo has retained State Counsel John Sangwa as its advocate in this matter.
In reaction to this, Kamba last Saturday urged party members in Lusaka to treat Sangwa as a politician.
He also promised to mobilise PF members to give solidarity to President Lungu when he appears at the Constitutional Court.
The public viewed Kamba’s statement as a threat on Sangwa’s life.
But after a backlash, Kamba issued another statement where he denied ever threatening Sangwa’s life.
Kamba said he was not a thug to do such a thing and would therefore not apologise for what he said.
Adding his voice on the matter, Fr Luonde advised Kamba to respect other citizens’ constitutional rights.
“So if Kennedy Kamba thinks that it’s only PF which can take others to court then he’s in a wrong country. Why is it that he’s the only person who responds each time people criticise the PF? Is he the only one with a mouth in PF? Why is it that senior party members keep quiet when people genuinely complain about the status quo?” Fr Luonde wondered. “It’s because other party members understand the genuineness of people’s complaints, hence their silence. But Kamba wants to open his mouth every time; even on matters he knows nothing about. Limo uleikalafye tondolo mwaice wandi (sometimes you
should just keep quiet young brother).”
Fr Luonde advised Kamba to grow up and learn to co-exist in a democracy.
“So, for Kennedy Kamba to incite people to rise against State Counsel John Sangwa is an injustice on a person who has a right as a Zambian to question the happenings in our country,” he added. “And because every Zambian is entitled to question the happenings in our country, John Sangwa as a citizen he has the right. That’s why we have the Judiciary which is an arm of government. And we are a nation of laws, that’s why we have that Judiciary, we have Parliament and the Executive.”
He said Kamba should respect other people’s rights the same way he wants his to be respected.
And Fr Luonde challenged Kamba to state if the PF would have formed government had the MMD treated them the way the ruling party is today treating people with dissenting voices.
“Zambia is not under a dictatorship that Kamba should be threatening his fellow citizens. The same rights Kamba is claiming to have are the rights that Sangwa and others have under our Constitution. So, Kennedy should not be vulgar and brutal on others. He has no right to do so,” said Fr Luonde. “When we were vouching for PF where was Kennedy Kamba? Nobody knew him; and even today most Zambians don’t know him. That’s why he is picking violence as his tool for being known. But Zambians will not accept violent people. He was nowhere near the happenings in the PF when we had our struggle with the MMD. If that government had treated us the way Kennedy Kamba wants to treat Zambians, would the PF have formed government? Kamba would not be talking today.”