Let’s not glorify criminality in the. name of democracy – Kabuswe

Let’s not glorify criminality in the
name of democracy – Kabuswe

MINES Minister Paul Kabuswe says
politicians should not use politics as an excuse to make careless statements that can put the national security at risk in the name of democracy.Kabuswe also says former president Edgar Lungu will never return to govern the country.On Friday, Lungu demanded the release of Socialist Party president Dr Fred M’membe, who was detained after being arrested and charged with sedition.He said the political oppression, persecution and police brutality escalating
under the new dawn government were “offside in football terms” and must end.

Commenting on Lungu’s remarks, Monday, Kabuswe said politicians should not use
politics as an excuse to make statements that could put the country at risk.“The democracy levels have not gone down, they have actually improved. What we must do as a nation is to write and advise politicians not to hide in the name of being an opposition or political leader so that you can now just make statements, you can say what you want. So you can’t just be ranting in the name of democracy, you just want to say whatever you want to say whether it puts the security of  the nation at risk, you can’t!

Edgar Lungu cannot, he is far away in terms of democratic Space relating to the time he was President of Zambia. That was the time even cadres beat up ministers. His own cadres.

Didn’t we have a case in court where [Given] Lubinda was beaten by his own cadres?

Look at what happened to KBF when he wanted to challenge him? They were even
stopping people from going to conventions. That is how bad it was in Lungu’s days.
Hakainde couldn’t fly because Lungu was flying in the air in Zambia, they said, ‘Hakainde cannot fly’. Are we doing that
ourselves? Isn’t he moving all over the country flying, have we stopped him?” he said.

Kabuswe said criminality should not be glorified.“We need to be fair, in Lungu’s days it was an animal farm, that is what it
was. Today, somebody can say, ‘no, don’t arrest people arbitrary’, criminality must
not be glorified. You can’t hide behind a veil of a political party or behind a veil of being a political leader, then you can say and do anything. How do you get arrested for doing nothing? Him, he was arresting people for doing nothing. He ran this country like it was on autopilot, the rule of law went to negative I
don’t know. There was no rule of law under Edgar Lungu, so what is he talking about?

Them, they are going all over radio stations, has anyone gone to take them out? So all
these things we need to itemise them, comparing Hakainde’s time and Lungu’s time. There is no shrinking of [democratic
space],” he said.Kabuswe urged Lungu to
watch how the UPND governs the country.

he lost by a million votes. A government that is working, you have seen the impact of CDF, you have seen the free education policy, can
Zambians say, ‘no we don’t want free education’? KCM has just been paying utility
companies, it has paid councils. That is triggering now money circulating in the economy. Will a retiree who stayed years
without being paid say, ‘I want Edgar Lungu’? No! So Edgar is not coming back, he is not!

He can have confidence, it is dark courage, he can have confidence in his statements,
but he is not coming back. Let him retire and watch, let him watch abaishiba ukuteka
ichalo ifyobateka (let those who know how to govern the country govern),” said
Kabuswe.