[By Mike Mwansa]
LEADER of the United Movement for Kola Bemba Kingdom Boniface Besa Bwalya has called on Zambians to unite and vote out what he termed tribalists.
He says only enslaved Bembas will vote for PF presidential candidate Edgar Lungu because “they are the ones he eats with but they are few”.
Bwalya, told The Mast, that the tribal card the PF has been using should annoy people even more.
He reminded the Bemba people to whom President Edgar Lungu and the PF have been appealing for support against the UPND that the Head of State had once called them thieves.
“Ndelomba ku bena Zambia, tiyeni tume akapi pamo, twikatane tucimfye ba mwansakabinga ba tucusha. Tiyeni twikatane pamo tufumyepo aba pantu ba kapatulula ka mu tundu. (I’m begging all Zambians, let us work together. We unite and defeat these devils who have troubled us. Let us unite and remove them because they are tribalists),” Bwalya said in apparent reference to the PF. “Uyu muntu alitutuka ukweba ati mwe babemba nimwe ba kabolala, alitutuka insele. Kabili abwekeshapo ukututuka ifwe, tatwakamuvoteleko! (This person insulted us that you Bembas are thieves, he insulted us. Again, he has insulted us, we will not vote for him).”
And Bwalya said only enslaved Bembas will vote for President Lungu on August 12.
“Ifwe pamo nga ababemba natumukanina. Ndesoka na babemba bonse, onse umubemba uushaikatwa bunkole, tekwesha uku votela Lungu. For us as Bembas we have rejected him. I am speaking to all Bembas, every Bemba who has not been enslaved, do not vote for Lungu),” Bwalya added. “Ababemba aba ikatwa bunkole ebaka votela Lungu, ebo balya nabo; but banono. (Only enslaved Bembas will vote for Lungu, they are the ones he eats with but they are few).”
Bwalya also expressed confidence that the Electoral Commission of Zambia would ensure free and fair elections next week.
He has since appealed to the United Nations and its agencies in the country to keep an eye on the soldiers deployed across the country.
“Ndesubila ukuti ba ECZ bakabikako amano. Elyo kabili ndelomba ifyalo fya kunse, ama interntational observers maka maka ba United Nations and Commonwealth, ukulolesha pali uyu umulandu. (I hope that the ECZ will do a good job. And I am asking the international community, the international observers especially the United Nations and Commonwealth, to look into this matter),” said Bwalya. “Elyo ba Lungu babika aba soldier mu street babikepo amenso betulekelesha. (And Mr Lungu has deployed soldiers on the streets, let them pay attention, they should not neglect us).”