HARRY Kalaba has told those who advocate for a Democratic Party/UPND pact to “forget” about such happening.
Kalaba, the DP president, likens such an arrangement to agitating for Catholics to start congregating with Pentecostals.
Meanwhile, Kalaba has charged that, apparently, neither UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema nor President Edgar Lungu will win the presidency next year.
He featured on a programme dubbed ‘Power to the people’ on Power FM radio in Kabwe on Tuesday.
“Those who are saying we should form a pact, forget. It shall not happen! What you are proposing is like saying since ba Catholic have grown in number, they should start congregating together with Pentecostals. As DP we shall not do that,” Kalaba said, in response to two callers who suggested that the DP forms an alliance with the UPND.
“Don’t start saying let’s merge so that we defeat those. Next year’s elections are not about Harry Kalaba versus President Edgar Lungu [but] they are about the past versus the future. They are very serious elections. Don’t even make a mistake of saying when you (presidential candidates) are many, votes will be split. No! It’s about you Zambians knowing who can take Zambia to the next stage.”
He also noted that Zambians liked to call certain political parties as big ones and predicting that the presidential winner would come from those parties.
“Bufi ubwafita fititi (it’s a black lie). Tapali fyo nangu umo ukawina pali aba babili (no one will win among these two – HH and Lungu), balepona (they will lose)!” Kalaba said.
“It’s the DP that is going to win and please, keep this recording. The DP will win the elections next year and what will help us to win is our good message. We are averse to corruption, we want to industrialise this country, we want to empower Zambians with land.”
He stressed that: “I’m not going to accept to be a minister or anything like that.”
“I was the foreign minister and I finished that course. Now I want to be the President – the country’s driver. For me, nomba nibu president ndefwaya (it’s the Republican presidency that I want now). Bushe pali nefyakupita mumbali apa (is there anything to veil here)?” Kalaba noted.
Kalaba pointed out that the DP was the party with a new majority.
“We are the new majority because we are with the youths, we are with the women, taxi drivers, the marketeers and everyone else who has been forgotten by this PF government,” he said.
“You don’t see us participating in these by-elections because we don’t want to just participate in an election to fulfill the fixture or to be seen to be on the ballot. We want to participate to win and we are going to win the election [in August 2021].”
On the same programme, Kalaba regretted that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) had today become a laughing stock because: “they have been ridiculed in public [by President Lungu].”
“Are you telling me that the ACC tomorrow will freely do its work? Nobody working at the Anti-Corruption Commission can walk with their head high today because they have been ridiculed,” Kalaba said, in reference to President Lungu’s recent guess in Ndola that the Commission wanted to oust him.
Meanwhile, Kalaba indicated that: “ba Lungu is a good man.”
“Nomba ici cena bakwete ici nacikula (but what is he holding on is burdensome). Let him throw it away to those in the DP. He is wearing an over-sized shoe. Ba Lungu is wearing an over-sized coat, no wonder he can appoint ba Mvunga [as Bank of Zambia governor],” said Kalaba.
“I have got nothing against ba Mvunga. But replacing Denny Kalyalya with Mvunga cakana (it’s unfitting); ma jokes ayo (those are jokes). Ba Mvunga is not supposed to be anywhere near there (BoZ).”
On his way back to Lusaka, Kalaba diverted to Chisamba township (about 20 kilomtres from the Great North Road), where he welcomed into the DP scores of defectors from the UPND.