DP president Harry Kalaba says a revolution is not for the fainthearted.
The opposition leader is urging middle-aged Zambians not to relent on speaking out on national matters, stressing that: “this is their moment.”
Meanwhile, Kalaba has told Luapula Province minister Nickson Chilangwa to freely support his PF presidential aspirant from Luapula without: “coming in my firing range [because] I’ll pull the trigger on you and politically, it will be catastrophic.”
He spoke on a special interview programme on K FM radio in Mansa on Saturday morning.
“I want to encourage all the youths across the country who have stood up and are speaking. This is their moment! All the youths who are saying that they should begin speaking out for what is wrong, speak up [because] this is your time and you have an ally in Harry Kalaba. Those who are telling you ‘you can’t speak because you are B-Flow,’ No! Speak up!” Kalaba said.
“Those who are apologising when they say something and then they start saying pa, pa, pa, forget about them. The revolution is not for those who are weak. A revolution like the one that we are having now, where people now have just said we are dissatisfied with the status quo, is one that requires bravery. I can assure you that I’ll speak for the Zambian people pantu (because) batucusha pafula (they have made us to suffer for too long).”
He said Zambia was for all its citizens and that it could only be a peaceful place to thrive in if there was space for co-existence.
“It is important that we give each other leverage in a democracy like this one. People should be able to speak!” he said.
On the earmarked building of Luapula University in Mansa by the government, Kalaba asked: “but for how long have you been talking about Luapula University?”
“Nothing has happened! But because there is an election coming, you’ll see how they will be falling on top of one another these bakabepa bwiminine (shameless liars), coming to tell you that ‘now we are going to do this university because the money has now been found.’ Don’t listen to cheap lies,” Kalaba cautioned.
“If I was going to be telling people lies in Luapula Province, I would not even have resigned from the PF. I would have been parroting the same praises of ‘the noble leadership of His Excellency the President’. But I said no [because] people are suffering. Abantu balelalila impilipili mumayanda umu (people are depending on chilli for supper in these homes).”
He told Zambians to “get Zambia back in your hands” and that by so doing, it would be easier for a DP government to keep the wealth of the country.
“There are manganese mines in Luapula Province but who is mining them? Even when I was in the PF, there is a paper I wrote proposing that we should set up a plant here in Mansa to begin having Ferro manganese,” Kalaba said.
“We need to create an industry for Ferro manganese here so that we add value and we are going to create employment.”
Kalaba promised that his government would close the loopholes of corruption in government agencies.
“We are going to close the unnecessary bleeding of parastatal companies like Zesco, ZAFFICO,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kalaba reiterated that he yearns to see a professional civil service.
“If the civil servants can’t do their work properly because now it’s the ministers…Now niba Chilangwa’s abalecita ifintu (It’s Mr Chilangwa who is doing stuff). But ba Chilangwa we’ll understand him because if there was somebody who was against President Lungu, it’s Nickson Chilangwa. Now today he wants to cover that up and he is behaving as if everything starts and ends with him,” Kalaba said.
“Chilangwa, you are a brother of mine; we have fought battles together. You have never heard me ridicule you and so, stay off my lane. If I see you in the lane, I’ll remind you that you were on that other side.”
He added that it was well known to him that Chilangwa, who is Kawambwa Central PF member of parliament, had his own favourite presidential candidate in the PF.
“Everybody knows that you (Chilangwa) are the campaign manager of some aspiring presidential candidate here in Luapula. But I’m saying even if you are not supporting me, let those who are supporting me do so,” said Kalaba.
“Support your own candidate as well but please let us not…Balanda ati lipena fye kumukanda taliya (they say don’t go to the extremes, no matter the anger). It is important for us to respect each other. I don’t want you to be coming in my firing range [because] I’ll pull the trigger on you and politically, it will be catastrophic.”