THERE IS ALWAYS AN EXPIRY DATE FOR BEING USED, WARNS CHILANGWA

THERE IS ALWAYS AN EXPIRY DATE FOR BEING USED, WARNS CHILANGWA

…for all those who think will get a promotion for being used, mind you, the expiry date for President Hakainde Hichilema’s rule and the UPND is just around the corner.

Friday, 16 February 2024 (Smart Eagles)

Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Secretary General Nickson Chilangwa has bemoaned the continued insults UPND officials have continued heaping on people from Luapula Province.

Hon Chilangwa, who is also Kawambwa Member of Parliament called on President Hakainde Hichilema to discipline UPND Deputy National Chairperson Trevor Mwinde who was quoted today in the Daily Nation that he boasted about “warning Mwata Kazembe.

The lawmaker also called on the President to discipline Education Minister Hon Douglas Siyakalima who some time referred to people from the Province in question as having poverty of the mind.

“What stupidity is this? Who is Trevor Mwinde to warn your royal highness chief Mwata Kazembe? And he goes further to degrade the people of Luapula province? Insult the people of Luapula Province?” he asked.

“And this is not the first time it is happening. Hon Siyakalima went ahead and insulted the people of Luapula Province, that they have got poverty of the mind. The President and his inner circle have elected to go quite. And now we are seeing more and more insults on people from Luapula Province. Is what we are seeing what reality is that this Mwinde was sent to come and insult, to come and insult our chief? That will not be accepted. Let us do our own politics, party to party.”

Meanwhile, Hon Chilangwa says there is no single provision in the Constitution of this country, neither is there a provision in the bible that a sitting Member of Parliament should seek for clearance, for permission, from any authority, from any person whatsoever, to visit his or her constituency.

“And there have been numerous rulings on the flow of the house that a member of parliament has the freedom to go to his or her constituency, to go and do her work, or his work. And they have the right to invite whoever they desire to escort them to go and do their work,” he said.

“If that work be in a matter of having a meeting, closed door meeting, open meeting, a rally or whatever, it is up to the member of parliament to decide how he or she would want to interact with his or her own people, the employers, the people who elected them to be members of Parliament.”

He added that it is very unbelievable and unbecoming for a constable somewhere to say that the interactions that our colleagues who went to Chifunabuli, with the member of parliament had are illegal.

“Your royal highness, I can tell you now and for sure and for free that your children, your members of parliament who escorted Hon Mufwanki to go to her constituency for her meetings did not commit any crime,” he said.

“And the person committing a crime is that police officer. He issued fake notices that MPs are on the run. He is the one committing a crime. And I want to send a very clear message that you cannot abuse your powers as a police constable or anybody else to issue degrading statements against members of parliament. Its unbecoming, this needs to come to an end. And I am sending a warning that this must come to an end.”

He added that “at the same time colleagues in the media must know that at the time our colleagues were in Chifunabuli, Hon Mufalari was in Western Province addressing rallies. Why is there no warrant issued against him?”

The lawmaker disclosed that there are videos circulating, where the man in question even called President Hakainde Hichilema to inform him that he has big rallies in Western Province.

Hon Chilangwa lamented that there is no single police officer who has issued any message about the conduct of Hon Mufwalari.

“Where are we trying to take this country? There are two separate sets of rules? One for the opposition and one for the ruling? President Hakainde Hichilema always confesses that he rules the country within the confines of the rule of law. Where is the rule of law?” he asked.

“There is always an expiry date for being used. For all those who think will get a promotion for being used, mind you, the expiry date for President Hakainde Hichilema’s rule and the UPND is just around the corner.”