By Mwenya Mofya,
FORMER Lusaka Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu has urged the UPND government to be steady as it endeavours to restore the rule of law, saying two wrongs do not make a right.
In an interview, Archbishop Mpundu however said the PF should stop being cry babies and instead use the right channels to air out their grievances.
“First of all, two wrongs do not make one right. If someone does something wrong and in order to correct that, someone will do something wrong, it is two wrongs then. Now, part of it is that these PF people are cry babies. They are cry babies.
Why don’t they complain to the star loudly but they are complaining mu mbali (on the side)? No. They should do it. We have been assured, then we can find out why and how this present government is being faithful to what they said,” he explained.
“They said ‘if we are doing anything wrong, tell us’. It is not as [if] they said that it is the church that should be doing that. Now it is the church that is going to be fighting for everybody.
We were fighting for having the right to talk freely and straight. So let them come out in the open and say it and not going to the media, who should speak on their behalf. Certainly they should also not accuse the church of not speaking, no.”
Archbishop Mpundu said the PF had partly contributed to what was happening because their government used state institutions to oppress people.
“We were speaking for the people as the church but the PF were very angry and they isolated some of us and so on and so forth. But now they are crying. They should just come out and speak up and if anything they go to various law agencies where they can demonstrate to see if the present government is going to arrest people who are demonstrating.
Let them be grown ups and let them stop crying and act. They partly contributed to what is going on right now because their government was using state institutions to oppress people,” he said.
“They started it. But that does not justify that if what they say that the present government is doing is wrong, it is because they also did something wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right. They should be steady as they restore the rule of law. The PF should also not sit down and talk around but they should come out in public and speak for themselves not just [being] cry babies.”
Archbishop Mpundu said the PF must consider trying the UPND government by demonstrating to see if they would be arrested for speaking out.
“They should not be cry babies but speak so that they find out whether they are going to be in prison like they were doing with this young man Pilato. He is an artist expressing [the] truth but he was being hounded all the time. So try this government which has promised not to jail anybody who speaks.
Let them try them. Go out there and say this is what you are doing. Of course, they will be told ‘you were doing the same but now why are you crying’? However, two wrongs do not make one right. You are also wrong,” said Archbishop Mpundu.
“It is like one monkey laughing at another monkey when they look at each other’s side. So that is that. Tell them to stop being cry babies and speak out and demonstrate.
During the PF regime, civil rights activists like Laura Miti speaking on behalf of the people were arrested but now they are crying. Let them go and see lawyers and be guided by them to come and say ‘this is wrong and those doing wrongs must also answer before the law’. Period.”