Former Luanshya Member of Parliament Steve Chungu has said the UPND led Government is deliberately arresting its critics in order to steal people’s attention from its failed election campaign promises that includes lowering the cost of living.
Mr. Chungu said the New Dawn Government wants people to forget about promises it made to Zambians prior to the last August elections.
The former Government Chief Whip in the PF regime said people will not stop reminding the UPND Government to lower the cost of fuel, prices of essential commodities and the cost of fertiliser as promised when in opposition.
Mr. Chungu said instead of fighting critics the government must up its game and find ways of improving the welfare of suffering majority poor Zambians.
“We are not going to stop talking. We will continue reminding them to fulfill promises made to the people of Zambia. It was their word. Not our words, not the people’s words. They are the ones that promised so we are just reminding them to fulfill promises. The simple task that we are carrying out is to remind them and I have always said that these arrests everyday are not going to take the country anywhere. These arrests are not exciting to any Zambian. I repeat these arrests are not exciting to any Zambian. We know why, you know the arrests will continue, the news of stealing will continue. It is because they want the Zambian people to forget about promises but we are not going to forget,” Mr. Chungu said.
“We will not be drifted out from those promises because we are feeling the pain of hunger. The government should be reminded that the people are not happy because of the sufferings they are going through. The government better up their game and look at how they are going to run the economy. Maybe in the way they are going to be taxing the mines they change so that we receive more money from the mines, we receive more money from our mineral resources than the way it is. We don’t have medicines in hospitals because we are not collecting money from our mineral resources. So, who is to blame? It is them to blame so we are reminding them to collect more money from our copper being mined,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Chungu has charged that there is no rule of law under UPND because like the PF it is also abusing the police.
He said it was unfortunate to hear Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwimbi issuing threats against private citizens who wanted to protest in Lusaka recently over the removal of mobile money booths from the town centre by the Government.
Mr. Chungu said the Government should not view people with divergent views as enemies saying Zambia is not a one party state.
“There is no rule of law. The only thing the UPND is doing is arresting people. What else are they doing apart from arresting people. The same police that were being used by the PF are the same police that they are using and nothing has changed according to me. Citizens are being threatened by the Government. If you protest you will be arrested. You will be dealt with. This is the same way it was under Honourable Stephen Kampyongo as Minister of Home Affairs it is the same way under Honourable Jack Mwimbu. It is threats to the public and no member of the public speaking against government is being spared,” Mr. Chungu said.
“Government has to be ready to be criticized. They have to be ready to accept that each and every person has got their own opinion and that opinion must be respected. We have a constitution that gives us the right of freedom to speak and that should be respected. It doesn’t mean that when people speak against them then they are insulting them. We are just reminding them of their many failures to fulfill the promises and the Zambian is waiting to see those promises being fulfilled,” Mr. Chungu concluded.