UPND HAS MADE THE MOST ARRESTS OF OPPONETS IN THE HISTORY OF ZAMBIA- MONDE
By Ludia Phiri
OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) presidential aspirant Greyford Monde has bemoaned the continued arrests of political opponents by the ruling party.
Mr. Monde says it is unfortunate that the UPND administration is so intolerant to criticism when it acted the same way the time it was in opposition.
In an interview, Mr. Monde said the checks and balances offered by the opposition are reminders to the the many unfulfilled promises the party in power pledged.
”What you are seeing now is not as a result of laws being bad, what you are seeing now are attacks targeted at anyone that is speaking against this government. When we bounce back into power in 2026,we are going to make the laws plain,” Mr. Monde said.
And Mr. Monde added that the UPND administration has superseded previous regimes in the number of arrests it has recorded in the history of Zambia.
“You know how many people criticised former President [Edgar] Lungu, including the current head of state now called the PF names but they were not put inside. In one year, UPND has[recorded] the highest number of arrests of people that criticised the president,” charged Monde.
Meanwhile former Labour Minister and trade unionist Fackson Shamenda says it is normal for a leader to be insulted as such happens even to traditional chiefs.
Mr. Shamenda expressed displeasure in the way the UPND is governing the nation, basing on what led to the fall of the Patriotic Front.
“To some extent the reasons why PF was removed those are the things that are coming back. There is no leader, there is no chief who never gets insulted,and in Bemba they say ’takwaba imfumu eyo bashituka,” Mr. Shamenda said.
Mr. Shamenda has advised the government to put its house in order and ignore those that make noise, adding that what the few minority say in the open is what is obtaining on the ground.
Mr Shamenda charged that UPND will be a one term government should it continue to ignore to get the points brought across by the few courageous people.
He added that it is through the voice of the few that notifies government of what it is that the people want.
“It is not too late for UPND to put their house in order and do the right thing, it is not difficult. What those few minority persons say in the open, those are the same discussions which are going on silently. It is important for any government to understand what the people are saying through cantankerous people. It breaks my heart for people to start missing the PF at this hour,” stressed Mr. Shamenda.