UPND live in an exaggerated self-bubble of praise – Jackson Silavwe

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UPND live in an exaggerated self-bubble of praise – Silavwe

By Fanny Kalonda

Golden Party of Zambia president Jackson Silavwe says the PF lived in corruption and breathed corruption.

He warns that the UPND are treading on the same path as that of the PF.

“They live in an exaggerated self-bubble of praise that when they just do one thing, when they just wake up in the morning, when they just walk one step, they are praising themselves and yet they have not even reached the office to look at the work of that day,” he noted.
Silavwe claimed that he has information that some UPND officials are going to businessmen that supplied government during the PF administration to ask them for money in exchange to be excused from prosecution.

“Within the UPND, you have got a section that now were calling for the SG (secretary general Batuke Imenda) to resign. For us in GPZ, all this smacks of indiscipline. That we are being led by one of the most undisciplined party that has ever ruled this country. PF was the most violent party that has ever ruled this country, but the UPND is going to be the most undisciplined. There is no discipline among the rank and file of the UPND,” Silavwe told The Mast. “And where you see such indicators, know that underneath corruption is taking place. We have received reports that senior UPND officials are going to businessmen, businessmen that supplied government, that were doing business with the previous government and going to them and asking them that we will remove you from the list of people to be investigated by ACC and DEC – and if you only pay us 10 per cent, it is happening in this administration. Senior government officials, some who have been paid, some of them who have found themselves in good graces of the UPND and the new dawn administration!”

He said the government cannot fight corruption when it is double-tongued.

“So as we have called on the UPND, fight against corruption should be genuine. And at the moment, it does not look genuine. The fight against corruption that is being led by the new dawn administration is extremely emotional. At the rate they are going, I don’t think they are going to… And you see the problem or should I say we are putting ourselves in a situation, the UPND has put itself in a position where the republican President has come out fuming and discouraging caderism but today we have a cadre who is not putting on military fatigue, we have cadre who is now putting on a jacket but his language betrays him,” he said. “So we have all these. You can see reports from within the UPND fighting in the media. That they have not benefitted from ushering in the UPND into power. You had three senior UPND officials, address the media saying ‘no, we don’t get jobs through demonstrations’.”

Silavwe said the corruption fight is based on vindictiveness “that is why one year after being elected into office there is no clear case they have prosecuted”.

He wondered where the UPND is taking the country.

“It is based on vindictiveness, it is not based on hard facts and merit. No wonder they are wallowing in just nonsense if I can call it that way. Even one year after being elected into office, there is no clear case they can point to us that they have successfully prosecuted in the courts of law with hard facts. We have got deals here and there regarding the former KCM liquidator. They have struck a deal which has become a terrible mess,” he said. “You are prosecuting and vindicating. And prosecuting the very person who is supposed to be at the core of prosecuting corruption, the DPP. You are busy fighting them. The question I ask the UPND, where are you taking us? Where are they taking this country? It seems those who are leading us are in need of leaders themselves to show them the right way to govern our country.”

Silavwe said at the moment, the UPND are off tangent with the Zambian people because of self-praise.

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