FORMER PRESIDENT ECL’S REMARKS ON ‘HYPOCRISY’ AFTER BURIAL OF LATE RB ON POINT – NAKACINDA
Lusaka, Saturday, 19 March, 2022 (Smart Eagles)
The Patriotic Front Party says Former President Edgar Chagwa’s Lungu’s remarks on ‘Hypocrisy’ after the burial of Late Fourth Republican President Rupiah Bwezani Banda was on point.
PF Information and Publicity Chairperson Raphael Nakacinda says there has been a growing trend of hypocrisy in the country where people especially politicians are only appreciated when they die
Hon Nakacinda said it is for this reason that people should not be afraid to confront each other with the truth.
He said this is unlike a situation were former leaders were vilified and called a thief immediately after leaving office.
“The level of hypocrisy across the board is pathetic. We have only celebrated people after they die. We have President Kaunda, who was vilified, his children were called thieves until recently when Good things started to come out when he died,”
We have second former republican President who was called a thief, vilified, persecuted, Even at a point of him being acquitted to his death he was called a thief. But the time he was being buried, everybody was up showering praises that he was the father of Democracy,” he said
Hon Nakacinda said the situation is the same with former Head of State Dr Lungu who is been insulted, called names and has had his family and associates persecuted.
“They are insulting him, Even when we know that the infrastructure development we witnessed in the all corners of the country happened under his watch. That is never appreciated. We have President Hichilema trotting around the country Commissioning the infrastructure left by ECL withoutgiving credit where it is due,” he said.
And Hon Nakacinda says it is hypocritical for President Hakainde Hichilema to state that the reason opposition parties gathered to mourn RB was because of a conducive environment that had been created.
He says the reason opposition leaders are able to gather in one place and mourn the former President is because they are able to differentiate between national and Political events.
Hon Nakacinda said this is contrary to what was practiced by the UPND in opposition when they politicised every event including funerals.
“What makes the fundamental of hypocrisy real is to have HH suggest that the reasons opposition leaders are participating in the funeral is because they have created a conducive environment for that kind of thing to happen which is very unfortunate. That statement is far from the truth”
The truth is that now we have opposition leaders who are civil and are able to differentiate between national events and political events. A funeral of that nature is a national event.
The reason we can Congratulate in one locality and mourn President Rupiah Banda is because the opposition have chosen to rise above petty politics and able to attend such events. Mr Hakainde Hichilema with his UPND politicised everything including funerals,” he said