WE are not fools and PF will be very mistaken to imagine even for a second that the people of Zambia are fools, warns Hakainde Hichilema.
Hichilema, the UPND leader, has encouraged eligible Zambians to be assertive and shout that: “‘I need an NRC’” because that is their national identity document.
The second phase of national registration cards (NRCs) was scheduled to begin in Central, Muchinga, Southern, Lusaka and Western provinces on September 1, 2020.
But home affairs minister and Shiwang’andu PF member of parliament Stephen Kampyongo announced a postponement of the process, two days before its start.
Voter registration, according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), is set to start on October 19, 2020.
Commenting on the delayed NRC issuance process in the named provinces, Hichilema said Zambians should not allow the government to waver on a serious process.
“In this regard, we are telling this government [to] allow the second phase of NRC issuance to start. What sensible explanation have they attached to the postponement of the second phase of NRCs in Central, Muchinga, Southern, Lusaka and Western provinces?” Hichilema asked. “PF should not continue taking us for granted. We are closely monitoring everything they are doing and I say to them, start the issuance of NRCs in these provinces.”
He told the Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for NRC issuance, that: “you can’t be murmuring and toying with a serious process such as this one.”
“We are not fools and PF will be very mistaken to imagine even for a second that the people of Zambia are fools. An NRC is a national document and it cannot be that before issuing it to a deserving citizen, you start strategising of how to deny that citizen of it, because of perceived political inclination,” Hichilema noted. “How does this PF mischief and phobia not qualify for a crime? It’s indecent to be shilly-shallying on a process whose timing is relative to seasons. We are talking about the rainy season here…”
He stressed that Zambians ought to be issued with NRCs as a matter of urgency and in a very decent and transparent manner.
“PF has no option but to do the right thing on NRCs and consequently the entire electoral process, otherwise they are under our surveillance and the people of Zambia must not allow to be short-changed by an immoral group, whose sole purpose of being in government is personal wealth accumulation using crooked means. Let’s not allow it!” Hichilema charged. “And to the people of Zambia, if you qualify to be issued with an NRC don’t whisper to demand what is due to you. Be assertive and shout that ‘I need an NRC’ because that’s your identity as a citizen of Zambia.”
He cautioned the population against starting to play around: “by rehearsing the malicious statements of PF and those others they have rented to dent the UPND.”
“Be on your feet, get your NRCs, then your voter’s cards and vote out PF. That’s the only way you will have secured your future and that of posterity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hichilema pointed out that many Zambians out there were low-spirited and that the reasons were many.
“They can’t afford three meals every day, they can’t send their children to school and so many other daily hardships both in towns and in rural parts of Zambia,” said Hichilema. “But Hope and Help is on the way. Actually, that Hope and Help is 11 months away from now. But HH and UPND cannot usher themselves into government; that’s why we are saying in August 2021 go out and massively vote for HH and UPND. But again, the people of Zambia will not be able to massively vote for us without getting national registration cards and later on voter’s cards. That’s how it works!”