Former Justice Minister and the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) member of central committee Given Lubinda has said that opposition leader Fred M´membe’s remarks on United Party for National Development(UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema were correct when he warned Zambians not to back the Hichilema ticket saying the majority of Zambians are young and poor and must not support rich and selfish politicians.
Reacting to a radio interview featuring the Socialist Party Presidential candidate on Hot FM, Mr Lubinda said that M´membe a harsh critic of the Patriotic Front (PF) must be given credit despite his weaknesses, adding that whatever weaknesses Dr M´membe ha, he has been right on one thing; spelling out to the Zambians that HH is a five-time loser that must most be entertained by Zambian voters on 12th August.
“Fred M´membe must be given credit for one thing by all Zambians as we approach the polls, for exposing Hichilema as a fraud,” said Mr Lubinda.
During the interview, among other things, Dr M’membe said that the UPND leader has lost more elections than MMD and PF put together and not think that he was taking a “personal hate swipe” at Hichilema.
“HH and UPND have lost elections five times,” M´membe said in a live radio programme taped for Hot FM, “he has lost more times than MMD and PF put together in an election. He has lost elections five times, not intermittently but consecutively which means he is just a loser that cannot be trusted, not even MMD or PF in opposition lost that many times.”
Dr M´membe said that the UPND leader is disillusioned to think that he would win the 12th of August poll given his stellar record of loss.
Dr M´membe further said that given a choice on whom to align with between President Edgar Lungu and Hichilema, he would be on Edgar Lungu´s side because he has a history with him.
“I know President Edgar Lungu because we attended UNZA about the same time but I don’t know Hichilema,” M´membe said before adding that he did not sympathise with either Mr Hichilema or President Lungu despite his soft spot for Mr Lungu over Mr Hichilema.