The FDD has called on Republican President Edgar Lungu to stop issuing careless and inflammatory statements as they are inciting PF cadres to perpetuate political violence.
Speaking when he featured on ‘the Oxygen of Democracy,’ a live phone in program on Prime TV, FDD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza said the President should tame his tongue and stop inciting his cadres with careless and inflammatory statements which he has continued to issue in public.
Mr. Mwanza observed that whenever the President endorses violence it sends a wrong massage to his followers who believe that engaging in violence and harassing opposition leaders will please their leader.
“Words matter. And leaders should be very cautious about the things they say, especially in public. BwaToday as we are speaking Wynter Kabimba was harassed in Chipata and the President has said nothing. The President said in his speech that he has got enough cadres to unleash on the opposition if he wanted them kumenya bantu (to beat people). I have enough cadres ninga batume ngati nafuna bayenda kumenya bantu (I can send them to beat people) that’s what the president said at his press conference in full view of the international community.
“I think the President has to tame his tongue because when he speaks like that those who follow him and listen to him will think that by coming here to stop this program and beating me up then they are are infact doing the job on his behalf. The President has been going around threatening everyone who opposes him saying he is going to crush them, he is going to crush them, he is going to flush them out.
“Language yamene bayamba ba President yotukwana bantu mu open pali na bana ban’gono he should stop (the language which the President has started using of insulting people in public in the presence of children he should stop) because when his cadres hear what he is saying they mobilise and attack us in the name of stopping the opposition which the President wants,” Mr. Mwanza observed.
Meanwhile the viewers who participated via phone praised the FDD for being practical in their politics and said FDD President Edith Nawakwi was providing practical solutions even before she was elected as President of the republic as demonstrated in number of the projects she has launched aimed at empowering the poor.
The callers noted that instead of harassing Ms. Nawakwi, Government should instead take advantage of the support she was offering by complimenting her and learning from what she is doing.
A Mr. Misheck Phiri of Kanyama Compound said ” Ba President Nawakwi is doing a good job and adding value to the political arena of our country by providing good checks and balances to this Government.
The PF came into Government without a plan and without a vision and today Zambians are suffering not simply because as a country we are poor but because we have a leadership in Government who have got nothing to offer to the people. These are the same people who are crying day in and day out for people to help them with solutions but there is Madam Nawakwi who has offered solutions to the farmers but again the same people are harassing her right, left and center one wonders what advise they want. So these people are not there to save the people of Zambia but to eat and fill their pockets.”
Another caller a Mr. Gondwe from Garden house Compound accused the PF of destroying the country. He said ” PF have failed in everything, Zambians are suffering, we don’t have jobs, we don’t have a farming system in this country and people are broke in town with nothing to do so this PF just came to destroy our country and we want them to go.”