UKA is still united to remove UPND – Edgar Lungu
UKA is still united to remove UPND – Lungu
FORMER president Edgar Lungu says the United Kwacha Alliance (UKA) is still allied with the sole purpose to oust his successor Hakainde Hichilema from power.
He said the PF will not dominate the small parties that have formed a pact with it as the goal is to choose a candidate that will compete with President Hichilema in 2026.
Lungu was the guest speaker at a rally held by Citizens First leader Harry Kalaba in Samfya, Luapula province.
He said UKA was giving pressure to government hence need to disband by claiming PF was calling the shots in the alliance.
“UKA has about 13 parties and in 2026 we will only choose one candidate because that’s what Zambians want. That’s why we formed an alliance now when you hear Kalaba say I want to be president you get upset why? he can also become one,” he said.
“When I say I want to be president it can happen. I want to make it clear that UKA is an organization of a lot of parties.”
Lungu said he would speak his guts and not address insignificant matters like someone’s Afro.
“Last time when I said young man with an afro,he was upset that I insulted him. An afro is a hairstyle with a full even bushy shape. They spent the entire night evaluating the language that I insulted him. Today I will not address the afro am talking about government,” he said.
“They say when a government fails, youchange it. They shouldn’t tell you PF wants to swallow Citizens First, vice versa we are united because we want to remove uyu mukukulu wacunsu (this crafty person with an afro). People have suffered enough.”
Lungu who talked down on the free education introduced by the UPND government among other development said the UPND had done nothing to improve the lives of the people as they are still wallowing in poverty.
“The lie, they told us three years ago up to now we are still waiting. When you speak, they say free education yet children are not going to school. When you speak, they say CDF yet the projects are not being implemented under CDF. Social cash transfer intended beneficiaries are not getting it,” he said.
“Intelligence officers go and tell his excellency President HH that people are suffering in case he doesn’t know. Now, when a person runs out of ideas they can do anything. You intelligence officers here go and tell the man that people are suffering. The lies that you are telling them are not satisfying them they are getting everyday restless.”
Lungu said neither him nor Kalaba should be blamed when the masses rise against government, charging that he was not afraid of anything.
“The day people will rise don’t blame Kalaba or myself. You love threats, that is treason, that is sedition, that can’t work! Icintinya nshilya (am not a coward),” Lungu said.
“Children go to school and come back empty without learning anything. How many teachers can look after 100 students in class? You can’t manage. Per class it’s one to 30 and one to 40 so that teachers can attend to each child.”
Lungu claimed the UPND has never implemented any project since it was elected into power, as all it does is to modify PF projects to make an impression that it is working.
He cited the retention of Vedanta to run Konkola Copper Mines when the President is on record having said that it should have been out of business a long time.
“When they try to come up with projects, they are reversing what we did. They have brought back Vedanta. He was saying Vedanta won’t come back but it is back (nensoni nakalya) without shame. What kind of person is that?,” he said.
The rally was not short of ethnic talk by Lungu.
“When you go in civil service you will only find them speaking one tribe, I don’t want to be tribal but you know what am talking about. There is promoting of one distinct ethnic group. That shouldn’t be the case have some shame,” said lungu.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba August 25, 2024