We are not looking for by-elections, you are eating yourselves up – Nalumango tells PF
VICE President Mutale Nalumango has advised the wrangled up PF not to involve the UPND in the infighting that has engulfed the party, as it was eating itself up with the feud created by its members.
Nalumango said President Hichilema had made it clear that he does not subscribe to unnecessary by-elections, hence the PF cannot blame the UPND for the vacancies it has created itself in parliament, when it has been messing with the elective positions with their unending disputes.
The Vice President was speaking in parliament yesterday during her question and answer session.
In responnding to a question by Mpika member of parliament Francis Kapyanga on whether the UPND prioritised politics over serving the masses by allegedly creating nine parliamentary by-elections which would cost over K200 million unlike channeling the money towards other pressing needs, Nalumango said the PF was annoying the Zambian people with its behaviour.
She wondered whether it is the UPND that wrote to the speaker of the National assembly requesting that the nine parliamentarians be ejected from the house.
“You are annoying the Zambian people you PF, who expelled who? Did we (UPND) expell people from here ? People voted you and today you come here playing games today the president is this one expelled, tomorrow it’s this one no you are also fired,” she said.
Nalumango said the UPND was democratic and values opposition but it seemed the opposition (PF) is lost as it was in self-cannibalism.
“There’s an insect that eats itself and you (PF) are eating yourself you think we (UPND)should help you? Nooooo this is what the opposition particularly the PF is doing eating itself and they expect us as competitors to go in and say no,” she said.
The vice president said the PF cannot run to its competitors and accuse it of foul play in attempts to seek benediction yet, the divisions being witnessed in their camp was as a result of the members back stabbing one another.
“Eat yourself! You have let the Zambian people down. Go and think about it, don’t take these things lightly, this is a national issue. My president including myself we have said we don’t want by-elections then you start firing yourselves,” Nalumango said.
She wondered whether the laws should be changed to satisfy the PF and charged that she was not even supposed to counsel its members but instead she should have been making merry for the party’s self-destruction.
“So he should change the law? You are letting us down go and become proper opposition stop what you are doing although I’m not supposed to even counsel you. Because I should be enjoying when you are eating yourselves,” Nalumango said.
“We are competitors don’t look to your competitors to help you. Who is the president (of the PF)? come on be serious.”
And in responding to Feira constituency member of parliament on whether government had engaged his Mazabuka counterpart Garry Nkombo on the solutions to the electricity deficit unlike causing by-elections, Nalumango maintained that the UPND had a lot of problems to handle and is not excited with by-elections.
“We don’t want by-elections part of the house and the entire UPND don’t want by-elections we have many issues to handle including the drought. We can’t be there looking for by-elections,”she charged.
“You are bringing in things that we are not privy to if you have issues between yourselves and the presiding we are not privy to.”
She advised Tembo to ensure that the PF sorts itself out and not to involve the executive in the PF’s infighting as its hands were tied and it cannot reverse the decision made by the legislature to expel the nine affected members of parliament due to separation of powers.
“If you have issues between the court remember the separation of powers principle we are not part of what, when you are taken to court and a ruling is filed and you go to legislature. Why are you bringing in UPND in this matter?,”she questioned.
“UPND is in the executive so talk about the executive. What is happening there is not ours counsel, separation of powers. Even if we wanted you to ask those honourables to come back we have no power. We don’t have the power. The power is in your hands, the judiciary and the legislature. So please don’t cry just work on that.”
She added that government’s urgent priority was to deal with the problems posed by climate change and not the PF’s wrangles.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba June 6, 2024.