MPUNDU’S HATRED WORRIES PF

By SIMON MUNTEMBA
THE PF is concerned with the level of hatred and divisive politics Archbishop Mpundu has continued to show against the ruling party and President Edgar Lungu, Lusaka Province secretary, Kennedy Kamba has said.
Mr Kamba said it does not make sense for retired Archbishop, Telesphore Mpundu, to claim that the Patriotic Front Government is worse than colonialism when he has enjoyed his fundamental freedom of expression.
Mr Kamba was reacting to Archbishop Mpundu’s remarks in one of the tabloids that President Lungu’s Government was worse than colonialism.
“If the PF Government of President Lungu is worse than colonialism, how then is the Archbishop enjoying his fundamental freedoms of expression and going to extremes of attacking President Lungu and his Government?” Mr Kamba asked.
He said the remarks by the retired Archbishop were not only false but provocative and insensitive. “We know Archbishop Mpundu supports the UPND but he should not be insinuating that the Church is behind him or try to portray himself as such,” Mr Kamba said. Mr Kamba said there was no way Zambia under the PF could be compared to colonial masters when people like the archibishop were even abusing their rights of expression.
“We stated clearly in the statement earlier that with due respect, and indeed if Archbishop Mpundu meant well, considering he is a prominent figure, he should have been using proper channels of communication if he wanted to advise President Lungu,” Mr Kamba said. He said the PF respected the church but would be forced to react to people spreading lies like Archbishop Mpundu.
“He has been very unfair to the PF. He does not even talk about the wrongs of the UPND and their misconduct. He is partisan for his own interests.
“We repeat our earlier call that we respect the Catholic Church and we respect even Archbishop Mpundu. All we are asking is that the clergyman must begin to play his unifying role and be a peacemaker,” Mr Kamba said