Tue, 21 Mar 2017 10:16:03 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO
‘ARMAGEDDON’ is looming at Parliament today as the PF MPs have vowed not to allow any of their UPND counterparts to set foot on the premises after they boycotted last Friday’s State of the Nation address by President Edgar Lungu.
On Friday, UPND MPs boycotted President Lungu’s address to the National Assembly and Mandevu Member of Parliament Jean Kapata issued a stern warning to them to continue boycotting the rest of Parliament sittings failure to which ‘‘war will erupt’’.
But Katuba UPND MP Patricia Mwashingwele dared Ms. Kapata to try it if she and her PF colleagues had what it took to engage in verbal altercation or a physical fight with her colleagues, saying the UPND MPs were ready to fight and defend themselves should anyone from PF dare them.
Ms. Kapata had said the PF did not expect any MP from UPND to attend Parliament henceforth since they had ‘‘recklessly diverted from their initial apology and promise’’ not to repeat their action of staying away from presidential addresses.
She said it was appalling that the same people who refused to recognise President Lungu as republican president saw it fit to interact with Vice President Inonge Wina who was his running-mate in the 2016 election simply because they wanted to continue drawing allowances from such sittings.
She charged that Mazabuka MP Garry Nkombo should immediately be stripped of his position as party Chief Whip because he was ‘‘the most indisciplined’’ of all UPND MPs for failing to show leadership by advising the party against such ‘‘ridiculous’’ decisions.
“Last time they were reprimanded by the Speaker and they apologised and said it will never happen again. This time around as PF, we are also going to be tough. We don’t expect them to come to Parliament on Tuesday.
“This is the second time they are shunning the President’s address. If they come, there will be total war because there is no way they can recognise the Vice President who was the running mate to the President whom they don’t want to recognise.
But Ms. Mwashingwele said the UPND MPs were not moved by Ms. Kapata’s tantrums, saying their boycott was based on national issues which could not be resolved by ‘‘applying antagonistic approaches’’ that Ms. Kapata was proposing, adding that UPND MPs were ready for the ‘‘Armageddon which Ms. Kapata was courting at Parliament’’.
“When Ms Kapata dares us like that, I don’t think we will be able to resolve national issues by fighting and so if she says we are going to fight if we show up at Parliament on Tuesday, then there will be a serious fight because as UPND MPs we are ready,” Ms. Mwashingwele said.
The UPND justified its boycott, saying the party was aware that PF MPs were last Friday planning to turn Parliament into a “political rally”.
But in a confidential circular to MPs issued a day before the national address and signed by UPND secretary general Stephen Katuka, the party directed all its MPs to shun the event, saying the party did not recognise the election of President Lungu and that the petition on the alleged stealing of votes from UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema was still in court.
The party further warned of stern action against any MP who would defy its directive; but Chilanga MP Keith Mukata went ahead and attended the national address.
