‘WE NEVER STOLE’ – THE PERCEPTION THAT ALL PF WERE THIEVES DESERVING AMNESTY IS MALICIOUS

By ADRIAN MWANZA 

THE collective perception that all Patriotic Front officials were thieves deserving amnesty is malicious and aimed at denting their images, says former Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Professor Nkandu Luo.

Prof Luo said the suggested amnesty offered to former ministers by the new dawn government was irrelevant and ill intended. 

Prof Luo, who was President Edgar Lungu’s running mate in the August 12 presidential and general elections said tthe UPND had a habit of bad mouthing their predecessors and that the amnesty was aimed at tarnishing the image of the Patriotic Front.

Prof Luo said she did not know how other people would react but that for her it was not done in good faith.

She said people would have been glad to come forward and return things they got if there was some kind of recognition of the good things the previous government did for the country rather than paint them black as was the case.

Prof. Luo said the current government was on a crusade to badmouth the PF and call them thieves and that they had done that even outside the country.

She said even Presidents from other countries had the nerve to claim that Zambia was governed by thieves in the PF.

“President Edgar Lungu handed over power like a gentleman and did not deserve what he is going through, through the bad mouthing and belittling by the current government,” she said.

Prof Luo said it was prudent for the UPND to first bring evidence on who was a thief from 1964 since the President claimed that the country was governed by a clique of thieves.

Prof Luo said it was very painful that the PF were being called thieves when they worked very hard to ensure that Zambia was developed.

She said what was happening in Zambia could not be compared to South Africa because Nelson Mandela showed love and that in Zambia people were being accused of stealing even when they were innocent.

“Some of us who were in government it hurts most especially that we put in a lot of hard work but now when you listen to the radio, just negative things,” Prof Luo said.