By ROGERS KALERO
POLITICAL persecution will only serve to get Zambians more agitated and frustrated with the UPND because it has chosen to pursue political opponents as opposed to finding solutions to the worsening poverty levels,” the Patriotic Front (PF) on the Copperbelt has said.
PF Copperbelt Media Director Munalula Moola said in the less than six months in which the UPND has been in government, it has failed to bring hope to the majority poverty-stricken Zambians, apart from persecuting political opponents and worsening the poverty levels through the increment of fuel.
Mr Moola was reacting to the detention of PF Kabushi Member of Parliament and former Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo without a charge by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) despite protests from his lawyer that it was not warranted.
For good measure and benefit of cameras that the ACC had invited, Mr Lusambo was handcuffed, a practice long discarded by most law enforcement agencies.
In reaction to the way Mr Lusambo was treated, Mr Moola said the new dawn administration was using the fight against corruption to persecute and silence vocal and courageous political opponents like Mr Lusambo.
“Mr Lusambo is not a criminal who can run away. No. So we fail to understand why he was handcuffed. Apart from being handcuffed, he was detained without a charge. So all this points to one thing, and that is political persecution. This is sad, but it is a matter of time.
“Zambians will get more agitated and frustrated with this new dawn administration and will start sympathising with the PF because it was a caring and responsible government. People are wallowing in serious poverty, but the UPND is concentrating on silencing political opponents,” Mr Moola said.
Mr Moola has said harassing people and name-calling will not help the new dawn administration to fulfill campaign promises of reducing prices of mealie-meal, alleviate poverty and hunger in various communities.
“Zambians are not interested in political persecution, witch-hunting and name-calling, but are interested to see that the government which they voted for, fulfill its campaign promises to improve their lives. People are waiting to see positive change in their lives, but what they are seeing is political persecution.
“Instead of setting the stage of fulfilling campaign promises, they have continued to label the PF as ‘thieves and corrupt people’ because they want to dent the image of PF and divert people’s attention from its failure of fulfilling campaign promises made ahead of the August elections,” Mr Moola said.
