By ROGERS KALERO
THE UPND must find something better to do for its youths so that they stop insulting and threatening to beat up old people who do not agree with how President Hakainde Hichilema is governing the country,” the Patriotic Front (PF) has said
And the former ruling party said it is difficult for the UPND Ministers and party officials to stop their youths from insulting and threatening violence against opposition leaders because they have failed to condemn the acts apart from President Hichilema who has consistently condemned violence.
PF Copperbelt Media Director Munalula Moola said most UPND youths had resorted to insulting and threatening to beat up senior politicians including former republican President Edgar Chagwa Lungu because they had nothing to do for their living.
Mr Moola said, in their effort to please the party leadership and hoping to be given jobs, the UPND cadres had resorted to insulting veteran politicians and threatening to beat opposition political party leaders.
Mr Moola was reacting to North-western Province UPND Provincial Youth Chairman Bruce Kanema who has declared that UPND cadres will start beating opposition political party leaders whom he accused of insulting President Hichilema.
“This is not the first time Mr Kanema is issuing such threats. In August this year, Mr Kanema together with his Copperbelt counterpart Wallen Hinyama, Kitwe district youth chairman Bowas Kapata, declared that UPND cadres were soldiers of the party and would therefore ensure that they protect President Hichilema from opposition leaders who were critcising him,”Mr Moola said.
Mr Kanema is believed to have said that the UPND youths were capable of fighting and destroying any one criticizing President Hichilema and would therefore not tolerate the opposition party leaders for their conduct.But Mr Moola said it was sad that youths from the party which claimed to have ended caderism and ensure peace and harmony were the ones propagating violence.
“UPND claimed that they will stop caderism and will bring the rule of law in the country, but what we are seeing is exactly the opposite. Caderism has become worse and the rule of law is not being observed. It is sad that whoever criticises President Hichilema, UPND youths are insulting him and threatening to beat them up. The UPND must find better things for its youths to do so that they can stop insulting and threatening senior politicians,” Mr Moola said.
And the PF has also said it was difficult to believe that the UPND Ministers and party officials were genuinely distancing themselves from the insults and threats of violence against opposition leaders coming from their youths because even them were in the habit of using bad language and have exhibited dictatorial tendencies
