THE United Party for National Development (UPND) has warned Zambia’s sixth republican President Edgar Lungu against coming out in public as if he is in active politics.
Batuke Imenda, the UPND secretary general has warned that the ruling party shall not condone actions that would seem to depict the former President as an active politician.
Speaking to Millennium Radio in an interview, Mr Imenda said the UPND shall not tolerate former President Lungu’s public appearances because such shall be construed that the former head of State was making political manoeuverrs.
He said should Mr Lungu continue to make public appearances, the UPND would have no option but to start regarding him as an active political opponent of the ruling party.
Mr Imenda stated that former Mr Lungu was considered as father of the nation and he was expected to exhibit behaviour that would be acceptable to the ruling party and Zambians in general.
He said the UPND was ready for the former President and would easily run him down should Mr Lungu decide to come out of his retirement and jump into the political ring.
“He has exposed himself to attacks from us. We will not let him talk about things which we know is damaging us and we keep quiet. Today Zambia has no former president and Zambians have now started looking at him as the father of the nation. If a father has started attacking his children, they will attack him back. If he wants to expose himself, we are ready for him. We will expose him badly but if he wants to be accorded the responsibilities of the father of the nation again, we will go and kneel for him,” Mr Imenda said.
Mr Imenda said the party had no issues with according former President Lungu the responsibilities of the father of the nation for as long as the former head of State was going to refrain from engaging in active politics implicitly.
He said the UPND government was ready to accord the former head of State the responsibilities of the father of the nation including setting up a full operating office of the former republican president.
“We wanted to employ staff, advisors to the office of the sixth President. We wanted to bring him some secretaries, security to guard the office. We wanted to employ a spokesperson and all he needs is to make an indication to Mr Patrick Kangwa (Secretary to cabinet) that we want to claim what is meant for us constitutionally,” Mr Imenda said.
Meanwhile National Democratic Party President Saboi Imboela says there is no need for the former head of state to make an application to the Secretary to the cabinet as it is a constitutional matter.
Ms Imboela says it is the responsibility of President Hakainde Hichilema to install the constitutional authorities of the former president and allow the office to exist.
She says the new dawn administration is being petty in everything and has reminded president Hichilema that he too will be a former president and that he must be mindful of how he is treating the office of the former head of state. “What is happening now you can tell that just how much this government is being petty? This government is being petty. They are so petty that even things that are constitutional that they ignore them when they want to. You know, he is going to be former president (Hichilema) too.” Said Ms Imboela.
