By NATION REPORTER
THE Patriotic Front (PF) has challenged President Hakainde Hichilema to give a time frame when he last spoke with his predecessor Edgar Lungu instead of accusing him of being dishonest.
Davis Chama, the PF national chairman says the conduct of President Hichilema towards former President Lungu was not showing that the two leaders were on talking terms because the head of State had used every podium to cast aspersions at his predecessor.
Mr Chama said it was important for the head of State to clearly state when he had last called or visited his predecessor and be categorical in telling Zambians when last he spoke with former Lungu because most people were aware that the two were not in talking terms.
President Hichilema at his press briefing on Thursday, which he ended abruptly claimed that he had been talking to former President Lungu and that he was not being harassed but was living his life peacefully.
President Hichilema also claimed that there were crimes which were committed by former President Lungu which if revealed would shock the nation, raising concerns among citizens that the President was averse to the truth.
But sources close to the former President have revealed that the impression President Hichilema has created that the two leaders had a cordial relationship was surprisingly misleading.
According to sources, there is bad blood between the two and they were not talking to each other contrary to the impression President Hichilema created on Thursday that the two are on talking terms.
“Some of us who interact with the former President Lungu know that the third and last time the two spoke was when Zambia’s fifth President Rupiah Banda died. As you recall, this is now well over one year. That was when President Hichilema phoned former President Lungu to inform him about the death of Rupiah Banda and requested the former head of State to join him in mourning the former president to ensure he was mourned in dignity,” one source explained.
The source revealed that the first two times the President Hichilema and his successor spoke was soon after the handover of power and that these were the only two separate meetings although no one was privy to what they had discussed at the time.
The sources explained that if there were any another times the two leaders had spoken, President Hichilema or his predecessor would be at liberty to share and explain to the public the nature of their conversations.
And Mr Chama said in an interview that President Hichilema’s statement clearly showed that the seventh Republican President was not being sincere and was lying that the two were talking.
“I just want to challenge President Hichilema to tell us when last they spoke because he created an impression that the two are in constant touch, when most people are aware that they seldom talk to each other. President Hichilema is being challenged to state when he last called or visited his predecessor to consult him on issues he believes needed the clarification of the former President,” Mr Chama said.
He indicated that by giving a time frame of when Mr Hichilema and former President Lungu last met, it would have given context to his claims and not what was currently pertaining.
Mr Chama said President Hichilema had Dr Lungu’s number and could call to clarify a number of issues especially that the head of State had accused his predecessor of not retiring from active politics.
He said the move would be to President Hichilema’s advantage because once the two become cordial in their relationship and interactions, it would help calm the political tension in the country.
“The way I know President Hichilema, once former President Lungu responds to the attacks by his successor, the results would be disastrous as it would open old wounds,” Mr Chama said.
He said it was unfair for President Hichilema to caricature former President Lungu as an honest man and that the best to do was to engage each other for the benefit of the country.
