By NATION REPORTER
EMERITUS Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu has described Batuke Imemnda, the UPND secretary general as a primitive and dull fellow who does not know that the ruling party will never manage to fight, silence and contain the Catholic Church.
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And Archbishop Mpundu is accusing President Hakainde Hichilema of having a vendetta against the Catholic Church and is using his UPND functionaries to attack and cast aspersions of the Priests for speaking for people in communities.
“As a matter of fact, Mr Imenda was merely a mouth piece of Mr Hichilema. Mr Imenda spoke on behalf of President Hichilema. Mr Imenda could only speak on behalf of his boss who is President Hichilema. Who would stand against the Catholic Church apart from the President himself? Who would have such kind of courage?” Archbishop Mpundu said.
Archbishop Mpundu said Mr Imenda’s sadistic attacks against the Catholic Church and its Priests could have been sanctioned by President Hichilema who had openly lampooned Fr Anthony Salangeta for criticising the graphical illustration of the performance of the country’s economy from 1973.
Archbishop Mpundu says Mr Imenda and the UPND were on a warpath of spreading intolerance and hatred against Zambians with divergent views including Catholic Priests whose call was to promote social justice by speaking for the voiceless poor.
The retired prelate has come to the defence of the Archdiocese of Lusaka, Bishop Alick Banfda and Fr Salangeta of Chawama, stating that Mr Imenda and the UPND were being dangerously ignorant by claiming that the two Catholic Priests were Patriotic Front (PF) cadres who were campaigning for the return of former President Edgar Lungu.
He stated that the accusations by Mr Imenda that Archbishop Banda and Fr Salangeta were stooges of the PF were not only baseless but exposed the UPND chief executive as a primitive and ineptitude man who did not know that when people stopped speaking, then those in power were in danger.
He said it was primitive for Mr Imenda not to understand what freedom of speech, expression and consciousness meant in a democracy where citizens were free to express themselves without fear or favour.
Mr Imenda, the UPND secretary general is primitive and dull. The UPND is not going to manage to fight the Catholic Church. Mr Imenda and his party are spearheading intolerance against the Catholic Church and the people with opposing views. But let them know that when people do not speak, it is a breeding ground for chaos and serious trouble in the nation,” Archbishop Mpundu said.
Archbishop Mpundu has warned that Zambians should brace themselves for much worse times under the UPND administration because the new dawn was working at silencing the Catholic Church and that people should start speaking out against the ills of those governing the nation.
“If things exploded in the country, Mr Hichilema is going to be the first one to run away because he is a coward and totally misinformed. So, sooner than later, President Hichilema is going to be on his feet, running away. Not all people are going to be praise singers because there shall always be those to criticize government so that it could work effectively. Government is not going to manage to prevent free speech and let it be known to them that there is no freedom without justice,” Archbishop Mpundu said.
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