Wed, 19 Apr 2017 11:40:07 +0000
By OSCAR MALIPENGA
HAKAINDE Hichilema and Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba’s conduct in Mongu was reckless because they disrespected the Litunga and hired hooligans who were heard insulting police officers, Rainbow Party secretary general Wynter Kabimba has charged.
And Mr. Kabimba has clarified that President Edgar Lungu cannot pardon Mr. Hakainde
Hichilema unless he was convicted.
Mr. Kabimba, who is former Justice minister and Patriotic Front secretary general, said the UPND leadership exhibited recklessness while in Mongu when they refused to give way to the presidential motorcade.
Speaking when he featured on Prime TV’s ‘‘Oxygen Democracy’’ programme titled ‘‘HH’s arrest and detention’’, Mr. Kabimba said President Lungu was right when he said he had no powers to pardon Mr. Hichilema because the powers vested in a President (Prerogative of Mercy) could only be triggered when one was convicted.
Mr. Kabimba said Mr. Hichilema and his vice president were surrounded by hooligans while in Mongu who were heard insulting police officers for sweeping the road for President Lungu.
Mr. Kabimba said Mr. Hichilema and Mr. Mwamba also disrespected the Litunga and not just President Lungu when they decided to walk out before the Kuomboka ceremony was concluded.
Mr. Kabimba said the video which had gone viral depicting Mr. Hichilema’s convoy driving side by side with the Head of State was recklessness on the part of the UPND leadership.
He said according to the video Mr. Hichilema’s motorcade ignored the two police sweeper vehicles.
Mr. Kabimba also wondered why the two leaders went for Kuomboka only to walk out before the event was over.
“After HH and GBM walked out, the Litunga and President Lungu were seen seated. So why did they go there only to walk out? It was disrespectful not only to President Lungu but to the Litunga who had invited them,” Mr. Kabimba said.
He also wondered how it could have been President Lungu’s fault if the Litunga’s representative, when giving his speech, could not recognise Mr. Hichilema?
Mr. Kabimba said the recognition in the speech had nothing to do with President Lungu for the two opposition leaders to walk away.
“This matter is not about Edgar Lungu as an individual but him as a State,” Mr. Kabimba said.
He however stated that whether Mr. Hichilema’s reckless conduct was a treasonable offence or not, it was up to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to decide.
Mr. Kabimba said if he were a UPND member he would not have advised the leadership to block the presidential motorcade.
“There is a smart way of doing politics; if it were Michael Sata he would not have behaved like that, he would have realized that it was reckless,” he said.
Mr. Kabimba said he finds it difficult to justify a wrong. He said justifying a wrong could not clean the society.
“When you hear an emergency vehicle on any road coming behind you, by law, you have to pull out of the way without questioning why you are being asked to pull out of the way,” he said.
He urged politicians whenever discussing the arrest of Mr. Hichilema to be putting the interest of the nation first.
Mr. Kabimba cautioned UPP leader Mike Mulongoti to put the interest of the nation first whenever debating the arrest of Mr. Hichilema because he was eyeing to lead Zambia one day.
He said both President Lungu and Mr. Hichilema were not in Mongu for campaigns but to celebrate the Kuomboka traditional ceremony at the invitation of the Litunga.
