By SIMON MUNTEMBA
NO one was born PF, UPND or UNIP, so this political business should not divide this country because we are one, President Edgar Lungu has said.
And President Lungu has urged the police not to be intimidated by overzealous unruly political cadres when they are doing their job because no one is above the law. The President said this when leaders of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Zambia (PAOG-Z) led by their presiding Bishop Joshua Banda met him at State House yesterday.
He told the church delegates that he detested violence and that other political party leaders should also denounce it because politics was about serving the people and not dividing them.
The President said violence was denting democracy, adding that there was need to tame the overzealous unruly cadres involved in violent activities.
He said the cadres should take a leaf from political party leaders who are exercising their democratic rights by switching camp from either the ruling party or opposition.
“No one was born PF, no one was born UPND, no one was born UNIP, we are just citizens in this beautiful country, Zambia. I always give examples: look at Hon. GBM, he was in PF, we differed and he moved to UPND. But he is back. Chishimba Kambwili is another good example, he was with us, he left and he is back with us. Charles Kakoma was also in UPND but today he is with us.
“So nothing is static or permanent, what is permanent is the Zambian people. Stop, this political business should not divide the nation,” President Lungu said.
Mr Lungu also said the police should be firm in dealing with cadres and should not be intimidated that they would lose their jobs or transferred.
He said anyone found breaking the law should be brought to book and allow the due process of the law to take its course because the country needed peace.
And speaking at the patron’s membership renewal exercise of the Bible Society of Zambia held at State House yesterday, Mr Lungu said that God’s word has given him strength in difficult times, especially when the country has lost many of compatriots to Covid-19.
These are difficult times and our spirituality as a nation is being tested, he said, truly God’s word is relevant for every season.
President Lungu said it was important for the nation to trust in God at all times because He would always be there for the citizens.
