Ngulube warns Mulungushi Textiles rebirth critics
By CHARLES MUSONDA
OPPOSITION parties and their allied Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that have continued to criticise Government’s decision to reopen Mulungushi Textiles Joint Venture in Kabwe have been warned of stern action because their criticism is tantamount to inciting the public.
In an interview yesterday, Patriotic Front (PF) Kabwe Central parliamentary candidate, Tutwa Ngulube, said such organisations risked being disbanded because as far as the ruling party is concerned, inciting people to rise against a legitimately formed Government was an offence.
Mr Ngulube said Government’s move to reopen Mulungushi Textiles was not a new decision.
He was reacting to Centre for Youth Leaders in Africa (CYLFA) executive director Jones Mulunga who claimed that the reopening of the factory, at about K40 million, was a mockery and aimed at winning votes from gullible voters.
But Mr Ngulube, the immediate past PF parliamentary deputy chief whip, said the decision to reopen Mulungushi was made two years ago and that Government had been mobilising money under difficult conditions amid the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges.
He said the reopening of Mulungushi has actually shattered some political parties’ dreams of going to State House because they thought they would win Kabwe Central and Bwacha constituencies based on lies that Government had failed to reopen the giant firm.
“We want to assure them that as far as the PF government is concerned, the reopening of Mulungushi Textiles is going to better lives of the people. It is not a political decision because if it was, Government would have reopened the factory just after parliament was dissolved. There are lots of things that are involved in the reopening of Mulungushi Textiles.
“If they are not aware of what Government is doing, as opposed to defaming government or criticising government for no apparent reason, we wish to advise that Government and its decisions must be respected,” Mr Ngulube said.
He said people who want to fight Government might end up fighting their own existence and that NGOs that attack or criticize the government anyhow must be put where they belong.
He said it was either they become political parties so that they were free to insult Government or they should be disbanded because an NGO is not a political party.
Mr Ngulube advised Kabwe residents to ignore such organisations because even if they went round they would not even find their offices.
“These are NGOs that just work during elections and we want to warn that organisation that we will not take it lightly. We will discover where they are and find out how they are registered so that they either become an NGO helping the poor or they become a political party which insults Government,” he said.
