UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says President Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front are happy with the resignation of Auditor General Ron Mwambwa, adding that only a normal group of people would feel embarrassed with the development.

And Hichilema says the Mwambwa;s resignation is a confirmation of the high levels of corruption in government which is now threatening even oversight institutions.

Speaking in an interview with News Diggers, Hichilema said Mwambwa’s resignation would have been an embarrassing episode to the PF officials if they were normal.

“The corruption in PF has become so deep rooted and huge and that is now threatening oversight institutions, which include the Auditor General’s Office, the Financial Intelligence Centre, and then the Law enforcement institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission and even the police. They are all now scared of doing anything because when they report the rot of corruption in the PF, they find that the culprits are people in State House who work around there, ministers and others who are closely connected to Mr Lungu and the PF government. So it is now becoming a risk for people to work as Auditor Generals,” Hichilema observed.

Hichilema said oversight institutions like the Auditor General’s Office and law enforcement agencies have been made worthless and useless because the corrupt are the ones in government.

“So for professionals like the Auditor General Ron Mwambwa, they have no choice but basically to find alternatives. And the alternative out of these institutions is to resign, and when they go, they leave these institutions almost worthless and useless because the corrupt are the ones in government, the corrupt are the ones in leadership. That is a sign that corruption has gotten worse. You know what corruption and dictatorship do, they go together and they oppress even the auditor general, they oppress the police, they oppress ZRA, they oppress even Drug Enforcement and other enforcements and the Anti Corruption Commission. This is a confirmation of the high levels of corruption in our country and Mwambwa’s exit is a confirmation of high levels of corruption,” Hichilema said.

“And the people of Zambia must come together and do something, say no to this level of corruption. And now, those who are fighting corruption have become victims of the corrupt. We who are in politics, who are fighting the corruption, the debts mountain and the mis-governance are becoming victims of the corrupt in the PF. So everybody is paying the price and who suffers? It is the country. It is suppose to be an embarrassment if we were dealing with normal people, but these guys in PF are not normal people anymore. Lungu and PF are happy that a tough Auditor General is out of their way. They went into government to steal, so they don’t even get embarrassed. I am sure they are very happy that Mwambwa has gone because they see that, that is one less paying. So an ordinary and innocent group of citizens should have been embarrassed, but these went in to ravage the country, they went to steal. They never went to give a service, they went into government to take, to eat and eat everything, and leave school children with nothing, leave those youths who need jobs with no jobs, leave the sick without medicines in hospitals.”

And Hichilema wondered why State House was quiet about the audit fraud at Kafue General Hospital.

“Mr Lungu is not interested in the evidence, he uses the call for evidence as an excuse to continue abetting corruption because the whole of him and his team are corrupt. Him and his team, ministers and those around State House are corrupt. So when they call for evidence even when evidence is clear and it’s in abundance, it is an excuse to avoid prosecuting those who are corrupt. But who are those? It is him and the people around him. So instead of them being the victims, now they are making those who are fighting corruption to be the victims,” he observed.

“So Zambians must come to a point where they know that no where will PF take this country. PF is just destroying the country, building a debt mountain with money which they borrowed expensively and invested it in expenditure on roads where they could steal, [e.g] Ndola-Lusaka road, ambulances, fire tenders, medicines at medical stores and now this Kafue Hospital Scandal. They are there to enrich themselves at the expense of Zambians. It is up to Zambians to say enough is enough and change this government, take it out, vote this government out. Let us not fear thieves and dictators.”

And responding to a directive by President Lungu to the police to arrest those perpetuating violence, Hichilema said defending oneself when attacked was a constitutional and human right.

“Mr Lungu and the PF are the violent ones, they are the brutal ones, they have been using the tool of violence to oppress citizens. Now, he wants to claim that we are the ones propelling violence, no. We are victims of his violence and oppression and dictatorial ways. And he cannot threaten us, he has got no basis to threaten us. He is actually threatening violence and who are the violent? It is him and his thugs. And he now issues instructions to the police to arrest us and Kampyongo, he is issuing instructions to the most brutal individual called Kampyongo in this country. now, the issue is to silence us, to further victimise us. But we will not be threatened by those threats. He calls that one, “the foolish one” he was talking about me, I know. And why should we be arrested for defending ourselves? Self defence is constitutional, is legal [and] it is a human right,” said Hichilema.

“I want to repeat to all our members and members of the general public [that] when PF thugs, be it Mr Lungu or anyone, PF thugs come to attack us [or] to brutalise us, we must defend ourselves. I am asking people who are being attacked by thugs in PF, to defend themselves because self defence is a human right, it is a legal and constitutional right, it is a universal right across the globe. So the message is clear, defend yourselves when you are attacked by these thugs. Look madam, he should not arrest victims, we are victims of his brutality. He must arrest the thugs in his party and those who are attacking citizens. The police is supposed to protect every citizen and not to arrest them. How do you arrest citizens and leave aggressors free? Ii is a rotten society. So to be honest this man has failed to provide leadership, it’s completely empty, that State House is empty.”