Justice Minister Given Lubinda says he is eager to debate the impeachment motion and he is confident that it will be thrown out within a single sitting.

And Lubinda says in an event that locally facilitated dialogue fails, it is better to ask for SADC’s intervention instead of Commonwealth.

Speaking at a PF interactive forum, Sunday, Lubinda said no PF member of parliament was so cheap as to be bribed to support the impeachment motion.

“What we were told in a ruling by the deputy speaker is that they were still studying that matter and they will inform the mover of the motion as to when it will appear if at all. And I am using these words very carefully, when, if at all because I don’t know. She too said when, if at all. So if the motion does not meet the administrability rules, then it will go where it belongs, in the trashcans. If it does meet the administrability rules, it will come. If it does come, the Patriotic Front is very ready, we are extremely ready to dislodge it with the contempt it deserves. We were ready from day one, and I can share with you a secret, there were some among us who were eager, we wanted it as quickly as possible because we found it to be very juicy, it was very good for us to debate and I am among those who was very eager to debate it. So lest people are misled, we are not spending any time unnecessarily with that impeachment motion because we are more than equal to the task to dislodge it and we will do it within one sitting, it will not even take hours,” Lubinda said.

“And I must emphasize that of all the PF members of parliament, not a single one is so cheap as to be lured with a few green leaves of dollar. What is in it for us is larger than pieces of silver and we shall perform that duty until the next elections in 2021 and by the will of God, even beyond 2021. So inform those people who are still habouring that feeling that the impeachment motion is causing any sleepless nights for us, it is not and when it comes, I can assure you, if a number of us will be given an opportunity to debate it, the people who have moved it will regret the day they entered parliament.”

And Lubinda says if a locally led dialogue process failed, it would be better to ask for SADC’s intervention.

“In case they argue that we have failed, why Commonwealth? Why not SADC? We are a member of SADC so we can go to SADC and as them to facilitate our talks because we have failed. If the SADC has failed, then we escalate it higher. I don’t think you go to a peripheral organization before you start with your local one. This is the reason why we believe strongly that we should do it ourselves and as we do this we don’t stop any person or any organization to come and render their support,” said Lubinda.

“If the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue lacks skill, come, let’s sit and say ‘this centre does not have this, this and this capacity. Let’s build that capacity. How do you build the capacity? First you look internally, are there any people with skills that are lacking at ZCID? Is it a question of resources? Can we go and ask for resources to beef up ZCID?”