SENIOR chief Mphuka of the Chikunda people in Luangwa District says ministers and parliamentarians must learn to scrutinise what a sitting Republican President says and say no to certain decisions that he or she makes.
Speaking when PF Lusaka Province executive secretary Kennedy Kamba and his campaign team paid a courtesy call on him at his palace in Luangwa, Sunday, chief Mphuka urged sitting Cabinet Ministers and parliamentarians to scrutinise what President Edgar Lungu said and challenge certain decisions he made to improve the country’s governance.
“If the President says this, yes, it’s good to look at it and scrutinise it and see whether what is being said by the President is correct. Already, they are speaking of the simple change, which was made [at the Bank of Zambia] and they are saying ‘but why?’ Yes, there are reasons and you have seen them. You can read. The man has told you what his colours and character is. And should we just continue keeping him in the office? No. That is why at one point, you need to say, ‘no’ to certain things,” chief Mphuka advised.
“We shall allow anybody to come here because he/she is a citizen of Zambia. We shall not bar them from coming. But after we discuss, we shall tell them the truth to say, ‘this is our position.’ Whether they say what and what, we will say, ‘you are coming now when things are in advance and you tell us this?’ This man (Michael Sata) left a good scene. I don’t think we shall have somebody like him. Maybe within the party (PF), you will give us somebody who will be in the same shoes like him. And especially if all the members of the party, the Ministers, the MPs work with the President, this country will change and will be second to none.”
And chief Mphuka insisted that anyone aspiring for public office must explain their source of wealth.
“And the other thing is, when you are trying to stand [in any election] you ask yourself, ‘how did you earn all this wealth? From where?’ You are even boasting that you can feed the whole nation from stolen money! Let us look at your own family, your father and mother. Who is rich there that can give you all that wealth? No one. My only appeal is that let us have peaceful by-elections in Luangwa,” he added.
Meanwhile, chief Mphuka observed that some recipients did not deserve to be beneficiaries of the Social Cash Transfer scheme because they liked insulting their leaders.
“Let him (candidate for Mandombe ward) help us with the few things that are remaining. We were discussing the candidature of this area, especially to the other group. Anyway, since it is ‘one Zambia, one nation’ regardless of political parties, everybody must enjoy the fruits of the government. But some of these people are not supposed to be given Social Cash Transfer, no. You even insult your own father when he is just giving you food, can you have blessings like that?” wondered chief Mphuka.
