President Edgar Lungu yesterday vowed to put lawlessness in the UPND to an end even if it could affect his BP condition, in an emotional public address.

President Lungu told Mpulungu residents that he would show them that they did not vote for a coward.

“You see, in a country, you take a break from electioneering and campaigning. There is no country where you don’t take a break from electioneering endlessly. This is because you voted for us to develop and when you vote for us, we are owing you and we can only pay back by bringing development. But you can’t develop when you are busy fighting each other all the time. So if it means me being angry for once, please excuse me, I have to be angry for once! I know when I go home, somebody will be saying ‘namu kalipa sana, BP yalakwela, mwilakalipa’, lekeni ikwele (‘you are too upset, your BP will rise’. Let it rise!) It is because I have been so nice and people think I cannot react, now I am reacting,” President Lungu said.

“I want to assure you that we are safe and when other people thought certain parts of Zambia would be a no go area from PF, I think next week we are going to Sinazongwe to launch some projects.”

He said UPND officials were tempting fate by trying to cause anarchy in the country.

“I am saying all this because I want to make it clear that they are tempting fate by trying to cause anarchy in the name of trying to assume leadership. I want you to you that even in a football match, when the whistle blows and the ref declares a winner, the game is over. Electioneering is over in Zambia, there is a President in place who happens to be me and I think nonsense should not be allowed to continue,” President Lungu said.
“I’m saying this because some traditional leaders, some church men, some civil society organizations have been asking me to interfere and I am saying no! Let me say it again, no! So when the police arrest a suspect, the President does not intervene and I will not intervene. So those of you who are saying ‘I will talk to Edgar Lungu and he will intervene so that the suspect who is being held by police shouldn’t appear in court’, you are wasting your time; please leave me alone!”

President Lungu said his government would not be lenient on law breakers.

“Right now we want to bring development to Mpulungu…we cannot waste time fighting lawlessness. We don’t want to waste time fighting lawlessness so if we hear that you want to disturb the peace and do evil to the people of Zambia, we will arrest you without impunity. The reason is we want to have space to develop this country. It is not a joke to say sela tubombeko, nga wa kana, kuku punka fye (give us space to work, if you can’t do that, we will bash you),” he said.

President Lungu said he had realized that Zambians mistook quietness for cowardice.

“So those of you who are from the church, I can only urge you to pray for me, for him so that we remain in peace. I am saying this because I have information that some UPND MPs met yesterday and they are planning to bring anarchy. They are saying ‘free HH or else’, or else what? I am saying so because I have realized that when you are quiet, law abiding and peaceful then you are a coward, I am not a coward. They were saying, ‘put this guy under pressure and he will resign’. They think that when I agreed to give Guy Scott power last time, it was out of fear, it was because I loved Zambia very much,” said President Lungu.

“So I will say it to the Zambians that I will not allow these UPND MPs who are meeting in Lusaka and saying ‘let’s make it difficult for Lungu to govern’. The police are here and they will deal with them, the courts are here, they will deal with them. I want to show you that when you voted for PF, you voted for peace, you voted for development. I will also show you that when you voted for PF, you didn’t vote for a coward.”