UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema yesterday laughed at PF attempts to scare him into silence, saying “you can’t scare Hakainde, I will always be there for the people”.
And Chishimba Kambwili says the opposition has now declared a full fledged war against the ruling party, going ahead.
Meanwhile, People’s Alliance for Change president Andyford Banda who also escorted Hichilema to police wondered why the government was wasting time intimidating political leaders instead of finding solutions to the problems facing the country.
Before recording a warn and caution statement on him, Police yesterday quizzed the leading opposition leader on questions ranging from the roles he played during the privatisation of the mines, to the statement he made when he featured on Sun FM; all of which he refused to answer.
As a united swarm of opposition cadres besieged Ndola Central Police station, where one ZANIS journalist was arrested for filming the dramatic procession that halted business in the Copperbelt capital, Hichilema was taken into an hour long interrogation, which went as follows, according to his lawyers:
HH’ s interview at Ndola Police started with questions on privatization:
1. Did you work as negotiator for Govt during privatization ?
Ans: I have never worked for government in my life
2. Do you have shares in Sun hotel?
Ans: No comment
3. Were you part of the privatization of the mines?
Ans: no comment
4. You negotiated for incentives in Sun Hotel?
Ans: No comment
5. You were in charge of evaluating Sun International Hotel?
Ans: No comment
6. Do you understand what privatization is?
Ans: No comment
7. Are you not a shareholder in Sun Hotel?
Ans: No comment
8. As a businessman, what are you dealing in?
Ans: No comment
Second Segment
(Police play a recording of the SUN FM Radio interview of Hakainde Hichilema of 2nd November, 2018)
1. Are you confirming it is a correct version?
Ans: no comment
2. Did you hear what was being said on the recording?
Ans: no comment
3. Were you the person being interviewed ?
Ans: no comment
4. Whatever we have heard in the interview was it not you ?
Ans: no comment
Police: Get a caution from him he will not respond to any questions
Warn and Caution statement
Taken on Tuesday 11th November, 2017 at 10:58 hours.
You are warned that police that police are making inquiries into allegations of seditious practices contrary to section 57 1( b) as read with section 60 (1) (e) (f) of the Penal Code, Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
You Hakainde Hichilema on 2nd November, 2018 between 10:00 and 10:30 while being featured at Sun FM Radio on Your Opinion programme did utter seditious words to bring the Zambian government into hatred. You did tell a lie believing it to be a lie telling listeners on radio that: Nabashitisha Zaffico filyafine bashitishe ZNBC. Nanomba line ndelanda nabashitisha kuma Chinese. Twakana mukwai. We will reverse the decision”.
You were telling a lie that Zaffico had been sold when in fact not true. Do you understand allegations?
HH: I do
Do you wish to say anything in answer to the allegation?
HH: No
HH signs the Caution
After administering caution, police state that they still have a few more questions :
1. Did you feature on Sun FM Radio on 2nd November, 2018?
HH: no comment
2. Did you say ZAFFICO has been sold?
HH: no comment
3. Which Chinese are you saying bought ZAFFICO?
HH: no comment
4. Do you have evidence that ZAFFICO had been sold to the Chinese?
HH: no comment
5. Do you understand difference between listing and selling?
HH: no comment
6. Do you understand that you promoted feelings of ill will against Chinese community?
HH: no comment
7. Do you know that you seditiously intended to raise discontent when you said ZAFFICO had been sold?
HH: no comment
8. Do you know that you told a lie on the sale of ZAFFICO?
HH: no comment
9. How do you reverse something that has not been sold?
HH: no comment.
After the interview a warn and caution statement was recorded from Hichilema before he addressed journalists and thanked the other opposition leaders who gave him solidarity “under difficult times.”
“We had the interrogation, in my view, it was done professionally, we are through with it, and we are going back home now. Thank you for the support as the media and through you, the people of Zambia, thank you for their support and I wish to say I will always be there for the people of Zambia; daytime, night time, difficult times, we will be there for the people of Zambia. And I am very grateful to the colleagues, my colleague president Banda, who has come all the way from Lusaka to be with us here, I want to thank president Chishimba Kambwili also for coming this way. Some people in this country fear even to walk near a police station but I thank m y colleagues and through them, their party members for allowing them to give us this support, ” Hichilema said.
Asked if he was scared, Hichilema laughed at the attempt, saying he would always be there for the people of Zambia.
“No, no, no. Scaring Hakainde?” asked Hichilema whilst laughing.
“I think the issue is not about scare or not. The issue is about standing for the people of Zambia. First and foremost, it is our duty to stand for the people of Zambia. In that order, the people of this region, the people of Africa, the people of the world, that’s how it works. So when you stand for the people, you don’t front fear. If you are afraid, you should never seek public office to serve the people.”
And Kambwili said the opposition had declared a war against the PF.
“This idea of arresting opposition leaders has been going on for a long time for no apparent reason for too long. And the reason is that every time one opposition leader is arrested, the others don’t stand with them and don’t stand by him. So I think we should have a new dispensation, if one of us is touched, then all of us are touched, that should be the principle. Because all the time that they arrest one, today it’ll be HH, tomorrow it will be Banda, tomorrow will be Kambwili. So even those who didn’t come, please, let us not put partisan politics, what the PF is doing is illegal and we must put a stop to it and we can only put a stop to it if we say you touch one, you touch all of us, regardless of your political affiliation…today we are declaring war on the PF,” said Kambwili.
Meanwhile, Banda said the PF was wasting time by intimidating opponents.
“A lot of citizen’s rights are being abused. And this country is going through a lot of challenges and we are wasting time, coming to the police to come and discuss non issues instead of coming together and discussing solutions and ideas on how we can improve this country. We need to stop this idea of the PF diverting us from the issues that matter…not intimidating people who are speaking on behalf of the people. From here, we have learnt that it’s high time the opposition came up with a strategy to stand together,” said Banda.
ZANIS reporter Frank Chingambu was realsed from police custody around 14:00 hours after Ndola-based journalists camped outside the premises, demanding his release.
