Democratic Party president Harry Kalaba says it would be catastrophic if people re-elected the Patriotic Front in 2021.

And Kalaba says he does not practice politics of insulting opponents because he wants young people to learn good behaviour from him.

Speaking when featured on Voice of Kalomo Radio, Monday, Kalaba urged people to unite and remove the PF from power.

“Everyone is suffering! The only ones who are enjoying are those who are being pointed at rallies that, ‘this man is the one who has a huge sack of money!’ And he starts celebrating that, ‘yes, I am the one with the money.” So, what I am asking is that we unite and kick out PF in 2021! They have tried to kill the DP, but they have failed the same way (King) Herald failed to kill Jesus. Because they knew that once Harry Kalaba comes on the scene, we will be in trouble and, indeed, they are in trouble! We are not going to rest until the PF goes because to have another five years of PF in 2021 will not only be catastrophic, it’s going bury us; if anyone survives, only their necks will remain, the rest would have been swallowed,” Kalaba said.

“The PF government came on a platform of saying: ‘lower taxes, more money in your pockets and more jobs,’ everything that the PF came with has gone! I understand because they have fused themselves with the MMD and now they are PF/MMD. It will be difficult for people who are building houses to connect to electricity; it will be difficult for households to have electricity throughout the month. And while we have heard that electricity tariffs have been increased, we have not heard that salaries for workers have also been increased. This will also have a trickle-down effect, we will have a challenge with the prices of goods and services; they will go up and the ordinary citizens will suffer because energy is at the epicentre of development. They have introduced so many taxes and now they have even come to Zesco to increase the tariffs further.”

And Kalaba said he would introduce unions for the Zambia Police Service and other security wings when he was elected Republican President.

“For me, I have said the police, army and all these men and women in uniforms, when I become President, I will ensure that they have a union so that they can speak for them. Because, currently, whatever happens to the police they can’t talk because if they do, they will be fired! So, I want to bring what are in the Scandinavian countries; men and women in the uniforms have unions to speak for them. Even here at least they should have an outlet to air out their grievances because we saw recently that the police were sacked in Sesheke, now story has even died, who has spoken for those police officers? Nobody! Our party is Democratic Party; we are going to introduce democracy in all spheres of life,” Kalaba said.

Meanwhile, Kalaba, the former Foreign Affairs Minister, added that he did not practice politics of insulting opponents because he wanted young people to learn good behaviour from him.

“I have respect for Mr. Hakainde Hichilema; we may differ in our political ideologies, but I can’t disrespect him; I respect President Edgar Lungu and even if I differ with him on issues affecting the country, I can’t insult him. And by the way, both Mr. Hichilema and President Lungu are older than me; President Lungu is 20 years older than me, why should I insult a man who is 20 years older than me just because I don’t agree with him? I will never insult him, but I will tell him that, ‘look, President Lungu, people are suffering, you are giving contracts to foreigners, leaving Zambians, civil servants are having their salaries delayed,’ that is not insulting. Because even if I insult President Lungu, that won’t reduce the prices of mealie meal; fertilizer will not be delivered to farmers on time, it will not create jobs for our country. So, I want to bring politics in this country that are issue-based,” said Kalaba.

“And also, I will be President myself in the next 24 months. I don’t want people to be insulting me when I assume the Office of the President. And that is a throne, which I am going to take over in 2021! I should not insult the throne I want to inherit because by doing that, I am taking away from myself, the throne may reject me. I have to respect what I am aspiring to take over and in future, everyone who will come to take over after me will follow my example. So, the politics of insulting each other must go, they don’t do it in developed countries, they focus on issues. I want the youths of Kalomo to be inspired when they look at a leader like me; I should not be the one to teach them how to insult properly, no! They should know that when Harry Kalaba is in your midst, he wants you to learn manners, he wants you to know that elders are elders, regardless of how you differ with them, they remain elders.”