PF deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri says Simon Zukas should not be quoted as a senior citizen but as a UPND sympathizer.

And Phiri says the PF is the most democratic party in Zambia.

Commenting on a joint press briefing by some senior and concerned citizens chaired by Veteran politician Simon Zukas last Friday.

Zukas, among other things, expressed concern over the negative social and political situation that the country was undergoing, the maneuvers to manipulate the constitution and the high levels of corruption being witnessed in the country.

Zukas also lamented that it was shocking that his first press briefing was canceled because he didn’t have a permit.

But in an interview, Phiri said people should differentiate between UPND sympathizers and concerned citizens.

“Is he (Simon Zukas) a senior citizen or a UPND sympathizer?” Phiri asked.

“Let’s give people titles which they have. We all know that honorable yes, he was a Minister, Simon Zukas is a UPND sympathizer.”

Phiri said Zukas could never say anything nice about PF.

“So do you think he can say anything nice about PF? I find it bizarre to be talking about people like Mr Zukas as a senior citizen and he is supposed to give conclusive and educative criticism not one sided criticisms. What the UPND do, to him everything is right. I get relaxed to comment about such things. If Mr Zukas has proof of corruption why doesn’t he go and report to the institutions that were created by them and UNIP? They are the ones who left the Anti Corruption Commission do they have no confidence in the institutions which they created themselves for them to be making baseless accusations?” Phiri asked.

“Why don’t they go and report and name those they are perceiving to be corrupt than shooting in the air. Cause me if I know that someone is corrupt, I am not shy, if am talking about something I say it the way it is. Them, UNIP who created the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the statutes are still the same, the composition and everything which they left is still there. So is he telling me he has no confidence in his own creation? He can’t [identify] those who he is portraying to be corrupt?”

And Phiri said PF was the most democratic party in Zambia.

“Was anybody talking in the time of Zukas when he was in government during UNIP? That is why people cried for democracy because it’s them who brought the one party state. You know people should be shy to comment when they themselves were failures. Now they want to transfer their failure to other people. There is a lot of democracy that is why Zukas is speaking the way he is speaking. In his time, in his government, can anyone talk the way he is talking? Under his leadership, we saw people disappearing. Have we ever witnessed that? We saw people being jailed for merely speaking. So how can he say that? And when you are in leadership, me when I leave leadership, I go to rest, I will not criticize a system which I failed to change. They were resisting until they were forced out by the people though I was young,” said Phiri.

“Even MMD that is why we fought for the multi-party democracy and because we were fed up with UNIP which he was part of and at a very high level. Him he can even hold a press briefing, ask him how many press briefings were held by citizens in his time. We are doing very well. There is democracy and the democracy which is around now people are even misusing it, they think insulting people, falsely accusing people that is democracy.”