MY DEAR brother Edgar Lungu, when you are fixing someone politically, don’t forget that this person has got family, Chishimba Kambwili has lamented, adding that PF has reduced him to a beggar.

And Kambwili who is National Democratic Congress (NDC) president says the Opposition Alliance has devised alternative means of mobilising ahead of the 2021 general election in view of the shrinking political space and harassment of opposition political parties by the police.

In an interview, Kambwili reminded President Lungu that while he is fixing political opponents, he must remember that his time to leave office would come, no matter how long he prolonged his stay.

“My dear brother, President Lungu, I want to appeal to you: political office is not in perpetuity. You can stay up to 2036, but there will be a day when you will leave office. So please, treat your friends fairly. Treat your friends, both politically and in business, fairly. Look how I have been reduced to a beggar, surely, when I have got businesses that were thriving long before I joined politics! And when you are fixing someone, politically, don’t forget that this person has got family; he has got other people and workers who depend on him. You are not getting at Chishimba Kambwili alone; you are getting at his children and his employees. Now, supposedly, Chishimba’s Kambwili’s child becomes President, how do you think he would treat you? These things must come to an end, please, let’s respect one another. Politics must be politics and business must be separated from politics,” Kambwili appealed.

“Surely, President Lungu bushe teti ukwatekofye uluse and nangu insoni filya batila insoni ebuntu? (can’t you have some compassion for me or at least a sense of shame) for everything I did for you? I don’t think it is fair to treat your friends very badly! Let us embrace one another and allow politics and democracy to thrive. For me, even when I become President, I don’t want other people to suffer, politically; I want people to live freely and the opposition to do business freely. Everybody must participate in the Zambian (political) process. What’s even amazing is that nobody ever thought President Lungu could be this cunning! But anyway, God is in control.”

He accused the PF government of using the Covid-19 preventive guidelines to stop the opposition from mobilising.

“This PF government is a government of scared people, who want use COVID-19 to stop the opposition from mobilising, while they are holding meetings themselves. What has happened in the past is unacceptable. Our people in Mufulira had an indoor meeting. But they were arrested by police and they are appearing in court that they shouldn’t have meetings while there is COVID. The UPND wanted to have a meeting, but they were stopped that there is COVID. But the PF are busy having meetings, we heard they were having meetings on the Copperbelt where all MPs, councillors and everybody was called for mobilisation. We heard them in Lusaka having a meeting for mobilisation. But the PF must know that when time to go has come, they should just go and they should not burn bridges,” Kambwili said.

“Now, I know why people begin to fix others when they get into office. But for me, I believe that vengeance is only for God. I want to come and make a difference, I want to come and show an example of how Western countries carry themselves in politics so that I can leave an indelible mark where everybody will be saying, ‘when Chishimba Kambwili became President, he left these standards’.”

He further urged Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo to stop abusing the police to give PF a campaign advantage.

“We agreed to be a multi-party democratic dispensation, allow democracy to thrive and allow political space to everybody. My younger brother, Kampyongo, don’t mislead the police! The police do tell us to say, ‘we can give you permits, but we are given instructions not to’. What are you trying to gain? This is multi-party state and at one time you will be out of government. Let us respect one another. What is happening in this country is unacceptable, that is economically and otherwise. God is punishing us because you want to be unfair on other people. Be fair; my businesses built PF, but today, they have forgotten the contribution of my businesses for them to be in those offices. They have squeezed all my businesses, today, and I am suffering while they are rejoicing! Look at how much I worked in 2016, I was everywhere for my brother and friend.”

And Kambwili, the former Roan PF member of parliament, disclosed that the Opposition Alliance and its members had resolved to find alternative means of mobilising, following the continued disruptions of their meetings by the police.

“We are mobilising using our initiatives. We have told our people to mobilise in their respective areas. We have done so because these PF people, if they hear that Chishimba Kambwili is in Kasama, they will send people to arrest me! If they hear Chishimba Kambwili is on Radio Mano, they will send cadres to stop the programme. But what they don’t know is that there are many ways of skinning a cat. So, we are mobilising alternatives to avoid the oppression by police and the PF cadres,” said Kambwili.