UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma says President Edgar Lungu should address Zambians’ concerns or risk being booed until he is voted out of power next year.
In an interview, Kakoma said booing the Head of State was not a criminal offence, and that the party would not apologize for the conduct of Monze residents.
“What President Lungu needs to do is to address the concerns of the people that are booing him, that is going to provide him relief. But to expect the UPND to apologize for people expressing their displeasure is not the solution. For as long as the youths remain unemployed, and he is not providing them with the jobs, they will continue to boo him! For as long as the farmers fail to get their inputs and pay them on time, they will continue to boo him; for as long as people remain in poverty failing to have three meals a day; for as long as people fail to send their children to school; for as long as students at the university fail to get their allowance, they will continue to boo him! So, the bottom line is that he must address the concerns of the people that are unhappy with his governance. If he does nothing and expects to demand apologies from UPND, the booing will continue until 2021 when they vote him out,” said Kakoma.
“What happened in Monze should be expected to happen in many other places in Zambia where he will be going. In any case, booing is a form of expression, which is guaranteed even under the (Amended) Constitution. Somebody can express themselves by talking or raising a symbol or by booing. It is not a criminal offence. If someone cannot have an audience with the President, and the only way they can attract his attention is to boo him, they will boo him! Take note that the people that booed him are not UPND, it is residents of Monze. Residents of Monze belong to different political parties, some don’t even belong to any political party. They felt suffocated by the presence of the police, who camped there for more than two days and restricting their freedoms and in the process tearing down UPND posters and regalia.”