UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says he will not answer Inspector General of police Kakoma Kanganja “stupid” call to have interrogated in the alleged abduction of two police officers in Muchinga.

Speaking when he addressed students from the University of Zambia, National Institute of Public Administration, Evelyn Hone College and Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM), Hichilema said it was disappointing that police were summoning him and other party officials when the real culprits who harassed and stoned his entourage in Mpika were not arrested.

“First and foremost we would like thank you for coming to show your solidarity to us. I want you to know that you have in us people who have a heart for students and for the people of Zambia. Let me tell you a short story of what happened when we went to Kasama. We went to Kasama to attend a court case for Mucheleka deputy SG, who was in detention not because he committed a crime but because of political ineptness, On our way and back the PF thugs were jealous of the support the people of Northern Province and Muchinga were showing us. They were pelting us with stones when the rest of the community were coming to greet us and they were saying we want bally now’. Now because of the love Muchinga and Northern showed to us, the PF felt jealous and they know that they are going, they were stoning us and they stoned my car in full view of the police, “Hichilema said.

“To our surprise the police did not arrest those thugs, instead the police sent a call out to us victims. Have you ever understood a situation where victims are the ones called to be arrested. The PF thugs who were attacking us were not arrested and I said to Kanganja and to everybody that ‘I am not answering your stupid call’, why? I did not commit any crime, we are victims of the thuggery and this is our country. They must arrest those who were pelting us with stones and they are known, including the Mpika DC, they are known. You saw them carrying stones in the footage, let them arrest those people. We must not allow a breakdown in the rule of law. We must not allow them to take away our fundamental rights and freedoms, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of consciousness. So I want to asssure you that all these things will come to an end, it is darkest before dawn. We should not allow thugs to arrest us or arrest students.”

Hichilema assured the students that when elected he would ensure that bursaries are awarded on merit regardless of their party affiliation.

“One of my first assignments is to bring back bursaries. for all students. When I completed grade 12, I came from a village, because I passed to go to UNZA the bursary came to me automatically. So, everybody who passes, to go to UNZA, to go to college as bally comes, he will fix it, you will all have bursaries. Your BC would be there. What is happening now BC, bursaries are given to students related to politicians. All of that will come to an end,” Hichilema said.

“When I completed school there, I was a tough monk, I wrote my final exam on Friday, I rested on Saturday, Sunday, Monday I had a full time job, that is what I want to happen to you. You cannot take care of people if you don’t love them. If you steal from students it means you don’t love them that is what is going on now. In order to keep you in school and give you bursaries and to give you an increase in the BCs and everything, bally comes in the morning, by afternoon we are sworn in, we are selling that jet.”

Hichilema urged the students to ensure they protect their votes in the 2021 election.

“Your job is to campaign, your job is to get NRCs, your job is to register as voters, your job is to vote, number five your job is to protect the vote. Once you have done that the rest now you live to bally to fix. What is bally going to fix? Education, jobs, more important business opportunities. I want to say to you, this country is a rich country, you guys should not be suffering, you guys should have a better life but the missing link is that there is no leadership. This leadership has no vision. What we will do ourselves is to manage this country for economic, social, political gain and we want you to be free again, the way we were free when we were students. Before we even form government we are already managing the 2021 budget, I am working on the 2021 budget,” said Hichilema.