PATRIOTIC Front deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri says young people should stop umungulu (purposelessness) of following political party leaders in the name of offering solidarity, saying no one is worth dying for.
In an interview, Phiri said the youths would end up being statistics and leave their families crying.
“I have seen what usually happens, I am a mother of seven, and since I became a politician, I have told my children stay out of politics. I am one person who has never bought alcohol for children to drink. I was the first national chairperson in the PF and I think that made me unpopular especially with the youths because I never tolerated buying beer. I know what beer does, it intoxicates your mind, your thinking capacity is reduced. I would buy buns and drinks, I have never bought machetes to give youths to go and fight, no. Because I am a Christian and I have seen that this is getting out of hand, we have a lot of youths who have been killed and I have realized my fellow politicians like the UPND, each time they go on the radio, they talk about the deaths of those youths, do their families benefit anything? No. Is anybody worth dying [for] so that your name can be used for statistics?” Phiri asked.
“That is why I have come out. It will mean me being an ambassador to speak to the youths across the board be it PF, UPND, MMD never to agree…if I have been summoned to the police over a personal matter, I advertise, the other person who died we are hearing now that he was ferried from Kafue, why? You lose your life to come and support a person who has children, those children are even studying abroad. Us politicians have very educated children. My children are very educated. Do you think my son who is a doctor and an engineer can agree to go and follow me to throw stones? What my children cannot do, I should think of other people’s children.”
Phiri said it was very annoying that youths were being ferried from far places to offer solidarity.
“I hear there were some who were ferried as far as Mazabuka and Monze. Wanina (you board a) bus to go and give solidarity to a person who has children. A person has seven lawyers to represent him. Who are you who doesn’t even law? Mwema youths lekeni ukwenda umungulu. Nga ni Mumbi Phiri baita ku police alikwata abana seven, let those children escort me. Nga niba Hakainde, balikwata abana batatu. Nga niba Kambwili, he has got five children, paliba lawyer, paliba doctor lekeni abana besu baletushindika. Umungulu ati solidarity. Mmungulu weka weka (Youths stop moving aimlessly. If it is me who has been summoned, I have seven children who can escort me. UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has three children, Chishimba Kambwili had five children, among them there is a lawyer and a doctor, let our children escort us. You are moving aimlessly in the name of offering solidarity)” Phiri said
“Your families remain crying. What has happened to the children of that boy who was killed? Umuntu ayafuma ku Kanyama aya ku Kaoma ukuchita ulubuli (Another youth who was staying in Kanyama went to involve himself in a fight in Kaoma). What have the families benefited? Ma statistics fye (they are just statistics). Do they take bread and butter for them to eat? Very annoying.”
She urged party leaders not to use youths for violence.
“And to my fellow leaders, the Bible is very clear, these things we do on earth using other people’s children, these works will follow us up to the grave. These things we are doing, killing other people’s children and we use them for statistics, these are the things that are going to be presented before God. We can pretend the one who has killed that youth and Nsama Nsama, even if we can conceal, God knows what happened and who shot them.”
When reminded that even ruling party youths offered solidarity to their leaders whenever they appeared in court, Phiri said it was a personal decision to make.
“I congratulated Bonny Kapeso (Deputy Inspector General of Police) some cadres were beaten at Magistrates’ Court. They should also stop, it is an individual decision. Even in that case, Mr Kapeso warned and they were beaten. In fact, one of those who was beaten, Chama he was my driver, he is my son. This country is not about Hakainde Hichilema, this country is not about Mumbi Phiri. We will leave this earth. Let us not leave this country ungovernable because of our selfish gains, because we want to go to State House. Leadership comes from God,” said Phiri.
One Response
Talk about how you can govern Zambia not how you are bent on generating statistics out of people who have committed no wrong. HH’s supporters want to know how you want to make him a statistic.