LUNTE PF member of parliament Mutotwe Kafwaya says the opposition UPND has not yet reached a stage where it can govern the country, which is the major reason that party is scared of facing President Edgar Lungu in this year’s general elections.

And Kafwaya says the Constitutional Court made it very clear that President Lungu’s first term started in 2016 while his second term will begin in August this year.

Meanwhile, Kafwaya says UPND is the one which brought political tribalism and violence in Zambia.

Kafwaya, who is also Minister of Transport and Communication, was speaking when he featured on Kasama Radio Station in Kasama District, Northern Province on Friday evening.

The programme was also broadcasted live on seven other radio stations in the province.

Commenting on the debates regarding President Lungu’s eligibility to contest this year’s elections, Kafwaya who spoke in Bemba, wondered why the opposition was scared of President Lungu.

“[John] Sangwa started a long time ago talking about President Lungu. Now, why are you scared of President Lungu? Why are you scared that you think that when he contests then you will lose? It’s because you are not prepared and you are not ready to rule. Because when you are ready to govern a country, it shows. So if you are not ready to govern, you are not ready to govern. Even people can see that this one hasn’t reached a stage to govern a country. They are still far. You can’t fear President Lungu in this manner. We always tell UPND to make a workable manifesto. Now the problem which is there is that they don’t have the capacity to even make a manifesto,” Kafwaya said.

And Kafwaya said President Lungu’s eligibility issue had already been settled by the ConCourt.

“The eligibility case for the President, the court ruled on this matter. You can’t appeal the decision of the Constitutional Court. The court guided that the year that President Lungu ruled from 2015 to 2016 does not constitute a term of office. The court further guided that President Lungu’s first term started in 2016 and his second term is the one which will start in 2021. But they are still arguing,” Kafwaya said.

He also said the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill was not what would make PF win elections but its leadership.

Meanwhile, Kafwaya further charged that UPND was the one which brought political tribalism and violence in the country.

“Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill is not what will make us win or lose elections as PF. What will make PF win elections is leadership. Not having tribalism in politics, strengthening democracy, bringing development to the people, building hospitals and schools. It’s what will make PF win elections, not the Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes [Bills]. What will make UPND fail (to win elections) is lack of knowledge on how to govern a country. Insulting judges that ‘these are criminals in veils’. So stop political tribalism, denounce political violence. When you denounce that then people will see that you have started preparing yourselves to govern the country,” he said.

“UPND has brought bad things in politics. They brought political tribalism, they brought political violence, the same UPND. What we are saying is that the ones who brought this political tribalism is UPND because when the UPND founding president [Anderson] Mazoka died, they said only a Tonga can replace him. It’s not the tribe (Tonga) which said that. It’s the UPND party which said only a Tonga could replace Mazoka as president. And people who like tribalism, I think are naive, it’s those people who don’t have sense, who don’t see the future. That’s why we are saying in this law that we have brought, Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Bill, that there’s no hate speech. What we want as PF is democracy without violence or tribalism.”

He added that, “Let me advise you UPND, you should be like PF. When PF lost that court case which ruled that the Ministers who stayed in office [after the dissolution of Parliament in 2016] stayed in their offices illegally, the PF looked for that money and paid. Because that’s what the Court ruled. Even if you don’t like the Court’s decision, you need to follow what the court has ruled. Because if you start thinking that the court is also a political party, then you have a problem and you will be destroying the country.”

Kafwaya also engaged members of the pastors fellowship from Kapatu Mission in Lunte District, Northern Province, on Saturday.