UPND chairman for elections Gary Nkombo says PF abandoned former vice-president Dr Guy Scott a long time ago and it shows lack of respect for Defence Minister Davies Chama to mock him in the manner he did.
And UPND deputy secretary general Patrick Mucheleka says those insulting Dr Scott are insulting late President Michael Sata because the two were inseparable.
Last week, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema appointed Dr Scott as UPND’s chief consultant, a position which his wife, Dr Charlotte, said he accepted.
But Chama, who is also PF deputy national mobilisation chairman, mocked Scott’s appointment, saying the opposition party could even get someone who was on a ventilator if they thought he’d help them win.
Commenting on Chama’s remarks in an interview, Nkombo said Chama had no respect for elders.
“At the time when the late president died, the obvious thing is Dr Scott had his own preferences of who to take over the Presidency of PF and he is paying the price of that freedom of his conscious, a price which is being inflicted by Davies Chama, Edgar Lungu and their cohorts. So, do they want Dr Scott to be an island, to sit alone at his house, the answer is obviously no, he enjoys the fundamental un-negotiated rights and freedoms of his conscience, of association and I can tell you that President Hichilema obviously must have consulted with Dr Scott before giving him that appointment because he is a democrat. Some of us who were given appointments were also given a heads up to say do you think you can manage to serve in this portfolio. And so of all the 70 members of the NMC that have been given appointments including Dr Guy Scott, no one has turned down the appointment, what does that show you? It shows you that people are in one accord, people are of like mind and when people are of like mind no one should come in their way,” Nkombo said.
“Mr Chama the Defence minister has absolutely no respect for elders. Dr Guy Scott is an elder senior citizen who enjoy his freedom of association, his freedom of his conscience. If Dr Guy Scott for instance had declined the appointment, then one can use such sentiments as Mr Chama has used. Dr Guy Scott was their member. He was not only their member, he was their vice-president, he was not only their vice President, and he was their acting President at the time when we lost President Michael Sata, MHSRIP. And they abandoned him, Dr Scott had been abandoned by PF because they have got no respect also for democracy.”
Nkombo urged Chama to focus on PF’s dwindling fortunes.
“I think the advice to Mr Chama is just concentrate on what they have to do as PF to salvage themselves because PF right now, you can see the desperation. If you want to see desperation and understand it, it’s described as follows, getting taxi drivers to say come and queue up at the filling station an get free gas, that is desperation, getting bundles of money, money which is ill acquired in the midst of a bad economy, people cannot have three square meals a day and you start lining up people to give them K100 which cannot even buy a bag of mealie meal, that is desperation. And who is desperate now? It is the PF who are desperate because their time is speedily running out and so I think that Mr Chama’s comments are really just a question of giving themselves a feel good factor and really maybe just an act of entertainment,” said Nkombo.
And in a separate interview, Mucheleka said UPND was happy that Dr Scott accepted the appointment.
“For any political party that wants to be serious with issues of governance, you must find a way of getting closer or getting counsel from people such as Dr Guy Scott and as UPND we very proud and grateful that Dr Guy Scott has agreed to continue to support the people of Zambia, standing in solidarity with the people of Zambia through the UPND as a political consultant. It’s a blessing for us, and we want others to emulate Dr Guy Scott so that we can come together and save this country,” Mucheleka said.
“In case Chama has forgotten, Edgar Lungu’s first appointment under the PF government was that of deputy minister in the vice-president’s office, he served under Dr Guy Scott as deputy minister. So if there is someone who knows President Lungu very well it is certainly Dr Scott, it is not what Chama is talking about. Chama and his friends have merely hijacked the PF to an extent where they are insulting Guy Scott, mocking him, what they are doing to Guy Scott, they are doing to Sata. Guy Scott us reminds us and reminds the country of what Sata stood for. Sata stood against all forms of injustices, Sata stood against corruption, Sata today is talking to us through Guy Scott and he gave direction in 2016 and he is giving direction today, that the way to go is with the UPND.”
He said it was impossible to express love for Sata while insulting Dr Scott.
“You can never claim to like Sata when you are insulting Guy Scott and mocking him about his health. Mind you, for people who know PF, they will tell you that Sata was synonymous with Guy Scott, the two of them traversed to all parts of the country mobilising the PF which Chama and those people they have hired from MMD are mocking today…you cannot claim to love Michael Sata even in his death when the symbol of Sata living today is seen through Guy Scott. You don’t insult people that have worked for you, people that have sacrificed for you, that have sacrificed everything for the country,” said Mucheleka.
“Somebody today is saying Guy Scott must rest, how can he rest when this country has degenerated into high levels of corruption, economic mismanagement, the country has completely collapsed, the economy is only working for people who are engaging in violence and corruption in the name of Lungu and that is the message Dr Guy Scott is sending today to the people of Zambia, including those who are in PF who loved Sata that can we come together and salvage this country from these people that have destroyed this country due to high levels of corruption which has resulted in high levels of poverty, unemployment, the kwacha has completely collapsed against other convertible currencies, there is police brutality, there is tribalism, they champion tribalism all the time, how do you expect Guy Scott to rest, it is not just Dr Guy Scott, who by the way is still in his 70s.”