United Party for National Development (UPND) President has said that he was not opposed to genuine Prayers and Reconciliation, but want certain conditions met by the ruling Patriotic Front Government. In a statement released to the media, the UPND leader said that he wrote to President Lungu expressing the party views and concerns regarding the call for prayers and reconciliation.
Below is the full statement
CALL FOR PRAYERS AND RECONCILIATION
2nd October 2015
We wrote President Edgar Lungu expressing our views and concerns regarding the call for prayers and reconciliation on 18th October 2015.
We are not against genuine calls for prayers and reconciliation in the nation.
To start with, prayers and reconciliation for some of us who are believers and regularly attend church service in our Christian nation is a major undertaking and we do this with very genuine intentions. We are resolute in our faith and Christian beliefs. We are guided by words from the Holy Scriptures in the Bible. Exodus 20:2-17 lists the 10 commandments as given to Moses on Mount Sinai by our Lord. Commandment 3 in particular advises us not to take the name of the Lord our God in vain.
It is clear to us that there is an attempt to abrogate commandment 3 with regard to the call for a dedicated day of prayers and reconciliation.
In our view, before a call for prayers and reconciliation, the Patriotic Front (PF) government need to first reflect on, acknowledge and remedy the factors that are causing friction, injustice, acrimony, anger and disunity in our country.
Some of these are summarised below:
1. Police Brutality and Abuse of the Public Order Act (POA)
As opposition parties and civil society organisations, including the church, it has been very difficult for us to freely operate since the PF government came into office including under the leadership of President Lungu. Many citizens are daily being tormented through police brutality purely for wishing to hold meetings, assemble or share views and alternative policy directions with fellow citizens. Just last week, we were victims of brutal and savage police suppression in Solwezi West when we convened a campaign meeting despite prior police notification.
The police fired live ammunition at us, empty cartridges are in our possession and we were teargassed together with defenceless women, children, and other people that came to our meeting. To date the health condition of some of our people is still under serious threat after those dangerous actions by Police Officers under President Lungu’s command.
Currently, a number of our supporters and other citizens are facing lengthy court litigations while others are in filthy police detention cells on trumped up charges, which in some cases are twisted to severe unbailable offences such as aggravated robbery. There are many examples we can give in this respect.
Tied with this repression and brutal police oppression there is a deliberate policy by your PF cadres to attack us and our members in various parts of the country and areas such as markets and other public places to the extent where some of our supporters have even lost their lives while others can no longer freely enter trading places to conduct business without fear of repression.
We cannot be duped into prayers and reconciliation when some of the PF senior party and government officials are freely shooting citizens yet no arrests or other remedial actions have been taken by your government.
Recent examples include your Secretary General Mr. Davies Chama who gunned a citizen Mr. Mushaukwa and your Mitete District Commissioner Mr. Manjolo who shot a Mr. Mbangu, and two other citizens in full view of the Police during the recent Mulobezi Parliamentary bye-elections.
President Lungu, needs to realize that because of his inability to provide leadership, our country is experiencing a serious breakdown in the rule of law.
2.National Registration Card (NRC) and Voters Registration Exercise
We do not think he means well in his calls for reconciliation and prayers at the moment going by the way he has deliberately and systematically dealt with the ongoing voters and mobile NRCs exercise. This whole exercise is selective, segregative, discriminatory, and therefore acrimonious. It seeks to systematically disfranchise citizens who reside in certain regions of our country so that the PF may win the 2016 elections. We consider this as some form of rigging.
We have previously raised and notified President Lungu of these serious attempts to undermine this democratic process by systematically denying some citizens NRCs purely for political reasons. So far, a number of our traditional leaders, civil society organisations, the church and other stakeholders have raised serious concerns on these issues but there are no signs that the PF government is willing to address them, yet they wish to blind us into prayers and reconciliation under such circumstances.
3.Victimisation of Private Citizens
We are in receipt of numerous cases of dismissals and victimisation of people perceived to be our members from their gainful employment rendering them destitute in their own country. May we remind President Lungu that commandment 9 advises us not to bear false witness against our neighbours. The PF regime has created duality in the treatment of citizens i.e. favoured and un-favoured.
4.Abuse of the Public Media
To many of us, the public media has been turned into PF media houses yet they are funded by taxpayer’s money. Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Times of Zambia, and Zambia Daily Mail have banded together as tools of political suppression and oppression being used by the PF regime for malicious propaganda against us and other people opposed to the PF. These media houses have completely ignored their mandate as public media institutions to provide fair coverage to various interest groups, but are now being used in such a biased manner purely to alienate us from our citizens. This is dangerously divisive.
5.Divisive Language and Biased Development
President Lungu calls for national unity, prayers and reconciliation yet his tone of language during campaigns and other statements is purely one that is meant to divide our peaceful people. President Lungu and his officials are on record that his government is not ready to work with or take development to areas where citizens have exercised their democratic right of electing opposition Councillors, Members of Parliament and others that support us and other opposition leaders. This has even been demonstrated through the uneven and selective disbursement of the Constituency Development Fund.
With these and many other issues including President Lungu’s failure to adequately address and provide leadership to the current serious economic crisis, and continued abuse of public funds with lavish expenditure on private jets, increasing the size of the already bloated government when it should be reduced, collapsed Kwacha, load shedding, job losses, increase in the overall cost of food and living, reckless borrowing leading to an unprecedented increase in our country’s debt stock which is unsustainable, inconsistent economic policies that have created massive poverty in households, we do not think President Lungu’s calls for prayers and reconciliation are genuine.
President Lungu would do better to first address the above issues and others causing acrimony and suffering to millions of Zambians.
On our part as UPND, we are always ready for prayers and genuine reconciliation with those who mean well.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
He actually seems a better man than Lungu
I dont like UPND, but you have to look at what we have- surely HH cant do worse than Lungu.
Thanks
BB2014
This Mushota’s lamentations are correct, the other day she even considered Miles Sampa for PF president. Edgar has embarrassed enough. Outside PF, if it can’t be Nawakwi then Zambia has no option but accept HH.
Lungu is the man
2016 the beautiful people of Zambia will give him another 5 years
2016 vote PF ( Edgar )
I thank you
President HH please just keep quiet. From your complaints,i have concluded that you are a baby christian.
You need good help from your pastor, you sound so carnal elder and its like you are so worldly.
With this questionable character, i doubt if next year you will be close as you where in this year`s January Presidential bye-elections. If you are not careful ,even Winter Kabimba will overtake you.
Just humble yourself and all will be well with you President HH.
CHRISTIANS ARE THE MOST HYPOCRITICAL BEINGS ON EARTH. THEY CLAIM TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER AND LIVE A LIFE OF PRAYER BUT JUST LOOK AT THEIR POSTINGS HERE AGAINST HH ITS FULL OF INSULTS AND HATE BUT THEY SAY WE WILL PRAY THAT DAY FOR WHAT?
HH is full of envy of ECL being President of Zambia. His passionate envy riles against the 10 Commandments in the Bible.HH further sins against God’s commandments by stating lies against ECL. ECL has been in power for 8 months. It is errant lies that he could have caused all the woes on Zambia we are experiencing and to achieve solutions in that period. No leader has been judged after 8 months. It takes years.
These Zambians are just too religious. God wants them to be practical in the confession of their faith. They say one thing and do another, they need to practically deal with all the corruption, vote rigging, immorality, drunkness, witchcraft, laziness and incompetence
God cannot be mocked and don’t blame him for the power black outs by saying he didn’t send enough rain.
You do not to have conditions met when going to seek God.HH please leave room to God Almighty.This is an opportunity to hug each other and share Gods love.You have exposed your self the prayer and fasting will not be conducted by HE the President of Zambia but the servants of the Lord.How many people welcomed the message of Salvation when our Lord and Saviour preached.Our Lord being God righteous but people called him names.Sir humble your self.
Theirs too much religious hypocrisy in Zambia right now. You can only cry to God with genuine repentance and resolve to do better.
Paying lip service to God won’t help but deceive the religious people of Zambia.
Zambians need to wake up from this religious spirit and see that God has already blessed them with that they need to prosper.
This sounds clear. Just glanced at the previous article and there was a mass crucifixion taking place. I’ll say it again…differently…. Reconciliation is not yelling reconcile while punching someone in the face. The onus is on the ones calling for this day to act like they mean what they say and start reaching out… differently…otherwise it just seems to be a publicity stunt…
Sometimes we have to reconcile with ourselves first and take the first step in acknowledging our own role in current crisis. Maybe PF need an internal ‘healing’ or a good boxing round over the last ten months, before widening their ‘reconciliation’ remit…
Edgar should only have prayers to reconcile with original PF lead by Emmanual Chenda vs Team Guns lead by Davies Chama. It is PF who need reconciliation, they can invite RB’s MMD and The Post Newspaper.
HH is allergic to the Word of God and Prayers. He has his own rituals. The bible is clear; Mathew 6:33 “Seek FIRST God’s Kingdom and his righteouness and EVERYTHING shall be ADDED unto YOU.
The Bible says you cannot claim to love God whom you have not seen and hate your brother.
Hypocrisy is not good. These pf thugs must stop mocking God. Even if you go for those prayers and you do not stop the nuisance then your prayers will be in vain and this country will be cursed for ever. Reflect on these issues HH has outlined seriously. Stop the pretence you pf thugs.
They want the religious Zambians to close their eyes so they can rob them and hide the loot
HH please don’t go anywhere near the cathedral of the holy cross on 18th October. When Late Sata was in opposition, he never attended such functions because of violence from MMD cadres. Sata even failed to attend FTJ’S funeral because RB’S cadres wanted his blood. This is a trap to bring harm your way in the name of prayer. That is the brutal nature of Zambian politics. Let those with ears listen!
this is practical steps LUNGU is suppose to take to prove that he is serous before calling for national prayers,most bloggers who support ECL call for prayers have insulted and called HH all sorts of names ,so b/n the two who is on GOD side.THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN,the priest avoided to carry the man who was left half dead,but when the samaritan(outcast from jewish eyes) came he carried the half dead man to an INN and even came back to check on him.prayers without practice is meaningless.ECL hasnt demonstrated genuine practical steps,chama,mumbi,ecl language hasnt changed.in the bible jesus illustrated a father had 2 sons,he asked for water to one of his sons,the other agreed but did nothing to fulfill his father request but the son who had said NO is the one who brought water…
UNDP cadres are engulfed in a terrible ‘group think’. Whatever HH says becomes ‘gospel’.
The short version of the long worded statement by HH is: ‘HH is NOT Christian’ or if he is a christian, He is immature or a baby Christian. He is still feeding on milk and porridge.
If HH isn’t interested, he can go to hell, it’s too much of pleading for a freemanson.
The Bible says you cannot claim to love God whom you have not seen and hate your brother
JUST STAY AWAY MAMBALA IWE. WHO IS GOING TO MISS YOU?
Well said. We did not vote for Jesus or God, we voted for Jemasoni, let him deal the issues created by lack of vision and leadership
dont be cheated countrymen what prayers can he attend when he always shuns the sabbath at hi church the reasons he has given do hold any water please pastor siamaundu strip this man off the eldership he is brought shame to your church
Ummmmm……
It’s true HH can just stay away if he so wishes….and he just wait for his retirement benefits in 2016..
2016 vote PF ( Edgar )
I thank you
only God knows the intentions of people. So are u to judge if the prayers will be genuine or not. Hakana hukupepa.
This so called day of prayer is just another “donchi kabeba” trick by JAMESONI LUNGU!
True believers will not be cheated by false gimmicks like this. Zambians may have been fooled by PF 90 days promises before, but now we have seen exactly how these were just lies to get elected.
Lungu has the idea is to blame God for no water in kariba, collapse of our Kwacha, low copper prices, but as the sayings go, you can fool some of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
He is just using these gullible religious leaders to shift the blame for his own mistakes, and they have fallen into his trap! Very dull people!
You have lost it Sir (HH). There can be no conditions in seeking God’s face. That is why you cannot rule a country especially one that is declared a Christian Nation. More than ever Zambians are now convinced you are too egotistical and puffed up with misplaced self importance. Here you go again exhibiting your total lack of humility. It is too late to do damage control.
Always for HH not ziizi drunkards who cannot find X
This HH makes me feel like vomiting. He stated yesterday whilst on QFM Radio that he would never attend such prayers but after a cross section of zambians condemn him for not heeding to a generous call for reconciliation, he then changes his mind and is now laying down the terms and conditions to President Edgar Lungu if he is to attend. What a hypocrite. HH please do not attend these prayers and no one will be bothered by your absence. No wonder late Micheal Sata used to call you an under five politician because you seem not to know what to say and do at any particular time.
I listened to the same show, you must have a problem with your hearing. Seek medical advice.
The Bible says you cannot claim to love God whom you have not seen and hate your brother.
Jesus came to save sinners not righteous people. If you think you are righteous then you don’t need a saviour.
HH, you cant deceive God’s people man naiwe! This morning you categorically denounced God and clearly stated that you will not attend prayers and fasting. After realizing that the majority are in support of President Lungu’s call to pray for the nation, you are already hallucinating and have U-turned and with conditions. Can you surely give God our creator conditions iwe?
The problem that HH and UPND have is that you are liars and deceivers and no one can ever trust you. already you are crying that PF has rigged the elections, just how? Are you the same lunatic who has been saying that you popular than anyone?
Uyu chibmwi, awe mwebantu, the souls of the dead he stole money from during the privatization program are really haunting HH.
Check how LT have been paid to twist this new version of HH hatred of God; Having earlier said a national day of prayers is a mockery to God…
try and down click any pro-hh comments above and see how many upwards clicks are generated in fervour of hh.
LT ati play, malabishi bati
Is HH really a leader of an alleged second opposition party in Zambia? Why do I ask this? HH says “President Lungu would do better to first address the above issues and others causing acrimony and suffering to millions of Zambians.” If find this statement short of sense from someone who calls himself a leader.
I thought that what President Lungu is doing is to God’s guidance in the affairs of our nation and implicitly asking God for our sins so that our nation is healed. HH must know that as PF, our trust is in God and not man for it written that “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be given to you.”
God bless Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the PF administration.
Zambians have a problem just because someone mentions god ati we should all be moved. Its hogwash. Don’t attend mwandi. Its a total waste of time. You think the kwacha will improve because you pray. Just fooling yourselves. You think the mines won’t close because you pray, you think PF will stop vote buying because you pray? My friends you must work and think properly, where has 50 years of praying gotten you apart from being one of the poorest countries with the worst currency.
tulamyeba ati uyu muntu takwata amano apapene apilibuka kwati nipa bed zambians plz lets turn out in numbers and pray for him in his absence so that demons from the under world can at least leave him HH fire UPND fire.
LUNGU FOREVER! Man Of Peace. HH has never demonstrated, extending a hand to others on the political scene for the betterment of Zambian politics. It’s just always stirring trouble up. Refusing to stand for the democratically elected Leader.
The overwhelming picture here is of a daft player who can’t even suck it up to win, nor does HH demonstrate skills in misleading his opponents.
Sir, you always accept with a finger crossed at the back (even kids learn this trick in playground)!
Is this the leadership that is expected to bring prosperity to Zambia? Zambia has really gone to the dogs. Everything has become too cheap. National prayers so that God can stop depreciation of Kwacha, so that God can bring more rains into Kariba dam, so that God can raise copper prices on LME, so that God can bring in more investors to Zambia, so that God can help us create manufacturing industries in Zambia, so that God can turn Mulungushi textiles into a productive company, etc, etc. Truly levels of hypocrisy in Zambia are alarming! No wonder God has stopped paying any more attention to us. Which country world over has developed out of prayers? Even Israel, the blessed land, believes in hard work. Zambia is becoming too academic and these are signs of a country that has reached…
sorry mr Hakakana Hukupepa,mr HAKAIVOTELA HIMWINE the five conditions you have given translates to the five reasons why you will not rule this country
Can’t we just try HH mwebantu?!
Problem with HH is that he wants to imitate what Michael Sata used to do. He won’t go to State House for national events, he won’t attend prayers, while Zambians were celebrating 50 years of independence HH chose not to do so. Mr. HH. be the better man so that we know you are not bitter. Edith Nawakwi has a running mouth but she attends national events. How will you feel if and I say if you come into power and you are treated like this. Will independence celebrations, or any national event make sense to you when you are in state house. No wonder your supporters always say we will see when you rule this country, what will we see.
Before he can call the nation for prayer and reconciliation, let him check in a rehab centre. Then we will be sure that he is serious about prayer and reconciliation.
IWE HH UKAYATEKE FYE KUN’GANDA AMAPULI YOBE, TAPALI ABALEKUPATIKISHA UKUYA KU CHURCH. THE FIVE CONDITIONS YOU HAVE COME UP WITH TRANSLATE INTO THE FIVE MAIN REASONS WHY I HAVE NEVER VOTED FOR YOU(MIND YOU I VOTED FOR MAZOKA IN 2001).IT IS ONLY AN UNTHINKING PERSON WHO CAN GIVE STUPID CONDITIONS IN ORDER FOR THEM TO ATTEND PRAYERS. IF YOU WERE A CHRISTIAN AS YOU CLAIM, YOU WOULD HAVE REFERRED YOURSELF TO THE “DO I SAY AND NOT WHAT I DO” ADAGE BECAUSE IF EDGAR IS WRONG AS YOU CLAIM , THEN YOU TOO ARE WRONG BY PUTTING STUPID CONDITIONS AND TWO WRONGS CAN NOT MAKE A RIGHT.
if want you need to pray go in your private room and shut the door and the father who looks in secrecy will hear your prayer.donot be like others hypocritres who stand and pray in corridors to be seen by the people and use so many words thinking that they will be heard. what are you going to pray for any way??problems being faced in zambia pf says are also being first by other countries in the region and yet we have’nt heard any of the neighbouring countries calling for national prayers in there countries. Never mumba is always told to go back to the pulpit by the same people who are calling for prayers?isn’t that strange?
No matter how old you are today, you are still God’s child, so don’t think that your problem is too small for God. If it is important to you, it is important to your Father too. Beloved, always remember that He is your Abba, Father!
Jesus has not only sanctified you or made you holy, He has perfected you forever! Today, you can enter boldly into God’s presence because He sees you the way He sees Jesus. He sees you perfected forever because you are in Christ!
Some Zambians never cease to amaze me! With everything going wrong around you, you can still shout on top of your voices ati ‘ifintu ni Lungu’! Not because he(Lungu) is a better leader but because you hate HH with a passion because of his tribe which he never chose and because of petty jealousy of his success story! We are far from civilization! Exercise your right and extend your suffering, you are at liberty!
I cannot believe that most of you believe that the problems will go away with prayer! Sorry, you gotta get off your behind and deal with the real problems!! And God will be more than happy to meet you halfway.
Religion is and should be a private matter between you and your God!
“Them bellyful, you hungry” and on top of that they ask you to fast and pray for an end to the problems(read plunder, corruption, anarchy)?!?
Couldn’t care less who rules the Country as long as things are brought back to normal – HH is right, it is a farce and Zambians are hooked left, right and centre.
It is a pity really – I thought Zambians could be given more credit.
Comment: The call for prayer is welcome but the reasons or prayer points given are not correct. I wonder why believers and Men of God cannot advise this politicians on what the Bible say about prayer when you are not in good terms with someone. in fact HH is right because that’s what the Bible say in Matthew 5:23-24 you don’t pray for reconciliation but r
ather you go to your brother and be reconciled. in fact the Bible forbids you to pray if you know there’s something between you and your brother it says go to your brother first and reconcile then come and offer thy gift which in this case is prayer. If we are truly going to pray to God then we must fulfil his conditions as stated in his word the Bible.
Comment: What President Lungu should do is to first call Leaders of political parties to state house and reconcile with them under the mediation of church leaders before 18th October their
followers will automatically reconcile that way we can go for the national prayer day with one spirit and understanding not the way things stands at the moment. Prayer is serious business.
A fact is a fact, whether it comes from your enemy or your friennd. If your enemy tells you that the sun raises from the east and sets in the West, its a fact and take it as such because that is what human nature knows.
Please Your Excellence, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for once come to your senses and be REAL by accepting the reality obtaining on the Zambian situation. Please accept Facts HH is raising over your 18th October 2015 National Prayers.
You may choose to ignore it but it will remain a FACT. You are the Republican President and therefore please be MATURE enough the way you deal with Important National ISSUES because Zambians are are watching an Bankinkng on your HORNEST way you handle NATIONAL ISSUES.
Forget Nawakwi Miyanda or anybody who was in UNIP and MMD gvt
We need new leaders HH or Chipimo for me or even milupi
The rest are just thieves in waiting
Comment: Hh, can you for once separate politics from Christian faith. For you everything is politics. State house is far beyond you.
Failure to respond point-for-point to issues HH has said only goes to confirm that HH is right. Bad language and unsuccessful attempt to change the subject only goes to reinforce HH’s points.
What prayers, what reconcilliation when you have the Kambwillis passing tribal remarks; do you people of zambia think that by kneeling together and shaking hands and praying is going to save this country? What we need in Zambia is a change of government with sensible educated learned people leading us and being concerned about zambia and the people today and the future. Not people who donot care and are busy lining their own pockets at the expense of the country and it s people;
lelo chapita mailo chilipali iwe. very great saying in this language. ask unip and later ask mmd its like they were not there . we people will live to witness the cries of some cadres. but it will be in vain. into others do as you would want them to do you . one wanders whether zambia is a really christian state.
Zambians are already queuing for maize meal soon after harvest. I wonder what the situation will be by December and January 2016. I see Zambia going through another 50 years in misery because we are just a nation drunk with stupidity! We have made a covenant with death!