President Edgar Lungu has backed the actions of Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo who recently asked Musicians Kings Mumbi, Brian Bwembya popularly known as B-Flow and photographer Chellah Tukuta to apologise for insulting the Presidency.
The President says he agrees with Mr. Lusambo’s actions because the insults on the presidency are too much and has refused to fire him as demanded by some quarters of society.
President Lungu said there is nothing wrong with Mr. Lusambo demanding an apology from the artists for insulting the Presidency because he was exercising his democratic right of expression which some people claim is being threatened under the PF regime.
Addressing party officials in Chirundu District, the President said the refusal by some people to apologise should be treated as their right and should be respected hence no one will be allowed to demonstrate because both Mr Lusambo and the artists have exercised their rights of expression which should not only be enjoyed by selected individuals.
Meanwhile, President Lungu has warned people that intend to demonstrate over what they term as abuse of freedom of expression not to go ahead saying the law will visit them.
He said to ridicule the President within the law is allowed but insulting the presidency will not be condoned and that relevant pieces of legislation will be applied to curtail such.
“My friends musicians, you are free to sing your songs. Just sing we will listen to your songs and will support you. Those that want to criticise the government are free to sing because that’s their democratic right but it should be done within the law”, said the President.
President Lungu said he has information that some Civil Society Organisations claiming that Freedom of speech has been threatened have put money aside to incite students from Colleges and Universities to protest to bring confusion in the country.
He said this is being done to attract attention from partners such as the USA that there is no democracy in Zambia.
President Lungu has said that there is a scheme by some people to bring anarchy and has warned that they will be dealt with by the police in accordance with the law.
He has warned that if the ridicule of the President continues, it will be tolerated but the law will be applied where it is broken.
“It is not the first time I have been insulted, ridiculed, and humiliated by these boys but I will not allow anyone to continue insulting in the name of Democracy”, added President Lungu.
He has however urged the PF members not to take the law in their own hands but allow the police to deal with anyone that will be found wanting.
Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo has come under intense criticism from some sections of society after he gave a 24 hour ultimatum recently to the three artists to apologise for insulting the Presidency saying he was infringing on people’s rights of expression.
Kings Malembe has since apologised to the President but B-Flow and Chellah Tukuta have refused saying they will not allow anyone to intimidate them.
Insulting leadership is now second nature in Zambia, sadly.
But I am glad and encouraged at these words …Â the refusal by some people to apologise should be treated as their right and should be respected hence no one will be allowed to demonstrate because both Mr Lusambo and the artists have exercised their rights of expression….
In other words Apologies cannot be forced. Only kids are told to apologize in my world.
Adults ought to search their souls and conscience. We got spoiled kids who don’t observe respect for leadership on one hand; we got the bold who will question leadership’s misdeed on the other; thus negative or positive criticism.
Demonstrate for what.
Such attitude defies the whole concept of democracy.
Koseni Baiche
Very bad precedence being set by these opposition. What will happen when people start to insult each other all over the place?? In Zambia democracy and freedom of expression is clearly abused. Arabs or Chinese have set a good precedence where they respect their culture. Even Paul Kagame or Pombe Magufuli don’t tolerate such rubbish and they arrest and torture such musicians and journalists. Very good, Mr. President.
None of the said guys insulted and Edgar is simply just useless for the position he occupies.
Most musicians in Zambia wanna survive on handouts from boma. Some survive on opposition parties’ handouts. If Government or Opposition party are not dropping those envelops, there is usually a fall out. Almost the manner M’membe survived and got to some level. Blackmail? You gotta be smart in Zambia when the going get tough. Only a handful of Musicians are not puppets of leadership. Some leaders don’t need musicians too.
In true context, both Musicians and Politicians face the same audience. In America Trump tried to capitalize on rapper, Kanye. Has anyone noticed how lost Musicians look when they are speaking for politians. In the end it’s mutual money in there pockets. Scratch those backs!
Koma mu Zambia chabe. Lunacy knows no boundaries, how can the President call what Lusambo said as freedom of expression?
Since when do threats qualify as freedom of expression? Threats and insults were clearly issued by Lusambo, whereas the artists simply spoke their minds without insulting anyone.
ECL goes ahead and claims they insulted him?
It is too much to expect Lungu to be reasonable even one day?
PS:Impostor Kz, find me and end my career, you claim to have intelligence wings under your control.
Shallow reasoning.
Its fine let people enjoy their rights. After all even PF could not have been in power today if MMD did not allow them to enjoy their rights to insult.
PF ni disaster!!!!
Power went to wrong characters like Edgar Lungu and Lusambo the former MMD die hard.
Edgar Lungu has no control over his fellow elected dunderhead ministers and he forgets is that these are employed by the very people who are complaining.
They are failing to read the mood of the people in Zambia and taking advantage if their calmness.
Edgar Lungu is gone and ee shall sort him next year. He had an opportunity yi side with people but he is the one sponsoring thuggery.
He is the one who sponsored gassers causing unnecessary deaths to more than 50 people who were set ablaze.
He fears his ministers more than he fears the voters.
Edgar Lungu, your time is coming faster and ee shall you who the boss is.
PF must go
So, is ECL now coming out that he is the one that SENT his dog Lusambo to go round barking in public and TV studios about this matter?
This is mature and level headedness. Why should the president fire a hardworking minister just because of a few disgruntled individuals who are trying to settle personal scores ? A ministry just like any employee has rights and contracts of services. What wrong has he done to warrant firing? Infact he was talking the truth. Those little boys are being used and funded by the gay funded party. I was shocked to watch some of the videos of that photographer. He appears to be mentally challenged with a dental formula of broken hill man
This is why I like our President. He’s slow to anger and fair. Allows people to speak but with respectable boundaries. Bowman is doing an awesome job and bringing sanity. That lunatic camera man and his musician friends who are out of business and looking for jobs in opposition parties; considering that they are not getting gigs due to Covid 19 issues shall not be allowed to bring confusion in our peaceful country. @ Kaizar Zulu, you’ve made me laugh regarding that broke photographer, he truly appears to be mentally challenged in those videos, I had to watch them twice to understand what he was going on about. He needs a mental check that one, can someone please organise lol.
Two !d!ots in one picture.
All those saying that the President is okay its the people surrounding that are wrong should stop. ECL did not even address the issues the Chellah and B-Flow raised, instead he also issued his own threats that the law would follow them. When demonstrations start and the rioting and looting starts ECL will know that you can not continue taking Zambians for fools.
Prisoner KAIZER ZULU will also face the music in Sep 2021
Does this guy have speech writers and advisors? He has said a few things right but he has fallen over a very long beard and broken his neck in the process.
Can someone point these insults directed at this man? People always point to advisers surrounding Lazy Lungu who are bad but you have heard it from the horse’s mouth and this guy is a lawyer no wonder he never succeeded in his career in law as he is prone to cut corners.
Enough is enough indeed …we can not have such leaders holding Zambia down in 2020.
The ridicule and displeasure has grown louder ………
They boast of building around the country , why is lungu and his ministers being ridiculed daily ? They are complete failures.
Any other party and leader will be busking in love and applause after having spent so much money…….not lungu.
I wounder why ?
No problem….just wait. Zambians will soon teach you not to mess around with their right to freedom of expression.
Almost feels like the list of Musicians for political jingles has already been drawed and those left out are resorting to insults.
If you wanna be a political musician, there is a good number of political parties in Zambia. Pick one and get singing!
Leave our presido the hell alone niggaz. Dopes.
In America even police and military are overwhelmed by demonstrators, and now they are joining demonstrators.
We say this again, and again….
The consolation is that there is not enough money for lungu to bribe everyone to turn a blind eye to mismangment and pandemic corruption ……..
The millions spent on monthly wages for unemployed PF thugs is proving a heavy weight…..
Those who don’t get bribed will sing….
2021…..We shall SILENCE You
#Enough is Enough
#The Youth Matter!!!!!
Even at the police station a thief always supports a fellow thief.
Bowman our rising star cannot be stopped by jealous opposition robots.
Leave him alone, he is the hero of ordinary Zambians. He has saved a lot of lives this pandemic unlike opposition Parties that want to take lives in violent protests.
He is right to defend the democratically elected President Lungu. And we should all do the same as good citizens. Let opposition foam at the mouth, the task to win is proving too difficult for them. They are trying every trick to try and destabilise the country.
“the insults on the presidency are too much” says the president of a democracy. And we wonder why we are in the problems we have like Bill 10. The president thinks he is ruling a kingdom. He’s got a monarchy mentality. He is not fit for a republic. He enjoys henchmen protecting him from the views of the electorate
AN APOLOGY IS LIKE LOVE OR FORGIVENESS; YOU CANNOT FORCE A PERSON TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU OR LOVE YOU OR FORGIVE YOU. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS TO SHOW HIM THE WRONG HE HAS DONE AND IT WILL BE UP TO HIM TO APOLOGIZE.
POWER,GOES IN THE HEAD NOW. IF,HE STARTS BEHAVING LIKE THIS CAN HE ACCEPT TO BE TOLD THAT HE HAS LOST? ECL,LUSAMBO,KZ,RED LIP DON’T TAKE ZAMBIANS FOR GRANTED. EVEN,COLD NSHIMA CAN BURN U
Of course he cannot fire him. How can he fire his number one bootlicker?
There you have it. You heard it from the horse’s mouth. Corrupt, clueless, gangster Lungu, the worst president, not only in Zambia, but in the entire world, says he stands with thuggish Lusambo’s harassing of innocent Zambians who are speaking out on the state of their country. So if you doubted whether Lungu, who is now a tinpot dictator , supports his goons when they harass Zambians and tries to silence them, he has just made it clear to you. He’s not interested in listening to the youth, or the Zambian people in general. This guy knows fully well that he was not qualified to be in this office in the first place. The next time someone tells you that they’ve no vision for the country, believe them. The only way out of this nightmare is to vote this criminal syndicate called PF out…
office and send them to prison where they belong. PF MUST GO!!!!!!