Friday, March 29, 2024

UPND media team says HH did not insult in Pemba

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United Party for National Development (UPND) Media Director, Ms Ruth Dante says it is shameful that Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Minister, Dora Siliya has directed her energies at attacking UPND leader, Hakainde Hichilema on ‘Pamunyoko’ which is not an insult just like ‘Kunyenga alimi’ is not.

According to a statement by the UPN Media team, Ms Siliya went full throttle on ZNBC, desperaging UPND President Hakainde Hichilema for what she termed as “insult” following the remarks he used which included the word ‘Pamunyoko’ which clears refers to sister or brother.

“This time PF will not divert our attention from real issues, such as defaulting of loans, renewed long hours of loadshedding, water shortages, hunger, corruption, high levels of poverty and stealing of COVID funds in the Ministry of Health, these are issues Madam Siliya and PF should be addressing because they affect people’s lives not Pamunyoko.” said Ms Dante.

She argued that as a Chief Government Spokesperson, Ms Siliya was expected to be well-versed in the dynamics of language, terms and dialects used in different parts of the country.

Ms Dante insisted that though the PF hierarchy had styled themselves as champions of linguistics following the “Pa Munyoko” terminology by President Hichilema in Pemba recently, she found it laughable that Ms Siliya could fail to understand the dynamics of variety in expressions used by different tribal groupings in the country.

“I believe Dora Siliya is familiar with terms such as ‘anyoko’, or the famous term by Rupiah Banda: ‘ikamunyokola njala aweleko’! RB was referring to his son Andrew Banda who had just rejoined UPND,but because the word was used by an easterner where Dora Siliya comes from, it is not taken to be an insult. If I tell Ms Siliya that ‘mwa anyenga alimi (you’ve cheated farmers)’ am I insulting? But because “pa munyoko” came from Mr Hichilema, it is taken to be a very big insult,” lamented Ms Dante.

She has since called on Ms Siliya to deal with issues affecting media houses and safety of journalists unlike wasting time discussing ‘pamunyoko’ which deep down she knows is not an insult

As a government spokesperson she should inform Zambians on the way forward on issues affecting the country as they have few months remaining before change of government.
She stated that instead of concentrating on sorting the mess of the huge debt mountain and the failure to convince the IMF give the country the much-needed US$1.3 billion bailout package, the PF has taken to propaganga and lies.

Ms Dante urged Zambians to register and vote in order to bring in a government that will look at issues affecting them and not discussing words.

56 COMMENTS

  1. Ok understood. For sure anyoko and yamunyokola njala are not insults. Am not so sure about pamunyoko. What about chik*kala? Please explain on this one as well.

  2. Of course he did not insult. Your opponents are not okay due to their declining fortunes. Remember they have brought the Zambian economy to its knees, so they will try hard to discredit HH. This is PF for you, failure in both governance and economy and trying to blame it on covid which only came yesterday

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  3. @Fiveon Lesego, Lunda Bulululu isn’t Congolese. Congolese is not a language. It means of Congo. Lunda is a Lamba name/word. In the context of lunda bululu, it means, in short, something that tastes very bitter or bitterness in terms of taste.

  4. No matter how much you can try to justify it, nabamisuula kale. Umu Zambian takokola. God has a way of exposing those who don’t have leadership qualities.

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  5. When a leader speaks he must do it in simple terms and fluently. It shouldn’t take others to try and explain what he meant. First impressions matter, so no matter how hard you try to justify what HH said most of us will still believe that he was vulgar. Do you remember when LPM referred to UPND as buttocks? The whole Cabinet began to explain what he meant

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  6. “What you say matters less than how you say it”.
    “You can fool some people but you cannot fool all the people all the time”.
    What matters is the fact that you have explained but more importantly would be to accept advise on the actual temperament and mood in which “controversial” words could be interpreted. In bemba for instance, there are words that be explained to mean a cool situation but they fall far below the acceptable decorum for public speech. And pardon me if “Pamunyoko” does not belong to such.
    The bad perception was actually brewed by how the audience of that Pemba rally reacted. I wonder why people could react like that at a mention of “Sister”
    Anyway, fili uko tuya….

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  7. Let us all register to vote. As we go to vote. Lets not vote on emotions. Let’s ask those standing to share their manifesto so that we vote or not vote for them based on the ideas/policies they have that affect all of us.
    1. What’s their policy on pay as you earn?
    2. What is their policy on excise tax/ duty?
    3. What’s their policy on corporate taxes?
    4. Whats their policy on Pensions ?
    5.Whats their land ownership policy ?
    6. Whats the policy on education, health?.
    7. What is their policy on agriculture and promotion of local products?
    What’s the policy on easing regulation?
    8. What is the strategy to ending smuggling,???? corruption etc
    9. What is their policy on the rule of law and ending the pathetic cardalism within their parties etc?
    I can go on.
    You can not swim to the shore with rocks double your weight tied to your legs.
    We need transparent leaders..

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  8. We used to have elections where there was a frog and KK. People went a head and voted for a frog. Please listen to what people are saying and don’t pay a deaf ear.

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  9. 56 YEARS AFTER INDEPENDENCE WE HAVE NOT YET MASTERED LANGUAGES OF OUR FELLLOW NATIONALS YET WE PROUDLY SING THE ANTHEM ” LAND OF WORK AND JOY IN UNITY, ‘all one strong and free” , even go on to praise GOD. OUR SOUTH AFRICAN BROTHERS JUST GOT EMANCIPATED IN THE 90s yet they are able to understand each other’s language a zulu will be speaking in zulu mixed with english , an afrikaaner boer will be responding in english mixed with boer and a bit of zulu,. YET HERE WE ARE BANTUs struggling with our fellow bantu’s language.

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  10. These chaps in UPND can defend their leader.99.999% people from southern support UPND.I have never seen among friends not even my relatives wives from southern supporting any party apart from UPND.Indeed something is wrong.They guys want to punish other tribes and they have eve vowed at muzaciona next year.u don’t practise such politics of puninshing other tribes.let UPND start intropecting itself.No way all people can support a party.I’m so worried about this party to rule Zambia otherwise they’ll be tribal division.Just watch their groupings.Please let us learn to support others also.There are many bembas and chewas in UPND.And don’t cerebrate we will also register coz we know what’s happening.We can’t be used like that

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  11. Let us protect the Zambian Constitution. If you love this Country this message should be very clear to you.” No third term for anyone please”. We can never be short of Presidents, We are more than 17 m of us this Country. Our current President does not qualify to run for Presidency again . Please vote for someone ELSE of your choice not this MAN.

    God bless Zambia!

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  12. @Moscow (op) do you know that there are 73 tribes in zambia, so your preoccupation is only bembas and chewas? what about the mbundas, namwangas, lalas, solis, lenjes, lundas ,chokwes, ushis, etc do you mean they don’t exist in your vocabulary?

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  13. It’s abanduntly clear that upnd is bent on unleashing vengeance, revenge, retribution, untold horror and misery on the tribes they consider inimical to them over unknown wrongs ostensibly committed against them over time.

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  14. @ Chitutuma and MOSCOW ( OP ).
    Your thinking is more tribal than what you say about UPND. You two are happy and your conscience is at peace that this PF government is 95% dominated by people from three regions. That is OK to you because you are part of the inner circle – what about other tribes ? What vengeance has UPND unleashed when they are not in Power ? Look at the Cabinet, Look at heads of Parastatals, Foreign missions just to give examples…….which tribes are there ? You think we are not seeing all this.? You know what ……………..? If I had the means this country should have been split into two or more independent countries/Provinces. WHY should we live with people who discriminate others… NEVER NEVER NEVER. It is a fact that each time some strong…

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  15. Of course these tribalists will support hh even if he took a shlt in their mouths. Hh has a very short temper. The little boy is quick to insult and defame president while he runs to sue people for the same when merely asked about privatisation.

    The other f00l who insulted the president in the video circulating recently has been arrested so why should hh get special treatment? We forgave this hyena for treason but it seems he never learns. Let the law visit him

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  16. Dear God. Our heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe, the life giver, the all and ever powerful. Father, we know that nothing is impossible with you. Lord hear our prayer without hate or any vengeance – let the third term bid 100% fail by your mighty will. This we put in Jesus name our lord and saviour. AMEN.

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  17. There is nothing like finishing someone’s term in the constitution. Ba PF must find a candidate for 2021 elections chapwaba bululu wanga.

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  18. All those with ulterior motives listening to and giving interpretations to statements not in their league and mother tongue should learn to be kind on themselves and try to appreciate wealth of diversity that Zambia is bestowed with! Dora Siliya was being malicious and petty inviting ridicule on herself together with those in support of her line of thought and expertise on language that is not of her ancestry! Civility has lacked in all this and the continued push for tribal disparaging is the motive behind it all! No one rejoices in being ignorant but the way out is clear for before one deliberately make a fool of themselves and to avoid it to live by “Knock and the door will be opened for you…. Seek and you will find…. Ask and you’ll get an answer….” Adages abound to wisdom and…

  19. contd…… on the African continent they are bountiful! A cultured Dora Siliya would regret her misguided intervention but to expect humble remorse language is like expecting floods causing havoc in Lusaka townships to evaporate mysteriously!

  20. HH denies everything. He never used bad words, never provoke youths, never spread hate speech nor he ever did any fraud and corruption.

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