UPND Presidential Adviser Douglas Siakalima has warned that Zambians have had enough and will soon be forced to react to the PF government’s alleged poor governance.

Mr Siakalima said Zambians are currently boiling over the high levels of arrogance and intolerance exhibited by the PF Government.

He was speaking in Lusaka Sunday afternoon during a news conference where he reveled that Police in Eastern Province have u-turned on its earlier decision to allow UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema to proceed with his 15 day tour of the Eastern Province.

“The Police through Dr Solomon something (Police Deputy Inspector General) called the Regional Police Command in Chipata to cancel the so called permits issued to us by Police in Eastern Province allowing us to go ahead with our planned meetings. We were only informed Saturday night that the permit is cancelled,” Mr Siakalima said.

“As the party’s policy bureau, we have advised Hakainde Hichilema to proceed with the tour of Eastern Province. If Jere wants to arrest HH, let him go ahead and do so but he should be aware that he is just being used by President Sata and once they leave power in 2016, Jere will have to pay.”

[pullquote]As the party’s policy bureau, we have advised Hakainde Hichilema to proceed with the tour of Eastern Province. If Jere wants to arrest HH, let him go ahead and do so but he should be aware that he is just being used by President Sata and once they leave power in 2016, Jere will have to pay.[/pullquote]

Mr Siakalima said majority of Zambians are boiling because President Sata has allegedly decided to impose a silent state of emergency to oppress his political rivals.
“We have had it with this Government and when Zambians react, Mr Sata should not be surprised. He has suspended the constitution and he is now denying people’s basic freedoms. We have tried to comply with the Public Order nonsense (Public Order Act) but this Government still denies us the go ahead to meet our members. We will defy this Public Order nonsense and let’s see what Jere will do.”

He added, “Last year, we sent out 40 notifications for public meetings and the police only allowed us to hold those meetings on two occasions. The Kabwata and the Mandevu rallies and all those two occasions were almost disrupted by PF cadres and Jere has failed to arrest any of those cadres who came to cause confusion. We are now saying, we will go ahead and have our meetings with or without police approval.”

[pullquote]This little worm (Kabimba) should not even think he knows President Sata, he was all over ZRP and only joined Mr Sata later on and he wants to pretend as if he knows him better[/pullquote]

Mr Siakalima revealed that Mr Hichilema will not be stopped by the Public Order Act from meeting the growing numbers of people across the country who are joining the UPND.
“Just last week we received members from the MMD in Mpika, Mpika is Mr Sata’s bedroom and they have requested that HH visits them because they are saying he is the only leader who can redeem them. So from Eastern Province, HH will go to Luapula and Muchinga and Northern Provinces later. We are serious about forming government and not even the Public Order Act will stop us.”

Mr Siakalima said traditional leaders and the party’s senior leadership in Eastern Province requested that Mr Hichilema visits them to have a better understanding of how the PF has messed up the agriculture sector in the province.

He also cautioned Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba against downplaying the significance of the recent Katuba victory for the UPND.

“The people have decided that UPND will form the next government not even Kabimba’s and M’membe’s (Post Managing Director Fred M’Membe) propaganda will change that. These crooks will run around when HH forms government in 2016 because they are busy misleading President Sata. This little worm (Kabimba) should not even think he knows President Sata, he was all over ZRP and only joined Mr Sata later on and he wants to pretend as if he knows him better.”

Opposition political parties have vowed to go ahead with the planned countrywide mass demonstrations to pressure Government for the release of the Constitution despite police warning of action against such protests.

The United Party for National (UPND), the MMD as well as other political parties and the civil society plan to embark on countrywide mass demonstration over the Constitution making process without permission from the police.

But Deputy Inspector General of Police Solomon Jere has warned that political leaders who plan to cause anarchy over the Constitution will face the wrath of the law.

However, MMD leader Nevers Mumba said in an interview that he was ready to face the wrath of the law in order to defend the liberty and the freedom of the Zambian people as enshrined in Constitution.

Dr Mumba said as an opposition leader, whose role was to provide checks and balances to the ruling party, he was not scared to face the wrath of law in his quest to defend the liberty and freedom of the Zambian people.

He said police officers should not tell opposition political parties what freedom was because they had the right to demand for a people driven Constitution.

Dr Mumba advised the police service to desist from intimidating political parties on issues of the constitution.

“Police officers should not tell us what freedom is, they should stay away from intimidating political parties on issues of constitution, we are not scared to face the wrath of the law in our quest to defend the liberty and freedom of the Zambian people,” he said.

And Alliance for Better Zambia (ABZ) president Father Frank Bwalya said the police would be breaking the law by blocking political parties and other stakeholders from demonstrating.

Father Bwalya said it would be a violation of human rights for police officers to block citizens from demonstrating to demand for a people driven constitution.

Meanwhile, opposition United Liberal Party (ULP) President Sakwiba Sikota has reiterated the need for the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) to realize that the constitutional making process is not for government alone.

In an interview to express his view on the rejection of the constitutional motion by Parliament on Tuesday, the 11th of March, Mr. Sikota has told the media that his party still holds the position that the PF government owes the people of Zambia a new constitution.

Mr. Sikota said the fact that the constitution is not for government alone but for all Zambians is basis enough for the demand for a new constitution not to be something that should make people in the country to start fighting each other.

The ULP leader said that the new constitution is something that should instead bring joy to all people in the country.

The opposition leader has emphasized that this is why the PF government should step up to the plate and do what is right.

He said that the right thing to do at this end is for the government to follow what is being discussed by everybody on the country’s new constitution.