By NCHIMUNYA MIYOBA
Opposition United Party for National Democratic UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says time has come to save the country from economic hardships that ruling Patriotic Front exposed the Zambian people to.
Mr Hichilema who is in Kitwe to drum up support for the Lubwa Councillor Brian Mwewa said the hardships the people on the Copperbelt Province are facing are due to the selfish greed of the PF senior members.
Addressing the media in Kitwe today, Mr Hichilema said it is a known fact that the some PF senior members have collected bribes in the KCM saga hence affecting people that depend on the mines in the province.
“The way the PF is handling the issue of KCM is risking 13,000 direct jobs is a sign of greed by Members in the party. We know that the Chinese company they want to engage is not competent to handle a big mine like KCM. Why are they giving the Chinese the KCM it’s because they know they collected bribes,” he said.
He said the PF is not concerned about the welfare of miners, contractors and communities that depend on KCM but about the money they get from the deal with the Chinese.
And Mr Hichilema has maintained that the party is ready to meet President Edgar Lungu provided the three church mother bodies the lead the dialogue process.
Mr Hichilema said the country is hurting from that hate and violence adding there need to resolve the impasse that is currently prevailing in country.
Mr Hichilema said as leaders of two political parties there need to seat down and resolve some issues such as corruption levels in the country, the public order act and political violence.
Mr Hichilema stated that the PF have continued to be violent as seen by the unfair incarceration of political opponents stating he UPND has not been spared.
And Mr Hichilema has called people on the Copperbelt to shun the constitution amendment bill which he termed as arising from the sham national dialogue.
Mr Hichilema said his party will support a renewed the dialogue that will be led by the three mother bodies as this will only make the Constitution amendment smooth.
He added that the Zambians must be given an opportunity to write their own constitution adding that President Lungu should be ready to talk about national issues and avoid jokes.
“We want a church lead dialogue process in a respectful manner where the people of Zambia are given a chance to choose what should be in the Constitution,” he said.
Mr Hichilema is in Kitwe to drum up support for Brian Mwewa in the Lubwa ward by election slated for the 30th of July.
