By JOHN SAKALA
National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Spokesperson Chipoka Mulenga has called on government to immediately open schools and bars unlike locking down the country under the guise of coronavirus.
Speaking to The Independent Observer, Mr Mulenga said PF members are seen having meetings while they continue to shut bars and schools.
He said Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya is an embarrassment to government leadership and a complete hypocrite who took with him a crowd to court disobeying health guidelines provided by himself.
“If indeed there is COVID-19 in Zambia, Dr Chilufya could not have allowed the hooliganism that we witnessed yesterday to take place at the expense of health and respect to the rule of law. The man has clearly demonstrated that he is a hypocrite. He is using COVID-19 to amass donations from funders and advance his political fortunes. As a genuine medical doctor and country’s number one health worker, he could not have allowed hundreds of hooligans to match to court without observing any health guidelines that he himself has been repeatedly preaching on.
“We have every reason to believe that he never even contracted COVID-19 as he claimed. Beyond any reasonable doubt, he faked it. It was staged to buy time to carefully evade the investigative wings for the moment and plan his ambush on the courts of law. Indeed, he does not deserve to be in cabinet and house of parliament. Honestly, how can he disrespect a house of justice in the manner he did,” he said.
Mr Mulenga said it is only under PF Government that he sees the judiciary being abused.
He said the first was in Justice Minister Given Lubinda’s case where cadres misbehaved and now the health minister.
“This government and its leadership has reduced the arms of government to devil’s ground with impunity. As NDC, we advise Dr Chilufya to respect the judiciary if he cannot respect his own ministry that he has been using to suppress the opposition from gathering under the guise of COVID-19 and amass financial donations from gullible donors.
“One thing PF ministers must appreciate is that, they may use cadres to evade courts today, but a ripe day of reckoning awaits them when such mischief will not be entertained. Therefore, it is prudent that they begin to act normally and respect the rule of law,” he said.
