Tue, 27 Jun 2017 13:26:08 +0000
By MUKOSELA KASALWE
UPND youths have resolved not to report any matter to the police as it appears they are applying double standards of the law, seemingly favouring the Patriotic Front, says UPND youth Samuel Ngwira.
Mr. Ngwira said from Saturday onwards party youths would not report any matter to the police and singled out police spokesperson Esther Katongo as a cadre and unprofessional policewoman who was only interested in protecting her job.
Mr. Ngwira said the statement attributed to Ms. Katongo on the incident where she said cadres of the two parties had clashed should be dismissed with contempt as it was not a clash but that the PF attacked UPND members.
“If what I have said annoys Ms Katongo then she should be professional. As UPND youths we have resolved not to report any matter to the police as they are applying double standards of the law and her statement on the burial incident should be dismissed as it was not a clash but the PF attacked the UPND,” he said.
And PF deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri said it was a lie and a shame for the UPND to allege that the PF planned the fracas at the Memorial Park on Saturday when the two political parties were laying to rest their respective members.
Ms. Phiri said the UPND had continued telling lies especially through their members who were abroad and took to online media to discredit the country’s governance system, hence their own members had begun losing confidence in them.
“It is not shocking that the UPND has continued telling lies and they should continue doing so as their own members have begun losing confidence in them,” she said.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Platform program yesterday, dubbed ‘Political violence, the role of youths’, PF media director Sunday Chanda said the clash between the UPND and PF was regrettable and advised Mr. Ngwira to allow the police do their investigations as the matter had been reported to them. Mr. Chanda said that it was undisputable that there was bad blood between the PF and UPND and called for an end to political violence as he had friends in the opposition such as the late Clance Zulu.
PF youth Maxwell Chongo advised the UPND to recognise President Edgar Lungu as duly elected as it appeared to be the source of provocation.
Mr. Chongo said he would seek audience with PF secretary general Davies Mwila and look at ways of enhancing co-existence between the two political groupings.
