LUNGU’S PENSION CAN’T BE FORFEITED – CHISANGA

By SIMON MUNTEMBA
CALLS by politically-motivated individuals for President Edgar Lungu to immediately relinquish his position as PF leader before a party convention or risk having his pension benefits forfeited are baseless, former Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president, George Chisanga has said.
Mr Chisanga, who is Lukashya PF Member of Parliament said it was baseless for some people to threaten that the former Head of State would lose his pension benefits when he was not actively involved in politics.
In an interview, Mr Chisanga said those warning that President Lungu was jeopardising his retirement benefits for being PF leader during the transition period were hired guns who want to see the former ruling party collapse.
He said it was wrong for some people to accuse Mr Lungu of having returned to active politics when he had detached himself from politics after the August 12 tripartite elections.
Mr Chisanga said contrary to insinuations, President Lungu had made it clear that he was not available for any political position and that he actually wanted to hand over the PF presidency.
“President Lungu actually wanted to hand over the presidency but the PF Central Committee pleaded with him to help us during the transition period. The one calling for him to relinquish his position does not mean well for PF and the country at large in terms of democracy.
“Mr Lungu has never involved himself in active politics. If you look at how he conducted himself after the general election, you will realise that he is somebody who has detached himself from politics. He has even restricted his public movements and never issued any political statement,” Mr Chisanga said.
So anybody who makes such demands, he said, just wants to see PF dead.
“But we have learnt from the past that if we succumb to pressure from outsiders, the party will collapse. That will not happen, PF is organised and focused,” Mr Chisanga said.
He said PF was a private organisation which should be allowed to use its internal process of undergoing transition that would allow a new leader to take over.
His remarks comes after a UPND cadre, Joseph Busenga, gave Mr Lungu a seven-day ultimatum to relinquish his position as leader of the PF, or risk forfeiting his pension benefits as former republican President.
In a letter addressed to the former head of State, Mr Busenga has cited section five (I) (b) of the Zambian constitution which says that a former president will not receive his pension if he/she remains in active politics.
He has in the letter, copied to the press and Cabinet Office, threatened to take the matter to relevant authorities within seven days if the former President did not make a decision.
Ends.