By Scoop Reporter
UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) elections chairperson Garry Nkombo has described as unfortunate, Home Affairs Minister Stephen Kampyongo’s statement that Government is aware of a scheme by a named political party to manipulate police officers into resigning.
Yesterday, Mr. Kampyongo said Government has unearthed a scam in which a named opposition political party, with support from foreign agents, is recruiting and enticing police officers as well as defence forces to resign and be drilled to destabilise the country.
Mr. Kampyongo says the plot is aimed at discrediting Government and that a number of police officers have been approached but that some of them have turned down the offer.
He says Government is alive to the development and has warned that it will not allow any foreign agent to disturb the peace that citizens have enjoyed since independence.
But speaking during a press briefing today, Mr. Nkombo said this bizarre claim adds to a long list of accusations against the opposition that the PF Government has made, describing Mr. Kampyongo’s statement “highly irresponsible, unfounded and unsubstantiated”.
He has reminded the public that in fairly recent history, Vice President Inonge Mutukwa Wina accused the opposition of being behind the gutting of City Market in 2017.
He says at another time, PF deputy chairperson for mobilization, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, told the nation that he was aware of the people behind the devastating gassing of homes that rocked the country early this year resulting in innocent Zambians dying at the hand of mobs.
“What is worrying is that none of these very grave security situations have been fully investigated so that perpetrators are persecuted and punished. The Government has instead diverted attention from its refusal to investigate and explain these incidents to concocting unfounded accusations against the opposition.
“The opposition had also been accused of inciting Zambians to riot against load shedding, debt crisis, hunger and colluding with youths to protest against Bill 10 in the bush; among other things. According to PF, the opposition is apparently also responsible for the unfortunate escalation in COVID19 deaths.
“In other words, whenever the PF has no answer for the consequences of its inefficiencies, it shamefully cries, ‘It’s UPND’s fault’,” Mr. Nkombo said.
He advised Mr. Kampyongo to stop wasting time pointing fingers at opposition and instead take time to reflect on the gravity of this situation, saying he should accept that these resignations by police were an indicator that not only the public, but even institutions central to governance, were tired of PF’s destructive ways that the UPND had long pointed out.
He says this is a fact which not only Mr. Kampyongo, but the whole PF must face adding that the PF’s time is up and that no one is to blame but themselves.
