HH Challenges Lungu To Public Debate

UPND Alliance presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema has challenged President Edgar Lungu to a public debate so that the head of state can “completely denounce violence” in a manner similar to the way the UPND has done.

Writing on Facebook this morning, HH called on Mr Lungu to address issues of violence in a public forum after an article appeared in the Times of Zambia with Lungu challenging the opposition leader to publicly denounce violence. 

Hichilema continued in his post, “Imagine a future where instead of PF attacking police stations, we dealt with those attackers and funded our police and our civil service to protect and serve the people”. 

“Imagine a future with good food and good jobs for every man and woman in our villages,” he added.

The comments come just two weeks after President Lungu notably skipped a peace conference hosted by the three church mother bodies at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka. 

The conference was attended by the leaders of all other major Zambian political parties, but President Lungu sent a proxy instead. After the event, the UPND criticised the president for not taking matters of national security seriously and accused Lungu of being “the number one sponsor and supporter of political violence in the country”.

Despite Lungu’s comments printed in this morning’s Times, HH took the opportunity at the conference to denounce political violence, promising to end “all forms of political violence once and for all,” if he is elected this August.