NDF was a PF monologue-Nalumango
By Staff Reporter
United Party for National Development (UPND) National Chairperson Mutale Nalumango has described the National Dialogue Forum (NDF) as a PF inspired conversation where the ruling party was talking to itself about its own misguided and selfish ideas and not those of the people of Zambia.
Nalumango said it was a PF monologue rather than a national dialogue.
Speaking on Millennium Radio ‘Talk at Six’ programme last evening, Nalumango said the forum was not credible as it was a coercive assembly that lacked cohesion and consensus by the people of Zambia who are the owners of the constitution.
She stated that the forum was formed by an act of parliament that criminalized its character and participating in it was legitimizing an illegal action that had no blessing from the owners of the constitution which are the citizens.
“The PF out of its own accord brought in the Commonwealth to mediate and lead the talks only to U turn in mid-stream because they claimed it was a foreign body. Then Lungu in a by election campaign rally in Chilanga said the only credible body that would be neutral was the Church. Lungu met HH and they together endorsed the Church led dialogue, but on the 11th hour the PF changed and now opted for ZCID. How could the ZCID which in essence was the UPND and the PF, lead the talks about itself?” wondered Nalumango.
And Nalumango has dismissed the assertion that UPND President Hakainde Hichilema can only meet President Lungu under certain conditions.
She said UPND President has always been ready to meet President Lungu without any conditions but that it was the PF attaching conditions.
“President Hichilema has always been ready to meet President Lungu, but the PF themselves are unwilling to talk because they don’t want to empty the pond because they thrive on violence and corruption and they fear the talks would take away all that,” she said.
Meanwhile, Nalumango has demanded that the PF stops its insatiable appetite to cause by elections because it was draining valuable national resources and consuming time meant to deal with important and urgent issues affecting the welfare of the people of Zambia.
“The PF took over power on rhetorical promises that they would put more money in people’s pockets, lower taxes and create more jobs for the citizens. But what the people are seeing are more and more by elections, more and more taxes from people’s pockets into the PF’s pockets.
People are tired of these by elections that are subsequently causing voter apathy and confusion in the citizens’ minds. They are straining the national treasury of scarce resources, and besides we can’t be politicking forever at the expense of fighting hunger and poverty which are of the utmost importance and urgency, than endless council by elections induced by the PF corruption. We can’t go on like this”, said Nalumango.
