By JAMES KUNDA –

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has scoffed at opposition political party leaders doubting his leadership credentials and ability to retain the presidency in this year’s general elections.
Mr Lungu said to the contrary, he possessed competencies to lead the country to greater heights, hence Zambians vesting their faith in him through the ballot in January last year.
President Lungu was speaking at State House in Lusaka yesterday when he swore in Thandiwe Daka Oteng as Permanent Secretary for Administration in the Ministry of Justice.
The President was reacting to comments by Rainbow Party general secretary Wynter Kabimba, who mocked his leadership competencies during a gathering of opposition political leaders in Lusaka last Saturday.
“Do not listen to those people who are saying I do not have political skills. I have political judgment, that is why I am President. I was watching footage of some politicians (Mr Kabimba) cheering themselves, saying Lungu knows nothing, but I know what I am doing,” President Lungu said.
He described opposition politicians as power-hungry mercenaries who were not interested in upholding the wishes of the people through reforms such as the Constitution-making process.
The President said that some politicians would now find it difficult to operate despite advocating changes to the Constitution, which had now brought in place some special requirements.
“Those who jump on clauses they do not believe in will soon find out that the Constitution is a reality and will find it very uncomfortable to do politics, yet they thought they were winning political mileage.
“If you do not believe in a cause, please do not advocate for it in case you get it. Why should they (opposition) worry about the Bill of Rights if that is the people’s wish?” Mr Lungu wondered.
President Lungu said Zambians would on August 11, through the ballot, judge for themselves who has the right political skills and judgment to lead the country.
Meanwhile, a cross section of society has challenged the opposition leaders crying against the Public Order Act(POA) to just abide by the law and not to be hypocritical. They appealed to all political parties to curb their unruly cadres and let people choose leaders of their own choice without violence.
Some questioned why Mr Kabimba and Mike Mulongoti were questioning the POA when they had opportunities to change it at the time they were in Government.
In the same vein, other members of society questioned Mr Kabimba’s sudden shifting of goal posts to dine with the United Party for National Development (UNPD) when, not too long ago, he said PF and UPND were just the same.
“Is this not hypocrisy?” a street vendor at town centre asked.
Mr Kabimba told journalists after presenting the opposition parties communiqué that he had repented for being faulty during his reign as PF minister of Justice and secretary general.
‘’I made mistakes when I was in the PF Government, but that does not mean that I cannot have the opportunity to repent and become a good leader. I have repented. I could have been a bad leader when I was in Government. I am not perfect and I am faulty like any other human being,” Mr Kabimba was quoted as having said by the Sunday Nation volume 3 issue 559 of January 31, 2016.