By HOPE BWALYA –
. Kambwili
GOVERNMENT says it is disappointed with United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema’s statement that Zambians should pray hard ahead of the ‘Armageddon’ on August 11.
Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Chishimba Kambwili said it was clear that the UPND thrives on misfortunes of Zambians.
Mr Hichilema is quoted in yesterday’s edition of the Post as urging Zambians to pray harder ahead of the ‘Armageddon’ on August 11, this year, which will be the date for the general elections.
Dr Kambwili said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that Zambia would not be set on fire as a result of someone’s desire for power.
“It is clear that HH and his team have a strategy to thrive on the misfortunes of Zambians in an effort to form Government.
“While his hope is to have violence across the country during the August 11 elections, we are saying let there be peace across the country during the August 11 elections,” he said.
Dr Kambwili said no amount of ill wish would turn Zambia into Armageddon as it was a Christian Nation.
He appealed to Zambians not to fall prey to the promises of the UPND leader that he would provide mealie-meal at a cheaper price.
He said the current price of mealie-meal was as a result of pressures coming from other countries as a result of the high demand of the commodity.
“People, do not believe Mr Hakainde’s promises on mealie-meal. If you check the mealie-meal in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there, a bag is selling at K250, in Malawi K180 and in Tanzania close to K200 and here a 25kg it is at K70 for breakfast and K65 for roller meal, which is very cheap,” he said.
He said the Patriotic Front Government had subsidised the price of maize so that the price of mealie-meal could be more affordable to the average Zambian.
Dr Kambwili said the Government was always looking for means of making the living standards for Zambians better, adding that was why it increased salaries for civil servants.
He challenged Mr Hichilema to show how much he paid his workers as he was criticising the Government on civil servants’ salaries.
