HAKAINDE Hichilema has told Zambians says he and his party will stop the alleged theft going on in the PF government. And Chishimba Kambwili says President Edgar Lungu is “a shameless corrupt man” encouraging theft of public resources.
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, popularly know as GBM, says the ‘ubomba mwibala, alya mwibala’ idiom can only be used to justify theft at a place of work.
President Lungu on Saturday told government and PF officials on Saturday night during the fundraising dinner for the ruling party’s convention centre’s construction that “ubomba mwibala alya mwibala [a field worker eats from the same field]”, a Bemba idiom.
President Lungu, however, cautioned that “but tabatila kulila nembuto pamo” (don’t eat together with seeds).
“…there is a saying I used two days ago and I will use it again, uubomba mwibala alya mwibala but tabatila kulya nembuto kumo,” said President Lungu amidst applause from those in attendance.
Commenting on President Lungu’s statement which has attracted widespread reactions on social media, with many Zambians wondering why the Head of State made such a statement that was open to varied interpretations, Hichilema, the UPND president, accused President Lungu of being preoccupied with self-aggrandizement.
He said his statement on Saturday night in Kitwe was a confirmation of the “his corruption and public theft”.
“When a so-called leader is corrupt, they do not care about the suffering masses, their preoccupation is to steal from government and steal more and more to enrich themselves. And as such, sentiments made by Mr Edgar Lungu of PF that ‘Uubomba mwibala, alya mwibala’ are a confirmation of his corruption and public theft but we will stop him [President Lungu] from stealing anymore, soon,”
He said President Lungu’s statement clearly demonstrated that he would leave the government of Zambia bankrupt.
“Clearly, watching and listening to the man, he literally says he will leave the government of Zambia bankrupt. Who says a thing like that? Only a man whose preoccupation is self-aggrandizement using public resources. Public resources meant to alleviate poverty in our country are being diverted to individuals. Is this the kind of government our country needs to progress?” Hichilema asked. “We have always known that our country is in the hands of corrupt individuals but what we didn’t fathom was the level of impunity with which corruption is being encouraged.”
He vowed to take decisive actions to stop President Lungu and his government from further depleting the country’s reserves.
“In view of that and by virtue of this statement, we wish to state that we shall take decisive actions to stop Mr. Lungu from further depleting our country’s resources. If it means writing to international institutions that are fighting corruption and plunder of public resources, we shall do so in order to protect our country’s properties from being individualised. Fellow citizens, time to unite and act is now, let’s save our country’s economy and democracy for our future generations. Mr Lungu and his corrupt associates must know that ‘umulandu taubola’,”
And Kambwili, the Roan PF member of parliament, said “God who detests corruption and thieving exposed his [Lungu’s] pretence as a believer through holding of a prayer meeting”.
“You see how God works, the God that Zambians serve hates corruption, so he confused him into confessing that he [Lungu] was corrupt, that he was a thief. He has been pretending that he is a Christian by holding prayer meetings and national day of prayer but God works wonders; there he [Lungu] was exposing himself that all along he has been doing the uubomba mwibala alya mwibala,” Kambwili said.
He said he was vindicated and reminded those that thought he was merely on a smear campaign that he never said anything out of ignorance or spite.
“I have always said it and I am going to say it again; Lungu is a pompwe, Lungu is corrupt and now I am vindicated, not by anyone else but himself. How can a Head of State be encouraging stealing, encouraging corruption? That means that’s what he has been doing all along. He is a shameless President and the worst Zambia has ever had,”
“His statement means that if you work in the health sector, kulya mwibala; if you work in the judiciary kulya mwibala; if you work in any government department, kulya mwibala. He has flagged off stealing and looting not only in his government but in all sectors of the nation. Dear Zambians, you can see what I have been talking about, you can see what kind of a president we have. I have been vindicated. Let us be united and remove this corrupt President from office before our country goes on its knees.”
And GBM said President Lungu’s statement should not be misconstrued to mean anything else. He said attempts by PF media director Sunday Chanda to hoodwink those who were not averse with Bemba idioms was an exercise in futility.
“The matter of ubomba mwibala, alya mwibala cannot be misconstrued to mean anything else but just that. Ubomba mwibala, alya mwibala idiom is used for a thief justifying his theft where he works. The interpretation that the PF media director intends to portray or wishes to hoodwink those that are not averse with Bemba idioms is an exercise in futility as some of us grew up and were brought up using these in our everyday vocabulary, especially those of us who are Bemba royalty and were consistently in touch with the custodians of this lingo,”
He said any person getting anything further than the agreed salary or wage that was prescribed in their conditions of service was guilty of theft as the ownership was for the Zambian people.
“A salary or wage is what one gets as a benefit for working and to take anything further than the agreed benefit that is prescribed is theft as the ownership is for the Zambian people,”
“The sentiments by PF President Edgar Lungu may be summed up as follows, as a brick layer you are paid for your labour, however because you are the custodian of the cement for the project, you then help yourself to some bags for your personal use. The Cement is not yours and so that is theft.”