UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma says President Edgar Lungu should not seek public sympathy by claiming he is a victim of a well calculated propaganda machine aimed at regime change as a way of washing his hands of the Mukula cartel.

In a statement, Wednesday, Kakoma charged that PF had actually been in the forefront of spreading falsehoods about some members of the public and UPND president Hakainde Hichilema.

“President Lungu should not forget that his own Patriotic Front has been in the forefront spreading falsehoods and lies through unsubstantiated and systematic media propaganda aimed at especially private citizens viewed as threats to their continued hold onto power. How often has the PF accused private and public citizens of activities they are not aware of all in the name of wanting to mudsling and tarnish their images before members of the public? How many times has the Patriotic Front through its surrogates slandered private citizens with the Presidency turning both a blind eye and deaf ear to the cries of the slandered?” Kakoma questioned.

“We have people in the country now that make a living through slandering and accusing falsely people such as President Hakainde Hichilema of the UPND with the Presidency conveniently keeping quiet without coming to the rescue of one of his citizens. What makes President Lungu think that falsehoods against President Hichilema do not have the potential to derail national development and security? Now that he and his daughter have been cited in an international report as being the corrupt cartel behind the selling of the Mukula tree to China and Vietnam, he wants to seek public sympathy by claiming that he is a victim of a well calculated propaganda machine aimed at regime change and tarnishing the image of the nation. President Lungu turned a blind eye to when citizens were being accused falsely with portions of especially the public media carrying screaming headlines.”

Kakoma said President Lungu should rise above petty and fake news which were being propagated by his party members.

“Let President Lungu be the first to rise above petty and fake news being propagated by his own people. Now that he has been implicated in the Mukula scandal, he wants to seek sympathy? Let him first condemn his own people which before he can want to cry Lion, lion! Chiwamina galu kuluma mbuzi (it’s suitable for a dog to bite a goat). Zambians are not as foolish as the Patriotic Front and President Lungu would want to make the world believe. We are not a gullible population Mr President, the people of Zambia are seeing through your lies and humble deceptive character. Time is against you. Kill the monster you created before accusing anyone of peddling falsehoods and fake news,” he said.

Kakoma gave an account of the falsehoods propagated by the PF propaganda machine and surrogates.

“The Patriotic Front using its Sunday Interactive Forum with the help of senior party officials have been running a series of scandalous falsehoods against UPND and its leadership over the issue of gayism and lesbians. Despite the UPND making its position known on the matter that it does not support gay rights and lesbianism in Zambia, the PF propaganda machine has not relented and President Lungu has been quiet. Sunday Chanda, Tutwa Ngulube and Makebi Zulu have accused President Hakainde Hichilema of having single handedly sold and pocketed US$14 million from the sale of a Government owned Lower Zambezi National park even when they could not produce any single evidence to support their claim. Lungu never spoke out on the injuries against one private individual. The two Kasama PF officials that recently labelled Tonga people as tribal during a radio program leading to the suspension of the Lutanda radio broadcasting licence are still walking the streets of Kasama as heroes and President Edgar Lungu never took advantage of his visit to Kasama to denounce hate speech and tribalism,” stated Kakoma.

“Falsehoods that UPND President Hakainde Hichilema and other party officials are some of the beneficiaries of the controversial Forest 27 shared land even when there is no evidence to prove that allegation. The house that HH lives in was built in New Kasama along the Ring Road and near the Multi-Facility Economic Zone many years ago and nowhere near the source of the Chalimbana and Chongwe rivers.President Lungu recently threatened to withdraw development aid to the Southern province on allegations that the people were sabotaging government infrastructure, an allegation that turned out to be false, misleading and an embarrassment to the Presidency that did not only prove his hatred against the people but also showed that he was part of the cartel peddling lies and falsehoods.”