The opposition Patriots for Economic Progress (PEP) has challenged opposition UPND Leader Hakainde Hichilema to explain how his wealth accumulation coincided with the privatisation time where he was entrusted to value and sale some government-owned companies.
PEP President Sean Tembo said that the challenge posed to Mr. Hichilema by FDD President Edith Nawakwi who was Minister of Finance during the privatisation process deserves legitimate answers and not counter-accusations on Social media.
Mr Tembo said that the allegations have not just been made by an ordinary Zambian but by a person who was Minister of Finance at the time of privatization process, and who therefore has first-hand knowledge of the events that took place, adding that the allegations are very serious and deserve a proper detailed explanation by the UPND President.
In a statement to the Media, Mr. Tembo said Ms. Nawakwi’s testimony can be admitted as evidence in any court of law because it is a first-hand account and not hearsay. He said his party believes that anyone who aspires for Zambia’s Presidency must be ready and willing to be subjected to vigorous scrutiny by Citizens.
Mr. Tembo said this is because when an individual ascends to the Presidency their actions and decisions will impact their party members, supporters or those that voted for them.
He appealed to Zambians to ensure that they embrace individuals who are not only willing to be held accountable but also transparent if the country is going to make progress.
Below is the full Statement
Press | Statement: Explain Your Source Of Wealth, Sean Tembo Challenges Hakainde Hichilema.
Lusaka – 30th August, 2020.
“You can’t answer serious charges of looting and plunder with social media memes”
1. As Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP), we have noted with interest the ongoing debate that has been raging for the past few days regarding allegations of improper conduct leveled against the main opposition UPND President Mr Hakainde Hichilema, which is said to have taken place during this country’s privatization process in the late 1990s. These allegations have been leveled by the then Minister of Finance, Honorable Edith Nawakwi who is currently the Party President for the opposition FDD.
2. Our view on this matter is that the said allegations are very serious and deserve a proper detailed explanation by the UPND President. It is not enough for Mr Hichilema to seek to allay these allegations by posting a few Facebook and Twitter memes. It must be noted that these allegations have not been leveled by just any ordinary Zambia. To the contrary, they have been leveled by a person who was Minister of Finance at the time of Zambia’s privatization process, and who therefore has first-hand knowledge of the events that took place during Zambia’s privatization process. As a matter of fact, Honorable Edith Nawakwi’s testimony can be admitted as evidence in any court of law because it is a first-hand account and not hearsay. It is therefore up to Mr Hichilema to substantively rebut Hon. Edith Nawakwi’s allegations in the same detailed manner that she presented her public testimony against him, and not through Facebook and Twitter memes.
3. As Patriots for Economic Progress, it is our long held position that anyone who aspires to run the affairs of this Republic as President, must be ready and willing to be subjected to vigorous scrutiny by the people of Zambia. It must be emphasized that any Zambian, including another aspiring Republican President, has a right to scrutinize any aspiring candidate. That is because when an individual ascends to the Presidency of this Republic, their actions and decisions will not only impact their party members, supporters or those that voted for them. To the contrary, the actions and decisions of a Republican President impacts, whether positively or negatively, on every citizen of this Republic. That is the reason why every citizen must have an unfettered right to scrutinize any aspiring candidate to the Presidency of this Republic.
4. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we have noted that in her testimony last week, Hon. Edith Nawakwi posed a challenge on Mr Hakainde Hichilema to explain how he became rich and why the accumulation of his wealth exactly coincided with the period that he was entrusted with the responsibility to value and sale some government-owned companies, as part of Zambia’s privatization process? Our view is that these are legitimate questions which deserve legitimate answers and not counter-accusations or Facebook and Twitter memes.
5. As Patriots for Economic Progress, it is our considered view that if Mr Hichilema has already previously answered these questions regarding the source of his wealth, then he must forgive the Zambian people for having a short memory, but he must answer again. As an aspiring Republican President, one cannot get tired of answering questions simply because they answered a similar question last year or the previous year.
6. As Patriots for Economic Progress, we are cognizant of the fact that one of the main challenges that the Zambian people have had in the recent past is to hold their leaders accountable. It is worth noting that accountability can only take place where there is transparency. For example, up until now, President Lungu has refused to explain how his net-worth exponentially grew from about K1 million in 2015 during the presidential election declaration of assets, to about K21 million in 2016 during a similar declaration of assets for the presidential election. It is such resistance to transparency that births lack of accountability and by consequence, corruption.
7. As Patriots for Economic Progress, it is our strong view that when we change from one President to the other, it needs to be an opportunity to make progress in the governance of the nation and not stagnate or regress. In this regard, Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s resistance to explain the source of his wealth, which coincidentally exponentially grew during the period of Zambia’s privatization, is not very different from President Lungu’s resistance to explain how his net-worth exponentially grew from about K1 million to about K21 million within a year.
8. Our appeal to fellow citizens of this Republic is that if we are going to make progress as a nation, we need to ensure that we embrace individuals who are not only willing to be held accountable but are also willing to be transparent so as to facility their being held accountable. Indeed, obscurity has no place for those holding or aspiring to hold public office.
Thank You and May God Bless the Good Citizens of the Republic of Zambia and Our Ailing Nation.
Issued By:
Sean Enock Tembo
Party President
Patriots For Economic Progress (PeP)