Fr Richard Luonde

 

FATHER Richard Luonde says the nation has entered a crucial year in which citizens should choose between life and death.

In his reflection ahead of this August’s general election, the opposition National Democratic Congress national chairperson warned voters against trivialising the importance of the exercise.

According to him, “this year’s election is not an ordinary one, it is very special in that it will determine our fate”.

“We have entered a crucial year in that we are given a choice of what we want to become, come 12th August 2021. This is a crucial year in that we have to make a choice between life and death come 12th August 2021 of who we want to be as a nation. If we vote for PF then we should expect death in all sorts of ways, including from perpetual poverty, “ he said on Friday.

“On 12th August 2016 we made a choice which most people thought was wise, but we are all regretting. We voted for a man whom we thought was humble and caring, yet we have come to prove that he is a wolf in sheep skin. The PF under President Edgar Lungu will not do anything good for us, it has become a party for merchants. These are vendors who are there to sell anything left of mother Zambia, for their own benefit.”

Drawing a comparison between PF founder Michael Sata and President Lungu, Fr Luonde reiterated that the latter was clueless in everything.

“The vision and direction he (Sata) wanted for Zambia began to show immediately he became president in 2011. Most Zambians began to appreciate the path Zambia was taking in terms of development and care for the poor citizens,” Fr Luonde said. “Unfortunately, this great leader could not fulfill his vision for Zambia, he died just after serving three years of his first five-year term as president of our beloved Republic. What happened after his death was hell. Hell, in that all sorts of people came out wanting to take over from him. Some had vision others were visionless but they all wrestled for the presidency and, unfortunately enough, the visionless won. This is where we are now.”

He challenged voters to state if they want to continue with what he termed a visionless government such as the current one.

Fr Luonde reminded people of the current suffering, which should be a reason to “vote out the PF”.

“The question I pose now is: do we as Zambians want to come and continue with this visionless PF which has brought more misery than good for Zambia in the years they have led us? I for sure wouldn’t dare to. I’ve seen, witnessed and gone through a lot of suffering which I feel is too much and I wouldn’t want Zambians to go through after 12th August 2021,” said Fr Luonde.

“And this can only be avoided by voting out this greed, uncaring, visionless PF we voted for in 2016. Look at the failed health care, education, growing unemployment levels, reduced life expectancy due to poverty, just to mention a few. These are the things I encourage you my fellow Zambians to be looking at as we draw closer to 12th August. This government with its ideology of darkness to steal from us should not be voted back, or else we shall only approve our early send off to the Lord who in turn will not accept us for not having saved the nation from hungry vultures responsible for the suffering of His innocent creation.”

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