CHIPILI independent member of parliament Jewis Chabi on Sunday pulled down Patriotic Front flags from a public bus station in Mansa, provoking ruling party cadres who said they were sent by their leaders to do so.

Chabi, who is in his constituency following the adjournment of parliament, told The Mast that bus stations were not owned by the PF but by all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation.

The PF cadres have since reported Chabi to the police and have also informed the party leadership, including Mansa Central member of parliament Dr Chitalu Chilufya, about the removal of the flags.

Yesterday, PF sources alleged that PF secretary general Davies Mwila, who lost the Chipili seat to Chabi in last year’s general elections, had instructed cadres to close offices for a bus operator calledPeace Soldier and get his buses out of the station for allegedly funding Chabi and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Luapula Province.

“Balelanda ati the owner of Peace Soldier is the one funding Jewis Chabi and the NDC in Luapula Province. Ba Mwila told ‘commando’ and Francis from Intercity to chase them. Ati Jewis went to pull down the PF flag at the bus station in Mansa on Sunday with the support of that Kawambwa businessman, the owner of Peace Soldier buses,” the source said. “So there is total confusion now in the station. All his [Peace Solider] buses and workers have been chased out.”

But Chabi said the mounting of political regalia would cause anarchy as other parties would want to do the same.

He said he had asked one of the council officers why they allowed the PF flag to be mounted at a public place but he was told that they were scared of victimization.

“I inquired from one of the council officers why they allowed the PF flag, which was not even there during the campaigns, to be mounted at the public place and the officer said that if they tried to stop them, they would be victimized and so there was nothing they could do,” Chabi said.

He said he was later followed by a PF cadre who mounted the flag at the bus station.

“The gentleman came after some time and I thought he was a taxi driver who is being sponsored by the Honorable member of parliament for…When he came, I asked him why he did that. I told him he doesn’t have the right to abuse public places like that. So I said to him, ‘you cannot mount your Chitenge material at a bus station where every Zambian goes; you take your Chitenge material and mount it at your place,” Chabi narrated.

“While I was talking to him, he was also talking to his honorable MP. So I told him that you tell the MP that if he is the one who did this, he should come and see me. I want to talk to him and see whether it’s correct for him to do this or to promote it.”

He said anarchy should not be promoted in the country in the name of politics.

“So I am currently waiting to hear what the police will say. I don’t know if they will send a call out or not,” said Chabi.