THE people of Roan will show that the PF are bunch of liars who only want to use people when there is a campaign, says Chishimba Kambwili. Responding to mines minister Richard Musukwa’s statement that the government did not know about the problems miners in Luanshya have been facing, Kambwili said PF has remained a party of jokers and mediocre leaders. The former Roan PF member of parliament further said voters in the constituency were not stupid and knew how deceivers, liars, thieves and corrupt people look like.

On Tuesday, Musukwa was quoted as saying the government was shocked to learn of challenges miners were going through despite Kambwili having served in government without mentioning anything. But Kambwili said people of Roan were more intelligent than Musukwa and knew who spoke for them on issues regarding RAMCOZ both in cabinet and Parliament.

“That’s a joke of the year. The people of Roan are more intelligent than he thinks, more intelligent than him and cannot be misled by a simple man like Musukwa who has no message in the campaign,” he said. “The people of Roan know very well that I was and have been very passionate and spoke about all issues, but it’s his government that failed to resolve the issues. I raised the issues of RAMCOZ in Parliament, in cabinet…everywhere and when I was in government, I was Minister of Information. I was not Minister of Mines, I was not Minister of Labour to sort out those issues. Those issues are for specific ministers and Parliament is not held in camera, there is radio and TV and the people of Zambia know how I spoke for the people of Roan.”

Kambwili challenged Musukwa to list the problems surrounding the Konkola Copper Mines that he as Minister of Mines had resolved.

“When they put them on forced leave and gave them K900, I was the only voice in government that was speaking. So for Musukwaa to say that I never spoke…anyway I cannot blame him because he was not in government at that time, he may not know,” he said. “Ask Musukwa how many problems that are in KCM which he has sorted out as Minister of Mines. Right now at KCM they don’t get paid but what has he done as Minister of Mines? So tell the boy that let him not be drunk with unknown powers, swimming in wrong waters. The people of Roan will show them that they are bunch of liars who only want to use people when there are campaigns.”

Kambwili further said the ultimatum that Musukwa gave to Luanshya Copper Mines to reopen the mine in 90 days was a smokescreen meant to hoodwink voters as the mine owners already said that they would not open shaft 28 because it was not economically viable.

“Come the 11th [of April] they will see what it means to be deceivers, liars, thieves and corrupt people who are only interested in making money for themselves and families. They are just misleading the people on the ultimatum to open shaft 28. I was there in the meeting when Musukwa came but the mines told them that they have no plans to open Shaft 28 and they said they can only think of that when the copper prices go above $10,000 per tonne,” he said. “Today the price of copper is about $5,000 but how can they give them 90 days? That’s public relations to show the people that they are doing something. They are the ones who have messed up things because their President [Edgar Lungu] is corrupt.”

Kambwili said his record as a voice for the voiceless was clear for all to see.

“I can publish verbatim [of my] Parliament debates, I can bring recordings of what I was saying about these issues. Unless he is telling me that every time he was in Parliament he was dozing as minister, but if he was alive to the issues being discussed in Parliament, he knows that I pushed for those things and it’s just that they failed to resolve them,” he said. “So this idea of saying they have given the mines 90 days is all lies.”

Kambwili said many people have been flocking to join the National Democratic Congress because what had remained in the ruling PF “is a shell of bootlicking mediocre leadership.”

“This is the problem with PF, they think people are so dull that when there are elections they can just come and give them K20 and they vote for them. But they have seen that Roan is a different place. It is actually PF which has turned into an undisciplined lot. That’s why people are leaving in masses to join NDC because PF have become undisciplined, corrupt, of thieves, liars and bunch of jokers,” said Kambwili.

“Look at the quality of some of the ministers in this government. What can you achieve with such people? I don’t want to mention names but you have seen the mediocrity and the low level of ministers in this government. This Lungu has cheapened the position of minister. The man just wants to appoint people who are ‘muzungu wanga’ and I thought Musukwa was a boy of integrity but I am so shocked, no wonder there are so many problems in Chililabombwe which have not been resolved because we have got an MP full of rhetoric, a joker for an MP. Can Musukwa compare what he has done in Chililabombwe and what I have done in Roan? He has nothing to show in Chililabombwe, but with me every corner you go to in the constituency you will find my projects. So tell him to just go and work hard in Chililabombwe rather than come to mislead the people of Luanshya.”