Africa-Press – Zambia. The government has dismissed claims by the United Party National Development (UPND) that its leader, Mr. Hakainde Hichilema, was not invited to the State funeral for Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga said to the contrary, Mr. Hichilema along with several other political leaders were invited as per the usual standard practice with state functions.
In a statement released to the media, Mr.Malupenga said that contrary claims which were flying around the various social media platforms that the Government of Zambia had neglected to invite the opposition political leaders to Dr. Kaunda’s State funeral, Zambians were watching live on television showing UNIP president Bishop Trevor Mwamba and MMD’s Dr Nevers Mumba among several others in attendance at the main arena in Lusaka’s Showgrounds.
Mr Malupenga said that this was confirmation of the bad faith with which these claims were being made. “The Court of Public Opinion may wish to take judicial notice that some of the political leaders complaining of non invitation to the State Funeral have never been known to honour all invitations to various state functions, which invitations they proudly and publicly spurn.,” Mr Malupenga said.
“This notwithstanding, the Government has continued and will continue to invite political leaders to the various state functions in line with its standard practice and procedure,” concluded the statement.
Earlier, UPND Presidential spokesperson Spokesman Anthony Bwalya said in a statement his party President Mr. Hichilema had not received any formal invitation to attend the funeral of Dr. Kaunda, while if any such invitation was ever issued to them, no such notice of invitation has ever been delivered to UPND.
Mr Bwalya said Dr. Kaunda was a unifier who knew how to put the country and its people above self and the temptations of partisan politics. “Our understanding and expectations were that Zambians from all walks of life and from across the whole of the political divide, were going to be given the opportunity to be represented in paying final homage and tribute to the man who sacrificed and gave his all for the country we all call home,” he said.
“We shall always remember and treasure the sacrifice and dutifulness with which Dr. Kaunda served our country and her peoples. We shall continue to mourn with the Zambian people until we put to rest the physical body of Dr. Kaunda.” Green Party President Peter Sinkamba
However, Green Party President Peter Sinkamba who was in attendance said that every leader of a registered political party was invited and that Cards are collected from Cabinet Office and that they are never delivered to people’s homes or offices, before adding that UPND members were indeed bad citizens. And UPND Vice President and running mate Mutale Nalumango also posted on her social media page saying:
“HH, the UPND and indeed myself, have been denied of our rights to attend the State funeral for our beloved founding father Dr Kenneth David Kaunda. Our colleagues in government are trying to use the funeral as a political tool to malign and slander others with dissenting views of not respecting our founding father. Don’t worry HH, NEFIFINE FIKAPWA!”
