UPND National Youth Chairman Gilbert Liswaniso says the ruling party has no intention of harming or preventing Patriotic Front (PF) member Mumbi Phiri or any other opposition member from appearing in the media.
Last evening, Phiri backed out of a scheduled interview on KBN TV after learning that she was to appear on the same platform as Liswaniso for a debate on the current state of human rights in the country.
Phiri left the KBN TV studios shortly after seeing Liswaniso claiming that she feared UPND members were coming to attack her.
Speaking on the program, Liswaniso refuted the claims, stressing that Phiri had no reason to fear for her safety as she and other opposition members have never been attacked or blocked by the UPND from making appearances in the media.
“Those are false allegations and I can assure you that no UPND member can attack Mumbi Phiri. She has been on radio and TV stations, and we have not gone there to harass her or anyone else,” Liswaniso said.
Liswaniso further stated that opposition members are always at liberty to appear in the media to provide checks and balances to the government.
“I want to make it clear to the opposition that they can go to TV stations to say whatever they have to say and address the people of Zambia but all we need is for them to also give us a chance as UPND to speak about what we know and correct the narrative,” he said.
He added that Republican President Hakainde Hichilema has directed members to desist from engaging in politics of violence, as was the case during the PF regime.
“Through President Hakainde Hichilema, we have done a lot to ensure that we stop the violence because, under the PF, violence was food to eat on its own,” he said.
