SIAMUNENE PREACHES HH, LUNGU TRUCE

By Kalobwe Bwalya

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema and former president Edgar Lungu should put aside their differences and start working towards promoting peace and harmony in the country, former Defence Minister Richwell Siamunene has advised.

In an interview, Mr. Siamunene emphasized that the two leaders had a critical role to play in uniting the country and that their reconciliation could be essential for achieving national unity.

He said he had drawn inspiration from Kenyan politics where leaders had shown the ability to put aside their differences for the good and prosperity of that country.   

Mr. Siamunene, who worked with both Presidents has since described them as humble and expressed confidence in their ability to reconcile and address their differences for the sake of national unity.

However, he encouraged Zambians to demand peace and harmony, stressing that it could only be achieved through dialogue and cooperation between the two leaders.

He said the current scenario does not make any sense because of the differences between the two leaders and that their misunderstanding was detrimental to the unity in the country.

The former minister stated that despite Zambia being a Christian nation, the Christian community had not done enough towards preaching peace and unity as the country navigated through its challenges.

“There is a need for the current President and the former head of state to reconcile because the current situation needs the two to work together and foster unity,” Mr. Siamunene said. 

The former Sinazongwe Member of Parliament added that President Hichilema should also realize that he needed to seek advice from President Lungu through consultation.

He suggested that issues to do with the current load-shedding and high price of mealie meal needed the two leaders to share notes on how best the7y could be addressed.

He added that once these were sorted out, the UPND returning into power in 2026 would not be a problem and they would not be panicking.

He noted that currently, Zambians were failing to meet their needs due to the high cost of living which he said needed to be tackled as soon as possible.

“The cost of living in the country is unbearable because people have no money and there are no jobs, especially in high-density areas across the country. This needs the current leadership to find a lasting solution so that people can afford to buy food,” he said.