THE CHIEF REGISTRAR OF SOCIETIES NEEDS TO DRINK SOME COLD WATER & CALM DOWN
By Miles Sampa,
MP & PF Presidential candidate
The current chief of the registrar of societies Mrs Thandiwe Phiri Mhende was identified and appointed by the home affairs minister Steven Kampyongo and then PF secretary general (SG) Davies Mwila. By default and according to the PF constitution, her appointment was approved by the then PF and Republican President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu and his MCCs. If it was in the western world, when PF lost power in 2021, she should have voluntarily resigned to follow her appointees and allow new policy careers in her seat.
She clearly inherited her akawawawa former Ministers’ archaic coward tactics of deregistering opponents political parties. In a typical muzungu anikonde fashion she is now brining the antics into the current UPND government. What is on her table now as reminded by the undersigned in writing was for her her to ‘remind’ or ‘order’ PF to hold their long over due elective general conference.
She however and in the Davies Mwila and Steven Kampyongo fashion now written threatening to deregister the Patriotic Front Party. She thinks will impress her new boss and Minister of Home Affairs Jack Mwimbu.
First of all such actions have no room in the morden democratic dispensation and more so after the recent visit by the USA Vice President Kamala Harris. She picked on visiting Zambia to highlight it as a beacon of peaceful and reasoning democracy in Africa. It will be embracing her if her visit is followed with international headline acts of Zambia killing and not building democracy.
The Chief registrar of societies approach is that of using an atomic bomb on a matter that can be resolved by engagement and other softer means. There is more pressing economic issue this government is dealing with like mealie meal supply challenges and they do not wish to add other headaches on their plates bordering on governance. The avoidable dent will not go on Mrs Mhende but posterity would harshly judge the Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwimbu and the President Hakainde Hichilema.
In any case and if she proceeded to deregister PF, it would border on contempt of court as the case in court which is yet to be determined seeks for Mrs Mhende as the Chief Registrar of societies to supervise democratic elections in PF and not to deregister it.
I wish to assure PF members to stay calm and whatever we all do here on, the only sure solution to satisfying concerns of office bearers vacancies from the registrar of societies to hold a general conference soonest. We have been constituent in advocating for this so then mandatory new office bearers list of 10 can be provided.
Anyone opposing a general conference now is an enemy of democracy and PF which now risks deregistration because of no convention when it should have taken place about 2 years ago. Raphael Nakachinda who himself illegally exists in Zambia’s political discourse because he has never stood or been elected anywhere in his life time. It’s against both the Zambian and PF constitution to perpetually occupy political leadership positions without being elected. He needs to sit down and allow PF to hold its convention so that it can elect snd submit the list of elected 10 office bearers.
As to why those that were at the helm of PF last two years were not submitting annual returns indicating bonafide office bearers is not so baffling. Your guess is as good as mine and await their legality or illegality pronouncements in the courts of law.
PF will however prevail beyond these turbulences, come what may.
To my dearest PF members in the 10 provinces of Zambia, stay calm and blessed. PF will never be deregestered as there is no Davies Mwila and Steven Kampyongo in the UPND government. PF true rebranding requires owning up and disowning old bad deeds like of the two former Ministers of Home Affairs that specialized in deregistering opponents political parties.
Its my prayer and confident the current Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwimbu won’t follow his predecessors bad traits and deregister PF as incited by the Chief Registrar of Society Mrs Thandiwe Phiri Mhende. Political parties should be beaten in ballot boxes and not through deregistering them.
MBS24.04.2023