DON’T be fooled by the PF, they are causing a cosmetic popularity of themselves, says NDC vice-president Josephs Akafumba.
But he urged, “my brothers in the opposition once again to actualise the alliance so that never again should Zambians go through untold miseries.
In an interview, Akafumba said as much as the opposition needs to seriously reflect on the strategies for 2021, Zambians need to also take stock of how the PF has ruined the governance system of the nation.
“I have followed the recent events after the PF won the five out of the six local government elections, this also follows Maiko Zulu warning that the PF may win the 2021 elections. But looking at what a PF insider reported to be a member of the central committee (MCC) by The Mast and the subsequent fears by a UPND senior member that the opposition may cry next year, I would like to say let us not be fooled. Let Zambians not be fooled. Don’t be fooled by the PF, they are causing all these by-elections so as to create a cosmetic popularity of themselves,” he said. “I read once in this paper of what Choma Central [UPND] member of parliament, my brother, Cornelius Mweetwa said when he addressed an interview in Livingstone and I agreed with him. He said that the PF was causing by-elections in UPND strongholds especially Western Province by targeting councillors whom they are bribing with K300,000 and jobs. To the weaker souls this is a lot of money and they abandon the trust given to them by the people. Thus the PF takes advantage and goes around this small ward and tells them that we are popular, they are dishing out money to voters in those wards and the weak end up voting for them.” Akafumba asked why Zambians have not seen members of parliament or mayors who belong to the opposition resign.
He also challenged the PF to tell Zambians the source of all the millions of money that it was dishing out to the rural poor especially in Western Province so as to resign as councillors or to vote for them.
“The last time I checked, Western Province was one of the poorest in the country, and the PF is using poverty of these people as bait. I challenge them to get into Southern Province with all these moneys and see if they will win ward elections. I challenge them to bribe a mayor or MP and see what will happen. I can assure you that in the impending by-elections in Kasama (Lukashya) and Mwansabombwe we will see a resurgence of violence as the PF will send in thugs to these constituencies and brutalise the voters and the opposition,” he said.
Akafumba said the PF was a dead party, adding that the boat sank a long time ago.
“As far as I am concerned the boat sank when Sir Michael Sata answered the Lord’s call. It is just a semblance of a ruling party which is surviving all because of its manipulation of the state machinery such as the police, now the prisons and the raping of the judicial system,” he said. “So to my brothers in the opposition I once again call on us to actualise the alliance so that never again should Zambians go through untold miseries. The poor are getting more poor and retirees are yet to be paid and yet the PF has the money to bribe UPND councillors and voters. If I add up all what the PF has spent just to try and keep their image afloat this amount of money would have paid out all retirees in Zambia. The Kazungula-Sesheke road would have been rehabilitated, but now it is a death trap.”
Akafumba said for Lusaka residents who have never gone out of the city they should not think that what they see on Lusaka roads is the same in other parts of the country.
“The Bembas say that a child who does not dine out of his or her mother’s house always praises what she cooks. So if Lusaka residents were to be taken to places such as Livingstone or Sesheke they will then appreciate the gravity of poverty and underdevelopment. So don’t be fooled,” said Akafumba.