FULL SPEECH: I am Back To Active Politics As PF President Elected In 2021 With A Mandate Up To 2026- EDGAR LUNGU

SPEECH BY ZAMBIA’S SIXTH PRESIDENT, DR EDGAR C. LUNGU, DURING THE 9TH MEMORIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE LATE MR MICHAEL CHILUFYA SATA, 5TH PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA, AT THE CATHEDERAL OF CHILD JESUS IN LUSAKA ON OCTOBER 28, 2023

SALUTATIONS

WE GATHER HERE TODAY TO REMEMBER AND CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF ZAMBIA’S FIFTH PRESIDENT, MR MICHAEL CHILUFYA SATA. ZAMBIANS STILL REMEMBER THE GREAT LOSS THEY SUFFERED FOLLOWING HIS DEATH, NINE YEARS AGO.

WE CONTINUE TO REMEMBER MICHAEL SATA AS A DETERMINED FREEDOM FIGHTER, A PRAGMATIC AND FEARLESS LEADER, A DEMOCRAT, AND MENTOR TO MOST OF US.

ALL THOSE WHO INTERACTED WITH MICHAEL SATA WILL TELL VARIOUS EXPERIENCES WITH HIM, DRAWING VARIOUS LESSONS FROM HIS LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES.
AND I CAN SAFELY PREDICT ONE COMMON LESSON, FOR MOST OF THE PEOPLE. IT WAS MR SATA’S RARE ABILITY TO EMBRACE ENEMIES AND WORK WITH THEM.

I DON’T HAVE TO MENTION NAMES OF THE VARIOUS POLITICIANS WHO EARLIER CROSSED PATHS WITH MR SATA AND LATER WORKED CLOSELY WITH HIM EITHER IN THE PARTY OR GOVERNMENT. THAT’S HOW BIG-HEARTED PRESIDENT SATA WAS. AND THAT’S HOW HE MENTORED US. SOME PEOPLE WHO INSULTED HIM, WHO RIDICULED AND EVEN PHYSICALLY ABUSED HIM, HE FORGAVE AND EMBRACED THEM.

THIS IS A LESSON WE SHOULD CARRY ON AS WE CONTINUE TO HONOUR HIS MEMORY AND ENSURE THAT WE WORK TOGETHER IN DEFENDING AND PROTECTING ZAMBIA’S DEMOCRACY.

OF COURSE, PRESIDENT SATA LEFT AN INDELIBLE LEGACY IN THE THREE YEARS HE RULED ZAMBIA, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF INFRASTRURE DEVELOPMENT.
NO WONDER SOME PEOPLE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEANT WHEN I SAID, IMMEDIATELY AFTER SUCCEEDING HIM, THAT ‘I HAD NO VISION BUT THAT OF MR. SATA”.

ALL I WAS SAYING WAS THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THE PF IN GOVERNMENT TO REINVENT THE WHEEL FOLLOWING PRESIDENT SATA’S DEATH SINCE THERE WERE SPECIFIC PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES RUNNING AND REQUIRING COMPLETION AS ENVISAGED IN OUR PF MANIFESTO.

THAT’S HOW PRESIDENT SATA’S LEADERSHIP STYLE TOUCHED AND INFLUENCED ME.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU PROBABLY MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS YEAR’S MEMORIAL FOR PRESIDENT SATA HAS BEEN PRECEDED BY URGLY SCENES PAINTED BY SOME OF OUR MEMBERS AND LEADERS.

THEIR MANEUVERS ARE A CLEAR ATTEMPT TO ASSAULT THE MIGHTY PATRIOTIC FRONT WHOSE CONTINUED LEADERSHIP MR SATA ENTRUSTED ON ME AND MY COLLEAGUES, TO BE STEWARDS.

I HAVE BEEN QUIET FROM THE TIME I PEACEFULLY AND WILLINGLY HANDED OVER POWER TO MY BROTHER WHO IS NOW IN STATE HOUSE. BUT I HAVE BEEN WATCHING CLOSELY MATTERS OF GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTRY.

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT FOR ANY WELL-MEANING ZAMBIAN TO NOTICE THAT THE RECENT EVENTS IN OUR PF PARTY HAVE BEEN INSTIGATED BY THOSE IN GOVERNMENT WHO APPEAR DETERMINED TO KILL DEMOCRACY IN ZAMBIA, FOR SELFISH POLITICAL REASONS.

BUT LET ME PUT IT ON RECORD THAT FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE, I WILL NOT ALLOW THE PF TO DIE. PRESIDENT MICHAEL SATA, IN HIS DEATH, LEFT US A VIBRTANT POLITICAL ORGANISATION IN POWER. THEREFORE, I WILL NOT PERMIT THAT, WHILST I AM ALIVE, THE PF IS DESTROYED UNDER MY WATCH.

I WILL NOT ALLOW THE MIGHTY PATRIOTIC FRONT TO DIE JUST LIKE I WILL NOT ALLOW FACTIONS WITHIN THE PARTY. I WILL ALSO NOT ALLOW OPPORTUNISTIC INDIVIDUALS TO DESTROY THE PARTY.

THEREFORE, AFTER A CAREFUL AND DEEP REFLECTION AND WIDE CONSULTATIONS, FOLLOWING NAKED EFFORTS BY THOSE IN POWER TO ANNIHILATE THE BIGGEST OPPOSITION PARTY IN ZAMBIA TODAY, THE PF, USING THEIR STOOGES AND INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNANCE, I HAVE DECIDED TO RETURN TO ACTIVE POLITICS TO CONTINUE AS PRESIDENT OF THE PARTY.

AS I GET BACK TO MY PARTY LEADERSHIP ROLE, I CALL FOR UNITY OF PURPOSE. I WILL NEED TO WORK WITH EVERYONE. AND ALL THOSE SHENANIGANS OF SOME MISCHIEVOUS CHARACTERS HOLDING ILLEGAL CONVENTIONS COME TO AN END HERE AND NOW, TODAY!

AND IN ORDER TO RESCUE THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE FROM THIS EMERGING WANTON DESTRUCTION OF DEMOCRACY BY THOSE IN POWER, I INVITE ALL THE OPPOSITION PARTIES TO JOIN FORCES WITH US IN PF.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT EDGAR CHAGWA LUNGU. I AM NOT DOING THIS BECAUSE I HAVE AN AMBITION TO BECOME PRESIDENT AGAIN. ANY, AMONG THE OPPOSITION LEADERS, CAN BECOME PRESIDENT.

I AM DOING THIS IN DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY AND I AM READY TO SUPPORT ANY OPPOSITION LEADER THAT ZAMBIANS WILL THINK CAN BEST REPRESENT THEIR ASPIRATIONS AND RESCUE THEM FROM THE ABROGATION OF THE RULE OF LAW AND THE DICTATORSHIP WE ARE WITNESSING TODAY.

THEREFORE, I AM READY TO FIGHT FROM THE FRONT, NOT FROM THE REAR, IN DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY. THOSE WHO ARE READY FOR THIS FIGHT, COME ALONG. AS FOR ME, I AM READY FOR ANYTHING!

IF I HAVE TO DIE, THIS WILL BE A GOOD CAUSE I WILL GLADY DIE FOR. WHATEVER HAPPENS, LET IT HAPPEN BUT DEMOCRACY MUST THRIVE. THE WILL OF THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE MUST NOT BE STIFFLED BY ANYONE, NOT EVEN THOSE WHO ARE WEILDING POWER TODAY.

SO I SAY TO MY COMRADE AND DEAR FRIEND, FRED M’MEMBE, THAT COME ALONG AND JOIN HANDS WITH ME IN THIS FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY.

HARRY KALABA, COME ALONG!
WYNTER KABIMBA, COME ALONG!
KELVIN BWALYA FUBE, COME ALONG!
CHISHALA KATEKA , COME ALONG!
SABOI IMBOELA, COME ALONG!
JACKSON SILAVWE, COME ALONG!
SEAN TEMBO, COME ALONG!
KASONDE MWENDA, COME ALONG!

IN SHORT, ALL THE OPPOSITION PARTIES, LET’S JOIN HANDS AND FIGHT THIS DICTATORSHIP BEING IMPOSED ON US BY THOSE IN POWER. ALL ZAMBIANS THAT BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY, COME ALONG!

COME ALONG! COME ALONG!
TOGETHER, LET’S DEFEND THE DEMOCRACY WE FOUGHT FOR OVER THREE DECADES AGO.

I AM BACK TO ACTIVE POLITICS AS PF PRESIDENT ELECTED IN 2021 WITH A MANDATE UP TO 2026. THE PF WILL HOLD A GENERAL CONFERENCE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO CHOOSE A LEADER BEFORE THE NEXT ELECTIONS IN 2026. AFTER THIS CONFERENCE, I WILL HANDOVER TO WHOEVER WILL BE ELECTED TO LEAD THE PF IN THE 2026 GENERAL ELECTIONS.

FOR NOW, I AM PREPAPRED TO SUFFER ALL MANNER OF CONSEQUENCES FOR CHOOSING TO DEFEND AND PROTECT DEMOCFRACY IN ZAMBIA, FOR CHOOSING TO PROTECT THE MIGHTY PF FROM ALL THOSE INTENDING TO KILL IT. LONG LIVE PF!

I THANK YOU, AND MAY THE ALMIGHTY GOD CONTINUE TO SHINE UPON OUR COUNTRY, ZAMBIA.