EVEN THE GREAT MICHAEL SATA HIMSELF SERVED MMD BEFORE PF
….and I don’t think the late President would agree with these retrogressive sentiments – Greyford Monde
Lusaka, Thursday, March 9, 2023 ( Smart Eagles)
As he continues to preach unity in the opposition Patriotic Front, presidential candidate Hon Greyford Monde has fumed following sentiments by some “founder members” against those that once served under the MMD.
Hon Monde questioned the reasoning of the senior members who are introducing the logic of the greens, the hijackers and the MMD.
He said denouncing those that once served under MMD is same as spitting on the grave of late President Michael Sata who also served under the MMD before forming the PF in 2001.
And the potential PF president assured members of the public that there could be waves coming but “I can tell you that we are going to manage this.”
He said the party membership will win the battle at the end of the day.
“It’s a pity that while we are trying to build, we have heard of recent circulations in terms of social media statements. In fact, I saw one of the tabloids I think has also quoted some of those things in terms of no this one has said this and that,” he said.
“It was expected somehow. You know, when you are a big family, they say even in my tribe that in a stomach of a woman, in a womb of a woman there will come different children. And so some of them, we cannot all think the same way. But I will tell you that as an organization, it is very clear that you cannot have everybody having to have joined a political party at the same time.”
Hon Monde said you cannot have everybody having to have joined the party when it was formed in 2001.
“2001 is how many years ago? 21 years ago. So 21 years ago, there are voters who could have been voting now at 18 years and they have been voting for now four years. They were not born in 2001 or maybe that is when they were born,” he said.
“So when you say only those that were there at inception, what are you saying to those of those people who are 21 years, 22 years, because even somebody who was born in 1996 would only be five years at that time. And who joins a political party at five years? Those who were born in 1990 were only 11 years in 2001, who joins a party at 11 years?”
He explained what it takes for a political party to grow.
“You go out to look for members to join you so that the party grows. So for me as an aspirant, when I win, I want every member to come. In fact, at this convention, I am going to ask every member who is a delegate and many of them, 90% of them were not even there at the creation of the PF… even me I joined the party along the way,” he said.
“And so for us to grow the numbers, I want everyone on board. I do not support terms like true green, frontrunner, hijackers, the MMD or the UPND as it were. I think if President Sata was here he would have disagreed to a larger extent with some of these sentiments. Anyone championing a cause to reject other members who joined the PF, which itself had the majority members coming from MMD including President Michael Sata… so to stay that today would be spitting at the grave of Michael Sata.”
Hon Monde further asked for calmness and unity to come from everybody in the party.
“Even those that have said these sentiments or those that are championing these they must stop because our work here is so much. We have a lot of things to do, we have a lot of problems to sort out, the country is not in good shape, that should be our concentration,” he said.