Kombe Chimpinde Mataka
I AM coming in with real rebranding, says PF presidential hopeful Miles Sampa.
He told The Mast that what was currently taking place was not real rebranding.
“When I come in it will be a new PF, to get rid of bad habits. I am coming in with real rebranding not ‘lebranding’, changing the party from the old that was hated and voted out because of certain wrongs,” he said. “Us we are coming with real rebranding to make the party fresh. Just like a snake, a cobra, after a while it sheds off the skin and starts afresh. We are coming with the real rebranding. Not this rebranding we have seen in PF that does not care about the public view of the party because elements that led the party to be hated are still noticeable.”
Sampa noted that he had once failed to take over the leadership of the party from Edgar Lungu.
He feels that this was his chance to lead the party.
“If you look at the history of [US President] Joe Biden, he kept trying and trying until he made it. He started when he was very young. I think he was about 30-years-old and he only came to make it much later. If you look at Rishi Sunak the British Prime Minister, he tried, it didn’t work out the first time. When he tried again it worked out. The world was not meant for quitters. Quitters never win. I was not brought up a quitter,” Sampa said. “I already have support and I am very confident that I will be the winner at the convention. Already, I have support countrywide and I have already being assured of votes by delegates. So I am very confident but at the same time I give due respect to all candidates.”
He noted that in 2021 “people were saying HH [President Hakainde Hichilema] is only popular on social media”.
“Those same numbers on social media became one million votes. We interact on social media, it is the new normal. So I also
interact with the youths on social media,” Sampa said.
And Sampa said the PF is still viable.
“Make no mistake, the PF is very strong on the ground. Everywhere, the structures are still intact. Of course loosing an election is bad and we lost elections due to many factors. And one of them being caderism. Something I was fighting as mayor [of Lusaka] but without much ado. If you go back, you will remember I tried to clean up intercity. I tried to clean up City Market and let it run professionally and remove cadres but obviously there were a lot of forces against me,” said Sampa. “Where we are now, the party that we suffered for in opposition with Michael Sata, the people we were with have not left. They have remained intact. The people that have run away after we lost elections are the same ones who came from nowhere when we came [into power]. Now they want to penetrate UPND. I call them ba katyeye mwenda mwalimwa (opportunitists). These are people who came to PF when it was in power and even took the front seat at the expense of people who suffered for the party. Now when we lost power, the same ones have run away quickly to a field that is being cultivated. They are running to UPND to go and eat there without working for it.”
Among those that have filed their nominations for the PF presidency are Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, Brian Mundubile, Greyford Monde, Mutotwe
Kafwaya, Emmanuel Mwamba, Chishimba Kambwili, Given Lubinda and
Chishimba Kambwili.
The presidential convention is expected to be held in March next year.