By Chambwa Moonga
DEMOCRATIC Party president Harry Kalaba says Zambia will remain a laughing stock if citizens continue to say the race is between the UPND and the PF in this August polls.
Kalaba says, “if I were PF, I would begin asking Chitalu Chilufya, Jean Kapata, Nkandu Luo, [Ronald] Chitotela to see if they are going to take over as president – without that, there is nothing happening for the PF”.
He asserts that he will scoop this year’s elections.
Meanwhile, Kalaba also says the PF should start looking for President Edgar Lungu’s replacement for the elections this year.
He was speaking on South Power Radio in Mazabuka on Saturday afternoon.
Before the special radio interview, Kalaba attended a service at Lusumpuko Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church within Mazabuka town.
The church administration gifted him with a bible and urged him to frequently use the holy book as a reference, as he leads the DP and in his aspiration to be the President of Zambia.
On the radio interview, Kalaba said it was shameful that Zambians were now leaving Chililabombwe to go to buy fuel in Lubumbashi.
“Everybody in this region is laughing at us. We are a laughing stock because of saying, ‘no, the race is between these two political parties,’” Kalaba said. “We are winning the elections as DP and we are winning because we don’t want violence, tribalism. We want to pay retirees their monies.”
He complained about the potholed, untarred township roads in Mazabuka.
“These roads will never be done, if you continue saying the race is between these two parties. Nothing is happening in Mazabuka! Mazabuka is a forgotten place,” he said. “We are lucky that we even have Illovo sugar and Kaleya Smallholdings who are an outgrower scheme for Zambia Sugar. Even the road coming to here (Turnpike – Mazabuka road), this is when they are busy fidgeting around it.”
Kalaba also stressed that even if President Lungu contests this year’s elections, he is headed for a loss.
“As for President standing, that should not be your (some callers’) problem. That we’ll take care of it and we’ll not tell President Lungu what we are doing behind the scenes. If he wants, let him stand; let PF float him and then they will see,” Kalaba said. “But if I were PF, I would begin asking Chitalu Chilufya, Jean Kapata, Nkandu Luo, [Ronald] Chitotela to see if they are going to take over as president. Without that, there is nothing happening for the PF. But whether he stands or not, what I know is that President will lose the elections this year.”
He further pointed out that he has travelled around Zambia, and that nobody should be cheated that the electoral race is between two parties.
“That same PF you are mentioning, where is its stronghold? And the other party (UPND), I’ll not say much. But time will tell!” he said. “I can only tell you that the one who is going to win this election is the person talking right now here. Why do I say that? It’s because most of the youth are unemployed. Most of the youths have been neglected by those political parties others want to support.”
Kalaba indicated that Zambians should not support a political party, without having a reason for doing so.
“Yet, even if they won elections, they will not even remember you. Stop escorting politicians to luxury!” Kalaba said, adding that writing him off in the forthcoming vote is perilous.
Meanwhile, Kalaba said with a visionary government in place, Southern Province could be a food basket of Zambia.
He pledged that his government would ride on the province’s evident cattle wealth to create related industries for finished products like beef, diary and leather.