OPPOSITION PARTIES WANT PF STRUCTURES – NYIRENDA
LUNDAZI PF MP Brenda Nyirenda says it’s every opposition’s wish to take over PF structures.
Meanwhile, Chama North PF MP Yotam Mtayachalo says he is confident that a solution to the party wrangles will soon be found.
On Monday, Citizens First president Harry Kalaba invited PF members to join his party, stressing that he would reach out to them in good faith and focus on removing President Hakainde Hichilema.
Commenting on this in an interview, Wednesday, Nyirenda said it was normal for Kalaba to ask members of the PF to join his party because they assume that the PF issues might not be resolved.
“It’s everyone’s wish, everyone in opposition [wants] to have the PF structures moved to them, that is why he is openly asking. Maybe they feel that maybe our issues are not being resolved, it’s very normal with what he is doing, just like the UPND is picking every Jim and Jack including those they called thugs. You saw the defection of Innocent Kalimanshi. So, politics is about numbers. What Harry [Kalaba] is saying is okay. And its normal for every opposition, if the ruling party can get to desperate levels where they are picking what they used to consider as violent, what would let opposition parties not to request for that? So, it’s normal in a democratic space where presidents are always asking for others to join them, it’s very normal. Just like there are members who are joining the UPND, there should be some members who are going to join him as well, it depends on how he crafts the message,” said Nyirenda.
“It’s very normal because in Zambia we don’t have those who are democrats and those who are liberals. So, its movement every time there is an election, you see escapades of people moving because we don’t have permanent seats to say okay, I’m a democrat or maybe a liberal. So, it’s normal in Zambia”.
Meanwhile, Mtayachalo noted that despite the Tonse Alliance doing away with the Given Lubinda camp, the Edgar Lungu Movement remained an opportunity that PF members could take advantage of.
“I think he has got a right to do that but the PF members also have the right to analyse such calls. I feel the aspirations of us members of the Patriotic Front, yes, I know that we have this confusion in the PF but I’m confident that a solution is going to be found very soon. If the leadership of the party continue to use the same trajectory, expelling members, suspending members, then definitely the members will think twice and decide the way forward. Because any organisation for it to grow, it needs a membership and now when the leadership is very intolerant, a leadership which every time is firing people, expelling people from the party. One wonders how such a leadership can be entrusted with national leadership, because as a national leader, you have to exercise a lot of tolerance and accommodate divergent views. But if you can’t accommodate divergent views in the opposition, then I don’t think such kind of leadership can be supported. So, for us we are not worried with what is happening, a solution will be found,” said Mtayachalo.
“We are in the Tonse Alliance on the Edgar Lungu Movement, we are going to the general conference and elect the alliance torch bearer. So, those who want to expel members from PF, if they are right, they will remain with no members. We are not worried with what is happening in PF because we have a plan B and Plan B is Tonse Alliance. We don’t own membership of the Patriotic Front; members are free to analyse these political groupings and join the party of their choice but at the moment, we have an opportunity. There is a wind of opportunity in the Tonse Alliance. Yes, the Tonse Alliance have done away with the Lubinda camp, but we have the Edgar Lungu Movement which PF members can take advantage [of] and jump on board”.
News Diggers