By Patson Chilemba
The opposition in Zambia is too fragmented to unsettle PF, says the ruling party’s Copperbelt provincial chairperson Nathan Chanda.
And Chanda has accused the opposition of wanting to maintain the old voters register in order to use it to rig elections in their own strongholds.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Chanda accused opposition political parties of being driven by selfish ambition therefore it was not possible for them to remove PF from power.
“That guy they (in apparent reference to an appointment in Felix Mutati’s newly formed MDC) have put in charge of whatever, economic and art was he not two, three days ago raising a fist or a symbol of UPND? So they are just feeding from within themselves,” Chanda said. “The opposition in Zambia is fragmented and they cannot more like unsettle us. They cannot dislodge PF. They are a bunch of selfish people who don’t mean well for Zambia, it’s about their self interests. It’s personal. That’s why today if one is fired, or the President relinquishes somebody’s position then they will form (parties), look at all political parties?”
Chanda claimed that most opposition parties have been formed out of bitterness.
“Every fired person has almost formed a political party in Zambia. Count you are a journalist, you have invested in investigative journalism,” he said.
Continuing with his attacks, Chanda said the opposition should avoid engaging in what he termed as “events campaigning”.
“They have concentrated on events campaigns. If the bag of mealie meal goes up it’s their campaign strategy, the bag of mealie meal comes down they are quiet. If the Kwacha, load shedding hey load-shedding,” Chanda said. “You don’t behave like that. You should come up with a proper strategy. Have a proper manifesto which will talk about the issues that the people of Zambia would want more to see.”
Chanda said the opposition should engage in issues like telling voters how they would do things differently on programmes like the farmer-input support programme, and the Infrastructure development the government was carrying out around the country.
“Is it not the opposition who were telling Zambians that are you going to eat the roads, today they are the ones when they go to de-campaign PF, no here there are no roads, you should punish PF because they are taking roads in this and that,” he said.
Chanda said President Lungu would win the 2021 elections with 70 percent of the vote, saying the PF was making inroads into opposition UPND strongholds, citing recent by-election victories in Copperbelt rural and elsewhere.
“So us we are dealing with facts and figures them they are dealing with social media. That’s why the opposition are crying everyday because they want to prepare the minds of people, that’s why they are even trying to throw scorn, mud on ECZ so that when time of losing comes, they announce that President Lungu has won they they would want to justify that that’s what we were saying. They know they are no anywhere on the ground,” he claimed.
On the controversial move by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to do away with the voters register, which has been opposed by the opposition and other stakeholders, Chanda accused the opposition of wanting to maintain it for their own benefit instead.
“So whatever they are doing and whatever tactics that the opposition they want to use, using dead people in the voters roll. We have have heard what they were doing. We heard even in Lufwanyama the way the opposition where manipulating certain things, but now we will be vigilant everywhere including in their stronghold of Southern Province, PF will be vigilant to guard the votes,” Chanda said. “So even the little numbers that they were having they will not have it. So they know that’s why they are trying to say this, that, but when it comes to voting, because you win elections on a ballot paper, not through social media, the number of fake accounts that you have created, that the opposition have created and when they post something they send people to be doing cyber bullying, insulting people. That will not translate to votes.”
Asked what evidence he had for accusing the opposition of rigging elections using the voters register, Chanda pointed to their opposition to do away with the old register in order to come up with a new one. However, that matter has not only been opposed by the opposition parties, but other Zambians as well, just as there are also those who have supported the move.
“I don’t blame them because they are very immature, they are very bitter and inexperienced bunch of political failures. I think so because they want to heap the blame on ECZ or government to say no the registration period is short, extend you can’t register 9 million,” Chanda said. “They are forgetting that the current constitution has got a fixed date to hold elections…we have to work within the confines of the constitution.”
He said that the opposition were trying to prepare the minds of Zambians to cause civil unrest when they lose the elections
“If I can tell you you will be there I will be there President Edgar Chagwa Lungu will win by more than 70 percent believe you me,” he said.
Chanda said the people were calling on him to contest Roan constituency in 2021.
“It’s the people, not like where you impose yourself like it’s a matter of life and death no. Like the case of HH it’s a matter of life and death for him to just be where he wants, but is it for the people? HH has got a lot of money that if he was a good man with a good heart of helping Zambians he would have influenced the people of Zambia by the good works that he should have done not because of him being in Plot 1. No,” said Chanda. “He’s got money where he can give every Zambian some money that he may have gotten maybe from somewhere we don’t know. We leave it to other issues to come later. But what I mean leadership is about influence not the position you hold.” -Daily Revelation