THE RULING Patriotic Front (PF) Media Director Mr. Sunday Chanda has challenged the opposition political parties to tell the Zambian people what they will do for the country if elected into Office.
Speaking on Tuesday morning on Kwithu FM’s ‘Nkani Yatu’ program where he was discussing issues of governance, Mr Chanda expressed sadness over the tendency exhibited by some members of opposition parties to politicizing everything.
He said the opposition should put the interest of the people first as opposed to opposing matters which are aimed at taking the nation forward.
Mr Chanda cited Bill number 10 which some members of the opposition campaigned against but shunned from voting.
“What we wanted as the PF is for the youth, women and differently-abled persons to have guaranteed seats in parliament so that they can advance their own agenda,” said Mr Chanda.
He emphasized that issues affecting the marginalized groups of Zambians can be best addressed by the affected persons and further said that is the more reason why PF wanted such people have their own representation in Parliament.
“As the PF, we wanted young people to advance their agenda, we wanted differently-abled persons advance their own agenda and the women too because we understand their challenge.”
However, Mr Chanda said even in the absence of Bill 10 which the opposition claimed the PF wanted to use to its benefit that the ruling party was confident of another victory in the forthcoming general elections slated for August 12, 2021.
He said Zambians have seen what the ruling party had done and further challenged the country’s largest opposition party, UPND, what it would do for the people.
And the PF Media Director further said lawyer John Sangwa’s discourse with regards President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s eligibility was nothing but mare politics, adding that President Lungu would be on the ballot next year as the constitutional court had ruled in its judgement that he was eligible to stand as President.
Meanwhile, Mr Chanda said the PF remained confident that the voter registration exercise which commenced on Monday would be a success despite the process facing challenges on the first day.
“Unfortunately, our colleagues in the opposition and some CSOs opposed the online pre-registration voter exercise which would have made things easier when doing the actual exercise as most of the things would have been done and we feel that had MPs gone earlier in their constituencies to tell the electorates about it, it would have helped but again, they chose to play politics.”
Mr Chanda however said that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) should consider allocating more man power in high density areas so that it is able to capture the intended targets of registered voters ahead of the crucial elections.