SP IS GROWING, SAYS FM
…while disclosing how hard mobilizing has been under the UPND government
Chirundu… Monday, July 8, 2024
Leader of the Socialist Party (SP) Fred M’membe, alias FM, has disclosed how hard it has been for the opposition political party to mobilize owing to unfavorable conditions the opposition in the country operates under.
Dr M’membe disclosed that his party only gets a chance to reach out to electorates during by elections.
He said some members of the party got arrested for merely having a ward meeting.
“We are not free to organise. Our friends who are in government are administering the Public Order Act in a manner that is adverse to all of us. We are not allowed to hold meetings. The only time we are free to hold meetings is if there are by elections,” he said.
“So, organizing our structures is not easy. We have had our people arrested for just having a ward meeting. In Lunte, the Provincial Chairperson for Northern Province and her team were arrested last year just for paying a courtesy call on our ward executive committee… in-house, not outside.”
He disclosed that those that got arrested were charged with conduct likely to cause the breach of peace.
Dr M’membe however disclosed that the party is growing despite the challenges.
The opposition leader also said his party has done better than most opposition political parties in the many by elections that have been held in the country.
“I am not saying we are doing fine, we would do better than that in these elections. But, the facts that are there of the by elections that have been held, we have participated in more by elections than any other opposition political party, this is the fact… we have done better than any other political party, the statistics are there,” he added.
“There are very few by elections in which we haven’t come second.”