STOP ADVERTISING IGNORANCE AND SPREADING MISINFORMATION
Following the highly successful and extraordinary PF General Conference, a small clique of some Opposition voices have been spending sleepless nights trying to fault-find and smear our General Conference.
They have without knowledge rushed to copy and paste OLD and REDUNDANT portions of the PF MANIFESTO in a futile attempt to mislead the Party membership and the general public that something unconstitutional was done at the Conference with regards to:
1. The total number of Members of the Central Committee and
2. The period one has to spend in the Party to be eligible to contest the position of Member of Central Committee.
HERE ARE THE FACTS
1. WHAT IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The total number of Members of Central Committee was changed from 30 to 54 by the National Council in line with Articles 68, 69 and 70 at the General Conference held in 2015.
The said Articles empowers the Central Committee and the National Council to make REGULATIONS and STANDING ORDERS to assist the Party in the implementation of its Constitution.
The REGULATIONS and STANDING ORDERS made by the Central Committee and ratified by the National Council become part and parcel of the Party Constitution and can be implemented in the MEANWHILE.
So the copy and paste that the small Opposition clique and their surrogates are flashing around on social media showing the total number of Members of the Central Committee to be 30 is old and REDUNDANT therefore it is invalid. The actual number is 54 as elected at the just ended General Conference in conformity with the Regulations and Standing Orders of the National Council of 2015.
2. DOES ONE NEED TO SERVE 5 YEARS TO BE ELECTED MEMBER OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE?
Again, this provision was one of the other provisions of the Party Constitution that was amended in the 2015 National Council Regulations and Standing Orders; it is now null and void.
The Patriotic Front is the LARGEST political movement in the country with millions of followers and supporters. And like His Excellency, President Edgar Chagwa Lungu rightly emphasised in his speech to the General Conference yesterday, the Patriotic Front does not discriminate against anyone. In PF, there are no gods, just comrades with one agenda, to serve the Party and the Nation. So any one who is loyal, dedicated, competent, humble, with no criminal record is free to serve the Party in any suitable position.
ECL ALEBWELELAPO
Issued by:
Antonio Mourinho Mwanza
Deputy Media Director
Patriotic Front