PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/11/2022
ZAMBIANS HAVE REJECTED PF’S POLITICS OF HANDOUTS
The people of Zambia, especially in the areas where local government by-elections were held on Friday, had two choices to make. They had a choice to continue with the past, which is the PF’s politics of tantameni (handouts), or to embrace the UPND’s politics of hard work.
Because Zambians, across the breadth and width of this country, are no longer interested in a leadership whose major preoccupation is throwing crumbles to them while they carry the bigger chunk through corruption, the UPND scored high in Friday’s by-elections – from Mwense to Kalabo; Chilubi to Chikoma; Chingola to Lusangazi; Malole to Mwansabombwe; and Bangweulu to Mkushi. It was a whitewash and a tell-tale of fast-diminishing political fortunes of the PF, not talking about the distant third Socialist Party.
The people who are the beneficiaries of the UPND government’s decentralisation agenda; the devolution of development powers to the local authorities, expanded CDF; free public education; increased and consistent disbursement of Social Cash Transfer; reintroduced student meal allowances; restored rule of law; partial NAPSA benefits access; timely payment of retirees; and improved good governance, have spoken loud and clear.
The results from yesterday’s by-elections, unlike our colleagues in the PF, are to the UPND a time to humbly explore additional avenues of how best we can improve the lot of every Zambian, through bottom to up (horizontal) development approaches, and offering transparent, non-discriminatory and accountable leadership.
This victory is for every member of the UPND and every Zambian who truly believes that the UPND-led New Dawn administration will continue to advance on ensuring that the retrogressive political culture of handouts is relegated to the dustbin of history, only to be replaced by the culture of hard work for collective gain. This is the culture President Hakainde Hichilema wants to entrench in the Zambian society.
For now, let’s pat ourselves on the backs that the ideals for which we voted for the UPND slightly over a year ago, which are to restore the rule of law, reunite the country, and rebuild the country, are beginning to bear fruits and are slowly but surely, reaching every corner of Zambia. As for PF, they are gone.
Issued by:
BATUKE IMENDA
SECRETARY GENERAL