This Week: My thoughts on Patriotic Front Fights

Kelvin ESIASA

By Kelvin Esiasa

‘Not Kuziwonengela’ is a saying among the Ngonis which translate as ‘do not destroy on your own’.

This saying is used whenever a person is advising a friend. I would like to say these words to the Patriotic Front (PF) the ruling party ‘please not kuziwonengela’.

It is very sad to see what is happening in the ruling party. What is happening in PF is very detrimental. The party is about to destroy itself. It is sad to read that there are people in PF who think they are more PF than others. These people have even charged themselves to ensure that the members differ with them are removed from the party. This group has positioned itself as a ruling group and anyone who does not support it should be removed from the PF.

The other thing that is saddening is the behavior of PF Secretary General (SG) and some senior officials. Some officials in PF seems are no longer interested in working with Acting President Guy Scott. They have shown beyond reasonable doubt that they would not listen to the Acting President who is also PF President.

The SG has also appeared in the media claiming that he was the right person because the late President anointed him to be the next leader. He has also told the media that he was left with instrument of power and these instruments of power were grabbed from him illegally by the Acting Republican President Dr. Guy Scott. Besides this, SG has also told the media that he was threaten with treason if he did not handle over power to Dr.Scott.

SG also was quoted in the media accusing other PF members of having corrupted some members of PF so that they could win election at the PF general conference. He has also accused others of forming a cartel to ensure that they ascend to power.

My comments on these happening are as follows. Firstly, I find it disturbing that the people who were telling the Zambians that the Late President wanted all Zambians to be united and peaceful are the ones in the forefront unleashing cadres on innocent citizen. It is also sad to see the people who told the Zambians that they were graduates of Michael Sata school of thought being in the forefront agitating violence. It is even sad to see the people who told Zambians that democracy in PF should continue and no-one should be victimized but they were the ones creating anarchy in the party.

So, I find PF wrangles very disturbing. There are so many questions that running remains unanswered. If the ruling party cannot unity how will they unit the Country. If PF cannot manage itself how will it run the Country. If PF always attack innocent people how will it promote peace in the Country.

The other surprising thing is that SG Edgar Lungu is telling the Zambians that he was threaten with treason. He has told the media that Secretary to Cabinet and Attorney General were the one who threaten him with treason. I find this very surprising. In the first place, Edgar Lungu is an accomplished lawyer with several years of experience. Besides he is also a Chief legal adviser and Administrative officer of PF. So for his caliber as a lawyer, I find his statement not convincing.
I say so because at the time he was Acting President obvious he had an opportunity to consult Service Chiefs on the same matter. He had also chance to consult Acting Chief Justice on the matter if he sensed that the Attorney General was intimidating him.

The other comment that I wish to make on PF is that the party should unity itself if it is serious about winning and retaining power. PF has the power now and it should fight hard through the ballot to retain the power. The party should not blind itself by thinking that it would automatically win the by election.

PF should realize that it took them ten years for them to ascend to power but would take them three years to lose power. It is also important for PF to understand that there was need for reorganization of the party if it has to win elections.

The party should not blind itself with the struggle for power. They should understand that their intra rivalry has created tension in the country such that Zambians are living in fear. PF should also understand that many Zambians were tired of PF fights.

Lastly, I would like to say that PF should understand that their intra rivalry can be resolved. The fights against Former Secretary General Wynter Kabimba can be resolved. Kabimba is just one of the members of PF and he should also contribute to the development of the party.PF should not fear Kabimba or look at him as a Lion who can devour the party. They should not also look at him as a devil. Instead they should allow him to participate freely and mingle with any member of the party. They should consider Kabimba as just like any member of PF who is entitled to his opinion.

It is not clear why some PF members were hostile to Kabimba. If Kabimba is influential in PF then let PF accommodate him so PF could win the election. If Kabimba is non entity in PF the party allow him to enjoy is life. If the so called Cartel is very influential let PF accommodate it so that PF could win. Moreover, politics is about numbers and influence. So the sooner they sort out their problems the better for PF.