19/01/2021
By Mirriam Nakawala
The Patriotic Front has announced the ponstponment of Northern and Luapula conferences which were slated for January 23 and January 30, respectively, citing the surge in the COVID-19 cases.
PF Secretary General Davies Mwila has announced in a statement that due to the escalating numbers of COVID-19 cases, the PF have postponed the Party's Northern and Luapula Provincial Conferences to dates to be announced.
Mwila urged party memebrs and the general public to strictly adhere to the prescribed health guidelines during this period in order to contain and control the spread of COVID-19.
It is laughable to hear that the PF have postponed the elections in Northern and Luapula Provinces citing the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Since the country recorded a first COVID-19 in Zambia early last year, the ruling party has never been so concerned about it.
If anything, the country has seen the worsed form of violation of COVID-19 health guidelines, by PF members than any other section of society.
We have seen PF members hold rallies, inspect and commission developmental projects, mobilization meetings and launch campaigns, while COVID-19 has never been an issue to them.
So what has changed today? Has the PF become more concerned about COVID-19? No!
It is very strange that today they can postpone such an important conference citing COVID-19.
Seeing that COVID-19 has never been an issue to stop the PF from conducting any political activities, they are just using the disease as a scapegoat.
What has caused the postponement is more serious than the COVID-19 which they are using.
It is better for the PF to accept that there are problems in the party and something should be done urgently.
The truth of the matter is PF strategist and aspiring candidate Kelvin Bwalya Fube(KBF), has revealed it all.
KBF observed that the firing of Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya and two of his colleagues, Mwense member of Parliament David Mabumba and Luapula member of Parliament Emerine Kabanshi, who is also appearing in court for corruption is not good for the party.
He says Dr Chitalu Chilufya comes from a region which is generally called the Northern Circuit within the party.
KBF said the timing to fire Dr Chilufya was wrong ans wished this was done after elections.
He said Luapula for instance, had not yet conducted elections and the President has gone ahead to fire a very strong member in the province.
He also hinted that the firing of Mabumba and Kabanshi were not good.
Arisng from the President's decision to fire ministers in Luapula, people were now asking themselves what they had done wrong and yet they gave the PF a 100 per cent in an area considered its bedroom.
He said politics don't play well for the President Lungu in this regard and insisted there are problems in the Province.
He also said he sees a backlash coming out of the President's decision.
KBF said he would have preferred that if there was any sacking maybe it should have come after the Provincial elections.
He said people are going to be saying there is a problem with the President against Luapula people.
He said if this begins from Luapaula, it will shift to Muchinga and Northern Provinces, the PF bedrock.
KBF urged his part members not to be sleepy.
Clearly, there is a problem here. Dr Chilufya who is considered to be strong and influencial in that area, cannot be expected to fully and wholeheartedly be expected to mobilise and participate in the elections under the circumstances.
It is also now abundantly clear that a tribal cabal of politicians, civil senior servants and businessmen of the “Eastern Province” origin are deliberately targeting Bembas for dismissal and prosecution on tramped charges.
In a party and government generally seen to be corrupt, the only people at receiving end are Bemba speaking. The cases of dismissals and prosecutions we have referred to above in addition that of Ronald Chitotela and Eric Chimese are cases in point. By own admission, the President said he fired Kambwili on mere allegations of corruption and the ACC failed to charge him thereafter.
It is therefore not difficult to guess that a purge of Bembas is well underway and active in a party of Micheal Sata. It appears Bembas are good enough only for use a ladder to power as articulated by Charles Banda recently at party meeting in his constituency.
Those who worry about the survival of the PF know that the silent voices of Bemba dissent in the party are worth listening to including that of Matero MP Mulenga Kaziya, who was once overhead telling KBF that the first qualification for dismissal for any reason is to be have a Bemba name.
So where do these developments leave the PF? The party in the Northern circuit especially Luapula is in limbo. It is the more reason Mwila has postponed the elections and COVID-19 is just being used as scapegoat.
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