By NATION REPORTER
THE Patriotic Front is suffering at the grassroot level while the party leadership is being cheated by officials who wanted to cling to power that everything is ok, a PF diehard, Maxwell Chongu has said.
Mr Chongu said the party had disintegrated at the grassroots because many leaders were championing personal interests at the expense of the party.
“Those people refusing to lift suspensions are the ones who have put people who are doing nothing in positions. They want them to be there so that they can vote for them at the general conference,” he said.
All suspensions, Mr Chongu, said must be lifted with immediate effect to build the party because the grassroots are getting weaker.
Mr Chongu said PF needs to reconcile members and bring back members who were on suspension if it was to become stronger.
The party, he said, should learn from Luanshya and elsewhere where it lost because it was divided internally and could not mount an effective campaign.
He warned that it would be ‘deadly’ for PF to face the August general elections with a divided front.
Mr Chongu said people who could help grow the party were being kept at bay to safeguard their own interests.
He said calls by PF Lusaka province chairman, Paul Moonga for suspensions to be lifted should be supported by all well-meaning party members.
“We cannot be pretending that everything is fine when not. That is what led to PF losing the Katuba and Roan constituency seats. It’s because of divisions so this should not be allowed as we go to the August elections,” he said.
Mr Chongu said PF should learn from the outcome of the Katuba and Roan elections to focus on growing the party.
He said the ruling party needed both old members and those serving suspensions to have it easy in the August elections.
