INTOLERANCE WILL COST -PF WARNED

By KETRA KALUNGA and SENIYA BANDA
INTOLERANCE being shown by the Patriotic Front (PF) will cost them because if they continue on this trajectory, they are headed for extinction in the country’s political space of Zambia, a youth organisation has warned.
Zambia National Youth Think Tank (ZNYTT), Executive Director, Mumba Tebulu said PF is headed for political extinction if they continue being intolerant.
Mr. Tebulu said the decision by the central committee to dissolve the Lusaka Province executive committee on trivial and petty issues, shows that the party would continue being intolerant.
He said in an interview that the dissolution of the Lusaka executive committee defeats the purpose of rebranding with the aim of bouncing back into power.
“With this trajectory, the party which once held power is headed for extinction in the country’s political space.
“How do you say we are dissolving the committee for indiscipline because they suggested that the convention should be held very soon and blame them for losing the Presidential election among other reasons?” he said.
Mr. Tebulu feared that a suggestion from PF MPs that the party leader would come from the serving Members of Parliament is a recipe for disaster and would make the party more unpopular because a lot of members would befrustrated,
He said the committee has already decided who would take over as party President through this decision that the party President should come from serving MPs which is not enshrined in the party constitution.
Mr. Tebulu said the decision of the PF central committee through the acting Secretary-General (SG) Nickson Chilangwa contradict the party’s mission of rebranding which calls for giving way to divergent views and forgiveness.
He said the PF party is already failing to show the characteristics that a political party undergoing rebranding should exhibit which include among others; upholding the constitution, tolerance, and being able to accept divergent views.
Mr. Tebulu urged the PF to remain sober to be able to provide credible checks and balances as the biggest opposition political party because they have experience in issues of governance.
“We advise the acting SG, Nickson Chilangwa to remain sober and provide leadership, let him not be used the way he was used in 2014 by the Guy Scott function and ended up acting for only one day, the following day he was removed and history has a way of repeating itself because he might leave as the shortest-serving SG again,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governance Activist Bupe Chanda has urged the PF to find amicable ways of ending the current leadership wrangles as they risk making the party unattractive.
Mr Chanda said due to the current wrangles, the party risks losing its essential members and a few may be interested to join the party.
He said what the party needs to do now, is to unite and ensure that it works at rebuilding the party.