BY ADRIAN MWANZA
INSULTS from members of the PF Lusaka Provincial Executive Committee have angered former Mandevu Member of Parliament, Jean Kapata, who has advised party members to focus on unity instead of mudslinging.
Ms Kapata, who is also PF Member of the Central Committee, said she had received a number of insults from members of the Lusaka executive committee, who had even reached an extent of insulting the former head of state, Mr Edgar Lungu.
She said in an interview that most members were being ridiculed including Mr Lungu who did not deserve that kind of treatment for the sacrifices he made for the party.
“People like me, Professor Nkandu Luo, Given Lubinda are insulted on a daily basis by some members who have now reached an extent of even insulting the former republican president,’’ she said.
Ms Kapata said the party members needed to be sober minded rather than what was happening where they had risen against the party’s CEO over a meeting which was called.
She said there was urgent need for party officials to stop engaging in mudslinging and focus on forging unity of purpose that would bring members together.
Ms Kapata warned that the mudslinging culture that has characterized the former ruling party had the potential to destroy the organisation.
She called for a unity of purpose among PF members that would leave the party united and victorious.
Ms Kapata said the party needed to forge ahead by doing away with the conflicts for it to remain as a force to reckon with.
She said members had a duty to ensure that party remains strong by focusing on unity as opposed to advancing personal agendas.
She also advised the general membership not to follow the voices of bad elements that wanted to sway the party into a ditch.
Ms Kapata said there were a number of bad elements in the party that were hell-bent on causing confusion in the party.
She said it would be unfortunate if PF was divided by bad elements that did not mean well for the party who were pushing an agenda.
‘’For me I just want to call on PF members don’t follow bad elements. We are in this together, so let us not follow bad elements to influence us without knowing what they are doing. Listen to the voice of the acting Secretary General,’’ she said.
She explained that the central committee never sat to make a quorum but that the acting Secretary General Nickson Chilangwa could have been acting on the presidential directive which was provided for in the constitution.
She said the constitution gave powers to the SG and it was enshrined in article 61 clause F and G of the PF constitution which indicated that the president could give instructions to any official or member of the party, empower any member of the party to exercise any powers or specified functions for and on behalf of the president, party or the central committee.
Meanwhile, according to party insiders, the Central Committee had resolved to dissolve the Lusaka Provincial Committee prior to the August 12 elections because of some mischief that was noticed.
He said the committee was going to be disbanded but they changed their mind and allowed them to continue until after the general elections.
‘’That committee was almost disbanded because their elections were marred with confusion,’’ he said.
