By Patson Chilemba
The President has to tour the country, if presidents of other parties are not doing it that is their problem, says ruling PF vice-chairperson for mobilisation Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba (GBM).
Speaking with Daily Revelation, GBM was asked if the ongoing presidential tours around the country were aimed at helping with mobilisation for support as opposed to inspecting developmental projects. Responding, GBM said President Lungu wanted to make sure that people see him.
“I think that is just a programme for the President. The President of course has to do that, if other presidents or other political parties are not doing that I think that is their problem. But you have seen that our president his prime objective now is to make sure that there is development in all the corners of Zambia,” GBM said, “including where they didn’t vote for him, including Monze in fact where he was booed. He has actually gone there to commission a police camp.”
GBM described the tours as something that was ongoing.
“So I think that it’s something that is ongoing although he just wants to make sure that people of Zambia, of course some have never seen him, they would like to see him, they would love to see him,” GBM said. “If other presidents were not doing that, I think he’s doing it differently which I personally fully support, that he should traverse the country so that people can see who Edgar Chagwa Lungu is. Some of them have never seen him.”
On the voter registration programme, GBM said the job of his committee was to reach out to would be voters, saying this was the time to entice voters to vote. He said most people, like from the area he hails from did not understand the importance of voting.
“For now what we want to do is first to go on radio in all the districts, in all the constituencies, districts and so on and so forth to sensitize them through radio that’s what we have put in place for now. But I think other things will follow later,” GBM said, adding that the outreach would also go to areas which were not known to be ruling party strongholds. “I think it’s important to eye those places, because not everyone who voted against us in the last general election will vote against us in this coming general election would vote against us in this coming general election next year. Some of them have changed their minds. Some of them are fatigued with their parties, they want to change and vote for of course for any progressive party which is no other than PF.”
On the debate regarding President Lungu’s insistence to go for another term, which is viewed as a third term by the others, GBM said it was wishful thinking to think that the President would be stopped from standing. He said it was a waste of time, arguing the Constitutional Court had already addressed the matter.
“So how do we expect to find ourselves without a president? We as Patriotic Front our sole candidate is president Edgar Chagwa Lungu and that is what we have resolved, even before the convention because this is what the people of Zambia are saying,” said GBM. “We have traversed the whole Zambia and most Zambians are saying they want Edgar Chagwa Lungu, they are not mentioning or anyone in our party.” -Daily Revelation