THE DP says those in the PF will be blown off by the wind of change they are downplaying.
On Sunday afternoon, DP officials in party president Harry Kalaba, spokesperson Judith Kabemba, finance secretary Justine Nkonge and Central Province chairman Stephen Kabwe featured on KNC radio in Kabwe.
Kalaba said people have realised that time to change the government has come.
“People have seen that this is time for the DP to be voted for. The DP does not entertain political violence and tribalism and that’s exactly what Zambians despise,” he said. “Today most families in this country cannot manage to have three meals in a day. Some have failed to send their children to school. Why? They don’t have jobs.”
Kalaba also explained the mobilisation strategy for the Democratic Party.
“I was in Kapatu last Sunday. Kapatu is in Lunte district in Northern Province. Then we went to Kasama, Mpika and everywhere. As I speak here, our teams are mobilising. Winning elections is not on the polling day but now,” noted Kalaba.
On his part, Nkonge said “come what may”, the PF would be kicked out of power in August next year.
He indicated that no political party had mobilised its members throughout the country, since 2018, like the DP.
“We have been to all the provinces. We have not rested and we’ll not rest in terms of mobilisation. Those who are saying there is no wind of change next year, let them stay still. They will be blown off by the same wind,” Nkonge said. “Both rural and urban voters have woken up to the trickery of the PF. They have now known that PF leaders niba kalembe kafyuke (cheats). Even villagers have now known that the PF is gone. Let them continue comforting themselves that there is no wind of change. It’s because they are eating. But come next year, we’ll get off the sausages off their mouths.”
He mocked PF officials for going round, chanting about infrastructural development.
“But ask them at what cost? These roads they have been putting up are disposable. The DP has pillars which it will rely on to turn around the economy so that wealthy can be equitably shared, unlike the situation now,” Nkonge noted. “How many are benefiting now? We can’t tolerate a situation where every election year, people come to lie to us about what they will do about Mulungushi.”
He explained that a DP government would see to it that agricultural produce was processed within Zambia, to create jobs.
Nkonge added that at the moment, young Zambians were only employed in AirtelMoney and MTNMoney booths.
Meanwhike, Kabemba lamented that there were no industries where young people could get employed, no wonder: “our youths are always roaming the streets.”
“They have been lying that they will fully operationalise Mulungushi Textiles and employ thousands of people. Have they employed anyone? It was a political lie, as usual,” she said. “Who have these people even empowered? Obviously only those who are selected to go and sing for the President at the airport are empowered. But even then, the handouts they are given are not sustainable. So, the issue of empowerment is just a political strategy.”
She added that the DP meticulously thought through issues.
“We analyse and say ‘this thing we are about to do, how is it benefiting the people?’ That’s how we concluded that holding by-elections is a loss to the national treasury,” said Kabemba. “Look at the huge amounts of public money that is spent on by-elections! Yet there are no basic medicines even here at Kabwe Central Hospital! Those by-elections just breed division and political violence. Blood is usually shed and high-ranking leaders go on podiums and start scorning other tribes. The DP will not take part in such tainted politics.”
Meanwhile, Kabwe said the DP had been welcomed in all the 12 districts of the province.