By Angela Moonga
Citizens First (CF) national chairman Lavison Mumba says it is a misrepresentation of facts to say that CF leader Harry Kalaba has humbled himself to work with PF.
In a statement issued yesterday, Mumba stated that Kalaba had always been willing to work with other opposition political parties.
“To suggest that President Kalaba has ‘humbled himself’ only now, or that his willingness to work with other political parties including the Patriotic Front (PF) is a recent development born out of political desperation, is both inaccurate and misleading,” Mumba stated. “President Kalaba has been consistent, principled, and deliberate in his advocacy for a united opposition long before the revival of discussions surrounding the eligibility of former President Edgar Chagwa Lungu. His position has never shifted with political winds; it has remained anchored on the belief that a fragmented opposition cannot defeat a repressive and increasingly intolerant regime.”
Mumba stated that Kalaba’s desire to work with PF predated the current internal debates. He stated that the calls by Kalaba to work with PF were not driven by opportunistic or factional interests.
”President Kalaba’s comfort in engaging the PF predates current internal debates within that party. It was never conditional, opportunistic, or driven by factional interests. Rather, it was informed by his firm belief that opposition politics must be built on trust, transparency, and unity—never on treachery, duplicity, or short-term schemes designed to benefit a few individuals,” Mumba stated. “Contrary to the narrative implied by the headline, President Kalaba has always been humble. His humility is not situational, nor is it performative. It is reflected in his long-standing call for a united opposition front, which he believes is far more effective and credible than a disjointed political landscape littered with multiple alliances and rival factions. Defeating a repressive regime does not require two Tonses or three PFs; it requires unity of purpose, unity of vision, and unity of action.”
Mumba further stated that Kalaba had rejected the idea of choosing a flag bearer for the opposition based on a particular region or tribe.
“Furthermore, President Kalaba has consistently rejected the retrogressive and archaic notion that the selection of a presidential flag bearer should be restricted to a particular region or tribe. Such thinking undermines national unity and must be rejected with the contempt it deserves if Zambia is to make progress as a truly democratic and inclusive nation,” Mumba stated. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Citizens First (CF) is an inclusive political movement that remains willing and ready to work with other political parties. It is for this reason that the CF is currently in partnership with the NDC, the RDC and we continue to actively engage various political formations with the objective of building a viable political arrangement that will reduce the number of presidential candidates and enhance the opposition’s chances of forming government.”
