By Mwansa Kaumba
I agree with Vice-President Mutale said that the opposition in its present form, should forget about forming government in 2031, says Citizens First (CF) leader Harry Kalaba.
In a press statement, Kalaba stated that the truth of the matter was that there were too many chancers within the opposition who were not genuinely interested in improving the lives of the majority of Zambians who were desperately crying out for alternative leadership.
Kalaba argued that the events before and after the August 13 general elections have exposed a troubling reality that many in the opposition were more interested in personal gain and political aggrandisement than in redeeming the Zambian people from the abject poverty and squalor in which so many continue to live.
”Her Honour the Vice-President Mrs W.K. Mutale Nalumango’ statement in Parliament yesterday that in its current state, the opposition is likely to lose the 2031 general elections, requires scrutiny and attention,” Kalaba stated. “As painful as this truth may be for many of us in the opposition, we must have the courage to confront it. The truth of the matter is that there are too many chancers within the opposition who are not genuinely interested in improving the lives of the majority of Zambians who are desperately crying out for alternative leadership.”
He urged Zambians to condemn those that have placed personal interests, personal political ambitions and individual gain ahead of the collective interests of the people they claimed to represent.
”It is regrettable that some in the opposition spend more time calling others sellouts when, in fact, those who are quickest to label others as sellouts are themselves the real sellouts,” Kalaba stated. “In its current form, the opposition is in a worrying state and is not inspiring sufficient confidence in the Zambian people. Nor does it present the kind of credible, united and purposeful alternative capable of delivering the change that our people are desperately looking for.”
Kalaba decried the troubling reality by politicians to seen personal gain at the expense of offering credit opposition to redeem Zambians from abject poverty.
”Politics must be about service. Leadership must be about the people. But when opposition politics becomes a vehicle for personal enrichment, political bargaining and individual advancement, we should not be surprised when the people lose faith in us,” Kalaba stated. “For this reason, I agree with Her Honour the Vice-President that the opposition in its present form, should forget about forming government in 2031.”
But he stated that the state of the opposition should, however, not be a moment of despair but a wake-up call.
”It is time for us as opposition leaders, to take a long and honest look at ourselves. We must put the interests of the Zambian people above self-interest and personal gain. We must stop treating the suffering of our people as an opportunity for political advancement,” Kalaba stated. “Zambians do not need another group of politicians seeking power for its own sake. They need leaders with integrity, humility, vision and a genuine commitment to transforming their lives.
The challenge before the opposition is clear that we urgently need to reform ourselves, restore public confidence and put Zambia first.”
Kalaba continued: “If we fail to do so, then we will have no one to blame but ourselves when the Zambian people once again look elsewhere for leadership.”
