By Mwansa Kaumba
The Citizens First has leaped to their leader Harry Kalaba’s defence over the attacks he received from the opposition following his remarks that he agreed with Vice-President Mutale that the opposition in its present form, should forget about forming government in 2031.
And the CF stated that the tables have now turned as the same people who insulted and isolated Kalaba are now looking for his support, and seeking his endorsement and alliance because the public has rejected their “empty politics and because they have no message for Zambians.”
In a press statement yesterday, party spokesperson Stanley Mhango stated that Kalaba offered an honest assessment of the status of the opposition.
”Mr. Kalaba remains ideologically focused as an opposition leader for the CF party. He does not shy away from calling out issues as they are, whether they concern the ruling party or the opposition itself. That is the definition of credible leadership. He speaks truth to power and truth to the opposition,” Mhango stated. “It must be remembered that Mr. Kalaba has endured sustained political attacks from across the divide. Some colleagues within the opposition ranks, including those who enjoyed massive public support during the last election, did everything to paint him black. At the same time, operatives aligned to the ruling party joined in calling him all sorts of names, labelling him a spoiler and an irrelevant political player, simply because he refused to join politics of personality cults, convenience and self-preservation. He chose principle over popularity and decided to build Citizens First as an ideological alternative.”
Mhango stated that the same people who “insulted and isolated” Kalaba were now looking for his support because the public had rejected their empty politics and because they had no message for Zambians.
”Mr. Kalaba and Citizens First have refused to be drawn into politics of self-preservation, either from the ruling party or from fellow opposition parties. We state this clearly. Many so-called opposition parties have joined the UPND Alliance against public demand, abandoning their duty to provide checks and balances,” Mhango stated. “Many opposition members have sold out to the ruling party for personal enrichment, positions and contracts, using the opposition as a bargaining chip. At the same time, many other opposition parties have been cowed down into complete silence due to drastically reduced democratic space, where meetings are blocked and leaders are intimidated.”
He stated that under that environment, the CF remained the only consistent voice.
”We have not joined UPND, we have not been bought, and we have not been silenced,” Mhango stated. “Mr. Kalaba’s warning is therefore a wake-up call from within the opposition. An opposition that has sold out, an opposition that has joined government, and an opposition that is too scared to speak, cannot win the confidence of Zambians in 2031. Public trust has been eroded by lack of unity, lack of integrity and pursuit of personal ambition.”
Mhango stated that Kalaba was the only alternative among all the ruling and opposition parties, as he was not into politics of self-preservation.
In his statement over the weekend, Kalaba stated that he agreed with Vice-President Nalumango that the opposition in its present form, should forget about forming government in 2031.
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,” stated Kalaba. “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.
