By Isaac Zulu
Operation Young Vote executive director Guess Nyirenda has said that the individualistic type of politics being practiced by the Patriotic Front will take the former ruling party into oblivion.
Speaking in an interview, Nyirenda said that it is sad that the Patriotic Front, which was in government two years ago, is heading on a path of self destruction.
He said that Patriotic Front is still a formidable institution, but if the continues on an individualist trajectory, it risks going into oblivion.
“If you look at UNIP two years after losing power and if you look at MMD two years after losing power, you will realise that the Patriotic Front is still a formidable institution. They still command some following and they have the potential. The earlier they realise that the better,” Nyirenda said. “But it is sad to note that a political party that was in government two years ago is heading on a path of self destruction, which will result in serious breakups. And if the Patriotic Front is going to continue on this trajectory of individualist type of politics the PF risks going into oblivion. They should own up.”
He said that the Patriotic Front leadership should demonstrate unity of purpose if it is to defeat the elephant in the room.
“They should stop this growing tendency of saying that there are true greens and others are not true greens or are fake greens. They should stop saying that this one was there during the formation of the Patriotic Front or at its inception. They should demonstrate unity of purpose; as opposed to engaging in divisive and individualist politics. If they are to defeat the elephant in the room, they should be united,” he said. “All Patriotic Front members should be considered as party members, regardless of their positions in the political organisation, because they joined the political party voluntarily.”
Nyirenda advised the PF leadership to hold the “much anticipated” convention, stressing that the delay to convene the said conference is creating a lot of anxiety among Patriotic Front members and is likely to result in some breakups in the former ruling party.
“They should not even think that 2026 is very far away. They need to lay a foundation now and not wait for 2024. Yes, the Patriotic Front; like other opposition political parties, is likely to have challenges; resulting from internal divisions which might arise from the convention. But the challenges that will arise from the convention, provided it is held within this year, will just be teething problems. So if they hold their convention much earlier, these teething problems can be healed before the 2026 elections,” Nyirenda said.
He said that the Patriotic Front leadership should be strategic in the way it is organising and mobilising the party if it is to remain relevant in the Zambian political space.
“They might not form government soon, but being a formidable institution, and if they can prove that they are still relevant; they can still partner with other political parties and defeat the elephant in the room (UPND). They should be strategic and resonate with the people like Michael Sata used to do, who always used to go back to the elecotorate. Currently most people in the country are facing the high cost of living and other challenges. And those are some of the things that the Patriot Front should take advantage of in its quest to provide effective checks and balances to the ruling party. The Patriotic Front leadership should invest in political consultancy, we can give them consultancy services,” said Nyirenda.
