By Staff Reporter
The PF only has two options, either to rebuild their party without Edgar Lungu or go into extinction, says former Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Ambassador George Zulu.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, following the decision by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to stop the PF’s Joe Malanji and Bowman Lusambo from filing in their nominations yesterday, Amb Zulu said what happened clearly showed the PF’s naivity and lack of political strategy in their rank and file, saying they seemed to be united only in their bitterness towards President Hakainde Hichilema and his administration.
“That’s the common denominator, bitterness and arrogance, but no strategy . What happened in the past 24 hours make very sad reading indeed. I think they need to stomach up, sit down together as as organisation and look at where they are going,” Amb Zulu said. “They have two options, either to rebuild the party without Edgar Lungu or go into extinction and become irrelevant in the eyes of the people. Like the Bembas say, ubuchenjeshi bwa nkoko pungwa tasakamana.”
Amb Zulu said the drama of yesterday could have been avoided if the former ruling party’s leadership simply applied a little foresight in having backup candidates to Lusambo and Malanji, especially that the commission had warned beforehand that their nominations would not be accepted.
“But it’s good, we thank God that Edgar Lungu has seen that his time to go has come. Let PF start walking without Edgar. Let the PF regroup themselves,” Amb Zulu said, adding that there were more original PF members they could have picked up especially that Lusambo and Malanji were coming from the MMD.
He said this was time for former president Lungu to now take a back seat as he had indicated that he was out of politics.
But asked if he believed the statement from Lungu that he was done with politics, Amb Zulu said: “I don’t believe him but I want to take what he says. I will respect what he says not what he thinks. He has said he has left politics so let him go. I want to visit Edgar but not (having him) as a political activist.”
