By Daily Revelation Reporter
Economic Front (EF) leader Wynter Kabimba says the Socialist Party (SP) must not allow their victory in Lukashya to get to their head, saying it was ironic that a political that says it was growing in popularity managed to win in Lukashya but lost badly in the other election contested in the nearby area.
Asked on the performance of his fellow opposition competitors who seem to be making steady progress, chalking up a ward election victory a week ago in Lukashya, in addition to the other seats plus won previously, and emerging second to the ruling UPND in what used to be known as traditional PF strongholds, Kabimba said the recent SP victory should be viewed from the historical perspective, saying when the former Rainbow Party came on the scene they won a ward election in Isoka, using just one car and little money against their main competitors.
He said the following year, the Rainbow Party followed that up by winning another election in Nakonde in 2016, adding that FDD had a lot of members of parliament before, including Heritage Party under General Godfrey Miyanda, the National Party and ZADECO too, but all these political parties have “died a natural death in the process.”
He said going by that, the SP should not be excited by the one victory in Lukashya, unless people did not understand the history of new political parties on the scene and how they develop and sustain themselves.
“But if you do then if I were in the Socialist Party I would be cautious about the excitement about Lukashya. I would be cautious,” Kabimba said to Daily Revelation media, and that his party participated in by-elections in Mukushi and Mongu-Central in June last year, saying the SP failed to raise nine supporters even after they were given an extension of one hour and that that was how they were disqualified from that election.
“Even the results, compare the results in Lukashya and the results in the other by-election in that area in which the Socialist Party participated. Just compare the results of the two. How do you win so overwhelmingly in Lukashya and lose so badly in the same province if your victory is a reflection of how popular the political party is? So for me speaking to my colleagues, and I still consider them as my colleagues in Socialist Party, is be cautious,” said Kabimba.
