Ex-Chikankanta MP shoots back
IT IS unfortunate that I have today been labelled a tribalist and a UPND sympathiser because I have advised my party on what needs to be done to command more support in the Southern Province, former Chikankata MP Sylvester Simayaba has said.
Mr Simayaba said one day, he would be vindicated over the issue.
Last week, Mr. Simayaba told the Daily Nation that one of the solutions to the PF’s misfortunes in the Southern Province was localising the party leadership by putting more Tongas in senior positions whom the locals would identify with.
But PF provincial chairperson Lawrence Evans came heavily on Mr. Simayaba branding him a tribalist and a UPND sympathiser who had tried to push his luck on its ticket as parliamentary candidate in 2016 but that due to his lack of a Grade 12 certificate, he was left out.
But speaking to the Daily Nation yesterday, Mr. Simayaba said it was sad that the party leadership in the province had branded him a tribalist and a UPND sympathiser simply because he gave a fair comment on what was happening in the province. He said he would remain a loyal PF member who will not be frustrated by people who were waging a mudslinging campaign against him and painting him what he was not to shut him up for exposing their shortcomings. “The truth of the matter is that I am a bonafide member of the PF who is merely advising the party on how to grow in the province and other non-strongholds for the PF.
“I was merely saying instead of our president and other candidates getting zeros in most cases in most of the polling stations, we need to rebrand.
“Surely, this is not the scenario to be happy about. I never said we should phase out other tribes from the party and I must not be accused of being a tribalist,” Mr. Simayaba said. promotes embracing of national ethics and mindset shift towards a positive Zambian identity.
Ms Deka said the main recommendation of the publication was to promote patriotism among Zambians. "The reason why mindset is vital among citizens is because citizens are the ones who bear the results of development and transformation," she said.