PF defends MMD defections
SOUND policies and quality leadership in the Patriotic Front (PF) are the magnets attracting some defectors to the ruling party, former Lusaka Province PF Youth chairperson Kennedy Kamba said yesterday.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Nation, Mr Kamba, who is aspiring to become PF Lusaka provincial chairperson, also said the ruling party could not reject members from political parties aligned to the PF from joining.
Mr Kamba was reacting to remarks attributed to MMD Copperbelt secretary Obby Mwansa who was quoted by some media as saying the PF would regret betraying the party that helped it win the 2016 general elections.
Mr Mwansa was further quoted as saying that the ruling party was stabbing MMD in the back by staging “fake” defections from the former ruling party.
Mr Kamba said contrary to assertions by Mr Mwansa, the defections were genuine, adding that the sound policies of the ruling party and quality leadership were the magnets attracting new members to the PF daily. “These defections are very genuine, new members are attracted to our party on a daily basis because of the sound policies and quality leadership under President Edgar Lungu. The PF government is delivering on the promises it made during the campaigns and that is
why Zambians have shown confidence in us.
“And for our colleague Mr Mwansa to come out in the open to accuse us of stabbing them in the back with fake defections that is uncalled for. Mr Mwansa should know that as a political party which is mobilising our members, we cannot stop members from the party we worked with in the last elections who have decided to fully join us,” Mr Kamba said.
He added that PF had not stopped the MMD from mobilising itself, saying it was also at liberty to do so. He said PF would continue to build on the huge mobilisation success of the by-election campaigns to sell its policies to Zambians so that more members were recruited. Mr Kamba also said the last local government by-elections in which the PF scooped 12 out of 16 seats were a clear signal that Zambians had confidence in the leadership of President Lungu and that the PF was still the most popular party in the country.
Meanwhile, Mr Kamba expressed confidence that the 3) would win the forth-coming Chilanga by-election