Deep Cracks Resurface in PF The cracks in the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) were inevitable because some senior members in the party were working against President Michael Sata and were going round the country propping up their own political images, former Lusaka PF vice secretary Benja Siwila has observed. Siwila said it was not surprising that there are reports of a breakaway party in the ruling party because some cabinet ministers and other senior party officials have deliberately been frustrating President Sata with the hope of promoting their selfish political ambitions. But chief government spokesperson Joseph Katema yesterday dismissed reports of a breakaway party within the PF stating that the assertions were wishful thinking and the work of political opponents of the ruling declaring that the government was intact. This follows revelations that over 20 ministers, deputy ministers and Members of Parliament have formed a breakaway political party after falling out of favour with President Sata whom they have accused of grooming his son Mulenga as the hier to the presidency. But Siwila said that some named cabinet ministers have been going round the country selling themselves instead of marketing President Sata and what he had achieved in the last two and half years. He said the youths were aware that there were schemes by a selected group within the ruling party that had realized that their ambitions of taking over the leadership of the ruling party had been thwarted and were now planning to form their own political party. He said the youths in the PF were the eyes of President Sata and would closely monitor the activities of some government officials adding that there had been reports of people having clandestine meetings in different parts of the country with some unknown agenda. Siwila said their demands to have some senior central committee members expelled were based on the information that there was a clique within the party that was planning to oust the Head of State from the party presidency. Siwila said the formation of a new political party within the PF was a culmination of many previous reports that some senior members were contemplating forming their own political party. He said most of the ministers were not helping President Sata preach the developmental programmes the government was undertaking adding that the said ministers were deliberately frustrating President Sata so that the people could rise against the Head of State. “Our demonstrations to have some senior party officials expelled are justified. I am sure these are the people who have been working against President Sata and they have been going round the country promoting their own ambitions. Some ministers are not preaching President Sata’s vision,” Mr Siwila said. He said the PF was approaching the time to have a national convention and that the youths would be alert watching groups with the selfish motives of hijacking the party. Siwila said the youths would never neglect President Sata because he had sacrificed a lot for the country and that the Head of State needed to complete his full two terms to fulfill the promises he made to Zambians. But Government has dismissed as wishful thinking reports that that there is a break-away party that has been formed by more than twenty cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and Members of Parliament after failing out of favour with President Michael Sata. Dr Katema who is chief government spokesperson said in a statement that PF‘s opponents were allegedly spreading falsehoods to cause confusion in the party so that they could gain political mileage. Dr Katema said government was intact under the capacity of President Michael Sata who he claimed was delivering on the mandate given to him by Zambians during the 2011 general elections. He said government would not be swayed by what he called cheap politicking from delivering on its development programmes adding the PF would remain focused on the agenda of building roads, schools, hospitals and other social services to improve people’s standards. “Government wishes to dismiss as wishful thinking assertions that there is a looming break away bfrom the Patriotic Front government by some cabinet ministers and deputy ministers as suggested by some sections of the media. This is clearly the work of the ruling party’s opponents who want to gain political mileage from lies and falsehoods against the government,” Dr Katema said. Source: Daily Nation zambiareports/2014/04/20/deep-cracks-resurface-pf/
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 06:03:27 +0000
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