By Dr. Larry Mweetwa
Africa-Press – Zambia. The ongoing manoeuvres by Acting PF President, Mr. Given Lubinda, would be amusing if they were not so politically costly. Unfortunately, the timing of the recent drastic party reshuffles coming barely weeks before a highly contested party convention at which he himself is a candidate raises serious ethical and strategic concerns. As one disgruntled cadre quipped, “When the referee starts fielding his own players, the match is already compromised.”
Let us be candid. The sudden seeding of new members into the MCC structures at this delicate moment can easily be interpreted as a systematic attempt to doctor the voters’ roll. In politics, perception is reality and right now, that perception is dangerous.
More troubling, however, is what was not done. At a time when reconciliation should have been the loudest message, there was no visible effort to engage senior party members who were previously expelled, notably Ba Davis Mwila and Hon. Shakafuswa. As elders in the party corridors whisper, “You do not build a house by first throwing away its pillars.”
Equally disappointing is the apparent lack of broad consultation with fellow presidential contenders such as Ba Mundubile, Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, Ba Kambwili, and others. Leadership at this level requires collective ownership of critical decisions. Unilateralism at this stage does not consolidate power it fractures it. Instead of narrowing divisions, these actions risk widening the fault lines within an already weakened party.
At this moment in our political journey, the priority should have been unity, not restructuring for advantage. The real “elephant in the room” remains unresolved: the legal ownership of the party itself. One must ask, pointedly, “How do you contest for a vehicle when the logbook is not in the glove compartment?”
PF today finds itself in a painful paradox we want to contest as PF, yet the party papers remain out of reach. It is time to face political reality with sober minds. The proposal to rebrand under a new political vehicle such as the New Patriotic Front (NPF) is no longer a speculative idea; it is a strategic necessity. Without a lawful identity, slogans, logos, and grassroots mobilisation become exercises in futility.
As the old saying goes, “You cannot sell or market a brand that legally does not exist or not belong to you.” Today, the public is laughing not with us, but at us. “We have no confirmed president, no secured party name, no official logo and worse off no secretariat. Are we now a headless chicken?” one supporter sarcastically asked.
And Mr. Lubinda must ask himself a very practical question: does he appreciate how difficult it is to popularise a new opposition leader and a new party brand across all corners of Zambia especially in rural areas like Chifunabuli where people still ask, “Katwishi nga ni Uka or TONSE?” Political branding is not announced; it is painstakingly built.
This is the moment for Mr. Lubinda to rise above ambition and demonstrate statesmanship. He must unite the party, listen to the silent majority, and provide a clear political vehicle and direction that can drive the opposition agenda forward. The frustration among PF members is real, growing, and increasingly vocal.
In closing, the message from the grassroots is simple and sobering:
“Ba Lubinda, unity first. The house is burning stop rearranging the furniture.”
Source: The Zambian Observer
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