Tuesday, March 18, 2025

‘Rebel MPs’ may ditch PF

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PATROTIC Front (PF) ‘rebel’ members of Parliament are considering other avenues of defending their seats in the 2011 general elections.

Spokesperson of the rebel MPs, Peter Machungwa said they are not bothered by the decision of the PF leadership not to adopt them for next year’s elections.

Dr Machungwa said the rebel MPs are not disturbed by the party’s stance, as they have always been aware of the scheme not to adopt them.

He said this in an interview yesterday in response to the party’s call for more applications from aspiring candidates in all constituencies held by rebel MPs.
Dr Machungwa said it is surprising that the party’s leadership singled out rebel MPs when all MPs have been requested to apply for their positions.

He however said even if that is done, it is not Mr Sata’s responsibility to dictate to the electorate who they should vote for.

Dr Machungwa said the electorate will judge whether the rebel MPs have represented their interests effectively because they have independent minds.

[pullquote]“We are not counting on Mr Sata to accept us but rather people in our constituencies to decide who they want to be their member of Parliament “So the bottom line is that people will decide who they desire to be their representative in Parliament and in fact it is good to have competitors. We are ready to face them and defend our seats,” he said.[/pullquote]

He said the relationship which an MP has with the electorate is what determines his re-election and not what the party leadership feels about their member.

Dr Machungwa said the rebel MPs have had a sound relationship with the people in their constituencies, adding that this will guarantee their re-election.

“We are not counting on Mr Sata to accept us but rather people in our constituencies to decide who they want to be their member of Parliament “So the bottom line is that people will decide who they desire to be their representative in Parliament and in fact it is good to have competitors. We are ready to face them and defend our seats,” he said.

Dr Machungwa said his group is ready to compete against other PF members who will be adopted by the PF leadership to contest the seats they are currently occupying.

He accused Mr Sata of scheming to frustrate the rebel MPs.

“We are not surprised with that pronouncement and in fact it does not worry us. Mr Sata tried to expel us from the party but we contested the decision in the courts of law and they ruled that our decision to attend the National Constitutional Conference is in line with the law.

“In fact, at the time this was happening, the party had asked for applications from aspiring candidates to contest our seats and some even paid money to be considered for adoption but they were disappointed with the outcome,” Dr Machungwa said.

The PF has invited applications from aspiring candidates in all constituencies held by PF rebel members of Parliament.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

33 COMMENTS

  1. But the PF has already kicked them out. So what are they talking about? And this is the classic failure of a typical Zambian not to see further than his nose when making an important decision. Surely, they didn’t expect the PF to adopt them next year!

  2. INDEED THATS A HUGE LOSS FOR KAPONYA PARTY BCOS THE 24 SEATS WILL BE SHARED WITH MMD. MACHUNGWA IS A USEFUL TOOL WITH AN INDEPENDENT MIND UNLIKE ABENA NSANDA THE RAPIST, MUSENGE THE THIEF, ULE MUMBI AND KAPATA PAKI LUBINDA PLUS MANY OTHER KAPONYAS LIKE EMPTY TIN KAMBWILI

  3. #2 I can assure you that none of the rebel MPs will retain their seats I am challenging Machungwa in Luapula constituency where he has done nothing apart from F.o.o.ling people without meaningful development.

  4. 24 seats up for grabs.

    None of the 24 will get a seat back.
    Who would vote for someone like them knowing their vote goes to MMD.

  5. But how come the so called rebel MPz refuzed to seek a fresh mandate from the eletorate but instead have held on to PF membership uzing some court jargon?

  6. Interesting is the fact that since 2006 tripartite elections 4 local Government bye-elections across Luapula have been held & PF has lost them all to MMD with landslide. Politics is at grassroot & local Government votes are best indicators. UPND has been winning local Government elections as a result that momentum has reflected in its parliamentary momentum of gaining 3 seats since. PF failed in Central province’s Chitambo constituency to MMD, Eastern’s Mukaika and now Northern province’s Mpulungu constituencies seats to MMD. National wide while UPND has carried over 27 local Government bye-election seats, MMD 21 seats PF has only retained 2 in Luanshya and Kitwe on the margin. I wonder if PF has any political base or stronghold in this country? NW, East, South, & Western are 100% out.

  7. @#8 senior citizen. what land slide are you talking about give us the figures. tell us where those 21 seats for MMD are coming from if not from their strong hold of Eastern Province. We know that the seats that MMD have wrestled from PF in luapula there was heavy corruption. If the can pump in 70million Kwacha in a ward with less than 400 registered voters and win by a deciding vote from the returning officer like what happened in Chipili is that landslide? Come 2011 the chaff shall be sorted out from the real wheat. Its good rebel Mps have realized that they will not be adopted by PF. you can have them in MMD and see how they will retain those seats.

  8. The Post Newspaper editorial of yesterday was advising Parties to embrace/encourage internal democracy, I winder why they did not specifically target their god father Sata. The man can not tolerate anyone who thinks differently from him. Their is no better term to describe such a person other than dictator. Zambians have fought against dictatorship for 27 years and we are not going to allow another dictator in state house in whatever form they come. We are aware that dictators are good at hiding behind the Bible to potray themselves as holy and we are witnessing a repeat of history.

  9. these f.ools rode on sata’s pooularity in 2006. they were challenged to resign and go for bye-elections but got scared like a rat that has just seen a cat. Only Milupu and katele can claim to win on their own and not these bloodsucking rebels.

  10. I urge PF to be very careful this time around in selection of MPs.People like Machungwa should not even be entertained because they have egocentric minds.We expect PF to choose the best from the worst since there are no perfect people.I have never liked people who abrogate their promises because of money.They went to NCC to plunder our resources and not to make laws.PF should not sideline credible candidates like they did in Chawama.They chose a bogus reverand instead of Edigar Lungu simply because a reverand is a Bemba.The chap has never brought any tangible project in Chawama worth talking about.She is as silent as a graveyard.We do not know whether she exists or not.Time to choose credible leadership is now.Do not wait lest you choose selfish individual like Machungwa.

  11. Even in Western Countries like Australia,people vote according to their party, they only vote diffirently when they have been given permission to do so, especially things like abortion where they have to vote according to their conscience.Otherwise the other times they have to vote according to the parties stand. And this thing of changing parties like clothes back in Zambia,it make me to wonder..In Australia & many of the developed countries, that rarely happens one happened this year the last time before that was in 1930 but in Zambia people change parties everyday.I personally see is as people not knowing what they want. Its like a person says his a muslim today tommorow he says his a christian 2 day later his a hindu after a week his catholic.Then later pentecostal.what is it u believe

  12. But why wait for 2011? If these “Rebels” are really popular, then why not resign and go for a bye-election to test their popularity?

    They will certainly be adopted by the MMD, so lets go for it if you are not scared of your fates.

    We all know that you are all just in it for the gratuity and other accumulative bonuses/emoluments.

  13. LT wrong title, the REBEL MP’s where already ditched by PF what are you talking about. Its like your girlfreind or boy friend ditches you you cant ditch the person too, the one who mentioned and acted it first is the one that ditched the other. So in this case PF clearly ditched these rebel MP’s and they were expelled the only thing keeping them as MP’s is the court injunction they got against the party they claim to belong.

  14. These so-called PF rebels are not normal. It is like a man divorces a wife and chases her from the house, but she refuses to leave and insists that she is part of the household. After realizing that the man will have nothing to do with her even if she remains in the house, she turns round and threatens the husband with divorce!

  15. PF expelled these so called rebel Mps but the court helped them to continue drawing allowances now that PF has asked everyone to reapply, the guys are now confused! Let them form a party and adopt their god-father ( FTJ) for 2011

  16. How sure are u that 24 seats will go to PF. We are just from Mpulungu defeat. What was said before the by-election, PF will get it alas, beaten to the whip by MMD. When PF celebrated the defeat of UPND in Luena UPND mourned with the PF on the loss of Mpungu seat. PF is a party of people with no brains but noise. All the best in the 24 seats but I think UPND can get 15 of those seats.

  17. 2011 just around the corner, what we want are MPs who donot waste time by subjecting us to party squabbles at the expenses of challeging issues affecting the nation. If UPND get 15 or more seats it will even be better for democracy ! These 24 Mps are PF members in name only otherwise they are more pro-FTJ. If they donot join MMD or UPND they can only stand as independents or form a party under FTJ.

  18. Machingwa uli chiwelewele up to now you did not realise that you will not be adopted by the PF? How foolish of this man and his crew. The PF tried to have you and your rebels expelled from the party and you challenged them from doing so in the courts. You have not been part and parcel of the PF business and how do you just expect them to adopt you, on what grounds? Decide now and do not start wasting time pondering about PF!

  19. Isn`t there anything else Machungwa and his friends can do other than being in parliament? We are tired of these chaps who want to be in parliament for 20 years.

  20. That would be good for those who have been waiting for a long time to be adopted,, it is better that these so called rebels go to give way to those who have principles

  21. There in lies the problem for our country. If MPs with PhDs like Machungwa cannot understand their roles as parliamentarians sponsored by a Party, what chance has the villager without education? It beggars belief that his group of rebels could walk the floor and then claim to belong to the same Party they continue to frustrate and humiliate! Our country needs a stronger constitution to deal with such nonsense and avoid having the kind of low calibre Parliamentarians Machungwa and his like represent!

  22. Bet if Sata had adopted flogs or dogs to stand as MP’s in Luapula in 2006, the animals would still have won. These monkeys thrived on Sata’s popularity and everybody including senior citizen knows that. Machungwa, you’re cooked, I am applying to stand in Luapula consituency. I will wallop you to the born if adopted

  23. PF sacked or expelled the REBEL Mp’s. Ba LT it’s false reporting that The Rebels want to ditch PF. If they are popular, why did they not accept their expulsion like Magande and recontest? They know they are no longer popular in their constituencies, hence they have clang on to PF through an Injunction.Most of them where FTJ’s blue eye boys & his spokesmen. MMD is also falling in the same mistake PF did. Allowing FTJ to push them to be adapted on MMD. It will make the PACT work easy now.

  24. The problem with PF kaponyas is that most of them are dull and iliterate. They cannot read the political wind. Pf, unlike MMD and UPND has not strong holds,there is no province that they can claim to be thiers and lack strategies. It is just a banch of charterboxes without a vision. Come 2011 they be distant third

  25. What ditching is this guy talking about? It is common knowledge that these guys were expelled a long time ago. Their stay in parliament is bacause of the court order. Stop duping people Machungwa.

  26. The Rebals were a sellout and therefore should not be crying for not being addopted. I live in samfya myself and I witneesed how the rebel machungwa ya kwiba was assisted by to compaign and win the seat. but I also doubt if the rebels can be addopted by MMD. They cant accept the rejected rebels who were part of the NCC without the blessings of the PF. So rebels; just join UNIP or ADEDOZAMCN

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