THE United Party for National Development (UPND) can continue imagining and fantasizing victory in the 2016 general elections but reality will hit them when the Patriotic Front (PF) and President Edgar Lungu will be declared winners, Bahati member of Parliament Harry Kalaba has predicted.
He said claims of popularity by the UPND were not new and that the opposition political party had always overrated itself but had never been any closer to winning any general election.
Mr Kalaba, who is Foreign Affairs Minister, recalled that the UPND under Mr Hakainde Hichilema had adopted an “egocentric, elitist and plutonic attitude” which had made the opposition political party fail to work with other political parties in the past.
He told the Daily Nation that Mr Hichilema should consider himself lucky that he would never win the country’s presidency and govern because the challenges the country was facing were too serious to be left to people with little knowledge of how a country is governed.
Mr Kalaba stated that the UPND and its leadership had always lacked sincerity and Zambians could never risk putting the country in the hands of a leadership that had no predictable political characteristics.
Mr Kalaba said the ruling party was going to work hard to defend its mandate to continue governing and that President Lungu had made the PF more popular and attractive by his humble and inclusive style of governing the country. He stated that the PF was not sleeping and was going to ensure that most of the election promises were delivered because Zambians deserved the best.
Mr Kalaba explained that Zambians were not amused that the UPND leadership had continued to disparage President Lungu and that they would ensure the opposition political party was not given a chance to preside over the affairs of the country.
“The UPND is going to lose the 2016 general elections because they have always lacked sincerity. The UPND and its leadership has failed to humble itself before the people and has adopted an egocentric, elitist and plutonic attitude and Zambians are not looking for such traits in leaders. President Lungu’s leadership is anchored on humbleness, respect for citizens and commitment to work harder and deliver and that is why the PF will be given another mandate to continue presiding over the affairs of the country. We can only wish them well in their dreams because the PF with retain power in 2016,” he said.
Mr Kalaba stated that the pact between the UPND and the PF collapsed because Mr Hichilema despite knowing that he was not as popular as Michael Sata in the opposition attempted to assume the leadership of the pact.
He said in 2006, the UPND frustrated the success of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) when Mr Hichilema demanded that his political party should lead the alliance despite being new on the political scene.
Mr Kalaba said Mr Hichilema would never rule Zambia because he had always been disparaging the presidency.
“Mr Hichilema is very lucky that he is not going to be the president of this country because the challenges Zambia is facing are too serious. It is not possible to take what you are disparaging. During the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) celebrations at Heroes Stadium, Mr Hichilema refused to recognize President Lungu when other opposition leaders were doing so,” Mr Kalaba said.
The PF has deliberately completely blacked out HH from their controlled ZNBC TV leaving locals wondering if anyone in the opposition cares about their plight. people I have met in Lusaka have this view ati tabamoneka Ba HH.
These are dirty tactics used by parties in power in the past as well, but will not work because you cannot mask peoples suffering forever.
Work hard President HH to get your message to the people on the ground.
Despite this you still have our vote MR President HH.
To really be honest Kalala should take time to reflect on his statement because to be brutally honest PF are the ones overrating themselves… with all that’s going on, job-cuts, failing economy, the mining sector etc and yet they claim they’re on “top of things”, really!!? Now they’re on rampage issuing statements everyday trying to defend their failures but its rather too late to convince the masses that they’re not a failed lot. Any well-meaning Zambian will vote them out in 2016…
In my town ECL has not made the PF more popular as Mr Kalaba is claiming here. Actually his leadership style, of arrogance and not listening to the people, has had the very opposite effect and has made the ruling party very unpopular. In the midst of a budget deficit the govt charters a jet at a colossal sum of $300 000 and as those that was not enough they carry along 256 people and you say ECL is full of humility. Don’t be deceived by the posture he portrays when walking of holding his hands. I have always said that that is not humility.
Yaba! So ba pf if this how one runs a country then I don’t know how failure of running a country looks like. Please have insoni please!
@slim
You are in a foreign country and claiming that ecl is not known there. Why should ecl be popular where their are no registered voters. HH is popular on online media where people dont vote no wonder he is always a loser.
Mr Harry Kalaba sir
We have not forgotten how you went on your mouthpiece ZNBC TV with eyes almost popping outa y’ head warning Scott about how you intended to crash him for attempting to bring sanity to Zambia. Now you believe that UPND is overrated. I wish to advise that you check your facts about the sharpest rise in the cost of living ever since the beginning of this concept called Zambia and the apparent indifference of your president and arrogance of your party and come back and tell us about overrating oneself. Maybe those who are fooled.
Yours truly
These guys are really insulting our intelligence as Zambians. Cost of living of living for many of us is unbearable and all you can say is HH this HH that. It seems PF has failed to make the transition from opposition to ruling party because they are only in their comfort zone when politicking. Mr Kalaba can you kindly inform us about your achievements from the just ended un summit and the numerous side meetings…any investment pledges? Are we expecting any high powered investor delegation soon? This is what we what to hear sir.
The only sorrow thing pa Zed dear is that come election period, when the PF govt machinery goes into full gear dishing out money and all sorts, the masses will easily forget about the suffering they have endured in the past and still vote for this good for nothing butch. Just ask yourself, how can any sane person vote for a bully dunderhead like Kambwili? But this is the calibre who were scoring a land slide for Lungu last January from the well informed masses of Luanshya-its a shame!!
Masturbating in public as usual. What is this useful ***** saying? How do these guys measure development? How do you have a minister who says zambia’s economy is doing fine because of traffic congestion? Please God save us from these uncaring DEVILS. We are tired the guys who are raping our economy. They are busy building mansions at the expense of develpment.
Mr Kalaba, u say HH has not even come closer to winning. R u sick or delusional? During the last by presidential election, had it not been for the selfish RB factor HH would have won. You think Zambians r so stupid & they can not see for themselves.
Could call EL humble, but their a wise quote which says: That a peasant may become King does not render the Kingdom democratic (Woodrow Wilson). How many opposition leaders have suffered via the police with orders from the highest office?
Kalaba at times it’s a good idea to simply be quite than to talk. You may not know this but the cost of living has risen the highest in the history of Zambia, hope is lost and health services have collapsed and all you talk about is UPND? Kaunda and Banda felt invincible until the election results. If I were you I would reflect on the gross mismanagement of the economy by PF and apologize to Scott for publicly threatening him on your ZNBC with your eyes almost popping out of your skull than hallucinating about overrated opposition.
Kalala continue with your barking. Zambians have already chosen HH for 2016. Just go to Isoka and on copperbelt and you will see for yourself that the mood has changed. Starting parking your persol bags.
Harry Kalaba is a pathological liar; we all remember how he kept on saying the late Michael Sata was fit and working in State House when the man was actually terminally ill and dying.
HH is the only credible leader who should rule Zambia; the corrupt PF is very scared of HH that’s why no day passes without mentioning his name.
Zambians can’t forget how the incompetent PF has divided tribes and messed up the economy.
I now realize that Pf officials and their carders live in derision because on the ground Pf is so hated by the Zambian people and UPND is the only alternative. Just like MMD demonized Sata and made him popular so Pf is demonizing HH and have made him unnecessarily popular by each day which goes. Pf and EL are a disgrace to Zambia and EL’s quietness is not the same as humility. Humility has to do with fearing God and doing what god say, a thing which our president falls so short of.
I am a Zambian and I have NOT chosen HH at all. Ifintu ni Lungu
Where is Flight HH 2015? Is it still airborne? UPND any updates?
Its a worry that people who have no touch on the ground are the one talking highly of upend being popular. Talk like matured people addressing matured brains. Talk about yourself don’t pluralize what you can’t validate.
you are feeling the heat pfools day and night viva hh vote upnd in2016
Well said Kalaba, by 2016 when the Chinese economy has stabilized and demand for copper is at an all time high, we will see what the UpDn members will talk about. That is why these devils don’t want anything to do with prayers. The UpDn members claim that, HH, observes the Sabbath but during the 2015 campaign, HH celebrated mass on a Sunday in a catholic church in Kasama with his pal GBM.
WHAT KALABA HAS SAID CAN NOT BE FAR FROM THE TRUTH. HH IS TOO POMPOUS AND WHENEVER HE IS GIVEN A CHANCE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE, ALL ONE HEARS FROM HIM IS THE SAME POMPOSITY AND I WILL DO THIS, I WILL DO THAT. TRULY, AS KALABA HAS POINTED OUT, PEOPLE WOULD DO ANYTHING WHEN NOT IN AUTHORITY. PARTICULARLY, WHEN HH TALKS I ALWAYS REALISE THATEVEN HIM HAS SCANT OR NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHY THE KWACHA CAN NEVER BE A STRONG CURRENCY. THE LONGER HE HAS STAYED IN UPND THE MORE PEOPLE HAVE COME TO KNOW THAT HE IS ACTUALLY VERY USELESS IN LEADERSHIP.
Kalaba and others on PF payroll,please know that PF will not win next the 2016 elections.Let this fact sink your bulky heads. No one who is buying mealie meal and bread at k90 and K10 respectively will vote for you including those you have made to lose their jobs. Count yourself luck to be in Government but alas you been failures big time.
@ ba chills you sound like one who has piteously slumped into self derision. if out of all the media houses in Lusaka Mr HH cannot be visible because of an alleged ZNBC blackout it could only mean his strategies are not working and he probably needs better advisors
Just go for prayers on 18th so that you handover peacefully to HH in 2016.
PF is becoming unpopular each day that pssses.. If PF thinks it is popular, let the issuance of voters cards and NRCs be done fairly and voting in 2016 should be from 0600 to 1800 for all the 10 provinces. No changing rules in the middle of the game.
PF is becoming unpopular each day that passes.. If PF thinks it is popular, let the issuance of voters cards and NRCs be done fairly and voting in 2016 should be from 0600 to 1800 for all the 10 provinces. No changing rules in the middle of the game.
Comment:U5 has ruled up n down close to 10 years bt still a failure,ECL less than a year he is in state hse,so u U5 followers between da 2 who is better?jst stop dreaming we r used to yo slogan ati aleisa na nomba tulelolela,not akapitilile na futi pa plot 1 mu 2016.
GO AND REPENT. YOU STOLE HHs VOTES IN THE LAST PRESD ELECTION . NO WONDER IFINTU TAFILI BWINO, NA VOTE KWIIBA!
Chils bbuta, we no longer care if HH loses. We just want to fix Jameson & his PF. Let them spend all their energy on frustrating & disparaging HH. But they can’t frustrate & disparage 14,000,000 zambians.
Jameson can manipulate the election in his favour, but like the good song says ‘twakana’, he will never succeed. One way or another he will pay.
Hukalila Hichilema na bantu bobe. In 2016 People in other provinces (tribal regions) will simply do what their colleagues in southern province did in january 2015. Never mind the so called quality of leadership, what southerners did was downright tribalism and it has not escaped other tribes attention.
Where has Scarface Kalaba been all these months? Licking his wounds of not being appointed Veep?
Comment: Continue dreaming!!! The Up and Down Party.
Laughable claims from bakacema Party. Nothing for you in Zambia, sorry basaa!