The Patriotic Front (PF) has urged those vying for the Lusaka Provincial party Chairmanship to desist from campaigning on tribal lines. PF media Director Sunday Chanda has said that the sentiments in a video by PF Member Maxwell Chongo where he is alleged to have been campaigning on tribal lines does not represent the spirit of the PF.
Mr Chanda said that the PF is an all-inclusive party founded on the principle of One-Zambia One-Nation, adding that the constitution of the party and the party leadership do not support acts of tribalism and regionalism.
Mr Chanda further said that he expected all candidates and officials to anchor their campaign messages on the Party President’s consistent message of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’, saying that he the PF expects Mr. Chongo to retract his statement.
Mr Chanda added that provincial aspiring candidate Geoffrey Chumbwe should also distance himself from Mr. Chongo’s alleged statement.
Below is the full statement
TRIBALISM AND REGIONAL VOTING IS NOT PF STYLE; LET’S LEAVE THAT FOR THE UPND- THEY ARE MORBIDLY ACCOMPLISHED AT IT
By Sunday Chilufya Chanda
We note with concern that there is a video currently circulating that was purportedly recorded from a meeting organised by Lusaka Province Chairman hopeful Mr Geoffrey Chumbwe where Mr Maxwell Choongo, a Party official in the Chongwe structures is heard promoting tribal voting.
The sentiments expressed in the video do not conform to the tenets and principles of the Patriotic Front (PF).
PF is an all-inclusive party founded on the principle of One-Zambia One-Nation. Tribalism and Regionalism are therefore diametrically opposed to the values and ideals of the Party.
Article 15 (1) (g) of the Patriotic Front constitution is one of the many clauses that are very categorical in abhorrence of tribalism, nepotism and regionalism. It states:
It is the obligation of a member of the Party, to fight against all manifestations of… Tribalism, Regionalism… Nepotism, Racial discrimination …
Article 74 (24) under the subtitle “Quality of Leadership” is also very categorical where in the PF Constitution states:
“A Party leader must never use his official position for his own personal gain or private benefit, nor practice favouritism, nepotism, tribalism …”
We consequently wish to caution those vying for elective offices in the Party to desist from promoting tribal and regional politics.
All candidates and officials are expected to anchor the President’s consistent message of ‘One Zambia, One Nation’.
We therefore call upon Mr Choongo to retract his tribal sentiments and we equally expect the Provincial aspiring candidate Mr Chumbwe to distance himself from tribal alignments and tribal voting.
We can all learn from the chronic woes and misery of our brothers and sisters in the United Party for National Development (UPND) that stemmed from similar tribal talk. Let all be reminded that it is such tribal and regional voting sentiments that killed Mr Hakainde Hichilema’s political career even before it was born.
Hichilema’s introduction after Mazoka’s death in 2006 was blatantly tribal. The UPND proclaimed that only a Tonga could replace a Tonga to lead the party; so they deliberately overlooked the hierarchy with such notables as Sakwiba Sikota, Patrick Chisanga and Bob Sichinga and they picked Hichilema – a nondescript individual who was not even in the party structures at the time, just because he was Tonga.
Tribalism has since become embedded in the DNA of the UPND and the party with its leader have struggled to rid themselves of the tribal and regional plague since then. As a result, the person they picked on tribal lines has been punished 5 times at the ballot box since 2006.
The UPND tribal style is not the PF style. God forbid! Tribalism and Regionalism are alien to PF. Zambians find tribalism to be highly repulsive.
Mr. Chumbwe and Mr Choongo could take a leaf from the PF founding father late President Michael Chilufya Sata and his successor His Excellency President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s inclusive and non-tribal style of politics.
We know Mr Chumbwe and Mr Choongo have it in them to do the right thing.
Birds of a feather.
But Chanda is not senior to issue this statement. In what capacity or whose behalf was he yapping? Where is the SG? Let’s do the right thing from cadres up to leaders.
Letter is about reprimanding Max Chongo but Chanda twists it to target HH.
Sunday chanda is dangerously obsessed about HH.
He can even bewitch, poison or assassinate him, given the chance. HH is the biggest risk to PF00Lish thieves serving looong jail sentences for their ill-gotten wealth.
Quote: This assumption among some Zambians that only non-Bemba speaking peoples are more capable of tribalism is erroneous.
Am one individual who rarely talk tribe , because am a hybrid and my wife is luapulan,but since chanda wants to talk tribe let’s get on with it.
Ba chanda before you joined pf in 2011 you was a staunch RB supporter, it’s same people you despise from solwezi central (north western province),mongu central, nalolo (western province),Livingstone central (southern) and lastly but not the list chipata central (eastern) these constituencies were the game changers in 2011, now show me since independence one constituency that a non bemba has won at presidential level in luapula,northern and muchinga?
These thugs…. Look at them, innocent people are in jail, those PF thugs deserve to be in jail.
Why has the UPND become at the centre of Sunday Chanda’s response to a PF internal issue? PF is more tribal than UPND, just look at the cabinet and party rankings.
Can these PF Chaps say anything without mentioning HH or UPND?
Really funny, when the leadership approves of tribalism, I am sure there is going to be trouble when Edgar and the other thieving parliament of baboons come back from the rally in western province, the tribalists will be instated.
P.F IS THE BIGGEST CRIMINAL, VIOLENT, & TRIBALIST POLITICAL ENTERPRISE, POSSIBLY IN THE WHOLE OF AFRICA TODAY!
Just look at the current Cabinet, & Diplomatic service.
This Pr1mate Max Chongo, should be ROTTING IN PRISON as we speak, as it committed Aggravated robbery in Petauke, but useless thieving Jona Chakolwa intervened, & got his Bandit Monk3y released, as he needs Chongo for P.F’s intimidation, & violent activities.
Meanwhile the lazy leader is singing about unity and one Zambia one Nation on airport tarmac when he is clearly liming through his gapped teeth.
This is why its important for a Head of State to address nation as his juniors get mixed messages ….why should Sunday canning Choongo who is he? Where is SG Mwila?
KAISER AND AMOS TOLD HIM THAT ZAMBIANS ARE MENTAL, JUST FOCUS ON YOUR BANK BAL
CHANDA is very right. HH is to blame. Actually we need to do a peaceful protest against him again because what he has done now is extremely bad.
Just how on Earth can he make us fail to qualify for the AFCON 2019. This is unacceptable.
I think i now believe bishop Eddie Chomba.
Ulesudelako before you smoke, friendly adize.
Have you ever heard of the ‘POVERTY FACTORY’?
Max is Northwesterner and Chuumbwe is bantustan(Soli by tribe)Kk created one Zambia, one Nation because of tribal supremacy in ANC. The Northwesterners supported Adamson Mushala and co-militants led by Simbwende to unsurp power from kk using magic skills and tongas were in full support , they also came with balang’ombe just to intimidate Kk.Tribalism saw Kk not to pay official visit in Southern province for his 27 years rule. No wonder young bookworms like Sunday Chanda can’t be cheated on certain habits of some tribes. The same as levy ( bantustan,soli) his tenure ended off in a bad note. He purely punished Bembas and Ngonis/Easterners on one song of corruption.This was a source of corruption and nepotism in high court.our friends enjoys tribalism for decades though now they want to…
Young man stop making up stories , the mushala story has nothing to do with tribe .the tribalism cracks started immediately after independence, this where the motto one Zambia, one nation came about
Google: one Zambia, many nations,politics of tribalism ..
Excerpt: just three years into power, Kaunda realised that the Zambian tribes were not as united as he had thought. The first post independence UNIP convention saw a very bitter tribal fight. The Bemba—Tonga pact had at the UNIP convention bitterly defeated the Lozi—Nyanja alliance. Kapwepwe was elected UNIP’s vice-President to the consternation of Kaunda and Kamanga an easterner had been defeated In fact, it was during this time, that some UNIP members started doubting Kaunda’s loyalty to the Bemba tribe since he had Malawian…
since he had Malawian parentage. Kaunda knew very well that he needed to do something more to overcome this new era of tribalism that had started to engulf the nation.
To overcome this, Kaunda retraced and reemphasized his loyalty as a Bemba subject of Chief Nkula in Chinsali. He also made a point to try and persuade Kapwepwe to step aside since two Bembas could not possibly hold two top positions in both UNIP and the government. Kapwepwe reluctantly obliged and Kaunda quickly brought in Mainza Chona, a Southerner to replace Kapwepwe. But this deeply displeased Kapwepwe and several other Bemba hegemonists, who latter proceeded to found the UPP, a party mainly popular in Luapula and Copperbelt provinces.
AWE IWE! UNAINVELAKO ‘POVERTY FACTORY’?
I was enjoying Sunday’s caution against tribalism until he mentioned HH and realised it was just another way of attacking the UPND!
Poor Hacks, sorry I mean Trib.al Hacks of course!!
Poor Jay Gay, I mean trib.al Jay Gay. Of course he is a trib.al lieutenant and cannot disguise it try as he may.
#8, now you even hide your real names? Of course it is embarrassing to expose the real names and the real purpose of your fight, which is a trib.al installation but that failed even in 2006. It must be agony indeed to fight for upnd, a party loathed by all real Zambians.
Zambia was cursed when this so called tribal, violence PF took up the office.
Have you ever heard of the ‘POVERTY FACTORY’?
Article 74 (24) under the subtitle “Quality of Leadership” is also very categorical where in the PF Constitution states:
“A Party leader must never use his official position for his own personal gain or private benefit, nor practice favouritism, nepotism, tribalism …”
Hahahahahahahaha. Like really?
Who can forget the big tribalist Sata whose cabinet consisted of people from 2 provinces?