The former ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has resolved not to participate in this year’s International Women’s Day which falls on March 8th and Youth Day which falls on the 12th of March.
In a statement released after the party’s weekend central committee meeting, the party said that it will use these days to galvanize their women and youths across the country to do community service in their various localities.
The Party accused the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) of completely ignoring the youths and women and have relegated them to the tail-end of the social, political, and economic strata, adding that President Hakainde Hichilema has systematically excluded women and youths from critical governance issues by deliberately sidelining them as far as appointments to key government positions is concerned.
The party further said that, with his failure to deal with the economy, the President and his government are pushing the youths and women further into an abyss of poverty and desperation as unemployment, cost of living, and lack of business opportunities and lack of empowerment are steadily on the rise.
Below is the extract from the statement
The Patriotic Front wishes to reiterate that it extols the commemoration of all national holidays and national events as demonstrated by the importance we attached to these holidays and events throughout our 10 years in office.
Youth Day which falls on the 12th of March each year is an important holiday that highlights the importance of the youth to the country on the anniversary of the disturbances in 1962 that resulted in the deaths of young Zambians during the nation’s turbulent journey to independence.
Equally International Women’s Day which falls on March 8th is a special day that is normally used to celebrate women and to also highlight some of the challenges that our womenfolk face. The day can also be used to craft ways to promote gender equality in a bid to create a fair and just society devoid of gender bias.
It is therefore sad to note that barely 6 months after assuming office, the UPND is driving Zambia back to the very evils that we fought against, 58 years ago during the struggle for independence. The UPND regime is fast eroding the gains we had achieved as a nation to ensure enhanced participation and equal opportunity for our women and youths in all facets of our social, political, and economic life of our country.
The UPND has completely ignored our youths and women and have relegated them to the tail-end of the social, political and economic strata. President Hakainde Hichilema has systematically excluded our women and youths from critical governance issues by deliberately sidelining them as far as appointments to key government positions is concerned.
With his failure to deal with the economy, the President and his government are pushing our youths and women further into an abyss of poverty and desperation as unemployment, cost of living and lack of business opportunities and lack of empowerment are steadily on the rise.
At Party level, the UPND regime has continued with its policy of harassment and persecution of PF members; many of our women and youths today are either in incarceration, in hiding or are facing various trumped up charges and have become victims of harassment and intimidation by the state’s investigative wings.
For the reasons highlighted above, I wish to announce to the nation that as Patriotic Front we will not take part in marching or any government planned activities on Women’s and Youth days respectively; instead, we will use these days to galvanise our women and youths across the country to do community service in their various localities.
As a Party we want to send a clear message to President Hichilema and his government that we are displeased and gravely concerned with the manner in which his administration is abusing the rights of our members and how his failure to provide a clear Economic Plan is worsening the poverty levels and the suffering of our people.
You just attend the celebrations. Don’t pay evil with evil. Upnd were childish by refusing to take part in national events. If you boycott you are also behaving childishly.
PATHETIC PF
THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS BUT WOMEN REPEAT WOMEN !!
ANYWAY 95% OF ZAMBIA WILL CELEBRATE THIS DAY
WHILE YOU CAN CARRY ON IN THE SHABEENS DRINKING YOUR SORROWS AWAY
kabili they know that kulibe vundu this time. i am sure they are reminiscing songs like Lungu nga talipo bonse aba nibangwele…
Good riddance.
Ba PF you can do whatever to satisfy yourself as long as you not the party in govt we won’t shade a tear on your position. Continue mobilizing & acting as an opposition party without a penny of our govt resources.
This kind of politics will surely finish PF.
SAIS BEFORE GET RID OF LUBINDA AND GET NEW YOUNG BLOOD IN
It’s a misguided decision. The PF would gain more if they attend than when they boycott. What impact will it have? No one will miss you but if you register your presence at least people will see that you’re intact. Ask UNIP how boycotts affected them
PF boycott Women and Youth? How about all Women and Youth boycott the silly and childish PF?
Very wise decision. That f00I hh and his tribal friends in upnd boycotted all national events when in opposition. So no upnd supporters should even think of saying puuum
such kind of thinking which brought the PF down
@No Corruption Zambia…Spot on. Imagine if all youths and women boycotted this pathetic party
Not enough people to March so to avoid embarrassment it’s just to boycott.
No cadrerism anymore…!!!
Absolutely no impact
Since we are not happy with the current PF leadership, including all current aspiring candidates for the Presidency who are not inspiring we will attend as PF youths in our own capacities
I will attend as a PF youth in my own capacity
Who will miss PF at the events?
Just stay home, and start cleaning the obsolete binoculassess
Another reason why PF needs new blood…which women and youth are they going to galvanize across the country to do community service in their various localities when they couldnt do it when they were dishing out sacks of money last year. You were dishing out K100 from the tresuary to everyone in the name of empowerment you think people will come to listento you today when you have nothing to offer them …really laughable!!
PF dont even have money to host a convention surely where are they going to get fuel money to travel across the country …this is what greed does you only think about eating today not long term!!
The same youths and women you are talking about are the same people who mobilised and made sure that you are booted out on august 12, 2021. They are the same people you neglected throughout your 10 years rule and misrule, now what are you talking about. In the 10 years PF was in power, the only jobs which were available for youths is to become a cadre. through stones at political opponents and the like, was that empowerment. Shame upon PF and Given Lubinda.
CHIKONKO – PF leaders have become synomous with issuing empty statements from PF secretariat …last time they were saying they are going to travel countrywide and consult the people on the direction they were going to take weeks and months passed nothing they didnt even go to consult their call boys at Intercity.
The PF were the hosts of these events in the last 10 years but the women and youth are still suffering to this day.
Who needs the PF anyway? Let them vanish into the darkness.
People shunned these events in the past because of violence which characterised them… now everyone is free to attend these events without fear.
Anyways its there democratic right to attend or not to. But been a former ruling party and one of the biggest opposition fighting for a come, it will be best for them to attend to show people that they’re capable of uniting the nation.
It’s your right to attend or not. As it is now there is no free grz transport to go to the venue so better you just don’t attend and what more you will start quarreling over seating arrangements.
This is welcome. Good riddance.
SO PF DOES NOT EVEN WANT TO BEHAVE PROPERLY AS AN OPPOSITION PARTY? ANY PF HAS NEVER BEEN A TRULY RULING PARTY; IT HAS ALWAYS HAD THE MENTALITY OF AN OPPOSITION PARTY. THEIR DECISION TO BOYCOTT IS INCONSEQUENTIAL AND THIS IS GOOD SELF-RIDDANCE.
Boycott and achieve what? Why do some parties overate themselves. It appears PF postmortem report taught them nothing at all
To go these events to go and do what? Youths and women don’t even have jobs in this country, courtesy of ten wasted PF years
PF and LAZY LUNGU would have declared this day holiday…that’s how workshy they were!!
The Youth and Women’s day celebrations are National events. Politicians should learn to lay aside their differences for the sake of National unity. It was wrong for UPND and it’s still wrong for PF to shun National events.
All this silliness of boycotting national events was initiated by the PF’s much touted “great leader” MCS (MHSRIP) against the Mwanawasa led administration. Don’t argue if you were blind and deaf to utterances and actions of the opposition “great leader” then! It’s time new bridges start being built and old ones serving well get repaired! A span tilling a field will not get the work done if the oxen keep wanting to go opposing directions all the time! Among humans that call themselves leaders its foolishness when its common cause benefit!
Majority Zambians don’t want thieves for these celebrations anyway… so those PF thugs can stay in their ill-gotten stolen homes, they are all a bunch of thieves..
My opinion. this idea of politicians in Zambia always boycotting national and international events events just because of their political misunderstanding is sickening. The question is, if you boycott the event, so what, what effect is going to have at national and international level.
Kindly educate me on this issue.
You just left government then you start boycotts. When the shoe is on the other side