UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says the forthcoming parliamentary by-elections in Mangango constituency in Kaoma district of Western province will serve as a litmus test for himself and President Michael Sata.
Mr Hichilema said a vote for a Member of Parliament in Mangango constituency will not just be about electing a member of the legislature, but a contest between himself and the republican president.
He said this in an interview yesterday, when he made a stopover in Kaoma where he also visited the district’s two main markets before briefly addressing party sympathisers at Isha Mbingo lodge.
Mr Hichilema, who also was swarmed by party fanatics, said at every opportune time only one party member can be adopted to contest for any seat and urged those who might not be adopted not to despair but support the party’s preferred candidate for that particular time.
He said fuel in the country had become too expensive and the kwacha has continued depreciating, an indication that the PF’s economic management system was not prudent.
Mr Hichilema said unemployment rates in the country have equally surged, adding that a win for the UPND is the only passport to development.
He bemoaned delays by government to announce the maize floor prices, describing the manoeuvres as a failure on the part of the PF government to deliver on its promises.
Mr Hichilema was accompanied by Senanga Central UPND Member of Parliament Likando Mufalali, Lukulu West UPND MP Misheck Mutelo, Chikankata UPND MP Munji Habeenzu as well as the western provincial leadership led by their chairperson Mubita wa Mubita.
Other notables in attendance included former Mandevu FDD MP Patricia Nawa, former Lukulu east ULP MP Batuke Imenda and former Programme Against Malnutrition director Fridah Luhila.
And during the stopover, Kaoma MMD district youth chairperson Kenny Ndumba and Luampa MMD district chairperson Davy Makozo, who also served as political attaché at the Zambian embassy in South Africa, defected to the UPND.
Mr Ndumba said he has never been associated with losing since 2006 when he was campaign manager for former deputy defence minister Akakandelwa Mwendoi and in 2011 when he campaigned for former commerce deputy minister Taundi Chiseke.
FEEL THE HEAT AROUND THE CORNER
you are not and will never be at the same level no matter how many deceptive political centuries you spend practicing to catch up.
sata is way way ahead of you
Try modeling because politics is not a popularity contest but ability to serve one’s country
@Gen(itals)
what way ahead is sata, in deception or what? other wise in terms of knowledge and economic management HH is way far much ahead of sata, that is why I for one want HH in sata out
HH you became UPND President on tribal lines. You have never been a councillor, MP or even a ward chairman. Democracy is about numbers. As long as you are not popular in Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, Eastern, Lusaka, Central and Copperbelt you never be a president. Southern Province taught other provinces how to vote.
Litmus test, what does that mean?
Thanks
@ Matipa
Running a country does not require an economist but a leader who can harness and put together people of various exploits for the betterment of the country.
Your pedestrian politician maybe an economist but is an incompetent leader who by any measure has successfully mismanaged and rundown a once vibrant UPND?
I dont want his profound ineptitude ans uselessness he has exhibited in UPND extended and extrapolated to my beautiful country
I have no interest in elections now. My health is P1
Moving forward, UPND is growing at a fast rate!
were is the party growing ?re u blind HH can never and will never be a republican president continue dreaming.
where? Try counting provinces.
Watch the space saulosi and Gen ,keep on burying yo heads in sand.The writing is clear on the walls.Wina azanya oil. 2016 is the final and last battle. The result will be 7-1 in favour of UPND. Zambia will be truly liberated from Economic bondage.
Thou shalt not be too optimistic, only God knows what the future holds. Supposing HH is not there in 2016? UPND will equally suffer the leadership crisis. So, let us unite and call on God to guide the nation. Litmus this…. litmus that… politicians ARE THE SAME, “try and error” is their motto. Be realistic! Zambia will come out of bondage ONLY and ONLY when a leader appointed by God leads this nation! Amen….
@Backfire please leave God out of this, he never votes so why should we to him to decide?
HH this is really very childish thinking!!The western province is the opposition strong hold and UPND is expected to win the bye elections in their strong hold.If you want a litmus test try to chalenge Sata in a bye election in the Northern province,Luapula,Copperbelt,Lusaka,Muchinga,Central,Eastern provinces tthen you will see ho far behind you are from Sata.The fact is Sata is Miles away aheard of you and it will take you centuries to get there.Be realistic man!!
Remove Central Province from the list because UPND has been gaining milage in this Province. The very recent one was Katuba. Oh! I forgot that UPND has an MP and Councillor on the Copperbelt. What a shame! Do you still need evidence of UPND’s growth? Go to Kaputa and see whether your head will still remain in the sand. UPND (which I have never voted for anyway) is unstoppable. Ignore them at your own peril if you can. You ‘ll be caught up in the mud! If truly you believe that UPND is not popular, why then is your POLICE FORCE all over trying to stop them from reaching the people? What is the fear from the PF? dont tell me about the Public Order Act because everyone including preschool children know that it is selectively applied.
My friend. What PF strongholds? If you are confident you have a stronghold – allow HH to canvas and recruit freely in NP, EP, CB etc. Let the people decide on their own without undue pressure.
Then we can talk about strongholds.
You are very right . One wonders Mr. H’s wisdom and intelligence just last month he told people in Eastern province that he was going to make sure the Govt released the maize floor price. Logic will tell you that the Govt was going to do it regardless. That’s Mr. H for you so what effort did he make?
A litmus test would be a win Kasama Central. Look here HH, focus more on north, Luapula, Muchinga and East provinces, everywhere else is easy meat. People can’t wait to crush the serpent’s head.
He is never allowed to visit those “Sacred Provinces” which the PF fear that they may fall in his hands. Give him chance to visit and then judge him. It is like locking up your Children in the house every time and then boast that you have the most obedient daughters that can never break their virginity. This is ridiculous! You don’t stop your opponents from throwing blows by tying their hands and then boast that you are a hard puncher. This is sheer stu.pi.dity!
HH has already taken Lusaka, Central, Eastern, Western, Copperbelt, North Western, and Southern. He does need Luapula, Northern and Muchinga to win. Northern and Muchinga are really the same province. The voter population never increased as a result of splitting one province!
Iwe …. your relatives tooo tribalistic to vote any other tribe ask LPM and RB, anyway they are in ancient times, we will move on and leave them in colonial times.
Meant ‘ HH does NOT need Luapula, Northern, Muchinga to WIN’
Economic freedom fighter HH is the way forward viva UPND
HH ukapoka i.to.le come 2016.ni pobo after pobo
Spare us you Bemba pig. Do you people have any decency where you come from? No so long ago Sata was in court insulting a lawyer in his Bemba language. You’re very primitive people.
THE MOOD, HASTE, HATE, BITTERNESS AND LACK DEVELOPMENTAL IDEAS IN HH INDICATES CLEARLY THAT EVEN IF HE WERE TO BE PRESIDENT, HH WOULDN’T BRING ANY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO ZAMBIA. IN FACT HIS HATE AND BITTERNESS WOULD SIMPLY BE DIRECTED INTO NOTHING BUT VENGEANCE OF THE UNKNOWN. HH IS SO BITTER THAT HIS BITTERNESS WILL NEVER END UNTIL HE KILLS SOMEONE OR SETS ZAMBIA ABLAZE. PEOPLE MUST BE CAREFUL WITH THIS MAD DOG. HIS ASSUMPTION OF THE COMING BY-ELECTION IS CHILDISH AND MYOPIC. THIS IS BECAUSE PF DOESN’T SEEM TO BE POPULAR IN WESTERN PROVINCE BUT MMD AND UPND ITSELF…
…BESIDES, THE ELECTION WILL NOT BE BETWEEN HIM AND SATA. MEANING IF AND I AM SAYING IF A UPND CANDIDATE WINS IT WILL SIMPLY MEAN ITS THE UPND CANDIDATE WHO IS POPULAR AND NOT HH. BESIDES, LET’S NOT OVERRULE TRIBALISM IN SOME PARTS OF ZAMBIA. HH WINS IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE BECAUSE HH HIMSELF HAS POLITICISED PEOPLE ON TRIBAL LINES IN THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE. SIMILARLY, HE BY ALL MEANS TRIES TO POLITICISE WESTERN PROVINCE ALONG TRIBAL LINES. SO, HH YOU ARE JUST SCORING YOUR OWN GOAL. IN FACT YOUR CANDIDATE WINNING EMPHASIZES ON HOW POPULAR SATA IS THERE. AND PF CANDIDATE WINNING MAY EMPHASIZE HOW CONFIDENT THOSE PEOPLE HAVE BECOME WITH SATA’S GOVERNMENT.
Lekeni ichongo naimwe. Tamwakwata nensoni! Which tribalism are you talking about? Does it mean that Mr. Sata is a tribalist because he won in the North? Which tribal statement has HH ever made? I challenge you to reproduce any tribal statement HH has ever made. Please give us which media you will be quoting so that we can engage in a normal and useful debate. Merely stating that someone is tribal based on his tribe is tribalism in itself. Also use lowercase letters when writing. Uppercase usage is indication of illiteracy.
SATA WON ALMOST ALLOVER ZAMBIA. WHERE YOU SLEEPING?
Is the President or you going to stand in those bye-elections?
Why not simply for 2016?
In Zambia it is so worrying why we don’t analysis before doing anything.
HH was involved in the plunder of our companies in Zambia. He was given chance to be a negotiator for our Privatization system and he and others reduced the prices of the companies in order to buy them at a song price. Is this a person you want to be president? Coming on Zambians try to reason and make our country tick.
Sorry. You are barking up the wrong tree. Try something else.
@HANA WAMUBITA, MANY ZAMBIANS ARE F00LS AND MYOPIC. YOU ARE ASKING FOR TOO MUCH FROM MOST ZAMBIANS TO ANALYSE ISSUES OBJECTIVELY.
True. People have blinkers on. Easily forgetting HH stole from their fathers.
Social and economic development is what we need. there can just be one party at a time, Support Katongo and You also will be supported. We only have one Zambia
Sata does not need any litimus test because he has already passed that by wining in 2011 and he is in state house. Come 2016 even if you win all th e parliamentary seats in western, bantustan and northwestern provinces you still cannot win the presidency and you are so much obsessed with wining the presidency. I just wonder what stories you will be telling us when you lose in 2016. Continue overrating your self bwana you will cry moooooooooooooooooo like your cow in 2016.
Agree with you. He did pass the litmus test – the dochi kubeba. But now our eyes can see clearly what a fraud he is and the Zambian is wiser – NEVER AGAIN TO BE DUPED.
Once Beaten. Twice shy.
Mushota and Friends, I believe you watched the ZNBC TV news of yesterday when the president was speaking to the vice president of China. You heard his usual voice and you saw him how he has gained weight. Is this the way you PF guys can keep my father in plot one like this? It is not good to keep on saying things are okey and keep on saying apwe, apwishe term of office. No this is bad and inhuman. He must retire on medical grounds than ukwipaya umufyashi munshila yaifi.
THE ONLY POLITICAL LIEs STILL REMAINING WITH pf CADRES IS TO UNWISELY CONVINCE THEMSELVES THAT HH IS TRIBALIST. THAT IS A WEAK POLITICAL WEAPON PLEASE. IT IS WISHFUL THINKING ON THESE PURE TRIBALISTS TO ALWAYS ALLEGE THAT HH IS A TRIBALIST. ZAMBIA IS ONE AND WE ARE ALL BANTUS. DEVELOPMENT WILL NEVER BE DELIVERED BY TRIBAL INSULTS BUT BY THE UNIT WHICH MAKES US LIVE IN ONE COUNTRY.
THOSE CALLING HH A TRIBALIST ARE THEMSELVES 100% TRIBALISTS. MWANAWASA SUFFERED THE SAME FATE, AKASHAMBATWA OF NP, NKUMBULA IT WAS THE SAME. WAIT AND SEE!