Former Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba has resigned as Bahati Constituency Member of Parliament following his expulsion from the PF for gross misconduct.
Mr. Kalaba has also announced officially his position as President of the Democratic Party where he will be fielded as Presidential candidate in 2021.
Addressing the media in Lusaka today, Mr. Kalaba said he has now accepted the role of presidency of the opposition Democratic Party.
He also said that he would not challenge his expulsion from the Patriotic Front but concentrate on building the Democratic Party.
Mr Kalaba also announced that the DA will not participate in the Bahati by election but would rather focus on the 2021 elections.
During the same briefing, PF Chilapya Ward councillor in Mansa, Chewe Ndila resigned her position to join the Democratic Party.
On Sunday the Patriotic Front expelled Kalaba for alleged gross misconduct.
Below is the Mr Kalapa’s full statement
FULL SPEECH DELIVERED BY HARRY KALABA AT A PRESS BRIEFING HELD TODAY THE 29 JANUARY 2019 AT INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL
Good Riddance to PF Contamination
The Central Committee of the Patriotic Front last Saturday decided to expel me following disciplinary proceedings that were instituted.
The two main allegations levelled against me were that:
1. I had acted in the manner that is likely to bring the name of the party into ridicule or contempt or disrepute
2. I had been spreading false information or rumours which tend to injure the reputation of the party or any of its leaderships
Early last year, I resigned from the government in which I served as foreign affairs minister. I had made my point clear that I was resigning my position on the premise of high levels of corruption in government and thanked His Excellency, President Edgar Lungu for his magnanimity of allowing me to serve in his cabinet as Foreign Minister.
It is clear that my resignation from cabinet amidst high level corruption by the government’s top leadership is the reason for my expulsion from the Patriotic Front. I have not, and have never committed, any crime; the only crime was to speak against corruption, and to side with the people, who are the absolute owners of the resources being plundered.
Today, the bells are tolling for my departure from PF. The PF has proven to be a party of intolerance, a party for self-serving and enrichment, and a party which abets grand corruption and theft by those in positions of trust and responsibility. I choose to be on the side of people; the very people who had sent me to parliament. The same people who motivated me to join politics so I can be their servant and help to better their livelihoods, and to speak on their behalf in parliament and in Cabinet.
I leave the PF today, not because I have stolen or fallen short of execution of any duties but because what the PF is standing for today does not resonate with the wishes of the people. We cannot go on having such a catastrophic large number of unemployed youths. We cannot continue to have women on streets early morning trying to sell produce without anyone caring whether they have enough capital to run businesses; we cannot continue to have farmers receiving their inputs very late or not having any at all.
I am happy to leave the PF for doing the right thing and for doing my job.
There can be no greater service to humanity than to give ourselves to the cause of making their lives better. This has been my belief when I was up and when I was down, an ideal for which I am prepared to pay heavily.
I leave the PF with jubilation in my heart. I have been praying that the PF gets to be the party the people had put in office, the party that was to respond to peoples’ sufferings and to put more money in their pockets. A party that was going to create more decent jobs and not to increase unemployment levels to way beyond the 40% that we have today. A party that would put the interests of Zambians first and before those of the foreigners who are lining the leadership’s pockets.
I continue to pray that the PF leadership will heed the cry of the suffering masses and begin to safeguard the people’s resources for collective national prosperity and posterity.
To the people of Bahati, I thank you for the confidence you placed in me by electing me as your member of parliament. You sent me to parliament and I spoke on your behalf. You and I have a bond temporarily broken but still together in the fight for betterment of Bahati and the whole of Zambia.
I do not wish to challenge the decision of the PF in the courts of law. I will spare the courts the drama of adjournments and injunctions.
I was elected member of parliament for Bahati for a period of 5 years and we are remaining with slightly over 24 months before the next elections. A responsible leadership would have avoided the Bahati by-election as elections are an added cost to the already struggling economy. Unfortunately, the leadership doesn’t care about prudent utilisation of the people’s resources.
I will not participate in the Bahati by-election. Instead, I will focus on mobilizing support for my presidential candidature for 2021 under the Democratic Party (DP). I will also be taking up the Party President position of the DP, so we can build a stronger party of value driven by leaders who will inspire confidence and provide hope for a better Zambia and for posterity.
I look forward to your support and to working together to rewrite history and to build the Zambia you and I want.
God bless Zambia!
Let’s Believe Again
I am troubled either to remain in Heritage, or join DP.
I like Kalaba, but not party name. I don’t like Democratic or Patriotic. I rather like Socialists
Do you drink Whiskey whilst blogging?
I like him.
He is Bemba as well which double edged sword. Good luck to him.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Kkkkkkkkkk Nostrad. Always disjointed comments
Kalaba continues to show better judgement than bambi I won’t name because they are low calibre. Someone must walk away from what he claims he does not agree with.
Kalaba seems to be the better option for 2021. He has shown some integrity, humility and political astuteness. He has some weaknesses, but he is undoubtedly a better option than Lungu or HH.
Kalaba2021
another bye elections, what a waste of resources
WOULDN’T YOU RATHER HAVE RESIGNED BEFORE BEING EXPELLED?
Anyways this is the only recommendable action I have witnessed from this gentleman. Good luck.
Go ye therefore and split more opposition votes. Let us now see what you are made of. I hope and wish that you usher in clean politics deviod of slander and envy and jealousy and mediocrity. Teach double h how to oppose. Take us to the next MCS who after serving in government perceivably single handedly grew a newly formed party to reign at state house beating double h’s upndead butt in a landmark victory. Show us credibility.
LUAPULA PRESIDENT……….
He will end up like Winter Kabimba. Miscalculation, he messed up his chances by prematurely forming his own party. Wrong timing. Politicians never learn.
KC please follow suit and stop eating with both hands. Move
Harry, mwaice nakusulile when I saw you with Bushilu. I hope he is not cheating you that you are winning elections in 2021. You were eating with them and employed your relatives and friends in foreign service but now you want to be a Saint.
Wapya munzi Bushiri’s prophecy is coming to fruititon. Watch this space Kalaba for plot one in 2021. i’m not sure he will make it but, never say never. They say ” The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstcle is an opportunity to improve our condition”
Zambian politics are dirty politics of personal destruction- Kalaba was destroyed for questioning corruption.Smart people of Zambian enterprise would do well to focus on only politics of issues,principles and ideas bcoz politics of name calling won’t put nshima on your table or improve healthcare.
What makes him different from Elias Chipimo or the Brig. General Miyanda? Did you understand the laters Village Concept ideology?
This is Zambia, the real democracy.
Power hungry….kkkkkkk….keep on dreaming…!!! You have a very steep hill to climb kalaba. Good luck…anyway
This is what a man can say and do. not that chi CK fentizo eating with the very corrupt people and party he detastes. He is a real mad man CK. I wonder what kind of brains he is made of. Chainama case mutuntulu eeeiiiisssshhhhh.
What a disaster!!!!
Kalaba, Kalaba, you are in illusions mudala. You want to paint a picture like you are holy and pure yet when you were accorded that Foreign Affairs Ministerial portfolio, you never saw or gave audience to people you didnt know. Dont cgeat yourself, Bembas are not like so other blind tribes who support even a lunatic simply because they hail from the same place. Make no mistake, President Lungu and the PF are serious and mean business working to develop and uplift the living standards of the people. Of course its folly for anyone to think that any given party can address all challenges at the same time but give the limited resources and time, President Lungu and the PF have demonstrated that they equal to the task. Traditional employment in the age of technology is a thorny issue globally…
Well said, but allow him to explore.
“I will focus on mobilizing support for my presidential candidature for 2021 under the Democratic Party (DP). I will also be taking up the Party President position of the DP,…” This says a lot.
Only God knows what lays ahead.
Didnt see this one coming…good move Kalaba…
So another By election that the PF will easily win. Kikikiki.
Just contemplating on the hidden or subterranean roots linked to Kalaba’s political power base. However, I am still puzzled by the day-light economic plunder of the National Assembly exhibited by aspirant Republican President by the name of Chishimba Kambwili.
Good move Kalaba, show them that you can do without their backing.
This byelection is not necessary. the ck option would ve been more prudent
iam not comfortable with this speech, to me he is only addressing people of bahati and not a nation. looks like the concern is only that of luapula in particular bahati. well let us wait and see.
Thats how far his dream can lead him. He knows of victory from that front. You know, limited minds.
I would have loved if Kalaba had said, “I am resigning from PF to take up the presidency of the Democratic Party on an Interim basis until elections are held to chose new leaders for the DP. But it is clear he already thinks that because he helped form the party, he should automatically be the president of the DP. The irony of it is that the party he belongs to is called Democratic Party, where is democracy if he can impose himself as president? This is the tragedy of Zambian political parties. It is sad that this is another “Katemba” party which will breathe and survive on the name of Kalaba and nothing else. I wonder if it will survive beyond the boundaries of Luapula province? Why couldn’t he join the other parties that are already there?
Good observation……Zambian politicians have their own way of defining democracy.Here Kalaba has imposed himself than being democratically elected(internal democracy).Those are dictatorial traits.He may as well rename his party from Democratic Party to Dictatorial Party…the initials will remain the same as DP.
And if he is not made party president, he resigns or cause mayhem to destruct more suitable individuals in that same entity.
You know them better.
You’re the only blogger who has said something sensible on this issue.
Zambia is full of briefcase parties built around a former minister or failed veteran politicians.In USA or Japan parties are build around ideologies and issues.
“Checkmate”
The real president for the people Mr kalaba
Has he paid back the money he illegally took as ex minister? Per ruling if constitutional court
Resigning after being expelled. At least Kambwili is not going without a fight.
What is bad with Zambian politics is that you do have Davis Mwila as Secretary General of the Party who does not understand that it is normal and health to criticize your own party and leaders as long as you do have a reason to do so .Look at American politics were Nancy openly criticized Barack during elections but was still picked in his cabinet . This cannot happen under Mwila a former Nchanga mine Open pit machine operator because of his level of understanding of things plus education .
That’s where you go wrong. A person’s status should not be used as a basis for leadership. Chiluba had more than 40 university graduates in his government but didn’t do well as compared to Kaunda who had only 3 graduates. Churchill was not well educated but did well during world War two. At home here Roy Welensky was just a locomotive driver but as prime minister he achieved a lot even though there was color discrimination. Hope Kalaba will find enough of educated people to vote for him against the majority.
Kalaba shud contest the bahati by election to proove his popularity.he is however more sincere than ck who stil sticks to pf which he condems day and night.
Day dreaming coupled with hallucination from one named so called Prophet who has cheated this man that he will win the 2021 Presidential and General elections if he forms his own party! That prophet was just building castles in the air. We have seen self proclaimed prophets who have cheated people on issues like this one and culprits have been asked to pay some money for their gods to anoint and bless them!
Why aint he joined 10united
If he splits votes no one will get 50+1
If there’s rerun will he accept to support and put GBM and hh while key position are reserved for upendi freedom fighters and 10united
Dreaming, president without MP’s only popular in Bahati or one province.Welcome to the real political hallucination world. Join the political failures. Zambia had on one Sata MHSRP and he started from somewhere a long time.
Not even one province. I’m from the same chiefdom as Harry on my maternal grandfather’s side but I don’t and I can’t support him. We had Chiluba but he did nothing for the province. We have had more development under Mwanawasa, Rupiah, Sata and Edgar.
Presidential material, but only fit for 2036 which will be PF’s last year in Office. Ebaume aba, not this leopard without spots but just full of senseless rantings. There is literally no bitterness whatsoever in Kalaba’s conduct but the opposite is true for chimbwi li. Making all sorts of empty allegations against the PF simply because he is no longer getting those contracts from govt for his mwamona fimofimo which enabled him build houses even on the golf course.
IF HE FORFILL WHAT HE IS SAY THEN IT WILL BE BETTER BA ZAMBIA IFINTU TAFILIBWINO
Let him try his lucky!!!Sata tried and won after trying.He should just be careful that power does not come in a short time frame.Look at UPND past 20 years of power hungry.He needs to accept defeat because in politics there is no morality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Watch this space this man Harry Kalaba is going far. I like his campaign strategy by 2021 this man will be known in all the provinces. He has my vote.
Let’s see how well he will do in southern province….
Kikikikijujujujukukukukujukiki
Very far indeed.
Faaaaarrrrrrrrr!
We had more sweet people. The Gen stood out but you know how we Zambians are. Single digit figures at poll results when the more likely two candidates are hiting and crisscrossing 10s of thousand between them.
Its political being in politics pa Zed. I love Zambian elections, its like the moment of reckoning where we differeciate men from boys. CK ena ni ndwii, ati MMD has taken over PF or vice versa, a bumbest novice. Sorry but Sinkamba has more political tompwe than Kalaba. He sounds politically correct, presidential and is of sound mine this dobo party leader. My take on this. Still boys are isolated from men.
He has done that on principle, he should be commended because not many politicians can forego gratuity and resign on principle. He becomes only the second politician to resign on the premise on high levels of corruption in government as far as i remember. The other one is late Levy Mwanawasa when he resigned as Vice President in the MMD government in 1992 somewhere there. Levy later went on to become republican president and put Zambia in order economically, politically and socially.
Well I’m glad Kalaba has not blocked his expulsion but I’m still wondering why he had not resigned from his constituent the same time he resigned as a cabinet minister, especially that he has no intention of defending the seat on his party ticket. Why has it taken him so long to simply announce he is aspiring for presidency on his party ticket. Now that he is not in PF officially, it is high time he spilled the beans about corruption not just lip service. It is not enough to simply say there is corruption without elaborating further. Good though
Comment:kalaba,you are the best
Comment:Zambia is bleeding as u normally said, too much unemployment for the youths, where are we going, as at now we don’t have a leader, come and be our leader in 2021
With that mindset tuning, we have bled extremely dangerous youths in our land and Zambia should rightly bleed. Looking to Government for jobs should not be your primary preoccupation just as thinking that when you usher in a different leadership then from the blues job opportunities would proliferate exponentially. Look within yourself for some of these social problems. Do you have to wait until 2021 to get a job? If say your hero doesn’t give you a job in 2021, you would then be looking to 2026. Weird thinking; extremely retrogressive conviction. May you be loosened from the shuckles of dependacy, Amen?
This man if he had morals he wouldnt have supported ECL in 2016
come 2021 ine ni kalaba ukweteko mind yaba Sata mhsrip
I am left wondering what kind of resignation it is which happens after you are sacked from the party.Some people never grow in wisdom!
Like picking your bacon with your hands, put it in your mouth then put the fork in the mouth.
National resource can only be saved if we change the constitution. Most of the clauses in the constitution, appertaining to elections, are a recipe for wastage. We would have pushed in a clause that whoever comes send during election, automatically, becomes member of parliament. It is pointless to hold election because of trivial differences. This money can be used to buy books and desks for pupils who are in dire need. There is no cause to rejoice out of by elections. It is a drain in national coffers.
I hope he has sponsors
Problem with people like Kalaba is that he will remain relevant only if PF is still in power, once PF is booted out he will also become irrelevant. Remember Mike Mulongoti and George Mpombo during the Mwanawasa regime, and Ephraim Shakafuswa during the Rupiah Banda government these gentlemen were always in the Post newspaper after these governments fell they became irrelevant.
This younger man is just flexing his muscles to deflect shame. Just as they say that “saying your moral is not the same as acting morally” we are yet to see ubukali bwa nyense. I can assure you this man shall be kneeling before others in the name of working together to remove PF and that will be the beginning of the end of his political life. Can he not learn from the ten that have gathered but making no impact? Wait a little before someone who knows you inside out appears to ignite the distraction. My vote is not for those who cannot fight from within if they are doing it for the masses as is being said.
I expected this kalaba don’t worry I have my vote for u.
Comment:kalaba you are so lucky go ahead don’t give up of what you think bless you
One disappointing thing about Kalaba is that in the last one year he’s been an ‘opposition’ MP he’s not been speaking for the people. He has been noticeably quiet in Parliament. It is actually good riddance. Let the likes of Kambwili remain in the August house as he is a voice for the voiceless.
Divide the PF vote, those are the dynamics that will usher in HH as president.