POLITICAL analysts say the endorsement of President Edgar Lungu as Patriotic Front candidate in next year’s elections has enhanced the ruling party’s chances to remain in power beyond 2016.

Thomas Mabwe and Alex Ng’oma said the decision would also unite the ruling party after a turbulent period during the election and adoption of Mr Lungu to contest the 2015 presidential elections.

The PF Central Committee announced on Saturday that it has settled for Mr Lungu to contest the 2016 tripartite elections.

The announcement came against confusion that rocked the party last year. The PF went under difficult times after the death of its founder Michael Sata last year when two factions emerged in a struggle for leadership.

Mr Mabwe a lecturer in political science at Zambian Open University said the Central Committee’s decision had put to rest uncertainties which arose after the death of President Sata on the future of PF.

“This is the logical thing that they (the Central Committee) have done. Mr Lungu is already there and he is gaining experience, so if they give him another five years, then they have a chance to win because the incumbent always has an advantage.

“I have no doubt that this will also end those problems where everyone wanted to succeed Michael Sata last year to become the president,” he said.

Dr Ng’oma , a lecturer at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in the department of Political and Administrative studies said Mr Lungu would be easy to sell to the electorate because he was already in the right position with resources and privileges than any other member in the PF.

He said there was need for every member of the ruling party to support the candidature of Mr Lungu in the interest of the party.

“This is good for the party because it will be easy for them to sell the candidate, so in the interest of the party. Those that are positioning to take over should now wait but support the person who is there,” he said.

Dr Ng’oma noted that it was a normal practice world over that a President was given an opportunity to do at least two terms unless he or she was not willing to do so.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Given Lubinda has called on every member in ruling party to go flat out to campaign and work for the party to further enhance chances of winning.

Mr Lubinda was one of about 10 people that had expressed interest to succeed Mr Sata before the Kabwata MP backed Mr Lungu for the 2015 presidential election.

However, he said the decision of the party’s supreme organ did not surprise him because Mr Lungu had proved to be the right man not only for the ruling party but also for the nation.

“I support the idea by the central committee entirely and I call upon all the members of the PF to rally behind president Lungu. However, it is one thing to sing for him and another working for him,” he said.

And PF provincial executive committees have welcomed the decision by the central committee to adopt President Lungu as presidential candidate for the 2016 general elections.

The officials have also appealed to the party’s presidential hopefuls to defer their aspirations until the 2021 presidential elections.

“The endorsement of President Lungu as our party presidential candidate is a welcome decision, which has been made by the people,” said Central Province chairperson Benson Chali in an interview yesterday.

Mr Chali said the central committee decision is in line with the PF constitution which says that a person elected as president at a convention, should serve five years, and automatically becomes a candidate for presidential elections.

He said all provincial chairpersons apar t from Northern and Lusaka, who were on official assignment on Saturday when the central committee met, have reaffirmed the endorsement of President Lungu as candidate for the 2016 general elections.

Eastern Province chairperson Mimise Chiwele said the region is happy that President Lungu has been adopted as presidential candidate for the 2016 general elections.

“During this year’s January 20 elections which ushered in President Lungu as Head of State, the party went through a number of challenges that pointed to a leadership problem. Now that we have a candidate well in advance, there will be unity,”

“You saw what happened before elections on January 20. Now confusion will be a thing of the past and campaigns for President Lungu will be much easier,” he said.

“As a party, we are excited with the development because we wanted to have a candidate who is already formidable,” said Southern province chairperson Charles Hamududu.

Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda has said that the case of the Post Newspaper’s alleged failure to pay workers for over four months is before the Labour Commissioner saying it has not yet been brought to his attention.

Mr. Shamenda said that he can only intervene in the matter if the Labour Commissioner brings it to his attention but that as for now the commissioner is handling it.

He explained that the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) wrote to the Labour Commissioner about the same matter and that afterwards the commissioner will make recommendations which should be followed.

And THE Bill to end casualisation has been drafted and will be tabled in the next sitting of Parliament, Labour and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda has said.

Mr Shamenda said in an interview today that the Bill was at the Ministry of Justice for scrutiny and it would be taken to Parliament for amendment into law.

He said the Government was resolute to eliminate casualisation because it was inhibiting access to improved conditions of service for employees.

Mr Shamenda said that once the law was in place, it would be criminal for companies to engage workers on casual basis as such a form of work was not permanent and employees were vulnerable to exploitation.

“The Bill is in the hands of the Ministry of Justice which is making final touches to it and most likely, it will be tabled in the next sitting of Parliament.

“Casualisation means exploitation of workers and it must be stopped if people are to have decent jobs,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has said casualisation should be eliminated to increase the number of people in secure employment.

ZCTU president Nkole Chishimba said in a separate interview that his organisation was of the view that eliminating casualisation would augur well with the Government’s policy on decent job creation.

Mr Chishimba said casual workers did not enjoy privileges such as social security thus making it difficult for them to make a decent living out of the little wages earned.

“We have been very categorical in encouraging the Government to enact a law that prohibits casualisation.

“Enacting this law will make the working environment friendly as people will no longer be victims of poor working conditions,” he said.

Patriotic Front (PF) adopted candidate for Kasama Central Parliamentary seat Kelvin Sampa says he is grateful with the decision that has been made by the PF Central Committee and the entire PF leadership.

And Mr. Sampa says he is not intimidated by the former PF Kasama Central Member of Parliament Geoffrey Mwamba.

In an interview with Qfm News via telephone, Mr. Sampa says it is not easy to make such a decision citing that it takes a lot of courage not only from the central committee but from the party itself.

Mr. Sampa says for the party to arrive at such a decision, the party has confidence in him thus what needs to be done at the end of the day should be done.

He says the decision to adopt him has demonstrated that politics in Zambia are not only being perceived as the ones that are mandated to assume certain positions that involve leadership but that even new comers are welcome.

Mr. Sampa says the move has not only given confidence to him but to others who want to get on board and support the party.

He adds that the President meant well when he said he wanted to work with energetic and focused young people stressing that it is evidenced with what has transpired.

Mr. Sampa has pledged his loyalty and support to the president, the party and the people of Kasama adding that he knows that the people of Kasama are craving for a leader that will truly represent them.

The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) says it is not intimidated by the decision by the ruling Patriotic Front to adopt President Edgar Lungu as its presidential candidate for the 2016 General Elections.

UPND Deputy Spokesperson Edwin Lifwekelo tells QFM News via telephone that in fact it will be easier for the party to remove the PF from office because of the failure by President Lungu to manage the affairs of the country.

Mr. Lifwekelo has challenged the PF government to even call for early elections so that they exit office soon.

And Mr. Lifwekelo has lashed out at PF Secretary General Davies Chama that it is not his responsibility to tell the party to go to the national convention.

He says the ruling party is afraid of the UPND President Hakainde Hichilema and that is why they want another candidate to stand on the UPND ticket and not Mr. Hichilema.

He says the opposition political party has no intentions of fielding another candidate saying they have confidence in Mr. Hichilema as he will no doubt win the next year’s general elections.

Mr. Lifwekelo says the failure by President Lungu to manage the country’s economy will cost him next year considering that he will be competing with someone who has the capacity to boost Zambia’s economy.

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) deputy secretary-general Mumbi Phiri has advised MMD president Nevers Mumba to return to the pulpit where his services are needed instead of clinging to politics and making unwarranted attacks against the ruling party.

Mrs Phiri has advised Dr Mumba to desist from issuing political statements on issues he does not understand and instead concentrate on evangelising.

Speaking in an interview yesterday, Mrs Phiri alleged that Dr Mumba does not make informed decisions on political issues and that he is not a politician but an evangelist.

“Dr Mumba is not a politician that is the reason he has continued to unnecessarily attack and issue statements on matters he does not understand. If he was indeed a politician, he would not be talking about demolishing the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) without offering an alternative or handing Zamtel back to Lap Green when the company has been given back to the Zambian people who are the rightful owners,” she said.

Mrs Phiri said politics is about numbers and listening to what people want and Dr Mumba’s does not understand what Zambians want.

“We can forgive Dr Mumba’s utterances because we know he is not a politician but an evangelist. He needs to go back to do what he knows best; where he is needed more and that is evangelising because politics is not for him,” she said.

Mrs Phiri wondered why Dr Mumba is concerned about the PF embracing members from the opposition when he also came from another political party to join the MMD.

“Dr Mumba is a wrong person to start condemning us for embracing people joining the PF because he is not even an original MMD member. He left his own party to join MMD and he was welcomed in that party,” she said.

She said there is nothing wrong with people joining any political party that they want because it is their democratic right adding that the PF is ready to welcome and work with new members.

United Party for National Development (UPND) says former Lubanseshi member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Mucheleka is a party member and is free to re-contest the seat on the party ticket in the September 24 Parliamentary by-election.

Divisions have rocked the rank and file of the opposition party in Lubanseshi following intentions by the party to adopt Mr Mucheleka as its candidate in the by-election.

But UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said in an interview yesterday that party members interested in contesting the seat should tender their applications instead of fighting Mr Mucheleka.

“As you may be aware, Mr Mucheleka supported the candidature of our party leader Hakainde Hichilema in the run-up to the January 20, 2015 presidential election and so he is one of us.

“So Mr Mucheleka, just like any other party member, is free to apply to be adopted on the party’s ticket in the by-election. What party members should know is that they will not be considered for adoption unless they go through the necessary processes,” he said.
Mr Kakoma, however, could not disclose whether Mr Mucheleka had applied to contest the seat on the party’s ticket.

“We are just waiting to receive recommendations from the lower organs before we can interview the aspiring candidates,” Mr Kakoma said.

On Friday, UPND Lubanseshi district chairperson Maxwell Mwape revealed that there was confusion in the constituency because founder members felt sidelined.

THE Patriotic Front (PF) central committee yesterday unanimously affirmed its decision to adopt President Lungu as its presidential candidate in the 2016 Presidential elections.

Party secretary general Davis Chama said the decision is because the party does not want a repeat of what happened last year after the demise of late President Sata.

“The central committee, which met this morning, has affirmed the decision interpreting our party constitution that we already have our presidential candidate for 2016 in the name of President Lungu.

“This is according to our party,” he said.

Mr Chama was addressing journalists at State House yesterday after a PF central committee meeting.

He said the party convention which was held last year after the death of President Sata gave President Lungu a five-year mandate.
“We are just affirming the decision which was made last year when we adopted President Lungu at the convention,” he said.

Mr Chama has since advised members with presidential ambitions to wait for the next party convention in 2019.

“We held our convention last year, where we gave the mandate to President Lungu, so those with presidential ambitions should wait until 2019,” Mr Chama said.

Meanwhile, the PF has named its three candidates for Lubanseshi, Solwezi West and Kasama Central parliamentary by-elections.

The three are Kelvin Sampa for Kasama central, George Mwamba Penda, a former Luwingu District Commissioner, for Lubansenshi and Martin Mbaya, a former MMD member and local businessman, for Solwezi West.

Mr Sampa said that although the declaration of the Kasama Central seat as vacant is being contested in court, the PF would like to have a candidate ready.

Meanwhile, Mr Chama said it is unfortunate that some people who masquerade as leaders are duping farmers of their maize.

He said government will remain committed to addressing concerns of every Zambian, including farmers.

Mr Chama has advised farmers against selling their maize to unrealistic people.

Meanwhile, the PF in Isoka has implored the electorate to rally behind the leadership of President Lungu, who has a passion to develop the country.

PF Isoka district information and publicity secretary Elijah Sinkolongwe said in an interview recently that government has done a lot of development projects which have brought about a new face to the district.

“For the first time since independence we are seeing massive road constructions, street lighting and constructions of health centres and schools. Our President is truly taking development to all parts of the country,” he said.

He said come 2016 elections, the people will vote for President Lungu so that he continues his works.

Today’s Scripture

“…those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.”
(Proverbs 14:22, NIV)

Plan for Good

Do you wake up every morning expecting favor and blessing on everything you do? Do you plan for what is good? When we plan for what is good, the Scripture tells us that we find love. We know that God is love so when you plan for what is good, you will find God in the midst of your plans!

Today, don’t let the negative voices of the world or get you distracted or pull you off course. It doesn’t matter what is happening around you, God’s plan is always for your good. Pursue His plan. Seek love and faithfulness because what you seek you will find. Put Him first in all you do and find the peace, joy, and victory He has in store for you!

A Prayer for Today

“Father, thank You for the good plan You have for my life. I choose Your ways. Direct my mind and thoughts according to Your purposes in Jesus’ name. Amen.”