IT IS PAINFUL TO BE IN OPPOSITION, CHARGES MUMBI PHIRI Former Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri says it is painful to be in the opposition in Zambia. And Ms. Phiri says she was a lone voice that condemned cadrelism during the Patriotic Front administration. Meanwhile, Ms. Phiri says no Zambian is interested […]

IT IS PAINFUL TO BE IN OPPOSITION, CHARGES MUMBI PHIRI

Former Patriotic Front (PF) Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri says it is painful to be in the opposition in Zambia.

And Ms. Phiri says she was a lone voice that condemned cadrelism during the Patriotic Front administration.

Meanwhile, Ms. Phiri says no Zambian is interested in bringing the Patriotic Front back into power because, according to her, the party belongs to the Sata family alone.

Speaking on Capital FM Radio, monitored by Zambian Watch News, Ms. Phiri said life in the opposition is far more difficult than when a party is in government.

She stated that despite being in the opposition, her movement, the Toonse Pamodzi Alliance, remains determined to return to power.

Narrating how she abandoned her ambassadorial position at the request of late President Michael Sata to join the PF secretariat, Ms. Phiri said she was committed to helping end cadrelism within the party.

“President Michael Sata told me that I needed to come back and be part of the secretariat. The unfortunate part is that I arrived on the 27th, and on the 28th, he died. After that, there were succession wrangles in the PF, but eventually Edgar Chagwa Lungu emerged the winner. He then appointed me as Deputy Secretary General,” she said.

Ms. Phiri maintained that one of her key contributions during the PF administration was speaking out against cadrelism.

“My contribution during the PF was that I was a lone voice that condemned cadrelism, even though it was exaggerated by the UPND because of their watermelon formula. But I am proud that I condemned cadrelism while in PF. One thing I can tell you is that it is hard being in the opposition,” she lamented.

She further argued that the Patriotic Front has lost its appeal to many Zambians, claiming that the party has become a preserve of the Sata family rather than a national political movement.

©️ Zambian Watch News.