WE INVITE THE OPPOSITION TO A CONTEST IN THE PEOPLES ARENA OF TANGIBLE DEVELOPMENT: AS WE WILL NOT BE DRAWN TO A BRAWL IN THEIR MIRE OF FAKE NEWS

By Sunday Chilufya Chanda

Kenyan Vice President William Ruto was recently captured in a video clip providing thought provoking gems of wisdom when he challenged the opposition in his country to compete in the arena of tangible development rather than attempt to draw the ruling party into the gutter of fake news, cynicism and innuendo.

We in the Patriotic Front (PF) in Zambia relate to the Kenyan Vice President’s sentiments in the said video and wish to adopt them to the Zambian context.

We dedicate this wisdom to some of our colleagues in the media who specialise in fake news and sensational headlines and we also dedicate it to the purveyors of malice and ill intent in the opposition, who find fault with everything we do just for the sake of opposing and criticising.

We now wish to address them directly as follows:

As you enjoy the freedom of expression and carry fabricated stories, lies and fake and malicious headlines against His Excellency President Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front Government, we shall not join you in that futile expedition. We will wait for you and your sponsors and your darlings in the opposition to exhaust your energies on propelling cheap propaganda against the ruling party.

Its very clear that the opposition and their hired publicists in the media space have nothing to talk about and have no issues to raise except to imagine corruption with every development project we roll out as Patriotic Front.

Because the opposition with its rented choir and sour faced conductor cannot offer tangible alternatives, all they do is attempt to pollute the media space with malicious anti-PF sentiment. They cannot promise good roads, schools, hospitals, universities, airports, a growing agricultural sector, and constant power supply(with load shedding a distant memory) ; all they can do is croak bitterly off key to discredit our works.

They perennially concoct spiteful headlines where they attempt to cast His Excellency President Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front in bad light.

Our competitors in the opposition are not motivated by decency and development; but rather sadly by envy, jealousy and sour grapes because they cannot match our development record.

Once they’re through with their insolent headlines, corruption propaganda and racist phobias, we invite them to meet us in the development arena of the people of Zambia because that is where the real contest is.

On our part, we will not allow ourselves to be drawn into competing in their quagmire of fake news and bitter manoeuvres.

We would like to point out to them that the real contest is in the development arena; the roads, the hospitals, the schools, the universities the advancement of women the empowerment of youth, and other things that matter to the ordinary people…things that change ordinary Zambian lives for the better.

That is what the Zambian people elected us to pursue through our 2016-2021 manifesto.

The area of Development is our natural element and those are the grounds where we as the Patriotic Front compete and win.

A final word to our brothers and sisters in the opposition: … let us have a contest of noble politics in the people’s arena of development for all; rather than a political broil in their mire of fake news for the aggrandizement of one.

Ends…//…

The author is the PF Media Director

At the Patriotic Front Secretariat

In Lusaka