Rebranding PF should mean new faces in leadership, Bizwell tells Lungu

PF national mobilization committee member Bizwell Mutale has raised concern about the appointment of Given Lubinda as the opposition party’s vice-president, arguing that the party cannot rebrand and rebuild by retaining those who put the party in disarray.

In a letter dated August 25 and addressed to PF president Edgar Lungu, Mutale stated that rebranding meant that the interim leadership committee should consist of new faces.

“I am writing to you concerning the letter dated 24th August 2021. I want to agree with you that the party has gone through a disappointing general election which has left our members shocked, traumatised and with so many unanswered questions. On the appointment of the vice president Given Lubinda, in a bid to rebrand and rebuild the party, I want to raise a concern on this appointment. We cannot rebrand and rebuild the PF party by returning the same people that have been there in the forefront planning the just ended disastrous Presidential general election, that has just put the PF party in a very serious disarray,” Mutale said.

“Can you allow the voices of the people to decide who will take the PF party forward in rebranding and rebuilding it, to give people the hope and the energy that PF was built on. We have various party members in PF that have wider political leadership experience in the party. We need a total rebranding of the PF party, an interim leadership committee should consist of new faces, that is what the people demand when we say rebranding.”

Mutale said the central committee did not listen to the wishes of the people during the adoption process.

“The current central committee was appointed and not elected to deliver the party’s victory on the 12th of August 2021, it was not a successful ending. We ended up in serious unexpected disappointments. Members of parliament and councillors did not do well, because people were left out in decisions making that matters to everyone in a constituency, wards and mayoral to get us to victory,” he said.

“The central committee did not listen to the wishes and the will of the people, as a result of that, we were humiliated and the people are still mourning and they are still in hiding, families are broken, businesses are broken, our PF offices are broken, its history. Members lost hope in their leaders and the party due to the way decisions of the party were made without listening and giving the people their requests and desires. We need to do away with that.”

Mutale further stated that some PF members were very upset with the election loss.

He added that appointing people to various key positions against people’s will would not help the party gain people’s trust again.

“The Patriotic Front members are very upset in the wards. Constituencies and the provinces such as Northern Province, Muchinga Province, Luapula Province, Central Province, Eastern Province, Lusaka Province, Southern Province, Western Province, North- Western Province and Copperbelt Province. I am in contact with the grassroots in these provinces such as youths, women, headmen, traditional leaders, some of the traditional leaders have visited me personally to express their disappointments and concerns of the just-ended election performance and to seek the way forward,” said Mutale.

“The Patriotic Front members, they demand new faces in an interim committee leadership of Patriotic Front leadership, and they want to be part and fully involved in this decision making. No one will be left behind and no decision should be imposed on them against their will. Members need to be reassured and the trust needs to be gained back. The only way to achieve that is to do what the people want. Appointing people to various key positions against the will of the people, will not help the Patriotic Front Party gain the people’s trust again, no! As leaders, we need to pay attention to the people’s demands and their wishes, as they are the ones who make the Patriotic Front Party what it is and what it should be. As leaders we are the servants of these members, decisions we make today, decide how tomorrow will unfold.”

This article originally appeared on News Diggers

Photo: News Diggers