By MAYA NTANDA –
THE Patriotic Front (PF) has called on Zambians to give the party and its leader, President Edgar Lungu, chance to continue with its development agenda that will help improve the lives of citizens.

. Phiri

PF deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri said during a public rally in Kitwe’s Changanamai grounds at the weekend that the party was working hard to ensure that economic development was sustained in key economic sectors as evidenced by increased infrastructure development and service provision.
Ms Phiri said the Government was implementing various development programmes such as construction of roads, schools and hospitals aimed at improving the living standards of the people.
Ms Phiri said the challenges that the country was experiencing such as the power deficit and depreciation of the Kwacha should not be blamed on President Edgar Lungu.
She said the developments, especially in the energy sector, were as a result of poor rainfall experienced in the Southern Africa while global economic challenges induced pressure on the local currency like other foreign currencies in countries such as China and South Africa.
She appealed to Copperbelt residents to reject politicians that had privatised the mines and parastatal companies which she said had contributed to high poverty levels among the communities.
“Do not be misled by the opposition politicians that are using the negative global economic trends and the natural calamities that are causing the poor performance of the Zambian economy to accuse President Edgar Lungu of failing to run the economy.
“These are global problems being experienced even by better economies. So we need to work together to develop the country and improve the livelihood of our people,” she said.
Ms Phiri urged PF members to remain united and embrace members that had left the party so as to strengthen it in readiness for the 2016 general elections.
She also urged PF officials to work hard and guard against losing popularity on the Copperbelt, which was one of its PF strongholds.
Ms Phiri appealed to PF members aspiring for adoption in various positions in next year’s elections to allow those occupying the positions to finish their terms of office.
PF youth chairperson, Chishimba Kambwili said Zambians should not allow themselves to be cheated by the opposition political parties that the problem of load-shedding was as a result of poor leadership by the party.
Mr Kambwili, who is Information and Broadcasting Services Minister as well as the Chief Government spokesperson, said the PF had put in place adequate measures to ensure issues of load-shedding came to an end next year.
“I want to assure that there will be no load-shedding next year, we have put in place enough measures to address this problem and we are working hard to ensure Zambians are not subjected to load-shedding,” he said.
Chimwemwe Member of Parliament Mwenya Musenge said the Copperbelt was ready for next year’s elections and assured of a landslide victory.
Mr Musenge, who is also Copperbelt Minister, said the province was ready to continue supporting President Lungu as the presidential candidate for the party.
He appealed to PF members that had defected to opposition parties after the provincial elections due to misunderstandings to come back to the party as there was no benefit in belonging to opposition political parties.
PF Copperbelt chairperson Stephen Kainga said the ruling party was intact in the province contrary to claims by some opposition political parties that they had taken over the province.
PF Copperbelt youth chairperson, Nathan Chanda said youths were eager to register as voters in readiness for the 2016 elections that would again guarantee victory for the party.
Hundreds of people defected from opposition political parties to join the PF.