PF national youth chairman Kelvin Sampa says UPND president Hakainde Hichilema is living in a fantasy.

Commenting on Hichilema’s decision to sign a social contract with UPND youths promising them empowerment programs once elected in 2021, Sampa said Hichilema was not popular enough to win the 2021 elections.

“We can’t refuse that yes he has got a fraction of youths that love him, that is a fact, but that doesn’t mean that now he is popular for him to even claim that he is going to win next year’s elections. That is not a guarantee. You see, the biggest challenge that we have is that we have people that are living in a fantasy. One thing they must realise is that our country has gone through a lot of turbulence, which has affected everybody. So for one to rise up and start accusing us as government that we have made youths suffer because of the way things are run, that is wishful thinking. Practically speaking, if he was in this position in government, if he has not followed what we are doing then government would have collapsed,” Sampa said.

“So in as much as yes the economy has been biting, this is a world over problem and we can’t run away from that fact. So let us not ride on people’s ignorance and also on our young people’s ambitions. They may be ambitious but we must guide them appropriately because if they discover that he is cheating them also, they will also rise up against him. Which you have already started seeing. Because now almost each and every young person understands what is going on around the world.”

Sampa said Hichilema should not be comfortable with the increased number of voters registering in Southern Province as the PF had also penetrated that area.

“So orchestrating publicity and managing publicity through organized events is very unfortunate. Be on the ground and find out the truth, what is happening? A clear testimony is also what is happening right now with voters registration exercise. He should not be thinking that the numbers are increasing in Southern Province and all those numbers are for UPND, then he is cheating himself. Equally, even as a party and a government we have penetrated Southern Province and Western Province. So the numbers that are increasing, he must not cheat himself that all those are his personal numbers. So let him not claim to be so comfortable and confident with whatever he is claiming. He would get a rude shock of his life come 2021,” Sampa said.

Sampa said the social contract was just a campaign gimmick by Hichilema.

“The social contract is just a campaign gimmick, where is he going to get the money? Where would he get it? Because whatever we have done right now, even to use those empowerment programmes, some sectors of our governance have been affected as well. We all know for a fact that we need to strike a balance to help our young people. For government to come up with an initiative for even paying for the internships for our youths, it is because in the past many people when they wanted to apply for job opportunities, they will be always asking them for an experience. We are speaking of a youth that has graduated from the university with just a mere degree. Where are they going to find work without experience? The answer is nowhere. That is why government had to come up with an initiative of ‘look, let us empower our young people by paying for their internships so that they can get that experience which most of these companies would want’. That takes money,” said Sampa.

“…Bally, that is an English name and if he expects that would appear on the ballot, he is joking, because that will not appear on the ballot paper. And most of the youths would be looking for that word on the ballot and they won’t find it. So it is a nickname he has given himself which will not even stand the test of time. One thing you should realise is that in the rural setting, they don’t even know what that is and who that is. So whether he claims he is going to fix it, he has been fixing a lot of things in the past, so what do you think is going to fix?”