Former Rainbow party running mate Dr Cosmas Musumali has formed his own political party called the Socialist Party (SP).

In August 2014, late president Michael Sata dropped Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba, who later formed the Rainbow Party and picked Dr Musumali as his running mate in the 2016 general elections.

Musumali who is relatively new on the political scene in Zambia, but boasts of over 30 years in NGO work and international projects, has however formed a breakaway party from Rainbow with the same socialist ideology.

Speaking when he officially announced the party in Lusaka today, Musumali said the Socialist Party will aim at building a just society with equal opportunities for all.

He said his party was registered on October 16, 2017 after a protracted one year of impediments.

“The party aims at building a just socialist society in which equal opportunities for all and a guarantee of democratic rights will clear the way for ending social and economic discrimination and exploitation. It will be a society in which the wealth produced by the toiling masses will not be appropriated by a few. The party organises itself and its work on the basis of democratic centralism and on full inner party democracy. It fights for peace against neo-colonialism. The party firmly believes that real and basic interests of the people of the world are the same and hence we stand for proletarian internationalism and the cause of progressive popular movements wherever they emerge. International solidarity is in the best interest of our own struggle,” Musumali said.

Musumali said the party further aims to build a socialist state in Zambia.

“The party aims to promote and defend the class interests of the Zambian workers, peasants, students, poor people, marginalised groups and progressive intelligentsia; to build a socialist state in Zambia; contribute to the growth of a socialist Pan-Africanism and a peaceful, humane and environmentally sustainable global community,” he said.

“We also take the opportunity to call for action. This is essentially our manifesto and programmatic summary for 2017 to 2021. It is premised on the realisation that a broad anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist coalition of mass and popular organisations is necessary in order to liberate our homeland from the petty bourgeois dictatorship and enable the masses of our people live dignified lives worthy of 21st century standards. Zambia needs a transformative change, and this is not possible under the system we inherited in 1991. it has miserably failed us.”

Musumali said there was need to end the era of greedy political elite.

“The time to act is now. A mass movement anchored in a broad coalition fighting for justice, equity and peace in Zambia is needed. Zambians have prided themselves for being peaceful; valuing egalitarianism and promoting justice-these values have been severely eroded. Soon there will be nothing to be proud of, unless the Zambian masses save themselves from calamity and total ruin. This is a call to action to all patriots, students, youth, women, peasants, workers and all those who love Zambia. Zambia needs your interventions. The era of the greedy political elite must be brought to an end. It is the time for the Zambian masses to save their country and in turn live within a heritage they can be proud of,” said Musumali.

Meanwhile Musumali said his party would be officially launched soon.