PF CAMPAIGN committee member Mumbi Phiri says once re-elected, the ruling party will “do better”.

And Phiri says UPND members of parliament have failed to deliver development to their constituencies because they do not want to engage government.

Meanwhile, Phiri says tribalism does not exist in Zambia, arguing that it is the politicians using it for their own convenience.

Speaking when she featured on the PF interactive forum, Phiri said people would never regret voting for President Edgar Lungu.

“I know that as PF, we have delivered and when we are elected back, we will do better. In case you did not know, the PF government has been able to construct 500 plus new health centres. Since 1964, we only had the University of Zambia which was training the medical personnel, as we are talking, we have the new Levy Mwanawasa, Cavendish University, Apex, we have schools, hospitals. When elected, we will be able to employ all teachers who have not been employed because the PF government has been able to construct 700 schools. So for me when I go to campaign, I even tell the young people that there is no need as Patriotic Front to start fighting but we just point at the development we have done. Just explain to the people and they will understand because we have a manifesto. We just need to explain how we are going to increase the electricity supply. So it is very easy because we are talking about facts,” Phiri said.

“If you want development to continue, vote for the Patriotic Front…People will never regret voting for President Edgar Lungu and Prof Nkandu Luo and Zambia will never be same. His leadership has been tested. He does not run the show individually but he takes advice from the people of Zambia so they can trust him to continue with the infrastructure development. He has the political will to take this country to the next level. So let us give him another chance so that he can make this country great again.”

And Phiri said UPND members of parliament had failed to deliver development to their respective constituencies because they did not engage government.

“I was the first female under PF to be elected as MP for Munali constituency. The late Michael Sata would get annoyed when he heard you could not go to the Minister’s office. He knew that no MP, Council chairperson or councillor can take development to the areas without working with the government of the day. But what have we seen with the opposition of today, they tell their members of parliament not to work with the government of the day. Hence, it has backfired on them. People are asking them what development they have brought,” Phiri stated.

“Even with the constituency development fund, they have been unable to take development to their constituencies. In our strongholds, I can cite an example of Kanyama, from the Constituency Development Fund, Elizabeth Phiri has done a lot of things. So for me, as I have predicted from my experience we are on the ground. There is no wind of change and I cannot see any. People are acknowledging that they are able to see the development. I can predict a 70 plus per cent win for President Edgar Lungu and mark my words.”

Meanwhile, Phiri says tribalism does not exist in Zambia because only politicians are using it to their own convenience.

“It is politicians who want to use it if it is convenient for us. For PF, we did not want to fall into the trap of what happened to our colleagues in the UPND after the demise of their founding father Anderson Mazoka. When our founding father Michael Sata died, majority of the people who came out wanting to take over were from Northern Province. And because we did not want to be labeled as tribal, some of us put our feet down because the President left somebody and he was not Bemba. He believed in another person who was an Easterner,” said Phiri.

“So for us, that was a sign which showed that he wanted President Edgar Lungu to take over. And when he was leaving, there were a lot of people in high position from his tribe but he did not appoint them to act. We picked President Edgar Lungu which shows we did not want to take another tribesman to take over. For others like the UPND, it was their own pronouncement, that it was only a Tonga that would take over and it happened. Tribalism in Zambia does not exist, it is us politicians who are doing that. Kenneth Kaunda, he really finished tribalism. So let us condemn whether it is ruling or opposition.”