DEMOCRATIC Party leader Harry Kalaba says the ruling Patriotic Front is wasting the country’s time by campaigning because Zambians will not re-elect them at next year’s general election.

On Sunday, Justice Minister Given Lubinda said 2021 was not a time for experiments, asking Zambians to ensure that President Edgar Lungu won next year’s polls by 80 per cent.

But Kalaba, the former foreign affairs minister and PF Bahati member of parliament, said the ruling party was wasting people’s time because voters were not going to re-elect them next year given the deteriorating standards of living Zambians had been subjected to during their reign.

“PF is not going anywhere! It is wasting our time. Lubinda can say what he wants to say because he is eating from PF, but the majority of Zambians are suffering. In Lukashya where he is talking about voting for President Lungu, ask him: how many teachers are in those schools? How many youths are unemployed as a result of failed policies of the PF government? How many women are dying in child birth as a result of not having qualified people to attend to them? Ask him: how many police officers were recruited from Lukashya? They are wasting our time!” exclaimed Kalaba.

Speaking when he featured on Kasama radio, Sunday evening, Lubinda pleaded with Zambians to ensure that President Lungu won by 80 per cent of the vote next August.

“Mu 2021, ama Zambians bekapanga mistake ifyaku panga ama experiments tafi kwete inchito. Natukwata kateka Edgar Chagwa Lungu ulefwaya ukutungulula ichalo, ukutwala ubuyantanshi elyo ule tila ati abena Zambia bonse babombele chapamo. Tiyeni tichite campaign ukutila ati mu 2021 Edgar Chagwa Lungu akapite nakabili. Elyo mu 2021, tatulefwaya Edgar Chagwa Lungu akapite na one per cent, aliwinine na 51 per cent, uno mwaka tulefwaya ati Edgar Chagwa Lungu akawine na 70 per cent nangula 80 per cent (In 2021, Zambians should not make a mistake of experimenting when choosing a leader. We have President Lungu who wants to lead and will bring more development and ensure that Zambians work together. Let us campaign and ensure that we re-elect him. We don’t want him to win the election with a margin of one percent, he won with 51 per cent in the last elections but let us ensure that he wins by 70 or 80 per cent of votes),” said Lubinda, who is in the constituency ahead of the Lukashya by-election to drum up support for PF candidate George Chisanga.