NO normal person would ditch the opposition to join the PF; those doing so are just hungry Hyenas looking out for their bellies, says former North Western Province minister Steven Masumba.

And Masumba says a country without food brings about a lot of embarrassment through various mischiefs including prostitution of various forms.

Masumba recently formally defected from the PF to the opposition UPND.

In an interview yesterday, Masumba who also served as Mufumbwe PF member of parliament from 2011, said with so many
hardships around in the country, no one would justify switching from the opposition to PF.

“Those people you are seeing crossing from the UPND to PF are doing politics of the Belly, in the sense that they feel food is within the PF. In reality, that shouldn’t be the case because primarily, a leader who believes in the wellbeing of society should not first of all respect the belly, but must look at the wellbeing of society. What should one do for the people of Zambia for them to feel content that ‘yes indeed we put these people in power’?” Masumba asked.

“No reasonable person who is with the people, who is with those who are suffering, can make a decision of crossing to the PF. And believe me, those that are crossing to PF are following food, they are just hungry, they are just hungry hyenas not that their true conscious know that PF means well, no. Where PF has reached now, it’s gone.”

Masumba said a country without food brings about a lot of embarrassment through various mischiefs including prostitution of various forms.

“People want to earn a living and will now think going the prostitution way maybe we will have some money. Even those calling themselves to have money in this country are just a small clique of people which is very disheartening. This is not the Zambia we used to know, the Zambia we knew meant well for the majority. Our country does not belong to a small clique of individuals, it belongs to everyone and all must be given an equal share. That is all we want. I insist that those migrating from the opposition to the other side are just a bunch of hungry hyenas,” he said.

He observed that Zambia was infiltrated with politicians who don’t mean well for the masses, but merely want to grow their tummies.

“The Civil servants are suffering, not long ago the increment that was given to the civil servants was more less like a drop in the ocean because eight per cent on its own is literally nothing. Right now as we speak, we have got a lot of youths in the country that have done teaching and at some point government went on to maliciously lie without shame to the Zambian people that it will recruit more than 15,000 teachers. But up to today the only thing that we keep seeing is that government is reducing numbers from the 15,000 to 1,200 as opposed to the number that they talked about earlier. So how do you expect these young ones to begin surviving, obviously the reason why they went to school to go and get educated as teachers ultimately, they want to be employed in the end so that they can have some income in their pockets.”

“Look at what is currently happening in terms of the price markup, go everywhere, in the malls, ask or see for yourselves how much Sugar is now costing, how much a small drink that we used to get at K2 is costing now. The price of cooking oil is another challenge to many households.”

Masumba said the PF should not lie that kwacha has lost value because of Covid-19.

“Look at the rate of the US Dollar, even when COVID-19 hit us, the dollar was more than K15 plus. So to me it makes no sense to move from the opposition to PF, they are going there only to eat. However those of us who have moved from where it’s perceived to say it’s a family with money to choose poverty. I think we are the most credible people because we are credible in the sense that I have avoided making myself rich. I have avoided making my belly big and have chosen to go on the path of poverty because even when there is no money in the UPND, there is dignity and the leadership that is there is a leadership that means well to majority Zambians,” he said.

He said it was time for a party that cares for the people to take over.

“We want to regroup and ensure that we do the best for the country, even President Sata when he formed government he formed it because his primary target was the poor people and he meant well. We want to have a person at the helm of government who is going to religiously respect the vision that President Sata left behind as opposed to this arrangement, the jokers we are witnessing today. I think this one doesn’t mean well and that’s why I have said that in life if you are tired, the honourable thing you can do is ask for a substitute without the coach saying can I substitute this person. You can say boss me here as a player I am tired so let’s put in a person who can take up your position to bring sanity and dignity,” said Masumba.