PF member of the central committee Paul Moonga says the wrangles in PF over positions are normal, arguing that it shows the party is still sweet.

In an interview, Moonga said fighting for positions was an indication that the party was not dead.

“There are no wrangles, people want to take over presidential positions, there are those who are silent, there are those who are open. The wrangles for positions are healthy. If a party is dead you can’t hear people fighting among themselves. There are parties which are quiet, does it mean that there is peace? They are dead. So it is a health issue, they are struggling for power. Me, I am very happy. So PF is active, it is still sweet, why should people fight for positions if the party is dead? Me, I will not come out from PF, I have refused. I still see a future in PF,” he said.

“So who will fight for a position if a party is dead? The party is alive. People still believe in PF, even the spectators. So wrangles are healthy. If we are fighting among ourselves, even in a house they fight among themselves, it is normal.”

He, however, said the party should be careful and not rush into holding a general conference.

“For your own information, the ruling party is still intact. There is nobody in the entire 156 constituencies where one constituency chairperson has resigned from the party. We have all constituency chairmen and chair ladies, they are all intact. All the 116 districts, district chairmen, district chair ladies are intact. Only one member of the central committee resigned. That shows you the party is still intact. It is a record breaking, where you lose power, members still clinging to the party because they still have so much faith in the Patriotic Front,” Moonga said.

“PF is still a very big party with 60 members of parliament out of 156. We have also broken the record that the losing party would remain with 60 members of parliament. When MMD lost power, it was very small. That is record breaking, we are still in control of Lusaka. Where do you see a losing party ruling Lusaka? The general conference will be decided on Saturday. The central committee will look at the secretary general report. As long as we are ready, we have the money to go to the general conference. All of us are eager to go to the general conference but we must be ready, when you rush you crush. So we have to be very careful as the former ruling party, how we can also break the record as a party that has lost one term and then in five years we are back, that will be record breaking. That will happen if we are united.”

When asked whether he feared that the wrangles may degenerate into a succession dispute, Moonga said the party had wise leaders to guide the members.

“Nobody has died, when you have a funeral there is confusion, so ba Lungu is very much alive and young, energetic and intelligent, he is a lawyer. He will be there to guide us as his children. We have our father who said he is going to retire at the conference. We have a lot of people with wisdom to advise us where to go. We have ba Chikwanda, ba Lungu, ba Inonge Wina, just to mention a few, ba Mukupa Samuel, we have all of those,” said Moonga.