FORMER Second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mwimba Malama says it’s not fair to demand an apology from all PF members, adding that those who have been mentioned in wrong things should come out and say sorry.

And Malama wonders how many times PF needs apologise when acting president Given Lubinda has already done so.

Last week, Professor Nkandu Luo said the Patriotic Front needed to face the people of Zambia and apologise for the wrongs committed by some members of the former ruling party.

But in an interview, Malama said individuals mentioned in some issues should apologise, arguing that there were millions of PF members who were innocent.

“It is difficult whether to say no or whether the PF should apologise and all that. There is need for rebranding of PF. The issue is those who are being mentioned in wrong things, we seem not to accept that we were wrong. As long as we continue to actually propel the party, it will still have the same image. There is need for self-introspection and to come out to say ‘I have this position in PF, I think I feel time has come for me to pave way for others’. You cannot point at a person to say ‘you did this that is why we lost’. It is very difficult. It is very difficult to point at anyone and say ‘you were the only person who did this’. There are people who have been accused of having caused the loss of PF,” Malama said.

“Let us pave way for other people to take over so that the true branding is achieved. The issue of apologising, yes if at all we feel that is necessary, we have to apologise. For me, I would say we know each other. So let those who have been mentioned in some issues come out and apologise. You cannot just demand an apology from everyone. What did the PF do in Mfuwe constituency? Nothing. They were just shocked that PF had lost. But who caused it? Up to now they do not know. So if we say let us face people in general as PF and apologise, there are millions of PF members who are very innocent.”

And Malama wondered how many times the party would apologise when the acting president had already done so.

“In fact, I have just remembered, how many times is PF going to apologise? Apologise for what? PF is not a person. PF is an organisation. The acting president came out and apologised. My question is how many times is PF going to apologise? The most important thing to do is self introspection. When we check ourselves there will be need to pave way for other people to take certain positions in the party. Some of us are ready to do so because we are not cowards. So the issue of apology, that may not be enough. There is just need to check ourselves and after realising that I was responsible then you can pave way for other people,” he said.

“However if we stick to the same position and yet our names are not clean in the public, we will not go anywhere. That I can assure you. Are you telling me that the whole PF membership committed a crime? It is just a few individuals and that is why it took the vice president to apologise. And that is why I am saying how many times is PF going to apologise? So there is no need. We have passed on that issue of apologising. Actually that is my statement. What is needed is to get organised. What is important is we know ourselves and we know each other.”

Malama insisted on the need for self-introspection in the party.

“If people are saying caderism was too much, who tolerated caderism? The party has got departments so who tolerated caderism? Who should have acted on cadersim? You mean everyone in PF did not see that there is too much caderism? They saw that caderism was just too much. Some of us were even failing and started fearing to talk about it. When we talked about it, [we] were almost lynched. That one was seen by PF that there is too much caderism. So it should have taken someone to act on caderism. This is why I am saying we should not parade ourselves again without self introspection,” he said.

“We need to be gentlemen and say ‘I think my time is over, let me pave way for other people so that we can propel the party’. That does not mean you are finished in politics. It does not work like that. Some of those people who were mistreated during the time of adoption, campaigns and during the time [of] reign, one day they will be there as well. So when you pave way for others, it does not mean you are defeated. So yes, if it is necessary there is need to do so but individually we know ourselves. We know what we caused. When you are in power sometimes people stop listening. So we need self introspection and pave way for other people to achieve the proper PF branding.”

Malama said members needed to be honest and pave way for other people to take over in managing the affairs of the party.

“We know people who caused some of those problems that we are talking about. There is departmental responsibility. Somebody should have managed the caderism, there must be somebody. If they are talking about corruption, we know that this issue of corruption, there must be somebody. If at all there was corruption somebody should have stopped it. If there was a lot of hooliganism, somebody should have stopped it. So this is why I am saying we know each other and we should be honest and pave way for other people to take over in managing the party,” said Malama.