Zambia: PF Insiders Disclose Campaign Difficulties

17 June 2011

Some Patriotic Front (PF) members of the central committee (MCC) have revealed that party leader Michael Sata’s support for homosexuality has placed them in an awkward position because people everywhere are challenging them to state why Zambians should allow Mr Sata to rule them if his sole agenda is to promote harmful practices in the country.

And the Livingstone Gospel Ministers Fellowship has called on the Church in Zambia to support a leader who will uphold Zambia as a Christian nation.

The senior PF officials said with the latest revelation from Mazabuka that Mr Sata’s support for homosexuality was as old as his political career, it would be more difficult for any party member to convince Zambians to vote for the opposition leader.

They said the situation was compounded by the fact that the person who made such a revelation confirmed that he was being molested by a close friend of the PF leader who was fully aware about what was happening and yet he did not do anything to stop it.

“What we are telling you is true. We are really finding it difficult to campaign even in areas where we thought we were popular, the people have already made up their minds against the PF because of Mr Sata’s stance on homosexuality.

“The situation is bad and what is disappointing is the fact that even when we meet as national leadership, Mr Sata seems to be so uncompromising whenever anyone pleads with him to reverse his stance on homosexuality,” the MCCs, who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation, said.

They said Mr Sata had vowed to continue with his advocacy for gay rights and sometimes he would even storm out of meetings whenever advice on such matters was given to him.

“This is so embarrassing and it is sad that PF has ended like this. This party started so well but it is shameful that Mr Sata can use all of us and at the end embarrass us the way he has done by supporting such an abominable thing,” said one of them.

Efforts to contact Mr Sata failed as his mobile phone was off while PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said, “Sorry I do not speak to Times of Zambia” before hanging up on the reporter.

And PF founder member Samson Zulu challenged Mr Sata to tell Zambians the truth about the fresh revelations that had further dented his already ruined credibility on his support for homosexuality.

Mr Zulu said the fresh information on Mr Sata’s support for gay rights should be an eye opener for Zambians to scrutinise the PF leader’s background.

He said it was good that more information about Mr Sata’s support for homosexuality was being revealed before the elections to enable citizens to judge who the PF leader was.

Forum for Leadership Search executive director, Edwin Lifwekelo said Mr Sata had continued meeting with donors who he had assured that homosexuality would be legalised if he won this year’s elections.

Mr Lifwekelo said unlike in the past when The Post newspaper wanted to portray Mr Sata as a statesman by widely publicising his pictures showing him meeting with some diplomats, the paper had changed its approach following Mr Sata’s public support and advocacy for homosexuality.

Meanwhile, Livingstone Gospel Ministers Fellowship chairperson Eric Jere has called on the Church in Zambia to support a leader who would uphold Zambia as a Christian nation.

He said the Church was happy that the current Government had upheld the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation.

Reverend Jere was speaking at the close of a two-day Livingstone Gospel Ministers Fellowship conference held at Calvary Church in Livingstone yesterday.

“We have every reason to support the Government. There is no sincere Christian who will cast his or her vote on a candidate who wants to change this nation into a secular State and one who promotes homosexuality.

“Christians know very well that to vote for such a candidate is telling Jesus Christ that I don’t want you to rule over us. It is telling Jesus Christ that I don’t like your moral uprightness, your peace and your love. It is telling Jesus that we love the rule of the devil,” Rev Jere said.

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