By MKOFFAT CHAZINGWA –
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) national youth chairperson Stephen Kampyongo has counseled the youth in the party to desist from engaging in violence because the vice will not help the party win elections.
Mr Kampyongo who is Local Government and Housing Minister said there was need for all PF youth to exercise maximum restraint even under provocation by rival groups.
He said as the party sought to retain power in the forthcoming general elections on August 11, this year, focus by all PF youths should be towards maintaining maximum discipline and unity, as this was the only way the party would succeed.
Mr Kampyongo said this in Chingola on Sunday, when he launched the ‘Team 30 Kopala Youth for Edgar Lungu’, a party mobilisation team for the Copperbelt PF youth.
The Team 30 Kopala Youth for Edgar Lungu is a systematic campaign strategy aimed at taking stock of numbers in the party by way of each PF youth creating a team of 30 members.
Mr Kampyongo who hailed the strategy as the practical way of mobilisation that would ensure the party recruited the needed membership that would usher President Lungu back into State House.
He said not withstanding that, there was need for maximum discipline among the PF youths.
“Discipline and unity is what will make PF succeed. You don’t need to engage in violence in order to campaign because that will only chase away people,” he said.
Mr Kampyongo said youths did not need to struggle to get people to believe in the PF as the party had done a lot in terms of development projects.
He cited the C400 Road project which was earmarked for launch by President Lungu soon and also the water reticulation improvement project aimed at ensuring availability of water in townships.
“The PF has done a lot in the last five years and the works speak for themselves. You don’t need to fight to campaign because we won’t win an election through violence,” he said.
Mr Kampyongo urged the youth to be tolerant and embrace new members joining the party.
He further counseled the youth aspiring to be adopted as parliamentary and local government candidates to learn to manage their ambitions so as not to cause catastrophe in their quest of achieving their aspirations.
Mr Kampyongo said the party would allow competition among members vying to be adopted but that all those with interest including the youth should abide by the rules of the game not to fight amongst themselves as they all belonged to one PF family.
PF Copperbelt youth chairperson Nathan Chanda said the devised campaign mobilisation strategy had been conceptualised at a time when the youth in the party needed to know certain factors that would help PF win this year’s elections with a high margin.
Mr Chanda said the Team 30 Kopala for Edgar Lungu was in recognition of President Lungu’s commitment to empowering the youth in the country.
He said it was the desire of the youth on the Copperbelt to give President Lungu massive votes as a way of appreciating his efforts.