Sampa pledges loyalty to Lungu, PF

NEWLY elected Lusaka Mayor Miles Sampa has told his supporters to celebrate with humility and embrace the losers.

Sampa, who pledged loyalty to President Edgar Lungu and the Patriotic Front, said he would seek guidance from the President on how to be more humble.

Sampa, who beat eight other contestants in Thursday’s apathy-ridden mayoral by-election, dedicated his victory to the Head of State.
Sampa polled 81,936 votes.

Returning officer Alex Mwansa announced the final results indicating that Sampa obtained 81,936 followed by UPND’s Kangwa Chileshe with 36,754, Mundia Mukubesa from PAC with 7,741, Saboi Imboela (NDC) with 2,645, Madalitso Musukwa from UPPZ with 1,054, Saviour Chishimba (UPP) with 680, Bwalya Nondo (NAREP) with 398, Alfred Banda (UNIP) 525, and Leslie Chikuse (RPP) 140.
1,460 were rejected as invalid.

“Thank God they were peaceful campaigns and I commend all the participants but importantly allow me to thank God and the President of Zambia Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the entire party leadership in particular the MPs (members of parliament) of Lusaka without whom I wouldn’t have been at this point in time here at the Civic Centre. This job after the campaign…I report to the President, I report to the party and that I will hold forever in my seat. Most importantly the people of Lusaka want a Mayor that will take care of everybody,” Sampa said.

He said his work has already begun and pledged to fulfill what was contained in his social contract with the people of Lusaka.

Sampa further pledged to work with the losing candidates in implementing some of their workable idea in his quest to make Lusaka a garden city.

He said he would start with garbage collection in the city.

“Work starts right here, the work promised in the social contract, as a team, together with the Vice-President [Inonge Wina] and the President, the work to make Lusaka clean, Lusaka a healthy city, to make Lusaka a garden city and remove all the garbage out of Lusaka, those heaps; the work start immediately. Everything I promised would start in 100 days starts today, the work starts today. To my competitors, those we participated with, hats off, they ran a good campaign, all of them were made in God’s eyes, some of them have got good attributes but it’s only that in God’s eyes this Mayor[ship] is my time,” Sampa said.

He urged the losers, in the apathy-ridden elections, to never give up as their time would one day come.

Sampa said his goal, now that the elections were over, was to unite everyone with the idea to make Lusaka better.

“I congratulate them [opponents] and wish them well. They are all residents of Lusaka; I’ll listen to everybody who lives in Lusaka including them. I will give them my social contract and listen to what they have to say. They had a message of their own and that they didn’t get zero means that one or two people supported them. I will have time with them and pick the good things because this is a collective job for all the people of Lusaka. We can make a difference in Lusaka, not only for us, this generation, but also for our children and grandchildren if we start doing things together as one. Campaigns will come back in 2021 [but] now my goal is to unite, my goal is to have loyalty to the President, to have loyalty to the party PF,” he said.

Sampa encouraged his supporters and PF members to celebrate his victory with humility as well as to embrace the losing candidates.

He further said he would take a leaf from President Lungu’s humility in his approach with people.

“I encourage my supporters in the party to enjoy this moment but enjoy it with humility and respect other contestants from other political parties. I dedicate this victory to my President Edgar Chagwa Lungu and the PF. In a Christian nation, I encourage everybody to take a leaf from President Lungu. Zambia is very lucky to have a President who is a genuine Christian and believes in God. We see it in his actions. We see people talk but he practices, what he says. The reconciliation is real, I feel from my elder brother and I would say to everyone that take a leaf, instead of pointing negative fingers say there’s genuine reconciliation there and also it pays to have humility, it pays to be humble, that’s the only difference. I pledge to take a leaf from President Edgar Lungu and be humble to the people that vote, in how he leads, and [I will] seek guidance from him so that I can be more humble and a leader that shows humility to all,” said Sampa.

Meanwhile, People’s Alliance for Change losing mayoral candidate Mundia Mukubesa thanked all who voted for him, saying their decision was energising for his party that had been on the political scene less than two and half years.

“Zambia is ready for new types of politics (Issue based and aimed for better service delivery).
I am very energized by Lusaka residents and voters for having faith and giving us (3) third position from the main two political parties UPND and PF,” Mukubesa stated.

“As an individual, l am only one month old in active politics, the journey has just began. The past 30 days made me realize that l have a lot to learn, pay attention to and consider in this very big web of tactics, calculations and mind games.
I shall openly learn from those that have mastered this game, from both the PF and UPND, from all other existing political parties, more especially from the voters.”

Mukubesa also congratulated Sampa, telling him that, “When it’s your time, nothing can change that. Not even those who hate you. God gives and he’s given it to you. Use the best of this opportunity to build a healthy and habitable capital city. Your destiny is always inevitable.”
“I’m happy for you because we can’t win, there can only be one Lusaka City Mayor, and it’s you my elder brother. Stay focused and work for us all,” stated Mukubesa.

And Kangwa stated that the election had shown that the upcoming times were pregnant with victory and good promise.

“This is not time to rest and give up hope, for the race to 2021 has just began in earnest, and victory beckons at the doorstep,” Kangwa told party leader Hakainde Hichilema and vice-president Geoffrey Bwalya.

“Dear friends, you did not compete against me, but alongside me, for together we accomplished our mission and gave example to our people especially our youth, that political opponents are not enemies but partners in shared values and beliefs, to move our country forward in prosperity and equal opportunities for all,” he stated.

He wished Sampa well as he strives to make Lusaka a better place for all who live in it.

Source: The Mast