THE once-every-five-years political transfer window also called ‘crostitution’ in some circles has officially been opened by one Charles Kakoma of UPND and Stephen Masumba of PF exchanging membership cards as each defects to the other’s political party.
Kakoma, UPND Chairperson for Commerce in defecting to PF has claimed that “strange things are happening in the opposition party”.
The former Zambezi West MP has cried that despite his being voted for overwhelmingly in the just-ended UPND intra-party elections, he was demoted from the lucrative and influential position of being the UPND’s mouthpiece to head an insignificant Committee on Commerce.
Meanwhile, he added that he was not happy that the much-sought after ‘party microphone’ was given to Cornelius Mweetwa, the Choma lawmaker as Party spokesperson instead of himself.
Kakoma lamented that whilst, as an individual he could serve in any position, his exclusion from the influential job of party spokesperson did not auger well as he was the only Lunda in the UPND National Management Committee and deserved a higher position on behalf of his tribesmates.
Meanwhile, at a rival press briefing held at the UPND Secretariat, the new man in Kakoma’s job Cornelius Mweetwa ‘threw shade’ at his defecting comrade of 22 years.
Mweetwa said that Kakoma was the most silent political party spokesperson ever seen in the history of politics leading him to wonder whether he was ‘purchased’ into silence a long time ago by the ruling PF and his defection was merely him going back home to his paymasters.
The Choma lawmaker ‘wondered’ whether their party President Hakainde Hichilema had intelligence reports of Kakoma’s auction to PF hence his demotion to Commerce Committee by HH.
Mweetwa veered off from his earlier diplomatic pronouncement to accept Kakoma’s ‘democratic right’ to defect and unleashed subtle political jabs.
In his off-the-cuff comments, he said that there was poverty in the country and being in the opposition was not easy.
He accused the PF of bankrupting Kakoma through successfully having his election as Zambezi West MP nullified and now that he was jobless and broke, they had bought him off.
Meanwhile, as political parties commence adoptions, it is expected that the see-saws of defections will hit top gear.
©Kalemba March 30, 2021
