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Mumbi Phiri

LUSAKA. — Zambia’s ruling party has assured its supporters that it is still strong and vibrant and remains true to its founding ideals despite challenges and setbacks.

“We may have challenges and minor setbacks but be assured that your party, the Patriotic Front, has always made a rebound. Our resilient and enduring spirit has seen us rising above every challenge, regrouping and re-launching as a united force,” Mumbi Phiri, deputy secretary-general of the party said in a statement.

She said there were some people who were seeking the fall of the party and urged members to defend it from such agendas. The party, she said, was in the process of finalising its strategic plan which will run from 2018 to 2021, aimed at repositioning the party and increasing membership ahead of the 2021 general elections.

According to her, the period under the plan will be characterised by heightened interface between leaders and the general membership to address concerns, challenges and opportunities.

Such interface will not be a one-off event but on-going process as we continue building the party, she added. She further said there was no need for supporters to panic following some of the events the party has experienced in the recent past.

The ruling party has suffered setbacks following the firing of some of its former senior members who have since formed an opposition party, with party insiders saying the new party has started destroying the ruling party’s structures. — Xinhua.