‘I cannot denounce Dr Guy Scott like others’, says Mufumbwe PF member of parliament Stephen Masumba

Responding to a Daily Nation newspaper reporter who wanted to know if it was not dangerous to keep Dr Scott in PF after he had announced his support for Hakainde Hichilema, Masumba said he had a lot of respect for the former Republican vice-president.

“You cannot denounce a person who removed you from the dungeons of fire. My moral political standing in society is that I have great respect for Dr Scott. How do I expect Zambians to look at me if I denounce Scott? Because if I fall into trouble, nobody will take me seriously in future and think of helping me,” Masumba said.

“I have got great respect for him [Dr Scott], yes like you want to hear it that it’s very true that he pardoned me; I can’t run away from that fact and I will always declare interest when it comes to denouncing Dr Scott.”

He said the PF had procedures when it came to disciplining its members and now that Dr Scott had aligned himself with the UPND, the committee charged with such a responsibility would do its job.

Masumba said he had no problems denouncing others that have declared their support for the UPND, describing them as “empty tummies” who always wanted to engage in politics of eating.

“Those are the chaps who have been rushing to the UPND because they have just realised that in their own capacity, they cannot make it politically. So they want to ride on the purported popularity of the UPND but I will tell you, it will be sad for them. When you look at the UPND, in the past it has branded the PF as a laughing stock dealing with recycled politicians but look at the team that has rushed to join them? It’s a crop of recycled politicians and Zambians themselves have eyes to see,” he said.

Masumba wondered when youths would represent Zambians as members of parliament when old and tired politicians kept on switching political parties.

He said he could not waste his time to associate with the UPND as a principled politician because the party was not going anywhere.

“And beyond that, the party is playing regional politics that thrives on political manoeuvres, which can’t work in any way. Even in Mufumbwe, I am not scared of those boys in UPND,” bragged Masumba.

As acting Republican president after the death of Michael Sata, Dr Scott pardoned Masumba and George Mpombo who were facing jail terms.

Last Sunday at a UPND press briefing, Dr Scott stated that he would back the UPND in the August 11 general elections, a political move that has unsettled the ruling PF and its followers.