Embrace a humane migration policy – GBM urges HH
……as the recent dumping of half-naked and seemingly dead migrants irks him
Lusaka, 14.12.2022
Aspiring candidate for the position of president of the Patriotic Front, PF, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba, GBM, has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to adopt an African-friendly migration policy and avoid needless deaths of migrants.
Mr. Mwamba says the President must prioritize the dignity and safety of those seeking asylum by adopting a migration policy and laws that are user-friendly so that asylum seekers do not resort to methods that threaten human life as means of seeking entry into the country.
The former Defense Minister’s comments come in the wake of the discovery of several seemingly dead bodies of asylum seekers dumped somewhere in the bush in Lusaka.
The veteran politician notes that on several occasions, migrants from other African countries have entered the country packed in poorly ventilated trucks and compartments that are not designed for human passengers.
He says Zambia has always been a haven of peace and political stability and will therefore remain an attractive destination for either refugees or economic migrants. “As a Christian nation, and as a sign of basic human decency”, Mr. Mwamba says, “We need to adopt immigration policies and laws that allow others to come through normal border entry points assured that we shall open our doors to them and give them a fair hearing”.
The former Kasama constituency lawmaker says migration laws in Zambia are out of touch with current global developments in which continued political, economic, social, and sometimes religious conflicts are forcing people to move elsewhere in search of safety and a decent way of life.
In addition, Mr. Mwamba says people are also moving owing to the consequences of climate change which has altered physical environments that normally support human life. “All these developments are beyond the capacity of most ordinary people to cope with and adapt”, Mr. Mwamba laments.
In what is seen as a typical capitalist trait that privileges economic benefits over a sense of duty to mankind, President Hichilema has granted visa-free entry to developed countries while maintaining the requirement for visas to African and other third world countries.
“Even at personal level, if you are only friendly to rich people, society does not look at you kindly”, Mr. Mwamba observes, adding, “Christ taught us that the poor will always be with us and therefore it is our duty to share what we have with them”.
Some observers have described the 1951 UN Refugee Convention as inadequate to address the mass movements of human beings that have been observed in recent years preferring the African Union Convention on Refugees as broad enough to cover contemporary developments.
Others have been calling for the free movement of people and adoption of common economic and social development policies across the African continent in which resources could be shared and distributed equitably.