LET’S KEEP DEATH PENALTY, SAYS HARRINGTON
WILLIAM Harrington says presidents should not impose their personal will and desire on the people on matters such as the death penalty when citizens have already expressed themselves through a constitution review commission.
On the eve of Africa Day, President Hakainde Hichilema said parliament should commence proceedings to amend the law so as to abolish the death penalty.
Reacting to the President’s statement, Harrington, an environmentalist, said any plan to abolish the death penalty would be going against the wishes of the majority of citizens as expressed through the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission on the matter.
“The majority of petitioners who submitted to the commission wanted the death penalty to be upheld in the Constitution of Zambia as a deterrent to would-be offenders where cold-blooded murder is proved beyond all reasonable doubt,” he said in a statement. “With all due respect to our President Hakainde Hichilema, it is my considered view that a president now or in future should not impose his or her personal will and desire on the people on a matter such as the death penalty when the people have already expressed themselves through a costly constitution review commission. And the directive issued by President Hakainde Hichilema that parliament should commence proceedings to amend the law so as to abolish the death penalty would be an unnecessary academic exercise because a president in any case, can exercise his or her constitutional prerogative to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment on any prisoner who is on death row.”
And Harrington has urged Zambians to draw lessons from South Africa where the death penalty was abolished upon release of Nelson Mandela but re-introduced after murder cases escalated drastically.
“The Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission of 2001 which replaced the Mwanakatwe Constitution Review of 1996 has been described as the most progressive one produced since the search for constitution that will stand the test of time and not unnecessarily changed with change of presidency,” said Harrington. “Death penalty officially exists in Zambia but is not implemented. The last known executions were carried out in January 1997. And our courts must continue to pass and confirm the death penalty consistent with recommendations of the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission. We should also draw some lessons from the South African experience where the death penalty was abolished upon release of Nelson Mandela but re-introduced after murder cases escalated drastically.”
The Mast