MP URGES JJ BANDA TO RETURN, FACE LAW
A NEWLY elected Member of Parliament in Luapula Province has called for the return of former Petauke Central Member of Parliament JJ Banda to Zambia to face the law over alleged threats directed at President Hakainde Hichilema.
Bangweulu MP Happy Mampa urged the Inspector General of Police to take the alleged threats seriously, stressing that no individual should be allowed to issue threats against the Republican President.
“JJ Banda cannot be issuing death threats against President Hakainde Hichilema,” Mr Mampa said.
He said such statements should not be taken lightly, regardless of the political standing or influence of the individual involved.
Mr Mampa further called on law-enforcement authorities to investigate the matter and ensure that appropriate action was taken in accordance with the law.
He said Zambia was a country governed by the rule of law and that all citizens, regardless of their political affiliation or position, should be held accountable for their actions if they were found to have broken the law.
The Bangweulu lawmaker said the safety and security of the Republican President should be treated as a matter of national importance.
He urged the police to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged remarks and determine whether they amounted to criminal conduct.
Mr Mampa said authorities should not wait until a situation escalated before taking action, arguing that alleged threats against a Head of State required prompt attention from the relevant institutions.
He also appealed to political leaders and their supporters to exercise restraint in their public statements and avoid language that could create tension or undermine national peace.
Mr Mampa said the country’s law-enforcement agencies had a responsibility to ensure that any person suspected of committing an offence was dealt with fairly and in accordance with established legal procedures.
The call, he stressed, was not about political persecution but about ensuring that the law was allowed to take its course.
Times of Zambia