No need for UPND violence on those criticising HH, advises Chipenzi
By Fanny Kalonda
GEARS Initiative says there is no need to unleash violence on those perceived to be attacking President Hakainde Hichilema, adding that the law protects the Head of State from such.
GEARS Initiative executive director McDonald Chipenzi has expressed concerned with the threats of violence against other citizens perceived to be attacking the President and against the judiciary by the UPND youth.
“We are concerned with the threats of violence against other citizens perceived to be attacking the President and also against the judiciary by the UPND youth. These threats are coming at a time when Zambia joins the rest of the continent of Africa celebrating and reflecting on Africa Day and promote continental freedom and independence from economic and political exploitation. This must be a day that a nation especially youth from the ruling party should preach love, peace, hope and freedom from oppression, suppression and intimidation, harassment than violence,” he said. “There is no need to unleash violence on those perceived to be attacking the republican President because the law, as it is now, does protect the President from such; and any attacks, in the physical, verbally or using cyber.”
Chipenzi said the President does not need protection from the party youth currently but from the constitutionally established institutions such as the Zambia Police Service.
‘’The moment the UPND youth will start unleashing violence on their opponents in the broad daylight in the name of protecting and defending the President and the presidency while the police watch on helplessly without making these youths accountable, then that will be a vote-of-no confidence in the operations of the law enforcement agencies such as the police,” Chipenzi said. “If the UPND youth feel aggrieved and decide to take the law into their hands, then, as citizens, we would have failed our institutions and probably undermined their existence and operations like that of the Zambia Police Service. That will be a recipe for lawlessness of the highest order which Zambians rejected under the PF administration and continue to abhor even under this administration.”
He said the country should not allow itself to degenerate into such levels of undermining of institutions and lawlessness.
Chipenzi asked the UPND youth to explain if they felt that police had failed in their duties.
“Do the youth now say that the police have failed to protect the republican President which they are employed to protect or think the President has failed to institute the satisfactory changes in the judiciary and other institutions for them to want to take the law into their own hands? We must condemn all forms of threats, intimidation, harassment and exploitation against citizens, institutions of governance such as judiciary and the police regardless of perceived religious, political, creed or tribe or perceived operational deficiencies,” said Chipenzi.
“However, let us continue to expose deficiencies in the operations of our institutions and propose legal means of addressing the identified deficiencies using established channels. Let us give chance to the President and his administration to address the intricacies in these institutions in his promised methodical and meticulous way. The impatience among the UPND may be the reflection of the frustrations obtaining among citizens at the slow pace change is taking place, and is a well-known and understandable feeling, especially when the leadership is trying to promote the rule of law. However, using unorthodox means of addressing the intricacies in these institutions will be a great dent in Zambia’s governance record.”