PF says will go ahead with Lusaka rally despite police refusal
THE PF says it will go ahead with its planned rally in Lusaka this month end despite police directive against the event.
The party’s vice-president Given Lubinda said the rally scheduled for August 26, 2023 will proceed as planned.
On Wednesday, Police informed the PF that their planned rally should not take place due to “security concerns” and further advised them to either use an enclosed place rather than the play ground they have settled for.
But Lubinda said the Police’s decision to disallow the mass public rally was illegal and would not be condoned because it deprived them of their freedom of assembly.
“So I would like to inform members of the public, the rally is taking place on the 26 of August. We are going ahead, because these reasons are totally unacceptable. But because we are a law abiding party, we are going to talk to commissioner for Lusaka Province to tell him that these reasons which your officers gave are totally unacceptable, come up with better reasons, these ones are unacceptable and weather he likes it or not, we have the constitutional right to assemble and no police officer is going to interfere with our enjoyment of that right,” said Lubinda.
Lubinda, who is also former Justice minister noted that the Police had no right to direct the party where it should hold it’s meeting when the duty of the police was to provide security to the citizens.
“We went to see the Deputy General Inspector of Police, we were supprised to be given yet another letter. And this letter was not even received by ourselves, it was not received by our provincial committee.
“And in this later, they are now giving two reasons. The first reason they are giving us is that the launching of the strategic plan does not require to be done at a ground, it can be done in a hall, it can be done in a hotel,” he said.
He added that the decision to have their launch at a play ground was final and no one had the right to question or direct them on where they can hold the gathering as they could do what pleases them as citizens.
“It is not up to Malama, Officer Command in Lusaka, to tell us how we want to launch our strategic plan. It is up to us. If we want to launch it in our houses , we will do it, if we want to launch it in hotels, will do it, if we want to launch it at a hall, we will do it. But this time, we want to launch it at a playing ground. It’s not up to him to tell us,” Lubinda said.
By Buumba Mwitumwa
Kalemba
