FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact : Cheelo Katambo
Deputy Media Director – UPND
Email: info@upnd.co.zm
UPND DEMANDS IMMEDIATE ACTION FROM THE POLICE AND ZICTA AGAINST CYBERSPACE ABUSE.
October 12th, 2024
LUSAKA – As the United Party for National Development (UPND), we are gravely concerned with the recent wave of falsehoods and defamatory statements being propagated against President Hakainde Hichilema and the general citizenry using the cyberspace. This despicable trend has brought into question the effectiveness of the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) and the Zambia Police in upholding the rule of law as well as their capacity to adequately regulate the cyberspace. We cannot and will not tolerate the continued embarrassment of our President as if we are a nation without laws and institutions.
It is highly disappointing that such baseless accusations and insults against the Head of State and indeeed ordinary citizens have been allowed to flourish under the watch of both ZICTA and the Zambia Police. These institutions have a duty to protect the integrity of the Head of State and to ensure that those responsible for spreading malicious lies are brought to book. However, their continued inaction raises serious questions about their commitment to enforcing the law and maintaining order in the country.
We, as UPND, find it unacceptable that these institutions have failed to act swiftly and decisively in curbing the blatant abuse of media platforms used to tarnish the image of the President. This negligence is not only an embarrassment to the Presidency but also to the entire nation. ZICTA, in particular, has the mandate to monitor and regulate the online space. Why, then, have they allowed these vile attacks on the President and citizens to go unchecked?
The Zambia Police, on the other hand, have the constitutional duty to maintain law and order. Their failure to investigate and prosecute individuals spreading defamatory and slanderous content against the President is a clear dereliction of duty. We warn the police that their continued passivity will not be tolerated. This is a matter of national security and respect for human rights and dignity.
ZICTA and the Police must own up to their responsibilities without further delay. If these two institutions do not take immediate and decisive action against those spreading falsehoods about the President, the UPND will have no choice but to act. We will explore every possible legal avenue to hold both ZICTA and the Police accountable for their failure to protect the dignity of our Head of State and party.
We will not stand by and allow President Hichilema to be ridiculed in such a disgraceful manner. The UPND has stood for the rule of law and we expect all institutions to adhere to the same principles. The lack of action from ZICTA and the Police will not be seen as mere incompetence but as complicity in these malicious attacks.
We urge ZICTA and the Police to move beyond lip service and take concrete steps to clamp down on those spreading defamatory lies. These attacks on the President are attacks on the dignity and stability of the entire nation. Failure to act will leave us no choice but to hold both institutions accountable for their failure to uphold their mandates.
The failure by the two institutions to curb this behavior is not only placing Zambia’s territorial integrity at risk but its Foreign Direct Investment portfolio as well as the country will be considered unsafe for investment.
The UPND remains committed to supporting the government and its institutions, but we will not shy away from acting against those who fail to protect the integrity of our President and our nation.
We therefore demand for immediate action from ZICTA board and its management as well as the police command in line with their constitutional mandate or we shall demand for and rightly so for their immediate removal from office for not only failing the Presidency but the nation as a whole.
We demand for action.
(C) UPND MEDIA TEAM