When Andeleki deregistered the main opposition party, almost plunging Zambia into a crisis
Did you know that newly-appointed home affairs minister Clement Andeleki, when he was chief registrar of societies, shockingly attempted to deregister MMD, the main opposition political party then?
The move was seen as an attempt to mutilate the country’s democracy by completely destroying the former ruling MMD, effectively granting the then ruling Patriotic Front (PF) a one party status.
Andeleki accused the MMD which had just lost power to the then ruling Patriotic Front (PF) of failing to pay over K390 million (unrebased) in statutory obligations – “annual returns” between 1991 and 2011.
“I have cancelled the registration of the MMD for non-compliance with the Societies Act. This drastic decision has been taken as an act of great exception by my office to send a strong signal to erring registered societies,” Andeleki told journalists in March 2012.
Dora Siliya, MMP spokesperson at the time, said the move was an attempt by PF through the office of the chief registrar of societies, to assault Zambia’s democracy by ‘killing’ the main opposition then.
The country was gripped with fear as the stripping of MMD’s legal status was going to plunge the country into a legal and political crisis at the time as its 53 MPs were going to lose their seats and the country possibly being forced into another general election, six months after Michael Sata’s PF ended MMD’s rule.
However, on June 25, 2012, the Lusaka High Court threw out the application by Andeleki to de-register the party for non-payment of annual returns.
Lusaka High Court judge Jane Kabuka quashed Andeleki’s decision on grounds that the action was excessive and unreasonable.
“I find the cancellation of the MMD disproportionate, it could not have been taken in good faith and this is a mutilation of the tenets of democracy. The decision was not in the public interest as the MMD is one of the big parties in this country,” Judge Kabuka ruled.
Mungalato isn’t new after all!
-The Vital
