Maravi

Resolutions of MMD youths in Lusaka

Resolutions of MMD youths in Lusaka
By The Post
Wed 27 July 2011, 14:00 CAT

What we need to inculcate in our people, especially our young people in politics, is a culture of tolerance and humility which places the humanity of others before self and accepts that all citizens have a right to participate in the shaping of their destiny directly without fear of reprisal.

Tolerance and respect for our fellow citizens makes us allow our critics, our political opponents to express their opinion about our views, our actions without inhibition, whether these seem to be unpalatable or not.

At the same time, we should expect the same treatment or privilege when our turn comes. This is not something we achieve instinctively. Rather, we develop it consciously and respectfully; our very instincts would drive us to throttling our opponents in argument, or, better still, smack them with a deadly blow. This is familiar to all those who have seen the manner in which MMD youths have treated their political opponents or those they consider to be the enemies of their political masters.

The Constitution of this country allows every citizen to hold their own views and propagate them. Our Constitution also gives every citizen the right of association, the right to join a political party of their choice. Our Constitution gives every citizen the right to form a political party. Ours is a constitutional multiparty political setup. One cannot form a government without being sponsored by a winning political party. This is so because there was a realisation by our people that no one party can ever have the final and perpetual solution to all our problems. And indeed, it is negative conservatism to assume and believe that any one political party can ever have the final and perpetual solution to all problems of any social system. Such conservatism has no existential basis. To suggest, in any way, that meaningful political participation in the affairs of this country is only possible within the contexts of the machinery of the ruling party is tantamount to saying that what is good for MMD is good for everyone, a suggestion which is patently false as far as what is known about the diversity of the human condition goes.

Some of the 14 resolutions passed by the MMD youths in Lusaka, which they are calling “Rules of engagement in this year’s campaigns”, are a recipe for anarchy and lawlessness. While no one will deny the MMD youths the right to self-defence, no responsible person can recommend resorting to violence whenever provoked. The use of violence should only be in self-defence. And this is different from resorting to violence when provoked. The MMD youths in Lusaka resolved that all committees at all levels of the party embrace the spirit of retaliation against any form of violence targeted on it in this year’s elections as a protective mechanism. One may morally disagree with this approach but one cannot deny them the right to use violence in self-defence. But to say that “youths shall be allowed to reciprocate violence if provoked by the opposition” may be stretching self-defence a bit too far.

Provocation can be dealt with very well within the confines of the law. The police are there to protect every citizen. And moreover, cadres, members and supporters of the MMD are the most well protected by the police – their complaints receive very urgent responses from the police. We urge them to report any unlawful provocation on them to the police. Lawlessness, under any pretext, is not good for the country because “every lawless act leaves an incurable wound, like one left by a double-edged sword”.

Their resolution that they will “not allow any form of parallel vote tabulation to take place” because the Electoral Commission of Zambia was the only one allowed to count votes may stretch their liberties too far. It has been established, even by the Law Association of Zambia, that parallel vote tabulation is not illegal. And no one says parallel vote tabulation involves people not representing the Electoral Commission of Zambia going into polling stations or vote counting centres to count votes.

If someone does that, it will be an offence for which law enforcement officers, and not MMD youths, should take responsibility. MMD youths are not police officers or law enforcement agents. If they are not happy with parallel vote tabulation, the only way they can stop it is to go to court and obtain an order against it. But again, the enforcement of that order will not be by themselves but by law enforcement agents. If they try to use violence against those carrying out parallel vote tabulation, they will be committing a crime for which they should be arrested, prosecuted and sent to jail.

This is what the rule of law requires. And there should be no laws for MMD youths and another set for their political opponents. All our citizens should be entitled to the equal protection of the law without regard to their political affiliation or lack of it.

The MMD youths in Lusaka also resolved that “if a media institution is violating our principle of precision, by not precisely doing that for which its organisation was registered to do, every member of the youth brigade should not allow”. Again, MMD youths, like all other citizens, have the right to vigorously take issue with the media when they regard it as appropriate without that in any way implying a right on their part to infringe on the freedom of the press.

If they are wronged as many others, including ourselves, are being wronged by some media outlets, the solution is not to take the law into their own hands. We are being defamed every day by the media that is controlled by the MMD and its government. We have taken matters to court but the defamations, the libel and slander has continued – seemingly with impunity.

We have not taken the law into our own hands. We are waiting for the law to take its course – it’s moving slowly but one day it will get there. This is what it means to be civil, to be law-abiding and to be tolerant. Tolerance is not about the things one likes; it is about the things that one doesn’t like, the things one detests or finds totally unacceptable. There is no effort required to allow what one wants. A lot of effort is required to tolerate that which one finds intolerable. This is why tolerance is important.

MMD youths, like every citizen of this country, have the right to defend their rights. But this has to be within the confines of the law. They will never be allowed to operate as if they were the police or any other law enforcement agency.

They are also saying that “in this regard, anyone that shall publicly use derogatory language against the President in campaigns, that person shall be declared enemy of the party and a target of our responsibility”. What does this mean? If being a target of their responsibility means violence against that person, then they have got a serious problem.

They can take issue politically with that person or resort to legal action against that person, but under no circumstances should they resort to violence against that person. We have enough laws in our statute books to deal with matters of defamation, especially that of the president. The most they can do is to report to the police or resort to civil litigation in our courts of law. Any other move will be illegal and a promotion of anarchy and lawlessness. As we have already stated, lawlessness is not good for the country and for all those involved in it.

What our country needs are peaceful elections. And we will only have peaceful elections if certain conditions prevail in our country and in the hearts of our cadres and their leaders. There ought to be a conducive atmosphere. The major players have to agree on the conditions under which the coming elections are held. The contestants have to conduct themselves in a manner that does not put others at an unfair disadvantage.

There ought to be transparency in the organisation of the elections. And for the MMD, as the ruling party and the facilitator of the forth-coming elections, they should ensure that the concerns of all key players are adequately addressed. This is what will ensure peace and not threats of violence by MMD youths, or any other party youths for that matter.

Labels: MMD, MMD YOUTH LEAGUE, POLITICAL VIOLENCE

posted by MrK @ 5:56 PM