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Opposition leaders have lost direction - UNZASU president

Opposition leaders have lost direction - UNZASU president
By Lovely Kayombo and Masuzyo Chakwe
Sun 10 June 2012, 12:58 CAT

UNIVERSITY of Zambia Students Union president Ali Tunkara says opposition political party leaders in the country have lost direction by resorting to using youths to advance their selfish personal agendas. And home affairs minister Kennedy Sakeni says the government has left the police to operate independently and professionally.

Commenting on the recent failed protest by the UPND youths in which they were, among other things, calling for the independence of the Judiciary, Tunkara said youths should be wary of politicians that only wanted to use them for their personal motives.

He said youths have rights and should not have been treated the way they were by the UPND leadership.

Tunkara also condemned the excessive force used by the police, saying they should have used a lighter way to deal with the protesting youths.

"The manner in which the police behaved when handling the protest should be condemned, the police are actually the state and if they pounce on the citizens who are unarmed, it worries us as youths of this country and we strongly feel that that act should be the last because in as much as they were trying to maintain peace and order, they shouldn't have used force to harm unarmed citizens," said Tunkara.

And Sakeni, in an interview, said the matter that prompted UPND cadres to protest was before the courts of law and there was no way police could allow anarchy in the country.

"We have left the police to operate independently and they are doing so. I think in so many years, the police has enjoyed their work under my management as Minister of Home Affairs. There has never been a single day when I have picked a phone to tell a police officer what to do and I can't just do that. I believe the police are professional enough, they have read the books of law and they are able to understand when somebody is committing crime under whatever act and it is up to them to act professionally and as far as I am concerned they have been acting professionally," he said.

"...The matter is before the courts of law and somebody wants to go on the streets, for what? You want to influence the court to decide otherwise? That is not the way people should operate in democracy especially when matters are before the courts of law."

On the planned petition by UPND youths to have Lusaka Police commissioner Charity Katanga removed from her position, Sakeni said the government cannot remove an officer who is working and trying to implement the law.

"The law to do with public assemblies is there and people should read and acquaint themselves and if police can be leaving people to go out to do what they want, where on earth can you allow that and you call that as being political when she is trying to preserve public order? Public order must be preserved as it does not matter whether it is UPND, PF, or it is MMD, whatever political party, people must understand and appreciate the law of the police. We give ourselves these laws and we have to follow them. What do you lose by following the law? You lose nothing," said Sakeni.

But Saccord information officer Obby Chibuluma stated yesterday that his institution was saddened with Katanga's conduct.

"The current public order Act has in the past received two Supreme Court interpretations in the cases of 'Mulundika and six others versus the State' and the case of 'Resident Doctors Association of Zambia versus the State'. In both interpretations, the Supreme Court put it very clear that the police have a responsibility to protect citizens when they hold processions and that the police have no powers to license people's processions and by extension license people's rights," he stated.

Chibuluma urged the police follow the law which clearly states that organisers only need to notify the police of their intentions to hold processions and "in no way does the public order Act give the police the license to go out and practice brutality".

He stated that all citizens must be allowed to enjoy their rights even when their actions may be political in nature.

Chibuluma stated that Zambia was a party to several international instruments that seek to promote and protect civil and political rights and the conduct of the police had the potential to dent Zambia's image internationally.

Labels: CADRES, MMD, UPND

posted by MrK @ 2:20 PM