(STICKY) (LUSAKATIMES) HH justifies Commonwealth petition

HH justifies Commonwealth petition
Time Posted: February 14, 2013 8:55 am

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has justified the intent of opposition political leaders’ visit to the Commonwealth secretariat in South Africa to request for the organization’s intervention in the alleged violation of Commonwealth values and principles by the Patriotic Front government.

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema has justified the intent of opposition political leaders’ visit to the Commonwealth secretariat inSouth Africa to request for the organization’s intervention in the alleged violation of Commonwealth values and principles by the Patriotic Front government.

Mr. Hichilema has told Qfm News that the move by opposition leaders to lodge a complaint to the Commonwealth Ministerial action group was not ill-intended but merely to find a lasting solution to the gross disregard of democratic principles by the PF.

He said that since coming into government, the PF has abrogated fundamental human rights contrary to the values endorsed by the Commonwealth.

Mr. Hichilema has since stated that leaders of the opposition that made a bold step to go to South Africa must not be condemned for merely requesting the Commonwealth to investigate human rights abuses by the PF government.

He says the opposition has tried every means to engage government on matters of national interest but that the government has not shown willingness to listen to advice.

Mr. Hichilema says it is therefore not strange for the opposition to engage the Commonwealth to investigate abuse of human rights by government.

Meanwhile, the national youth league of the National Restoration Party (NAREP) has expressed sadness over remarks made by Zambian opposition leaders at a press conference in South Africa.

The national youth league of the National Restoration Party (NAREP) has expressed sadness over remarks made by Zambian opposition leaders at a pressconference in South Africa.

National Coordinator Aquino Mutale says MMD president Nevers Mumba, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema and ULP leader SakwibaSikota should learn to place their priorities right.

Mutale says opposition leaders should know better than to discredit, castigate and undermine the state of the country in a foreign land.

He tells QFM that at no time has any opposition political party in the country been denied their freedom to hold press conferences from their respective secretariats.

Mutale says the opposition leaders need to ask themselves who would suffer the most if not the people of Zambia they claim to serve if the Commonwealth was to meet the demands they made.

He wondered where the leaders have placed their duties as citizens to promote and defend the country by shamefully openly attacking their state in the manner they did.

QFM