Judiciary has been above partisan lines - Mpombo
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 04 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

GEORGE Mpombo says it is morally and politically unjustifiable for the MMD to attack the Judiciary because the party engaged in a lot of electoral lawlessness during the 2011 election campaigns.

Commenting on MMD president Nevers Mumba's questioning of the Supreme Court ruling on Dora Siliya's election and saying that President Michael Sata wanted to use the Court as a slaughterhouse and an abattoir for democracy, Mpombo said the attack on the Judiciary was a blunder of major proportion.

"There was a lot of electoral lawlessness on the part of the MMD. They ran the most expensive election campaign in Zambia and in the SADC region. I think the complaint is morally and politically unjustified if you can go by what MMD did. The amount of electoral extravaganza that the MMD put up was immense. So far, the courts have performed very well and we must continue to demonstrate that kind of confidence in our Judiciary. They have been above partisan lines. They have been a shining example," he said.

Mpombo said it was grossly unfair for the MMD to attack the Judiciary, saying the opposition political parties should instead support the courts because they were the fountain of justice.

He said in order to uphold the rule of law and support justice, the Judiciary should never be attacked even if some of its decisions might be uncomfortable.

Mpombo advised the MMD to address their internal squabbles and find out the source of the squabbles.

"At the moment, MMD has got to put its house in order in terms of internal squabbles. The MMD should concentrate on picking up its broken pieces and forging ahead. It will not help to attack the justice system," he said.

Mpombo also called on the PF to stop inducing what he termed as unnecessary by-elections.

"PF cannot run away from the fact that they have been inducing these by-elections by flashing deputy ministerial positions in the faces of opposition members of parliament. They cannot deny that, because all members of parliament that have crossed the floor have ended up being appointed deputy ministers. PF can help the country to douse the feeling that they are infiltrating the Judiciary. The number of by-elections that the PF has caused is a source of concern," said Mpombo.