Civil society organisations call for an end to political violence

PF Cadres

Following the demise of President Michael Chilufya Sata on 28 October, we have followed with keen interest the political developments in our country and have been disappointed by the succession and leadership wrangles that have emerged in the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and the opposition Movement for Multi-PartyDemocracy (MMD) respectively.

It is particularly sad that the PF is now embroiled in its own internal wrangles at the expense of the country. This kind of political instability is bad for our country as it erodes both investor and business confidence in general and if not resolved quickly, will have a damaging effect on our economy.

Following skirmishes in town between rival PF camps on 02 December 2014, we are concerned that this violence is now being extended to our streets where innocent citizens are now at risk as a result of these wrangles. We call on the PF and MMD to immediately make signed public declarations to stop the acts of violence and on all political parties to refrain from acts of violence, politics of mudslinging but instead focus on what they have to offer to the Zambians.

It is regrettable that successful governments have been condoning lawlessness by party cadres which in some cases happens in the presence of the law enforcement officers. We question the role of law enforcement agencies that have religiously used the Public Order Act to stop well-meaning citizens from undertaking public engagements and peaceful demonstrations on various national issues. However, the law enforcement agencies have allowed anarchy to prevail on our streets.

To this end, we want to call upon all the political Parties to preserve peace and stability of the country and maintain the status of Zambia as a peaceful nation at regional, continental and global levels.

Zambian citizens have many expectations from political leaders to advance progressive development agenda and so they must not propagate hatred among our peaceful citizens.

We therefore call on:

• All political parties to desist from engaging in the acts of violence and must conduct political campaigns peacefully without character assassination and mudslinging but focus on outlining their vision for Zambia;

• The Patriotic Front (PF) and the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) to respect the rule of law and ensure that their intra-party misunderstandings do not break and disturb the public peace ;

• The Inspector General of Police, Ms Stella Libongani to immediately investigate the 02 December 2014 incident, to give a public account of what transpired as Zambians are confused by different stories now emerging, and to immediately bring to book all those that were involved in and responsible for the scuffle;. The break down in law and order cannot and should not be condoned by any well-meaning citizens

This type of chaos does not inspire citizens who will have no confidence in governments that come in power and this has been the basis of several conflicts we see in many parts of the world. We are also left wondering what time these politicians, especially those in government have available to perform their national duties when they are spending so much time on their internal issues.

We trust that we have individuals in these political parties that will rise above personal interests and restore sanity and order in their parties.

On 20 January 2015, Zambians will choose the leader they want and we pray that they get the leadership they deserve, which can only happen in a non-violent environment where citizens have a real choice based on what candidates have to offer.

Ends

Signatories:

 ActionAid Zambia

Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR)

Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR).

Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC)

Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD)