Peace and stability of Zambia must be maintained – HH

HH addressing cadres

Human Rights For All

Today is world human rights day. Firstly I would like to say that I am grateful for the fact I have grown up in a country where peace has endured over the years. I am more grateful still for the sake of my children and I want to see this continue for every Zambian generation to come.

I want to praise the work too of the many NGOs out there that fight tirelessly every day to protect the rights of our people. These are the unsung heroes of our country.

It is important to remind Government today, however, that it has a fundamental obligation to protect the human rights of all its citizens. There is still much work that needs to be done to better protect the human rights of all Zambians. If we are not careful to protect our peace and freedoms they can quickly come under threat.

If elected President there are several measures we will deliver to ensure the proper protection of the human rights of each and every Zambian, and to preserve peace and stability in our country. We strongly believe that economic and social development are dependent on good governance.

Our priorities will be delivering the new constitution, repealing the NGO Act and guaranteeing a media free from Government interference. There must be proper management of the Public Order Act to prevent against its abuse. As you can see there is a lot of work to do so I hope we can get started in January 2015.

As Zambians we are all equal and we are all one nation. As such Government needs policies that address any imbalances between the rights of Zambian citizens. For example, women’s rights must be protected and promoted, and Government has a responsibility to make sure girls and women have the same opportunities available to them as boys and men.

We must work to ensure the peace and stability of Zambia is maintained. Both Government and citizen must stand firm against any kind of violence, and no one should face intimidation or harassment for their beliefs, ever. We in UPND want to lead a country where people can disagree on ideas without fear of retribution.

We want to bury the past. Today is an appropriate time for me to make clear that if I am elected President on 20 January 2015 there will be no retribution to those that have trespassed against us. A number of Zambians have been on the receiving end of that and have felt the cost and this is not something I would wish upon anyone.

On 20 January 2015 let us join together and in peace and unity move forward to a better Zambia.

Hakainde Hichilema

UPND President