As things are today regarding the Public Order Act (POA), citizens are only required to give the Zambia Police seven days notification to hold a public rally, procession or demonstration. The notification is not a request for a police permit as the police seem to interpret it.
The last 33 months have seen the former ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, MMD and the United Party for National Development, UPND, have made several attempts to hold public rallies and demonstrations but have met stiff and sometimes brutal resistance from the police. The police are infact on record saying they can not permit such public gatherings because of limited manpower, a volatile security situation or any other excuse they have deemed fit.
Now, is this about to change? Well maybe and just maybe, because on Tuesday June 17, 2013 Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula held a successful meeting with the UPND. The meeting said to have been held in a spirit of give and take is indeed a step in the right direction. Hats off to the PF government.
UPND’s vice president for politics Canisius Banda led his party’s delegation that included secretary general Winston Chibwe, spokesperson Charles Kakoma, international relations chairman Mulondwe Muzungu and national trustee Martha Mushipe who is also one of the party lawyers.
Simbyakula, considered by some as one of President Sata’s most level headed cabinet ministers, must be commended for his bold decision to accept to meet the UPND who have for a very long time been seeking audience with the Ministry of Home Affairs on the POA and other pressing national issues.
The POA is certainly at variance with the interests of the people. That is why a lot of people have been calling for it to be revised or repealed altogether. However there are some stakeholders who think that the POA can work very well in its current form if only those in the driver’s seat, the PF administration, believed in democracy without having to stifle any freedom of expression or assembly.
While Simyakula as Home Affairs Minister is being given a pat on the back much more needs to be done to ensure that people get their freedoms back. Right now almost all opposition political party leaders who have made any attempt at having public gatherings, with the police being notified, have fallen victim to untold harassment at the hands of the law enforcers.
The UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has on many occasions been a victim of police brutality and harassment. Others to have their rights infringed upon with impunity are Forum for Democracy and Development, FDD, leader Edith Nawakwi and Movement for Multi-Party Democracy, MMD, president Nevers Mumba.
Plural politics or multi-party dispensation is basically about competition on even ground and fairly acceptable terms. The ruling party must never have the upper hand. But what we are seeing today is a situation where notifications by opposition political parties and other interest groups to hold public meetings are being turned down. The PF is on the other hand conducting its political activities with unlimited freedom.
Even though the UPND has pushed on relentlessly and managed a few rallies outside by-elections with the recent one being in Lusaka’s Mandevu constituency on June 8, 2013 it is time all opposition parties are allowed to mobilise freely as long as they are within the seven days period required to just notify the police.
It remains to be seen how Zambia moves forward with the POA after Simbyakula’s meeting with the UPND on Tuesday June 17, 2013. Being the level headed gentleman that some people are saying he is, let us all hope that he tables the concerns raised in the meeting before the next cabinet meeting so that maybe and just maybe there can be a much fairer way of applying the POA.
Just one more thing! The police must always remember, it’s notification and not police permit.
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