British High Commissioner to Zambia James Thornton has implored the Zambia Police Service to be steady fast in bringing those responsible for political violence to justice.He said violence has no part in Zambia’s democratic dispensation.
Mr Thornton said it is imperative that the Police ensure there is a level political playing field in the country.He added that it is high time the Zambia Police Service saw the need to be proactive and start discussions with stakeholders in a bid to find ways of resolving issues that lead to violence whenever there are political gatherings.
And Mr Thornton has backed calls for the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to be given more powers to disqualify any political party whose supporters engage in violence prior to voting day.
Mr. Thornton told QFM News in an interview that the Zambia Police Service and the Electoral Commission of Zambia play a significant role in the democratic life of the nation.
Well said Ambassador, our Politicians should also standup to condemn violence and
Find ways of ending / avoiding it.
Zambia police is only impartial to whomever is oiling their palms.
This what I call the donor community ratcheting up the pressure on PF. Guy Scott will simply run away when he realises that he might up at Hague, leaving Sata and his minions to face the music.
This how they start. Bit by bit and eventually they start targeting PF individuals and monitoring their off shore accounts. Of course they already know who how much each of these guys have in their off shore accounts.
THORNTON YOU ARE DREAMING.
HAVE MERCY.
THE CHAPS WILL BE SACKED FOR NOT FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS.
The suggestion by ECZ to disqualify the political party that causes violence just before elections is good…but will be manipulated by the ruling Party to disqualify their competition. Just as we have not seen any arrest by Police of violent cadres from the ruling party so will not see any ruling party being disqualified for violence during elections. What we will see instead is opposition parties being barred for ‘violence’.
The political violence is the reason the Kwacha is losing value…investors are scared to bring there money to a place where the ruling party cadres roam the streets with pangas and kill with impunity
I’m a foreign investor and I’m waiting until next month to see if I will continue build in Zambia. When I started ten years ago, everything was good. Now with the threat of violence there, I’m a little nervous about continuing. I was even thinking about retiring there in the next fifteen years.
how silly is this, our own people can not see the biasness of the police?? it has to take foreign countries to tell us what we already know!! when will we, as African stop our minds from being colonised
We hear your lamentation @Trial. However, I wont wholly endorse your view. The thing is, many Zambians have noticed the biasness in the Police force and others have articulated the same views that High Commissioner Thornton has voiced out. Difference being that our government wont listen to its own people’s views. The hope is that with the clout that the Bristish or the Americans have, the same message may be heard. Not so long ago, despite the Zambian people craving for the president to address the nation, when there was disquite about the constitution, who did MCS prefer to talk to? Foreigners in the shape of ambassadors and high commisioners. Opinions of native Zambians who elected this government does not matter. Would like to hear Chilufya Sata or Mulenga Sata dispute this fact.
Iwe ka trial we are in this dilemma because of political dinosaurs clinging to power. These dinosaurs do not respect the views of the voters but only listen to colonial masters as most them grew up in that era in which anything from a white man is to be followed.
So up to now these old people will only respect the views of the donors for fear of losing the funding. They have embraced consumption oriented economies so that they continue to beg the colonial masters and the western world. As a result they are compelled to listen to them without choice.
If they can only listen to colonial masters in order to change their evil ways, so be it, as long as the needed change is effected.We will only stop listening to people from the western world when we start being masters of our destinies.
thorton ratchet up sanctions on these individuals so that they can feel the pressure indeed. we are in a dictatorship
Thank heavens, the world is watching. This police brutality and impartiality will one day have to be accounted for. What PF craziness is this!
Mr Thornton is doing a great job, that’s what an envoy of a super power ought to be, i.e siding with the marginalised/victims. His former counterpart, American Ambassador, Mark Storella was a huge disappointment. Sir, continue to speak for those whose rights are being trampled upon.
Hey you Holier than thou colonialist give realistic advice. You know it cant happen. Firstly Democracy thrives on wealth. Poor countries just pay lip service to democracy. Remember Our police learnt to be biased when you were ruling us.
Britain; we are glad that you are observing the goings on;
Well said Mr Thornton, perhaps HH might be listening to you and stop for his militiaman like William Banda from organize spear-wielding UPND cadres every time there is a political meeting