The Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has today filed a petition in the High Court challenging the constitutionality of the Public Order Act.
LAZ president James Banda has revealed in a statement released to the media that the LAZ Litigation team filed the petition challenging certain provisions of the Public Order Act.
Mr Banda says the action has been taken in the public interest and is in line with LAZ’s objectives which include promoting the rule of law and the rights and liberties of individuals and also promoting the reform of the law both by the amendment of and removal of imperfections in the existing law.
He says LAZ will not wait for the High Court to set a date of hearing and determine the matter.
On 1st November 2012 LAZ announced that due to the continued unreasonableness exhibited by the Government through the Police to prevent citizens from holding public gatherings they had decided to challenge the Constitutionality of the Public Order Act or some provisions therein in the High Court.
SATA AND PF BANYANYA,,PLS CONTINUE MONITORING THESE LIERS OR ELSE OUR COUNTRY WILL BE TAKEN BACK TO ONE PARTY STATE..WE WORK ACCORDING TO OUR DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH is the winner here
sata is a blue lier…to many youths out there.
We need to have our political leaders freely to interact with the ordinally zambian citizens.
Mr. Sata is becoming a pure dictator on zambian soil.
SATA IS NOT PROPERLY IS ADVISED ON ISSUES OF DEMOCRACY ,,LET HIM OBSERVE AND RESPECT VALUES OF DEMOCRACY
SATA IS A VERY LET DOWN LEADER IN AFRICA,,HE CAN’T TOUR THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
VIVA RB.
we have heard you are plotting a come back,
nafuti nafuti
Laz please make your weight felt otherwise what good does your association bring to zambia. Institutions such as yours are their to offer neutral checks on governance issues. I hope you have learnt from the last elections that yours as an institution is to be impartial and be seen to be neutral
The Rule of Law and NOT the rule by Law should be the guiding principle. Freedom of expression is fundamental to democracy. Go my LAZ, go
This is the right away to go.Human rights are what makes society develop.Mr Banda well done.
But this is only a half hearted effort from LAZ, thier default position at the moment is to agree with anything Sata says……..yes, bwanas, they are called.
This is one battle that you are destined to lose Mr Banda. How I wish LAZ could expend more of their efforts on issues such as court cases that have been pending for years and years, people in detention with out trial, quality assessment and assurance of their own members etc. Â Â
These are functions of the Human Rights Commission not LAZ
What am saying is LAZ should show concern on such matters as they their members do represent some of these people that are affected by such injustices, not that it’s their function. Who then do you suggest deals with indisciplined Lawyers?Â
Should the statement “LAZ will not wait for the High Court to set a date of hearing and determine the matter” be construed to either imply that LAZ will file an urgent application to the High Court or may be that LAZ intends to file the petition directly to the Supreme Court? Can any learned blogger please educate me? I would like to get the correct perspective.
I am pretty certain it’s a typing error and should read “LAZ will NOW wait….” I cannot imagine LAZ failing to follow through laid down procedures.
its a typo..it should read …NOW…
Thanks to both It’s a worry… and Sobhuza for your excellent clarification.
Can intellligent minds like mushota please provide guidance on this before we are misled by useless speculators.
We recall that Darlington Mwape and Joseph Jalasi were State House Legal Advisors to Mwanawasa and RB respectively. Can some one tell me who is Sata’s legal advisor in State House? If not, is it order to for a head of state to rule a country without a legal advisor? Dont tell me its Kabimba, who already has his own two jobs.
The Public order act , Chapter 113 of the laws of Zambia is a relevant law with some clauses making it susceptible to political whims and manipulations. The LAZ has taken the correct approach to this matter so that such clauses can be ruled unconstitution by the courts and force the legislature to repeal these archaic clauses. In its entirety, the Public Order Act is useful as it creates legal base to avoid anarchy. Witout this law we would have party sycophants appearing in their party regalias everywhere to please their political influentials and they would be carrying machetes and axes to intimidate whoever tries to speak. Go on LAZ, get this law repealed as even I who still stands with Sata think it has been abused and is still being abused! James looks slimmer, good for you man!
After spending so long in opposition it’s a shame that Mr. Sata and his cohorts have decided to use every trick the MMD ever used (and then some!) to quash the opposition and stifle our democracy.
I’m sure most people expected better of this government!
you took long enough…have you just woken up from your slumber
Solomoni Jere
sata your end will be disastrous..pls tune down or else your best friends will be your enemy
Give me freedom of expression and nothing less than that!
That’s a right move. I hope you will pursue other issues such as the appointment of Mutembo Nchito and any other appointments that abrogate the requirements of law.
/:) I think it’s not fair to complain that the president needs to visit the whole country come on guys lets be realistic he’s too old to travel like that but the again even guy Scott is very very old so maybe wynter  should do the traveling, wait he ill right? Maybe miles No! Miles has to continue looking for loans with fancy names like now he’s looking for the dollar bond :((:(( ouch these guys kekekekekekeke maybe they should seek for advice for RB , HH AND MUMBA these guys are smarter I m guessing educated tooÂ
This is long overdue LAZ. PF u-turned on the Public Order Act. When it was used by MMD against them they said it was a bad law. Now they say it is a good law. Integrity lies in consistency.
Zambia’s ruled by dictators sata n kabimba under these zambia democracy has disappeared. Let’s hate them to the bitter end to remove the obnoxious dictators sata n kabimba.
you fool it is not time for companying ok, my govt, our govt, your govt, , will not accet such nonsense