Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu has said the Public Order Act is a good piece of legislation in its current form.
Mr. Lungu said government will not amend the Act unless the opposition political parties give valid reasons and convince government to make adjustments.
He said he can only take the proposed amendment to cabinet if the opposition political parties give him valid reasons for amending the Act.
Mr. Lungu was speaking last evening on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) programme dubbed, “Sunday Interview” monitored by ZANIS in Lusaka.
“The law (Public Order Act) in its current form is a very good piece of legislation we have in the country. This law can be improved when they (opposition) form government and they want me to discard it, no l will not,” Mr. Lungu said.
Mr. Lungu, who is also Patriotic Front (PF) Chawama Member of Parliament, advised the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) and United Party for National Development (UPND) to dialogue with government and desist from rushing to the court when aggrieved.
“I am surprised that the opposition are saying the Act is a bad law. As PF we are open to dialogue but we see our friends doing things deliberately,” he said.
He further advised the opposition political parties to understand government’s position on holding public rallies.
He said having a meeting was not absolute adding that government has a duty to protect the rights of the citizens.
MMD leader Dr. Nevers Mumba and his UPND counterpart Hakainde Hichilema have accused the PF government of not being democratic by not allowing them to hold public rallies.
ZANIS
Yes, it is a good piece of legislation now that PF is in power. It was only a colonial, repressive piece of legislation when PF was in opposition. In Zambia laws are bad or good depending on which side of the fence the party in power is.
Its totally an acceptable for opposition to hold public rally in order dicredit the Govt.let them avail their Agenda they will be allowed but still they can’t do that.Also in Zambia company period is not yet that’s is why no one will be allowed to do that!!!!
Hey, wait a minute, how do you know that the opposition only want to discredit the government? The opposition want to sell themselves by telling people what they will do differently from what the PF is doing, or what they will do that the PF is not doing thereby making the common man and woman even poorer in the current circumstances. Your being defensive shows that you are aware about your party’s failures.
Bring back the British. We miss them. They should come back and run the country they created with Lubosi Lewanika. Apart from the rotten infrastructure, they will definitely find some of the stuff they left. The laws like the Public Order Act are still there. The Colonial Governor’s mansion has just been renamed as State House. The World war II military airstrip in Ndola is still as it was left. Though it was dubiously renamed as Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe a canterkorous and ill manner native who never even served under any wing of Her Majesty’s forces. The colonial constables are also still around occupying offices beyond their station. We expect them to revert to their original occupations once Her Majesty appoints a Governor General for Northern Rhodesia.
kikikikikikiki. and we have tuma towns still being called BOMA (british overseas military adminiistration)
The District Administrator’s residence is now a national monument in Kalomo – it is very much their at the so called BOMA.
yaba
what do u expect from mugabe,kaunda and SATA.colonial things.Its a morden world colonial things ukoo.50 yrs backwards.
Animal farm.pigs in control sleeping on beds and milking cows taking one cup of milk from cows in the moningTurning which was BAD to be GOOD.So is recycalled politicians. chikwanda 36yrs go. back on the some positions.LATEST.
#2 OH UNACCEPTABLE TO HOLD A PUBLIC RALLY TO DISCREDIT THE GOVT!HOW MANY TIMES DID SATA HOLD RALLIES TO DENOUNCE LEVY?IN A DEMOCRACY THAT IS CALLED FREEDOM OF SPEECH.SATA AT A RALLY IN MUTENDERE TORE A CABBAGE SAYING THIS IS YOUR PRESIDENT.WAS HE ARRESTED ?NO!WHY?FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
Serpent Cobra Ukwa Sata CNP, this is your chance to review the public order act as not doing so you will have yourself to blame when out of power. Its amazing how shallow minded politicians are and imagine when PF was in the opposition they cried foul and MMD relaxed the Public Order Act and allowed Serpent Cobra Ukwa Sata CNP to campaign from the day he heard that he has lost the elections. In Chewa we say “chapita mawa chili paiwe”. Serpent Cobra Ukwa Sata CNP and PF has shown that they are not civilised but typical tyranny if not checked. Will change the public order act as it will be one of the bad laws which would want any one aspiring for the high office to agree with Zambians in the social contract cos PF cheated us and no more, never. PF count start counting months and days.
It is only good when kolwestans are in power. The way they used to cry about it when in opposition! Iyo kwena niba kolwe. Please reply kolwestans.
Public rallies, what for? Why not do things like Big mult-faith or musical festivals to make people feel happy in their shot lives on earth? Political rallies just to reinforce sad feelings in people is up to no good. They will end up with hardened feelings of hate for each others. Merry Christmas to you all, whether in opposition, in govt, sympathisers and those who like activities other than politics.
In yesterdays post it was pablished that in china there is dictetor, let it be so in zambia, with trusted leaders SATA, KABIMBA, GBM, KAMBWILI. M’MEMBE, MALUPENGA, etc.
This man his face looks drunk each minute
Tujilijili
Staements like this from the Home Affairs Minister are a clear indication that Zambia will never develop. Who could have thought that PF will one day support the Public Order Act after condemning it themselves? It is a clear statement of intent NOT to develop the country at all. Whether you are PF or not, the message is clear unless one is a real nicompoop.
Ichalo ubusuma ba pela bakapoli… thats what my late grand father would have said. MHSRIP
Uli Mbifi iwe.
14 The Engineer (Australia- You MMD were in power for 20years why didnt you repeal the this Act? Even Lucifer Mumba as VP would have made an effort to get rid of the so called colonial piece of legilative. Yeh it was nice to use it and imprison Sata, maybe you have forgoten. Eat your piece of cake that you baked. I dont like it but for MMD to call it archaich is a fallacy of the worst kind. May be UPND can complain– not Mumbas Mad Dogs
Good point; Engineer my £$%^
Its the interpretation of the POA in the eyes of the current government which leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of well meaning zambians. Freedom of assembly and speech are fundermental human rights which no leaving mammal should curtail. Its only back in the day probably during the stone age when human beings were not concious about their rights. If MMD were interpreting and implementing the POA they way current govt is doing, all the lies that enabled PF to con their way into government could not have been heard…..
@Deja Vu, which part of the word CHANGE don’t you understand. Didn’t the PF promise to do things differently? Your line of arguement is quite shallow and unsophisticated.Are you saying any wrong by the PF is ok as long the MMD committed it as well. I would never justify my wrong-doing on the basis that someone else did too. That is just plain stupid and offers no benefits to anyone, least of all myself.
Opposition leaders yuk still have other channels of communication you have been holding press conferences and no one has stopped you to high light your concerns. why do you want to use innocent poor Zambians to cause chaos .Talk of real issues on the radio go on Tv print your manifestal tell us your Agenda.HH you have money pay for adverts on Tele and sell your self.We don’t want this nonses of political rallies please Police allow rallies during campaigns only.
In a democracy, you have a right to use any mode of communicating to the masses and holding public rallies is an effective way of communiting especially in our society today because people still appreciate facial contact and verbal communication because access to internet is only for a prevelegded few…..
No one has stopped our Brother Mumba or HH to hold meetings Zambians do not be mislead.Its the motive behind theses rallies.No need this time around just a shear waste of time.Go on Air and sell your Agendas .You can do door to door canpain like a foot soldier
Rallies during campaign periods please. We want to be productive at what we are doing in our different agendas. Its not all about politics. Campaigning every day plus rallies just breeds confusion because of hate words, insults, lies, misinformation, anger, frustration and bitterness among peoples. We need a sorber period where we do not get bombaded with political rethoric which in many cases has no substance. Live lives away from active politics. Some of you could have achieved a lot had it ntot been for wasting time politicking hopelessly. There is joy out the without being involved in daily politics. Mufungufungu uwalalike kapoli insala.
Which rubbish bin was this Lungu picked from? I had never heard of him until he became home affairs minister.
You drunk ka chi coloure
Just put a chipolopolo each in the heads of these retards!
History ha shown that when governments do not want to listen, bullets have been used to make them comply.
I remember this statement ended someone rotting in jail.
Rallies, rallies, rallies all the time! Why not organize indoor political meetings until campaign period like in the developed world?
You *****.
The Poor Fools police blocked MMD from holding meetings indoors in Mongu.
Are you not knowing about how many meetings have been banned?
Zambia is heading for one party police state in 2013 followed my martial law where you speak against the govt you will be jailed for 10years.
The fact that they failed to submit names of marshals means they had a hidden agenda. I would suggest that rally organizers should also foot insurance bills should their followers resort to breaking property like cars.
Tin Pot dictator nad his henchman drunkard Lungu and his maniac justice minister Kabimba. What good can suffering Zambians expect from these evil men who are bent to cling to power at all costs.
I forgot about what propaganda was and how the communists used to propagate it from an evil mind, until Sata, Kabimba and Lungu started deporting innocent Zambians to Rwanda and Italy in the name of preserving peace. What peace when they are deporting innocent and peace loving Zambians God knows why
Kaunda was luck not to be prosecuted at the Hague for innocent Zambians he killed but the world will witness as Sata and his henchmen in the name of Kabimba and Lungu will be prosecuted for the Genocide crimes. It will be just impossible for them not to commit these crimes before they will be out
Tin Pot dictator and his henchman drunkard Lungu and his maniac justice minister Kabimba. What good can suffering Zambians expect from these evil men who are bent to cling to power at all costs.
I forgot about what propaganda was and how the communists used to propagate it from an evil mind, until Sata, Kabimba and Lungu started deporting innocent Zambians to Rwanda and Italy in the name of preserving peace. What peace when they are deporting innocent and peace loving Zambians God knows why
Kaunda was luck not to be prosecuted at the Hague for innocent Zambians he killed but the world will witness as Sata and his henchmen in the name of Kabimba and Lungu will be prosecuted for the Genocide crimes. It will be just impossible for them not to commit these crimes before they will be out
Can the Western world or any one who can help us, empower Zambians in the use of Social media to organize opposition to this tin Pot dictator as the social media was used during the Arab spring?
It will be difficult and expensive to rebuild democracy in Zambia after it is destroyed by this evil man Sata and his evil corrupt PF leaders as the Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha did to Nigeria.
Sata is not different from Sani Abacha of Nigeria.
It took courage to kill Sani Abacha using a prostitute
It puzzles me that we have sunk so low in terms of quality of leadership
No one is advocating to change the POA, we are saying the PF has mihandled this act.
the mmd had enough time more than enough even to amend the public order fimofimo look now what is happening to them. the pf should not be comfortable with the Act either in its current form. lest they forget there was one ‘wamuyayayaya’ uhh , but alas not in Zambia.
Not that I support the escapadez of the MMD and UPND, but a statement like that about the Public Order Act comming from the Minister of Home Affairz, iz claer indiction of what power can do to people.