PARAMOUNT Chief Chitimukulu of the Bemba people has described the Public Order Act (POA) as an archaic law pushed on Zambians by the colonial masters and is now looking forward to a Government that is going to be bold enough and abolish the law by expunging it from the statutes.
The Chitimukulu said the POA was a law that was used indiscriminately by the colonial masters to oppress citizens by demanding that political parties at the time needed the permission of local chiefs before holding their public meetings.
The Bashilubemba appealed to the present generation of leaders to consider abolishing the law because in more ways than one, the law was an infringement on the fundamental rights of citizens.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu said this on Monday when United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema and his vice-president for administration Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba paid a courtesy call on him at his palace in Kasama.
“The Public Order Act is an archaic piece of law that is not supposed to be in our statutes. The law was crafted by the colonial masters to oppress citizens and I am looking forward to a Government that is going to abolish the law, I am wondering why the current generation of leaders cannot have it abolished because it is an affront to human rights,” he said.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu said he was deeply concerned with the escalating levels of political violence particularly during electoral contests.
He said in a democracy, citizens were expected to be free to belong to any political party of their choice stating that it was not a crime for any citizen to associate himself or herself to any orgainisation they so desired.
Paramount Chief Chitimukulu said he did not want to see his subjects fighting because of differences in their political opinion and association and challenged the political parties canvassing for votes in his chiefdom to deal and end the violence associated with elections.
“I do not want people in my chiefdom to be fighting each other on the basis that they belong to different political parties. It is the responsibility of the leadership of the political parties to deal with the vice of political violence,” the Chitimukulu said.
And UPND president Hichilema said he was humbled by the reception he received from the Chitimukulu and told the traditional leader that his vision was to unite Zambia.
Mr Hichilema said he had been a victim of the Public Order Act countless times and that it was his hope that the law would one day be abolished because it was nothing but a tool to victimize those who were holding a different opinion from that of Government.
Mr Hichilema is in Lubansenshi constituency to drum up support for the UPND candidate Patrick Mucheleka in the September 24 parliamentary by-election.
POA is good and it should remain until political parties mature, this is just the opinion of Mwine Lubemba, but POA is there to protect citizens including chiefs.
Its great to pass a stupid comment while you enjoying freedom in another country
POA is a necessary governance tool and its complete abolishment will bring chaos and make the country ungovernable.
MMD in 1990 said the would abolish it. they were in power for 20 years and kept it. PF said they would also abolish it and have not done so and i doubt they will do anything. I believe even if it was UPND in govt, they would definitely keep it in place
I would call for an amendment of the Act to bring it in line with the present realities
The Chitimukulu is full of wisdom. Nothing more to say
I have a lot of respect for Chitimukulu , Mwatakazembe and Puta. These are no push overs in this part of Zambia.
I totally agree with ba Chitimukulu.. how i wished all chiefs could be as progressive as him. we really appreciate your contribution in issues relating to governance, democracy and human rights development
All successive governments know about this evil but the moment they become drunk with power
they always forget and only get to realise when they are out of power.
Its a shame.
POA is indeed archaic but all politicians when in opposition say that they will abolish it but immediately they step in SH, they use it to victimise their opponents. MCS, MHSRIP, should have repealed it because more than anyone, he suffered because of this law but he will go down in history as one of the Presidents to have absolutely abused this law. No leader, including MPs in opposition could travel or visit their constituents without being harangued by the police if lucky, or spend a couple of days in cells when not.
The fact that it’s still valid is reason enough to respect it because it’s law. There is no guarantee that you should disobey it because it’s archaic. Moreover all laws are from colonial times.
I want to sit on a crocodile (or whatever that reptile is) and spout wisdom… most of our governments start with the word democracy in their mouths then start to develop keen interest in ‘controlling’ the very ‘disorderly’ public. If it were a mathematical equation then there would be a direct correlation between (fear of) reduced popularity/paranoia and the number of times the ‘public’ are called to ‘order’…
Most laws are archaic in Zambia – it is small wonder we still think only foreigners can run our affairs, especially in the large business realm. In the same direction are the mindsets – full of nothing but Victorian attitudes and medieval posturing. We need to get unstuck from the past. Stop harassing people walking home – cut that nonsense of thinking a 50s law on reflectors on motor vehicles apply in the 21st Century, and so on and so forth. The Paramount Chief Chitimukulu – bless his heart – is right!
Zambian Politicians will never remove this colonial law as evidenced by KKs, Chiluba, Mwanawasa, Banda, Sata and now the lazy bum….its only us who can do it.This is an intelligent Paramount chief our dull politician’s dread …they would rather have those ignorant chiefs who were transported to State House last month and bribed by Lazy Edgar whom they were begging to build infrastructure as if its his pocket money he is using.
Wise man Chitimukulu.keep it up Zambia has gone 50yrs backward.