Special assistant to the President for press and public relations Amos Chanda said invoking Article 31 has enhanced powers of police to pursue criminally-minded elements, and that the police are making progress.
Mr Chanda said in an interview with journalists yesterday that police are disrupting lawlessness, acts of sabotage in hospitals and Zesco pylons, and arresting culprits.
“The invocation of Article 31 is producing desired results and ordinary people have nothing to worry about as police are enforcing law and order. Right now, there is no need to escalate the measures that have already been put in place,” he said.
Mr Chanda disclosed that attempts have been made to blow up oxygen chambers at the University Teaching Hospital, as well as Zesco’s 250 megawatts pylons, but alert security officers prevented this from happening.
“If such acts do not worry the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), some opposition, and other organisations, it worries Government, and it [Government] will remain focused to ensure law and order is maintained, and lawlessness comes to an end,” he said.
He wondered why the LAZ and other organisations are questioning the security measures the President, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has put in place to protect lives and property, adding that they have no competence to deal with issues of national security.
He said the spate of fires across the country is proof enough for the President to increase security measures for the sake of safety of the people in the country.
“Issues of national interest should supersede our narrow personal interests, people should not play with national security. Such matters should be left to security wings,” Mr Chanda said.
President Lungu invoked Article 31 of the Constitution to give more powers to police and other security wings to stop a spate of damage to public property.
On July 4, the nation woke up to the burning of Lusaka’s City Market, which has since left more than 1,000 marketeers without stands.
The invocation of Article 31, which gives the police more powers to maintain security, was later approved by Parliament through a unanimous vote.
Police and other defence and security agencies will now have powers to stop and search vehicles without a warrant, withdraw travel documents and detain suspects for more than 48 hours with authority of a magistrate.
Government has given guidelines and regulations which are in two parts; those which can be implemented directly, and those that will require the President to issue specific orders to be implemented.
The maximum detention period for suspects is seven days if the police satisfy the magistrate that their actions are necessary.
However, a detention period beyond seven days must be done by the order of the President.
Government has said the regulations are not meant to interfere with the freedom and liberties of law-abiding citizens, but will only be applied to citizens who are found breaking the law.
“The general public is free to go about their normal business as there is no curfew or restrictions in movements,” Given Lubinda, then acting minister of Home Affairs, said on Friday when he outlined the measures.
Kuti weseka, akalila Lungu one day. Don’t take Zambians for granted!
Lungu has put measures to safeguard the life of your mother from the public sabotage and all you can say is akalila. Wait until your mother is blown live by these upnd arsonists.
F00lish PF . They think lawlessness can be stopped through authoritarian rule. Ask KK , lawlessness is bred by economic down turn which is a direct product of authoritarian rule.
With poorly thought out PF policies to grab power even from the judiciary no sane investor will risk his money in a Zambian banana republic. Only mafias are capable of doing that.
Zambia under PF is a failed state. Amos Chanda must be careful as well. Very soon he will find himself without a job when things change just like CK and others who were overzealous in proping up a dictator.
To a dictator you are nothing even if you kiss his bottom. The problem with these dictator praise singers like Amos is they are short sighted and can only see the end of their noses and bellies. They forget that the very…
The President should not take to heart politicking armchairs critics on matters of national security. His job as the custodian of our state security that is better informed is to make informed decisions that protects us from internal and external security threats period! He stands on firm ground as such he should not waver to accommodate any threat to national peace and security. Doing so would be abdicating his mandate of a guaranter of peace to Zambians.
The biggest threat to peace and stability Zambia has is Lungu and his pack of PF thugs in police uniform.
PF minions think Zambians are stup1d such that they can not add 1 +1 to decipher who is behind all anarchy in Zambia.
Arson and panga killings started on the PF was formed.
Lungu is firm believer of violence and very soon the same violence will engulf him.
Focus shifted from fires to Kambwili.
I think Freedom ni ndoshi.
@HH Oval & Senior Citizen: It’s shocking that all these hooligan armchair critics who are against the government are all abroad!! The lumpens don’t even know what is pertaining on the ground yet they want to insult and condemn ECL and the PF all the time??? A normal citizen would be delighted to hear such progress yet these cowards who hide behind a white man’s a.r.s.e want to threaten our leaders?? One thing I can guarantee is majority Zambians will never allow your regime change agenda to prosper in our land and your beloved hh will perpetually fail in the evil schemes he devised with those murderous white racists: ZAMBIA IS FOR ZAMBIANS!!!!
F00lish PF . They think lawlessness can be stopped through authoritarian rule. Ask KK , lawlessness is bred by economic down turn which is a direct product of authoritarian rule.
With poorly thought out PF policies to grab power even from the judiciary no sane investor will risk his money in a Zambian banana republic. Only mafias are capable of doing that.
Zambia under PF is a failed state. Amos Chanda must be careful as well. Very soon he will find himself without a job when things change just like CK and others who were overzealous in proping up a dictator.
To a dictator you are nothing even if you kiss his bottom. The problem with these dictator praise singers like Amos is they are short sighted and can only see the end of their noses and bellies. They forget that the very…
They forget that the very draconian measures they support will one day be used against them.
There is CK after voting for State of emergency he tossed out. The plans were long drawn but PF waited to get enough numbers to rubber stamp Lungu’s madness so CK can be punished by it.
A wise man never supports things which would affect him if his status would suddenly change to make him the potential target.
The biggest problem with African politicians is they don’t use the time when in power to better things so that when their reign ends the rules and laws do affect them.
Free HH or else….
Lies lies and more lies.
Where are the 11 suspects arrested for the market fire ????
Where are the youth arrested with tools for arson…????
We all remember the bweengwa kidnapping by highly trained UPND comandos ….all lies nothing but lies….
Was anyone arrested next to the oxygen cylinders and under the ZESCO pylons?
Lungu is acting like a man about to die.alesabayila
Now this guy is announcing arrests and not the police. Where are the suspects? Lies lies lies! What has happened to investigative journalism ?
This does not mean that the police have been given more powers. It simply means the president can abuse powers to order the detention of a person he detests at any time and no judge can stop that. Wild wild west Zambia style.
Arrest the Nurse at Kabwe General hospital for using heater and A Monkey
Some years back Chisokone market, Mansa shoprite, Solwezi Shoprite and Zanaco Bank in Eastern province and other building especially in Lusaka was burnt in a similar way we had no that article in actions. how come today. democracy is dead
He is satisfied as there is nothing but he is using govt resources to spy on opponents!!
PF is just full of liars evil men, arsonists; they’re telling us of what their shushushi and cadres have been planning to do; who does not know that City market was torched by PF? Only blind PF cadres here will deny this;
Its funny how you speak so much Bemba yet you hate it… Use your language. Elyo what time do you work. Economies are not run on social media. We are on your case.. mulanjila ntolongo
These guys think we are all as dull as they are to believe their lies! All this oxygen and Zesco fimo fimo are concocted in their own imaginations to add meat to their article 31 fimo fimo! Anyway, nothing is forever, including political power. Nelson Mandela was once confronted by ANC cadres to use force to expropriate what whites got from blacks. Here is what he said: “A leader who resorts to using excessive force to govern will soon come to grief”. He went on to say “The challenge I have as executive president of the republic of South Africa is not how to use the power at my disposal but how not to abuse that power”. Talk of great men, they don’t build walls of security around themselves like little scared politicians who have a lot of corruption to hide.
This all nonsense Lungu should stop taking people for granted read through what the ***** said it’s all lies who has been arrested? This same Zambia police will come and turn on them we have been here before its only sad that the police are being done to brutalise citizens.
Mwinemushi na banobe yes you are all very very dull, elyo kabili mulifipuba. people who can look but cannot see.
This mwine mushi is really a dull fool ,so what are you doing overseas? Your god HH is not going to win any presidential election,and stop your tribalism..
PF are telling lies to justify their brutality which in turn is meant to hang on to their job……..90% of the fires have been due to carelessness and Zambias non existent fire safety laws. the market fires are accidents waiting to happen….
Tanzania went through a similar period about 8 years ago until they made fire extinguishers and smoke alarms mandatory with government driven fire training.
The other 10% of fires, those at unoccupied economically unimportant buildings were cans of petrol are found are started by PF to justify the SOE.
Haters baba will Hate
Good work Security officers, Zambia first.you deserve a pay rise.
God time is the best we are tired of pf fully of stories
The real risk to Zambia is Lun-gu,PF -fools and the fake, politicised security wings.
The real risk to Zambia is Lun-gu,PF -foo-ls and the fa-ke, poli-ticised sec-urity w-ings.