Special assistant to the President for press and public relations Amos Chanda says the invocation of Article 31 should not be politicised because it was done to protect life and property.
He said this on Monday night in reaction to an appeal by a consortium of civil society organisations for Government to consider revoking the threatened state of public emergency.
“The petition [for the revocation of Article 31] is obviously misplaced. The decisions on national security are evaluated on the basis of what the President thinks is suitable for protection of civil liberties and life and property,” Mr Chanda said.
He said President Lungu’s decision to invoke Article 31 of the Constitution was done to protect life and property and not to harass citizens.
“Who is complaining that security services have been able to stop politically motivated acts of arson that were rampant? No law-abiding citizen today has been arrested or imprisoned because of the invocation of Article 31,” Mr Chanda said.
He said President Lungu will only revoke the threatend state of public emergency at an appropriate time.
“The President will revoke Article 31 when it has run its course. If Parliament does not vote for its extension, then it will stand revoked,” he said.
Mr Chanda said President Lungu is daily assessing the country’s security situation through law enforcement agencies.
And Mr Chanda dismissed United Party for National Development president Hakainde Hichilema’s claims that President Lungu was using State institutions to intimidate political opponents.
“Mr Hichilema was arrested by the police, so that’s a debate he can have with them,” he said.
I have never seen a dull presidential press aid like ka Chanda,!, this city market state of emergency doesn’t make sense except to Swaziland s.ex tourists
Sembe ni hh……
So the SoTE was put to stop politically motivated arson and we should politicize the SoTE? The SoTE itself is political.
If only Chanda would know that he is a civil servant and should not respond to anything. Revocation of the SoTE is a duty of the Legislature and the Judiciary. The executive branch started it and they should keep shut up!
Parliament should even vote for the extension. We feel so much safer now than before SoTE was invoked.
Meant TSoE. I’m writing like them. Lol
The most dangerous liar is one who sincerely believes his / her own lies.
People have been arrested for suspected arson of markets, some have been released on nolle.
There no longer exists a threat to national security, the only people feeling insecure are those who now realise that Zambians are not fools and their stealing days are numbered
Amos is perfectly right.
What evidence do they have to show that the there has been an abuse of the article since it was put in force?
What is it that they are afraid of?
If they have committed offences or their financials have committed offences, or indeed if it is there favourite colleagues, then they have cause to worry but no authority to call for revocation.
Just wait for the investigative wings to find you out if you are wrong.
You deserve it.
@Ndobo, 70 PF youths were arrested at a house near where State of Emergency was announced. Rehearsing for seeex tourists.
Amos didn’t attend though,
Nostradamus – when are you two foools going to grow up? Always playing pranks in the background.
Meanwhile tourist arrivals in the country have decreased because of the State Of Emergency (whatever you call it). Amos and your boss are hurting business and it will take fro ever to recover from this reputational damage you have unnecessarily caused the country. When Edgar said he had no vision, we should have listened.
People where cleansed from their homes in areas that belong to HH tribe and you are still in denial.
But this TSoE has impacted negatively on our tourism sector. This week, some hotels in Livingstone are sending workers home due to dwindling numbers. Countries like USA, UK issue travel advisory to their citizen which most tourists take seriously. When a SOE is imposed in Africa, it has negative connotations. It’s different from SOE imposed on developed countries like France because the state institutions there are strong. Not the case in most Africa states because ruling class wield so much power.
True but we were slowly turning into a lawless country which would have taken several years to come out of.
@ shooterz there is still lawlessness in the country under Chakolwa Chagwa Kadansa Kamwendo Lungu whether you like it or not.The presido is the one in the forefront…lol
@Mulenga the same thing would happen to anyone who will take over from ECL. The situation under PF has not been any different from MMD and it will not different to the next government after pf. Cr0oks in Zambian politics sit on the edge of ruling parties so that they can easily crossover to the next party in power and without shame. The desperation for political numbers is making politics meaningless. We have law breakers now flocking to UPND whom they believe has a better chance of forming next govt. We are being pushed around by same cro0ks without us realizing.
The people who make our presidents bad are the one who sit around the president. I can assure you that even HH already has bad ones. What advice can you get from GBM, Tekele Banda, CK, Masebo, Nevers Mumba etc. These people are career cro0ks. In pf they are there too and many of them.
Amos Chanda is talking Nosense. Who has been arrested and jailed for the Fire at the Lusaka Market? TOSE was not justified. Lungu used it to punish his Political Opponents. Amos Chanda says Mr HH “was arrested by the Police and thats a debate he can have with the Police”. Really? Does Amos Chanda think we are kids and we don’t know that ECL is Head of State and Commander of the Armed Forces which includes ZPS. It was Lungu who directed the Police to arrest HH and charge him with Treason. HH spent 127 days in Prison and Lungu must take full responsibility for persecuting an innocent HH for a Crime he never committed. Sadist and Dictator Lungu must stop abusing State Power and Institutions to persecute his opponents.
true.it was just used to punish HH…
These people are morally bankrupt and have no shame at all..even terrorism you see results where people are arrested and prosecuted…this has been a sham all along…only a foool can believe anything that comes out of Amos mouth.
“The petition [for the revocation of Article 31] is obviously misplaced. The decisions on national security are evaluated on the basis of what the President thinks is suitable for protection of civil liberties and life and property,” Mr Chanda said.
Only in Zambia can a civil servant get away with these hollow words…he can not even back his words with arrests. I am sure those Grade 12 PF Mps who were in Parliament are very proud of themselves..so long as the get there K100,000 salaries plus allowances.
useless government under pf of Chakolwa Kadansa Reed Lungu…
Wait until my brother kambwili tells the Zambians where PF buried the ballot boxes. Amos don’t kid yourself one of these days you will be answering charges with your boss
…I simply can’t wait for that day!!!!
Some of you bloggers you comment as if HH is small god. President Lungu is the Republican president and he has got the duty to safe guard the wellbeing of Zambians. Shamuneni shame
These are the id1ots who wants to see HH talk good about them when he goes out of the country. HH is a normal human being with feelings and please don’t expect him to sing praises for your lungu after what he (lungu) did. This ci Mwamba Emmanuel has no shame when lying through his dirty teeth. imagine these are the f00ls advising lungu.
When people make statements abroad they are accused of not using “available channels of communication” ,when people/civil society voice concern over an issue the Government or State House belittles or dismisses them.Why can’t you -PF government sit down and listen to their(civil society) views and have a meaningful conversation may be surprised to find that they have some valid points.This is about Zambia as a whole not some political party that will probably be extinct in 20years time.
Amos is perfectly right.
What evidence do they have to show that the there has been an abuse of the article since it was put in force?
What is it that they are afraid of?
If they have committed offences or their financials have committed offences, or indeed if it is there favourite colleagues, then they have cause to worry but no authority to call for revocation.
Just wait for the investigative wings to find you out if you are wrong.
You deserve it.
UPND and their tribal followers are very disappointing. Can you point at any innocent person that has been victimised because there is TSOE. At times I miss real dictators. This noise makers would have been locked up already.
So far Lungu is doing a very good job. Results are all over to see. Only UPND supporters do not see them.
With the current stand of this tribal party I do not see them winning any election is Zambia. You will remain bitter and die bitter people. We pray that you soon realise that Zambia not for bitter people.
A bunch of people were picked up from Livingstone under this same article 31. Watch other news outlets apart from ZNBC my dull friend OK? Just coz you never heard about these arrests does not mean they never happened.
And then they were all released without charge meaning they were innocent. There is your answer
Doing a good job going to wasting tax payers money in Swaziland when the country’s economy is falling to pieces and Zambezi is has never seen water from a tap since pre independence time.
@Dudelove,
Who said that when this article is in force criminals are free from arrest?
Who said this article is amnesty for criminals?
If you commit an office you get arrested – whether during the period when the article is in place or outside of that.
The huge number of upnd arsonists in custody is the one you should be concerned about. Am sure mist of you will come to appreciate artic 31 when those arsonists trial commences.
In any normal functioning democracy, the role of security lies with the executive, as entrenched in the constitution. These NGOs are funded by foreigners who we don’t even know personally, whose motives are not clear, what business do they have questioning our national security??? Amos is right.
does this guy live in Zambia..he should read the wind..Amos is a missed call..
May l know justification of TSOM to continue enacted…
AKS at least there is order in the country for innocent people to conduct their business in a conducive place. It is there for you law breakers as for the innocent and law abiding why should we worry.
“Mr Hichilema was arrested by the police, so that’s a debate he can have with them.” said Chanda the empty tin who likes to make noise. Ka chanda avoid making comments over matters that you not qualified to comment . HH was arrested by the police on instructions from you pump up Twa£s .Be careful because lies do have short legs and they will not protect you . You are a morally bankrupt government that is capable of doing anything to carry on enriching yourselves with tax payers money.
Chanda you are an *****, why don’t you and your fellow *****s address the cause but rush to address the effects? Who is responsible for the volatile situation in this country? What did they do which has not been done by others before them to let the security of this country come under threat?
The only emergency is in the way the president thinks worse still the people who try to defend him like Chanda.
Doing a good job wasting tax payers money in Swaziland when the country’s economy is falling to pieces and Zambezi is has never seen water from a tap since pre independence time.
The guilty are always afraid of article 31.
Let police use it to sanitise the UPND who appear to have soiled themselves politically after the last election.
Prostituting with agents of white capital does not give UPND a license to abuse our 6.5 province collective intelligence
IF I MAY ASK ONE OF YOU PF CADRES WHAT THIS THE SO CALLED STATE OF EMERGENCE HAS ACHIEVED AS AT NOW? YOU HAVE TALKED ABOUT ARSON BUT NOT EVEN TO DATE ONE IS ARRESTED AND THE REASON IS THAT IT IS PF PLAN TO GUN DOWN UPND AND THAT THE FACTS ARE THAT PF MINIONS HAVE GUTTED MANY MARKETS, AND NO UPND WAS FOUND ALIVE, NOTHING ZERO ZERO AND AGAIN ITS ZERO ARREST.
YOU HAVE GIVEN A LOT OF PF CADRES TO BUY UPND BUT ALL YOUR MONEY IS HAMMERED BY YOUR PEOPLE. YOUR TRAPS HAVE BEEN REVEALED AND THAT IS WHY YOU MAY DO SOMETHING IN HIDING BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS REVEALED OUT AND MWASEBANA
Mamama my fellow bembas and easterners please don’t even think of bringing this Tonga to rule us
.tizavutika. Let jata ngombe
Let him jata cows not us APA he has even sold his shares in zambeef
I personally have seen no change since tsoe. Markets are still burning. Maybe I do not see properly what has it achieved?