The Prisons Care and Counselling Association (PRISCA) has appealed to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to ensure it conducts an effective voter registration exercise in correctional facilities.
Prisons Care and Counselling Association Executive Director Godfrey Malembeka says ECZ must ensure it registers all inmates eligible to vote in the allocated period of 3 days.
Speaking to ZNBC news in a telephone interview today, Mr. Malembeka said inmates should not be denied an opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the 2021 General election by failing to register them as voters.
He said the Voter registration exercise for inmates was initially supposed to be conducted in a period of 1 week but that it was reduced to 3 days.
Mr. Malembeka also urged the ECZ to run awareness messages on radio and television sensitising inmates about the scheduled voter registration to be conducted in their correctional facilities.
He further said the Department of National Registration and Passports should have had a special programme to issue National Registration Cards to inmates who have lost or are not in possession of NRCs.
Mr. Malembeka said his Association had conducted inspections on 30 correctional facilities in the country and that a lot of inmates were found NOT to be in possession of NRCs.
I would rather a prisoner in Zambia is given the right to vote than a diasporan who turned their back on this country and continue to wish negative things against us and insult our leadership and way of life. A prisoner can be rehabilitated and go on to contribute to society while a f00lish diasporan who hates himself due to inferiority complex can hardly be changed. Thank you watchdog for being dogs and posting a personal video of me on your website.
I would rather a prisoner in Zambia is given the right to vote than a diasporan who turned their back on this country and continue to wish negative things against us and insult our leadership and way of life. A prisoner can be rehabilitated and go on to contribute to society while a demented diasporan who hates himself due to inferiority complex can hardly be changed. Thank you watchimbwa for being mongrels and posting a personal video of me on your website.
PRISCA Godfrey Malembeka need to spell out how prisoners will be sensitised to vote. These prisoners deserve more than a token of registering as voters. Their needs are beyond this vote and government need to address vexing challenges that prisoners face while serving their sentences. So, who will be allowed to campaign in these prisons and correcting centers. Our take is that all political parties must be allowed to go in there and campaign freely as per democratic norms. However, we have heard PF threats of not allowing other parties to go in prisons to campaign. Should this be the case Mr Malembeka will be held responsible and account to the Zambians people. Prisoners deserve to vote for a party of their choice as well.
This is a very “booed” policy.
Prisoners are vulnerable and will be exploited by the rulers.
I have a bad feeling about this move it’s likely to bring a lot of pre & post election conflicts. What will be the modus operandi in terms of campaigns? The current ECZ leadership doesn’t inspire trust & posterity will judge the harshly.
Richard Zulu
I agree with you, another question the NRCs are the prisoners going to be allowed to go and fetch them from their respective homes.
I think prisoners can as well be granted conjugal rights which are even more crucial because here you are dealing with nature. Wonders never cease! So these politicians will go and campaign in prisons and say “if you vote for us we will pardon you”………..my foot!
Malembeka is a big problem. Everything has to have order even if you are passionate about it. No one is against convicts voting but there should be a clear and orderly manner in doing this. At the moment this is a case of desperation by a certain party and a paid director of a prisoners NGO. WHY NOT LET PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS AND PEOPLE ABROAD VOTE AS WELL. Anyway even this won’t work.
If you want prisoners to vote first release them all from Prison so that we start afresh
I am sure Lungu has told the entire prison population that he will pardon them if they vote for him.
Between now and elections, Lungu will make sure diet improves in prisons.
The Bible has warned us so many times about people like him.
Do these prisoners have NRCs in their possession?
Nice try Lukanga Kafusha justice. You are lucky the PF have given you a phone in prison right now. Stay put, and do your time quietly.
Remember that a lot of prisoners are murderers and child rapists. They are in prison for a good reason.
Lungu has in recent past pardoned child rapist General Kanene (muchizungu, ni Tupac wa mu Zambia). He has capacity and possible willingness to pardon the whole lot.
The president is giving speech, and those idyots are busy taking pictures with cellphones. Even pa funeral…
Can’t wait to change Zambian mentality in 7 months time.
Someone sentenced to death is allowed to vote! Something is wrong here! You vote for someone because you think they will work to better your lives. How better is your life in prison under death sentence? You cannot better the life of a prisoner. How?
There is pf’s rigging loop hole. How will anyone monitor the voting & counting in prisons. Ba hh, do you see this one, with you counting down of 6 months to be in state house??? That’s why even low calibres like Kaizer Zulu can talk
Malembeka says it’s prisons but correction facilities but he still calls his organization prisca and calls those inside correctional facilities as prisoners, so where is the change? Have never heard push this hard for the facilities to be renovated or stop carrying them in open trucks like logs of mukula.
Malembeka says it’s not prisons but correction facilities but he still calls his organization prisca and calls those inside correctional facilities as prisoners, so where is the change? Have never heard push this hard for the facilities to be renovated or stop carrying them in open trucks like logs of mukula.
I smell a big rat.
Each and every convicted felon surely has an opinion about all manner of issues, including poliitical choices. Some of them are in fact quite well schooled. Just the lumping together.
Someone convince me that registration of prisoners and allowing them to vote is a wise idea! When incarcerated a prisoner loses some of his or her rights as part and parcel of being punished! I wonder why as Zambians we can be so stupid and allow such to happen! Rigging of elections takes many forms and only an alert public and opposition can stop it! PF connives with the Electoral commission of Zambia (ECZ) to reregister voters creating new voters registers, think! Some prisoners already are registered voters thus reregistration cancels their voters cards for new ones while in prison! Believe it or not all votes if not with exception of allotted percentages that will be cast in all prisons will only favor PF for that’s how prisoners will be instructed to cast their vote! Moreover PF and…
Rigging ya kwa lungu
Let other stakeholders witness the registering of this special group of people and how will the keep these important personal documents (NRC & Voter’s card) considering prison conditions.
Kwamana. If you know you know
Some of those prisoners have lost hope,They need ECL or HH to go there and give them hope
The biggest problem in Zambia is we have more learned people without wisdom.
Surely let’s just imagine the campaign promises.We have become a useless state all of a sudden.