By McDonald Chipenzi
What happened in Choma where United Party for National Development (UPND) cadres, harassed and attacked the Choma Debonaires branch, belonging to PF MCC Kebby Mbewe, for not displaying President HH’s portait was unfortunate, barbaric and a display of lawlessness.
There is no law that requires that businesses and offices must display such as it is a mere practice and not a legal requirement.
Just to remind Zambians that this is not the first time that overzealous cadres have misbehaved and misconducted themselves in this manner just to attract political attention.
On Monday 5 January 2018, then Kitwe District Commissioner, Binwell Mpundu while inspecting business houses in Kitwe, expressed disappointment that some prominent institutions were using the 2015 Presidential portrait which has been done away with.
Mpundu, ignorantly said it was an offence for any institution not to display the new presidential portrait which Cabinet Office issued to the public over a year ago further warning them by issuing a 21-day ultimatum to business to adhere to his directives failure to which government would act to enforce the non existing law.
Clearly, Mpundu acted ignorantly because perusing through several pieces of legislation including the Constitution, the Penal Code, Public Order Act and the Local Government Act, there is no section contained on presidential portrait display to that effect.
On Friday 24 June 2011, Given Lubinda then opposition PF member of parliament for Kabwata raised this issue with the Vice President and Minister of Justice, late George Kunda in the National Assembly.
Lubinda wanted to know whether or not (a) under what law the portrait of the Head of State and Government was displayed in public places; (b) if no law existed, when the practice of displaying the portrait had started and what the rationale was; and (c) whether there were any penalties for failure to display the portrait.
In response, Todd Chilembo, then Deputy Minister of Justice responded that, there was no law requiring the portrait of the Head of State and Government to be displayed in public places.
It is a practice and the practice of displaying the portrait of the Head of State and Government in public places was inherited from the British and is encouraged as a means through which the public is made aware of who the Head of State is and who constitutes Government explaining that this practice is particularly helpful in settings where the general public may have no access to this kind of information via television, newspapers, and radio.
Chilembo further guided that there could be *no penalties for failure to display the portrait of the Head of State as there was no law requiring the displaying of the portrait.*
Since this question was raised in parliament, there has been no law enacted to criminalize the no display of a Presidential portrait in public, business and govt places.
So the incident in Choma was clearly more of a political one than legal and therefore, the cadres just used the presidential portrait issue to reach at Kebby Mbewe, the PF MCC whose conduct before, during, and after the election could have been injurious to them.
Now that barbaric conduct by cadres destroying private properties to reach at a political opponent and a place that benefited many regardless of their party affiliations is evil and must be condemned and culprits brought to book.
Civil ways of reaching at each other as politicians can be explored than the destruction of property in the name of party vigilance.
As long as we concern ourselves with totally un-important issues like this Zambia will stay at the bottom of any league and deservedly so. What a waste of time!
Am sure even those in Debonairs voted for him. At least they would have displayed even a chitenge of the southern god. Lol
Debonairs run for your business I know my brothers.
HAKAINDE HICHILEMA AND THE MAKING OF A ONE TERM PRESIDENT AND FAILED LEADERSHIP…..JOE BIDEN AND THE MAKING OF A ONE TERM PRESIDENT AND FAILED LEADERSHIP
And if UPND supporter see there’s a misconduct with the way business is operating why not just report police ,We Wont move forward if don’t change our mind sets
Let’s move away from Stone Age behavior. Is that habit even constitutional bakwetu? Let people decide to display or not display especially if they are in private business. Ni cani kansi ma intolerance monga vipuwa. We are in the effing-21st Century!!! Hellooooo!!!!
Things we do thinking that’s ehat the law desires
Mr Chipenzi is indirectly trying to justify this misconduct by dwelling too much on what Binwell Mpundu under PF did. The bubble will eventually burst when those who think they ” own this government” become disillussioned… especially where positions is concerned.
Very sad.
Talk of building investor confidence?
I dn’t see any problem with displaying a presidential portrait… just display it
The problem with kebby is that he is a very useless lawyer he still thinks lazy lungu is at the helm..
UPND terrorists have nothing to do. They are a paranoid bunch with a sense of entitlement.
If I were Kebby Mbewe I would sue that useless moron of a woman. These are the people tarnishing the name of the President. Other Countries are watching what is now unfolding in this country and are thinking we are fools. And what an ARCHAIC LAW is was going to be if in indeed it exited in our statutes….KEBBY SUE HER FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS AND ADD OTHER CHARGES LIKE INCONVENIENCE, LOSS OF CUSTOMERS ETC ETC TO TEACH SOME OF THESE MORONS A LESSONS. ZAMBIA IS FOR ALL ZAMBIANS AND NOT FOR ONE POLITICAL PARTY
Some of this is brought on to themselves. When Everyone is displaying HHs photo, you decide to disrespect us Tongas in tongaland by displaying a photo of your fellow tribal rat lungu. You deserve it
This can’t be you Tarino Orange contributing on tribal lines. That is for the two nogooders Kambwili and his brother GBM.
@ Tarino Orange
Kikiik you behave as if HH was only voted for Tongas.Grow up and stop ubufotini.Zambia is bigger than Bembas or Tongas.We are one people.Therefore i can do anything in southern province as long as i’m withing the law.Kambwili will be remembered when he said some of you chaps are so backwards.Think about Zambia,Africa and world.Zambians are not entaintaing tribal nosnese bcoz 80% of couples in lusaka are intermarriages.Therefore in future shoud even stop judging a person by name bcoz 90% of children are named by fathers.
These cows bazativuta…making their Kachina god very happy. 5 years Kaya????
Don’t worry protests are being organized…
Very soon you will see all Zambians on the streets…HH has already failed and lost control…..did you watch the High Court video…then you will understand that HH and UPND is worse than Lungu PF
LOCK THOSE CADRES UP FULL STOP
THEY HAVENT^GOT THE BLESSING OF GOVERNMENT
It’s 2021, yet some people are regressing to instinctive behaviour!
UPND is worse than PF. We are yet to see the worst country men and women.
The Tonga god is not even commenting
if this is not sopped we are heading for anarchy in the country. The problem is HH has no capacity to stop the anarchy. Just giving empty threats. Jack gave empty threat, HH gave empty threats, and this minister of Local govt also gave empty threats. No action.
I was very harassed by UPND during PF because grew in UPND stronghold but some how most of them think I’m a Tonga so some protected me. They say bad things about Bemba people especially. UPND is very intolerant to people who don’t agree with them. They hated the portrait of ECL. Are we safe?
Let’s all learn to coexist….I don’t see any reason why someone should be attacked for not supporting HH and for being a Mr Mbewe….am not an easterner but I feel for Mr Mbewe…he has invested a lot in Choma which is not his official province and its sad that his business was destroyed…please this has to stop…and the President thinks this is justified….shame on you HH
I don’t see any images of Mr Boris Johnson here in the UK, I might see the image of the Queen when I visit Stately places.
Saulosi – This where most Zambians get things wrong – Teddy Mbewe is born of a Tonga mother.
UPND in southern province were displaying HH portrait when ECL was in power and now they want to make it fuss Whats wrong with these c.reatures kanshi? they are behaving like true stone age beings.
You are in opposition, get used to it. We are all human PF, PeP or Ruling party UPND, we err just like Kambwili said. We will correct our mistakes and move on. In the mean time, the president is available for phone questions, be heard!!! HH has put himself on the line like a boxer who enters the ring to fight a dangerous opponent.
I’m Kaizer Zulu, I am here pretending to be Tarino Orange because me as a Zulu from Eastern who supported my fellow Easterner ny father Lungu I want to stir tribal sentiments against this Tonga donkey Hazayenda Hazavwelela. Yes Tarino Orange there’s nothing you can do about me cloning your username.
Are we going to continue displaying pictures of the people we put in State House? Zambia being democratic we will soon have 12 ex-presidents.
No we all agree that the PF had planted a bad seed of divide and rule. The UPND cadres are now taking it upon themselves to revenge on the PF MCC for his vigorous campaign effort during and after the elections. As if that was not enough our brother Kebby Mbewe continued being defiant in the face of defeat and those cadres felt challenged. Yes there is no law that compels individuals and corporate entities to display the portrait of the Head of State and his Full Cabinet. It is done out of patriotism and to leave in peace, I see no reason for reasonable person just following the old practice. I have seen the portraits of all the Presidents displayed in many public places with the current head of State being place slightly above the former ones. At times it is just common sense. There is no…
@adviser
Exactly i agree with you 100%,,,,i could be a Mulenga but maybe my mother is from Southern….Father Frank Bwalya also i think his mother is from Southern…..if we want Zambia to develop then its about time we started working together….LOVE CONQUERS HATE
We sometimes felt just the way you do when we were in opposition…but there was light at the end of the tunnel so please manage it well,, i mean the bitterness some of you are exhibiting is worrying.
Government spokesperson should clarify if there is a law requiring for private businesses to display the presidents portrait and if there is then it should be repealed immediately.
Let’s just say we told you so.
It’s gonna be a long 4years; Mapatizya and Sesheke formula
Let’s roll.
I thank you.
You haven’t seen the worst yet. Upnd cadres are more than PF cadres in terms of violence
If we go by UPND supporters’ analysis of such happenings during PF rule, we will be right to say these cadres who destroyed Debonnaire Choma, were sent by HH to do so. I think that will be fair to say so, to demonstare consistency in our political analysis in the country. Every cadre misbehaving was said to be directed from state house during ECL’s rule . We can’t change our analysis now because theres a different person in state house. If we do then we are hypocrites and full of nothing but hatred towards ECL. Everything cadres do is directed from state house. We can’t change now unless those who used to say so come out and retract such sentiments.
Come on niggas that behavior is fvcking ignorant. Who the fvck does that? Hmm! PF is fvcking long gone. Get over it.
1d’ot tarino you’re do screwed mf.
How support such klazy chaotic stant.
What is the under five president doing about this fvcked up situation?
I thank God Upnd won the the election otherwise we were going to be in a lot of problems.
WHATEVER IS HAPPENING AT A PARTICULAR TIME IS DERIVED FROM ITS IMMEDIATE PAST. UPND IS PRACTICING TRIUMPHALISM BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE PF AS A PARTY, AND KB MBEBA IN PARTICULAR, CONDUCTED HIMSELF. AS PEOPLE SOBER UP SUCH INCIDENTS WILL STOP.