The Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) has advised President Rupiah Banda to directly intervene in the continued attacks on journalists by MMD cadres.

AVAP Executive Director Bonnie Tembo says the President’s intervention in the matter is critical saying he is the president of all Zambians and needs coverage from all Media organizations including those with divergent views.

Mr. Tembo said in Lusaka yesterday, that in a multi democracy such kind of cadre ship behaviour poses a threat to freedom of expression ands sharing of information.

He explained that this is why President Banda must take a lead in sensitizing party cadres when it comes to state functions.

He expressed disappointment that the Police failed to control the situation at the time the Post Newspaper Journalist was being beaten by MMD cadres yesterday.

Mr. Tembo pointed out that despite the republican constitution outlining the functions of the Police such as to protect life and property, preserve law and order among others they failed to protect the journalist.

He noted that AVAP wishes to remind the Police to promote and uphold their functions adding that even Lusaka division commanding officer Greenwell Nguni did not intervene when the journalist was being beaten.

The AVAP Director further demanded that Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde should order the arrest of MMD cadres that continue to attack journalists and also that Mr. Nguni to explain to the nation why he failed to uphold the core-function of the Zambia police.

Mr. Tembo has since urged Post Newspaper reporters and many others who are under threat from desperate politicians either ruling or position parties to stand firm and defend the noble cause for good governance.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tembo has appealed to government to exhibit political will on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) if Zambia is to follow the footsteps of Ghana.

He added that the removal of Ms Tamara Kambikambi and Mr Amos Chanda from the National Governance Council (NGC) as Chairperson and Spokesperson respectively raises a lot of concerns.

He explained that abrupt removal of the duo from the NGC is an indication that the APRM process is undermined and not Civil Society driven like the way it is in Ghana.

Mr. Tembo stated that Zambia may not be ready to be peer reviewed in January next year as it is yet to clean a number of governance component.

He has however appealed to government not to interfere with the operations and administrations of the NGC if the APRM report is to reflect the reality on the ground.

ZANIS

The United Party for National Development (UPND) in Livingstone has suspended its Vice Publicity Secretary Aggreyprey Brill for violating the party’s directive on banning of campaigns by aspirants for the 2011 parliamentary and local government elections.

UPND District Chairman George Akufuna accused Mr. Brill of trying to destabilize the party by aspiring to stand as a Member of Parliament and commencing campaigns despite a directive from the party’s national executive to desist from doing so.

This was contained in a press release made available to ZANIS in Livingstone today and jointly signed by Mr. Akufuna and the UPND District Secretary for Livingstone David Musangu.

Mr. Akufuna said his party had banned all aspirants for the 2011 parliamentary and local government elections from campaigning and holding meetings that might divide the party until the national executive sanctioned normal campaigns to start.

He said the decision to suspend Mr. Brill was also partly due to him missing three consecutive party meetings without apology and failure to abide by other party regulations despite repeated warnings.

Mr. Akufuna however, said Mr. Brill would retain his position as a party member and as councilor for Akapelwa ward.

Meanwhile, UPND District Vice Secretary Aggrey Njekwa said the decision to suspend Mr. Brill was timely and in line with efforts to bring sanity to the party, promote good morals and enhance discipline among its members.

ZANIS

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) – Zambia, has condemned all efforts aimed at intimidating the media through harassment and beating up of media personnel by some sections of society.

MISA Zambia National Director Hewitt Chizyuka called on government and all political parties to restrain their members from harassing media personnel saying a vibrant and diverse media plays a key role in establishing a strong foundation for democratic governance.

Mr. Chizyuka bemoaned the harsh operating environment for the media in the country saying the situation was getting worse due to the increasing cases of harassment and violence against the media.

He said this in Livingstone yesterday during the closure of a three-day training workshop for management personnel and board members of community radio stations organized by MISA Zambia.

Mr. Chizyuka also challenged the media in the country to ensure their coverage of issues was done in a fair, accurate, impartial and truthful manner.

He cautioned media personnel to desist from being used by people that had personal or political scores to settle as this was detrimental to development and good governance.

Mr. Chizyuka said the media could only enhance equitable coverage, fight corruption and help to improve people’s lives through ethical and responsible conduct.

And Southern Province Permanent Secretary Darius Hakayobe called for effective training of media personnel in the country to reduce incidents of mishandling information when disseminating it to the public.

Mr. Hakayobe said media was a good platform for disseminating information but adequate training was needed if press freedom was to be understood by all stakeholders.

He commended MISA Zambia for promoting media freedom and diversity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Mr. Hakayobe said this in a speech read for him by Acting Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary, Manuel Nchima.

The participants of the workshop were drawn from Radio Musi-O-Tunya, Zambezi FM Radio and Sky FM radio.

ZANIS

Jesuit Center for Theological Reflections (JCTR) has called for full inclusion of the Bill of Rights (BOR) in the new republican constitution to address human development in Zambia.

The center’s Coordinator of the Church Social Teaching Programme Kayula Lesa says in a release to ZANIS, that among the key issues many Zambians would want addressed is the incorporation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) in the new Bill of Rights of the new Constitution.

“Many Zambians are anxiously waiting to see the end product of the current constitution making process. Zambians are hoping against hope that the end product will truly reflect their desires which are well expressed in the Mung’omba CRC and the Mung’omba Draft Constitution.

” Hence, departure from these desires will certainly mean imposition and will perhaps render the Constitution inadequate,” says Sr Lesa,in the release.

She adds that these rights are essential for integral human development especially as they give the right of access to basic needs such as education, health care, a clean environment, proper housing, employment and food, water and sanitation.

She explains in the release that these rights also form a strong basis for the realisation of another set of rights, the Civil and Political Rights — such as the right to life and the right to vote — provided for in the current Bill of Rights.

” For example, the right to life definitely depends on the right to access quality health care. Despite their importance, ESCR in the current Constitution are merely directive principles to inform government policy. As such, these ESCR principles do not oblige government to pay particular attention to the realisation of these rights and robs the people of a legal mechanism they can use should these rights be denied,” says the Centre’s official.

Discussions on ESCR in the Human Rights Committee of the NCC (which began its sitting in January and ended in April 2009) appeared to have attached great importance to these rights as many ESCR from the Mung’omba Draft Constitution were recommended with few amendments.

The Center official observes that this is a step in the right direction,saying the JCTR recognises that these recommendations are subject to adoption by the NCC Plenary.

” Therefore we at JCTR strongly urge the Plenary of the NCC to reflect deeply on the importance of these rights in raising the standard of living of most Zambians, especially the poor,adopt these rights and ensure that they are in the new Bill of Rights so that citizens have a legal mechanism for claiming their rights (which are entitlements and not promises) should they be denied,
and thirdly ensure that a National Referendum takes place so that what is in the Constitution is truly reflective of what the Zambian people want,”she says.

Sr. Kayula further asserts that, “We realise that a state, regardless of its level of economic development, is obliged to ensure respect for both sets of rights (ESCR and Civil and Political Rights) for everyone.

” This obligation however does not necessarily require that free services are provided but that the State takes concrete and deliberate steps to progressively realise human rights, especially ESCR. Therefore, the question of limited resources, while understandably significant, should not be a barrier to the inclusion of ESCR in the Bill of Rights.”

In fact, the inclusion of these rights will serve as a key incentive to utilising the many natural resources we are endowed with and managing our resources with prudence so that we make available the much needed resources to fulfill ESCR. Failure to include these important rights in the Bill of Rights will be a significant missed opportunity and a sad waste of resources as the Constitution will remain inadequate.”

We at JCTR state again that without Constitutional measures to compel our Government to provide for basic needs, it will remain difficult for Zambians, especially the most vulnerable, to realise their basic human rights.

ZANIS

Kasama Central Patriotic Front Member of Parliament Saviour Chishimba has officially resigned from the National Assembly effective July 27, this year and has announced the formation of a new political party called United Progressive People (UPP).

The former MP confirmed both developments in a telephone interview with ZANIS from Lusaka yesterday.

Dr. Chishimba said he resigned as MP on principle and thanked the people of people of Kasama for having accorded him an opportunity to serve them.

He urged electorates in Kasama Central constituency to make sure that they elect a credible person in the forthcoming by-election.

Dr. Chishimba said people should not vote for a political party but instead elect an individual with leadership qualities of representing their views in Parliament.

The former MP also asked for forgiveness from the people of Kasama for any wrongdoings during his tenure of office, saying it was not his intention to offend anybody.

And Dr. Chishimba said his United Progressive People’s party would be launched on August 3, in Ndola on the Copperbelt.

He said he had decided to form a political party in order to bring sanity to the political system in the country.

Dr. Chishimba said UPP has no interim president but would be headed by a party chairman.

Dr. Chishimba also revealed that his party would hold its first convention in less than three months time and that a presidential candidate for 2011 would be elected at the same function.

The former MP explained that UPP has the full support of Zambians within and outside the country.

Dr. Chishimba further said one million of the first batch of UPP manifesto, which were being printed abroad, would be distributed across the country for people to understand the visions of his party.

ZANIS

The Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) has challenged United Party for National Development (UPND) leader, Hakainde Hichilema to tell the nation the truth which public fund the ruling party is using for by elections in Chitambo.

MMD Deputy National Secretary, Jeff Kande, said Mr Hichilema should be pragmatic and stand up to point at the public funds and vehicles the party is using to campaign in Chitambo.

Mr Kande charged that it was saddening to note that the UPND leader has turned into a pathological lair and political crying baby.

He said he has made it a habit to turn into telling lies and crying foul every time his party was losing an election, adding that it was saddening for him to be doing this.

“Hakainde has made it a habit that whenever he realizes that his party is losing, he turns to telling lies and crying foul. And this is very saddening for him to be turned into a pathological liar and political crying baby. Can he be pragmatic and tell the nation what and which public fund we are using in Chitambo,” said Kande.

Mr Kande said this in a press statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

He was responding to Mr Hakainde’s remarks which appeared in yesterday’s Post newspapers alleging that the MMD was using public funds and vehicles to campaign in Chitambo.

He said MMD was a well organized party and had no reasons to use public funds for campaigns unlike their parties whose agendas and finances are in a small president’s pocket and accounts.

Mr Kande said the PF/ UPND pact was just threatened that MMD has campaigned well and was wining the Chitambo by elections.

He has since urged the pact to concede defeat with honour and advised Mr Hichilema to put his political career in order.

Mr Kande has further accused Mr Hichilema of being rich today because of having benefited from the liquidation of many institutions in the country at the expense of the majority Zambians.

He said Mr Hichilema liquidated the then Lima Bank and benefited greatly, adding that he also bought a mansion at K40,000 from Lima Bank.

The by election in Chitambo will be held on the August 13, 2009.

The Chitambo seat fell vacant after the death of MMD’s Nasim Hamir who was also Lands Deputy Minister.

ZANIS

MMD cadres yesterday beat up journalists from the Times of
Zambia and The Post newspapers who had gone to cover the arrival of President Rupiah Banda from Uganda at the Lusaka International Airport.

A group of cadres confronted the journalists from various organisations at the airport at the time they were waiting for the plane carrying President Banda to touch down around 11:30 hours.

The group leader of the cadres immediately approached Times of Zambia senior reporter, Anthony Mulowa and asked him to produce his Press pass but he refused to do so.

The cadre then punched Mr Mulowa in the lower abdomen and he was only freed after he produced his Press pass.

The party cadres then descended on photo journalist, Richard Mulonga whom they dragged around and threatened to break his camera until the police rescued him.

Mr Mulowa has since reported the matter to central police station in Lusaka and said he could identify his assailants.

Earlier, Post reporter, Chibaula Silwamba was slapped twice by the same group of cadres before they forced him together with photo journalist, Collins Phiri out the airport.

President Banda condemned the violence by the cadres saying it should not be tolerated.

He said journalists were employed to inform the people and should be allowed to operate freely.

He, however, urged journalists not to be used to fight personal battles but remain objective in the manner they conducted their duties.

Paza president, Andrew Sakala challenged the top leadership of the MMD and police to ensure that the harassment of journalists was brought to an end.

He said in a democratic dispensation, people should be allowed to air divergent views.

ZUJ president, Morgan Chonya said as an immediate solution to the thuggery, the union reserved the right to instruct its members to stop covering the president.

Mr Chonya said this was not an attack on the president’s office but a measure to safeguard the lives of its members.

[Times of Zambia]