ECZ is right to ban PF regalia says Nalumango

ECZ is right to ban PF regalia says Nalumango

By George Zulu

VICE-PRESIDENT Mutale Nalumango says she is happy that the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has banned the use of regalia by political parties not participating in an election campaign but supporting another candidate in an alliance.

Speaking during the 45 minutes Vice-President’s question time in Parliament yesterday, Nalumango said what the Commission was effecting was a dormant law under the Electoral Process Act of 2016.

“We have to remember that there is a law and the laws normally will lie dormant. That is the law. Laws are enacted and sometimes they lie dormant because no offence has been captured. So don’t think this is new,” Nalumango said.

She said there was no provision for alliances in the Electoral Act hence banning the use of other political parties’ regalia during campaigns for a candidate from another party.

“We have alliances and, in these alliances, I don’t think there is a law that provides for alliances in an electoral path. And because there is no law, it is by convention.  It is by what is happening. That’s why I stated laws sometimes lie dormant and you think it is not there. In these alliances which are not even registered, they are not known, they are not properly provided for, what do we find on the ground that has invoked a law that has been lying dormant? There is a law that is being invoked,” she said.

Nalumango said what has awakened the law, was Tonse Alliance going into campaigns when they were not a registered entity.

“Today, Madam, there are alliances that are called by different names. I don’t know whether Ukwa still exists. I don’t know. I don’t know whether Tonse still exists. I don’t know. But there are different political parties and they have an alliance which is not a registered entity by the law and when they go into the campaigns, this is what has given energy to the law. When they go in the campaigns, Madam, they go in a different party regalia, PF, which is the other one, Leadership Movement, Kalaba Party, and all and all. They are all wearing different things, campaigning for one candidate in the so-called alliance. This candidate belongs to, for example, Patriotic Front, but they are dressed in all sorts,” she said.

She said the law was formulated to cure violence.

“When they commit offences, then they will refuse that they are not members of the PF. Therefore, you cannot commit. This is a fact. So, when such members of different political parties commit electoral offences, they disassociate themselves from the candidate because they claim they are wearing a different party regalia. But in the meantime, they are waiting for that particular candidate and this is what the law was trying to cure. When you enacted this law, it was trying to give responsibility to everybody in the campaign and I would say this, Madam, it may have looked advantageous to those that may have been in the majority then, but this must not be done politically. It always catches up with you. And therefore, this law was made to cure that, that people should take responsibility. If you have no candidate in that election, don’t go with your only party regalia. Use the party regalia. This is what the law is saying. And it is not only good for us here, it’s good for you colleagues.

But you made it. And therefore, in conclusion, I am happy not because of the statement the Honourable Member for Chinsali has made, that ECZ has banned, no. ECZ has not banned the use of different party regalia of parties that are not participating in the election. ECZ has enforced the law,” Nalumango said.

She was responding to a question by Chinsali member of Parliament Kalalwe Mukosa whether she was happy to see ECZ ban political parties in an alliance supporting a particular candidate to use different political party regalia.