IT’S BREAK OR MAKE
…Petition could settle dispute, bring healing – Kasongo
By Mast Reporters
TO SAY allow the election petition to go ahead in the courts of law is not to say President-elect Hakainde Hichilema did not win the August 13 presidential election, political analyst Patson Chalwe has said.
Meanwhile, losing independent presidential candidate in the just-ended general election Given Katuta has demanded government accountability for the declaration of key public institutions such as courts as crime scenes.
Yesterday, government restricted entry to the Lusaka High Court premises which also hosts the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, as losing presidential candidate Brian Mundubile was expected to file his petition challenging the results.
“To have a petition is not to be against President Hakainde Hichilema. It is allowing the unsatisfied party to exhaust the due processes available for them and settle people in the justice and efficiency of our governance systems,” Chalwe said in a commentary seen by The Mast.
The Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) has declared Hichilema the winner with 2,965,326 after beating National Reconciliation Party for Unity and Prosperity (NRPUP) candidate Mundubile who polled 1,856,217.
Chalwe said many Zambians believed that Hichilema won.
However, some felt they had evidence of mishandling of the process and they should be heard by the courts.
Chalwe warned the United Party for National Development (UPND) that it would one day need the same courts it was making inaccessible to the opposition.
“Definitely, as the sun rises and falls, so shall the UPND. They will also look for recourse from the same laws. If the streets of justice are manned by soldiers, they will not easily get the justice they will be so seeking. Leave room for a path you will need,” he said.
“If the courts are closed in the period of the legal petition, who then would receive the petition? It sounds like an injustice. It does not sound like injustice against a political party. It really sounds like an injustice against our democracy and the justice system,” Chalwe said.
He called for a process that would lead to reconciliation and healing, noting Zambians were tired of political divisions.
“The souls are vexed. It does not matter which side one might be, living in a state of fear or hatred of your neighbour and countryman can be tiring. The deaths of our people at the hands of our soldiers and police is painful. Zambia needs healing,” Chalwe said.
He decried the silence and timid response to the current tension from the Church.
Chalwe noted the men and women of God given to speak for the people were quiet.
“On matters that need authoritative clergy figures, our watchmen have opted silence. Right or wrong, those warring are brothers and sisters. It is no wonder the country pays attention to Jay Jay Banda and Seer1. You the men who must be the beacon are asleep. You do not talk. You speak volumes in private and say completely nothing when given the mic,” he said.
Meanwhile, losing independent presidential candidate in the just-ended general election Given Katuta has demanded government accountability for the declaration of key public institutions such as courts as crime scenes.
Katuta’s demand follows the classification of the High Court of Zambia buildings in Lusaka, Ndola, Livingstone, Kitwe, Chipata, Kabwe and Kasama as crime scenes, forcing them to shut down operations to the public.
She said it was shocking that all High Court buildings in the country had been described or classified as “crime scenes”, wondering what sort of crime took place at such institutions.
“Fellow Citizens, according to the yellow “CRIME SCENE” tapes surrounding them, the High Court and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security Headquarters have now been declared crime scenes,” she said in a statement.
Katuta said since 1991, Zambia had enjoyed its democracy, wondering why things had changed under the UPND.
“For 35 years we have held our leaders accountable for decisions that affect citizens. Our public institutions belong to the people of Zambia.
We therefore demand that the Government urgently inform the nation,” she said.
Katuta urged those in leadership to know that Zambians had the right to know what was happening in the country, especially if a matter involved a public institution.
