President Hakainde Hichilema recently condemned the violence “from certain parts of the country”, describing the same as deeply concerning and that such actions were condemned in the strongest possible terms.
It is not exactly clear which specific political violence the President was referring to as there have been many incidences of violence, including death during this campaign period. But it seems he was referring to the violence in Western Province where UPND cadres were seen throwing stones at the motorcade and people who were in NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile’s entourage, while those in the entourage were seen picking up some assault weapons and firing shots in the air. Some were also seen returning the favour as they responded with throwing their own stones at the UPND cadres.
We cannot conclusively speak to the nitty gritty details of what really transpired as we were not at that specific scene where the violence happened, besides what we saw from the videos and images from the fracas.
Expectedly, Mundubile issued a statement giving his account of what transpired, saying the UPND cadres had blocked the road and started throwing stones after they had gone to pay a courtesy call on the traditional leadership in the area. He said he had always called on the President to take decisive action against the violence.
Just a little while after the incident, President Hichilema issued his own statement denouncing the violence.
“Let it be clear that violence, intimidation, or lawlessness by any political party, candidate, or supporter will not be tolerated. Every political party has the lawful right to campaign within the period allocated by the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Anyone who attempts to disrupt or prevent that process is breaking the law and must face the full consequences,” stated President Hichilema. “We therefore call upon all political parties and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully, responsibly, and within the confines of the law. Let us protect the peace, unity, and democratic values that define our nation.”
It’s a good thing for the President to have issued that statement immediately after the incident happened. However, it is our considered view and the views of many other persons of reason that the statement was not equivocal enough. It actually did not even go so far as to mention the names or parties which were involved in the violence. It did not even mention the regions where the same happened. Remember, there was also another incident where artiste General Kanene was brutalised by suspected UPND cadres.
We are of the opinion that if the President is going to speak on a matter and wants to offer guidance to the nation, especially on critical matters such as violence, his word must be forthright and equivocal. He should have mentioned for instance that ‘the violence involving my cadres and the NRPUP in Western Province cannot be tolerated.’ He should have also followed that up by mentioning the other areas where incidences of violence have occured during this election period. And he should have directed the police to say the faces of the people who were involved in the violence were visible for all to see, and they should therefore follow them up and arrest them immediately.
President Hichilema as a custodian of the country’s well being and security must be interested in ensuring that peace prevails in this country he is heading, and that every appearance of violence is quickly nipped in the bud. He wants to ensure that the elections that are held under his watch as President are free, credible and fair.
Clearly, incidences such as what happened in Mongu, including the disruption of the NRPUP rally in provincial capital, Mongu, after police fired teargas canisters, and also the actions by police to stop political campaigns as happened to Citizens First (CF) leader Harry Kalaba in Chingola yesterday, during his ECZ allocated time in the Copperbelt Province, do not render credence to what a noble, free and fair election should look like.
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President Hakainde Hichilema recently condemned the violence “from certain parts of the country”, describing the same as deeply concerning and that such actions were condemned in the strongest possible terms.
It is not exactly clear which specific political violence the President was referring to as there have been many incidences of violence, including death during this campaign period. But it seems he was referring to the violence in Western Province where UPND cadres were seen throwing stones at the motorcade and people who were in NRPUP presidential candidate Brian Mundubile’s entourage, while those in the entourage were seen picking up some assault weapons and firing shots in the air. Some were also seen returning the favour as they responded with throwing their own stones at the UPND cadres.
We cannot conclusively speak to the nitty gritty details of what really transpired as we were not at that specific scene where the violence happened, besides what we saw from the videos and images from the fracas.
Expectedly, Mundubile issued a statement giving his account of what transpired, saying the UPND cadres had blocked the road and started throwing stones after they had gone to pay a courtesy call on the traditional leadership in the area. He said he had always called on the President to take decisive action against the violence.
Just a little while after the incident, President Hichilema issued his own statement denouncing the violence.
“Let it be clear that violence, intimidation, or lawlessness by any political party, candidate, or supporter will not be tolerated. Every political party has the lawful right to campaign within the period allocated by the Electoral Commission of Zambia. Anyone who attempts to disrupt or prevent that process is breaking the law and must face the full consequences,” stated President Hichilema. “We therefore call upon all political parties and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully, responsibly, and within the confines of the law. Let us protect the peace, unity, and democratic values that define our nation.”
It’s a good thing for the President to have issued that statement immediately after the incident happened. However, it is our considered view and the views of many other persons of reason that the statement was not equivocal enough. It actually did not even go so far as to mention the names or parties which were involved in the violence. It did not even mention the regions where the same happened. Remember, there was also another incident where artiste General Kanene was brutalised by suspected UPND cadres.
We are of the opinion that if the President is going to speak on a matter and wants to offer guidance to the nation, especially on critical matters such as violence, his word must be forthright and equivocal. He should have mentioned for instance that ‘the violence involving my cadres and the NRPUP in Western Province cannot be tolerated.’ He should have also followed that up by mentioning the other areas where incidences of violence have occured during this election period. And he should have directed the police to say the faces of the people who were involved in the violence were visible for all to see, and they should therefore follow them up and arrest them immediately.
President Hichilema as a custodian of the country’s well being and security must be interested in ensuring that peace prevails in this country he is heading, and that every appearance of violence is quickly nipped in the bud. He wants to ensure that the elections that are held under his watch as President are free, credible and fair.
Clearly, incidences such as what happened in Mongu, including the disruption of the NRPUP rally in provincial capital, Mongu, after police fired teargas canisters, and also the actions by police to stop political campaigns as happened to Citizens First (CF) leader Harry Kalaba in Chingola yesterday, during his ECZ allocated time in the Copperbelt Province, do not render credence to what a noble, free and fair election should look like.
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