By Isaac Zulu
National Democratic Congress leader Saboi Imboela has charged that intentions by the Registrar of Societies to deregister the Patriot Front is meant to destabilize opposition political parties in the country.
In an interview, Imboela charged that the UPND administration is using Home Affairs and Internal Security permanent secretary Josephs Akafumba to frustrate, deregister and phase out opposition political parties from the Zambian political scene.
She said that maneuvres by the Registrar of Societies to deregister the PF is against the promotion of democracy in the nation, saying the UPND administration should desist from the temptation of using government institutions and agencies to get rid off opposition political parties.
“The National Democratic Congress party has been very consistent that the UPND administration’s decision to have Mr Akafumba to ascend to the position of permanent secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security has been a ploy by the current regime to destabilize opposition political parties,” Imboela said. “So clearly, those maneuvres by the Registrar of Societies are a ploy to frustrate, deregister and get rid off opposition political parties from our political scene, which I think is not in the interest of our growing democracy.”
Imboela recalled that the same scheme was applied by the Patriot Front government in a bid to deregister the National Democratic Congress and the Democratic Party (under the leadership of Harry Kalaba) but that did not succeed because the people’s wishes prevailed through the Courts of Law.
“The same Mr Akafumba is aware that the Patriot Front government embarked on the same crusade of silencing and deregistering opposition political parties. The National Democratic Congress party and the Democratic Party under the leadership of president Harry Kalaba were almost deregistered. But the Courts of Law triumphed and declared that the two political parties were operating within the confines of the law,” she said.
Imboela further said that PF leadership has not abrogated any legal provision, saying the opposition political party still has a list of legitimate office bearers that cannot be disputed.
“It is very, very sad and unfortunate that Registrar of Societies has intent to deregister the PF for allegedly failing to produce a list of 10 office bearers. And yet the Patriot Front has produced a list of office bearers, with president Edgar Lungu being on the top. The list that the PF leadership produced is a clear picture of what they have. Therefore, they should not be intimidated,” said Imboela. “But the UPND administration should be told that at the level and rate we have reached, African democracy and Zambian democracy will not be suppressed. The people’s voices will emerge victorious.”
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