STOP VIOLENCE

WHY should political parties allow their cadres to resort to violence each time the country is holding an election?

We pose this question because we do not support the reported commotion that was caused in Katuba constituency by the United Party for National Development (UPND) on Thursday.

In the incident, UPND cadres roughed by a member of the Patriotic Front for being in PF regalia, a T-Shirt, and an employee of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).

The unfortunate incidents happened during the filing of nominations by candidates of the contending parties in the Katuba parliamentary by-election.

We have always advocated peaceful co-existence among the various political parties and do not see any reason why their members must choose to be violent to send their message across.

Of particular concern was the harassment of the HRC materials productions officer (MPO) Oscar Chisenga.

Mr Chisenga’s crime was to film the UPND cadres’ barbaric attack on the hapless PF supporter. Mr Chisenga was at the nomination centre to monitor the activities in his official capacity.

He could have done the same had the person being attacked or manhandled been a UPND sympathiser.

Mr Chisenga was representing an institution that protects the human rights of all Zambians regardless of their political affiliation. The HRC is an institution that all political parties must defend and support.

But the UPND cadres, for reasons best known to themselves, attacked Mr Chisenga even though they knew which institution he was representing.

We agree with HRC spokesperson Mweelwa Muleya that the UPND must come clean over this incident and take action against its violent cadres.

During the filing of nominations, UPND chairman for elections Garry Nkombo publicly stated that the party would conduct a violence-free campaign.

But while Mr Nkombo was “preaching peace” his cadres had a different agenda.

This is why the HRC called upon UPND leaders to identify and hand over to police the perpetrators to demonstrate that their call for peaceful campaigns was not mere rhetoric.

As Mr Muleya pointed out, condemning violence without bringing perpetrators to account for their action is meaningless and implies supporting the crime.

“The commission is saddened that the party cadres harassed and beat up Mr Chisenga before snatching a wallet containing his personal effects and a commission mobile tablet, which he was using to video record them as they attacked an individual who was wearing PF regalia,” Mr Muleya said

This trend of violence rearing its ugly head during every by-election is uncalled for.

We believe that politics should be about proponents debating issues and not encouraging their supporters to beat up rivals. That is primitive.

The three parties whose candidates filed their nominations must get on the ground and try to convince the electorate why their candidate deserves their vote.

The voters in Katuba, for example, are one people who attend the same churches, drink together and most are probably close neighbours with their children being playmates.

So, it boggles the mind as to why political cadres should want to have them start hacking one another.

Zambians must not allow their petty political differences to turn them against one another. They owe it to the country’s founding fathers to preserve the independence and unity that they sacrificed for so much that they have the privilege of being able to elect their leaders.