LAZ is mischievous - YALI

IT is mischievous for the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) to always side with the UPND on matters of national interest, Young African Leaders initiative ( YALI) president Andrew Ntewewe has said.

And Mr Ntewewe said the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has lost its moral fibre and public trust to contribute to national discourse.

He was reacting to the recent stance by LAZ that the Speaker, Patrick Matibini was out of order to expel Chishimba Kambwili as Roan Member of Parliament, saying the association was always siding with the opposition.

Mr Ntewewe said LAZ had been political on various positions on matters of national interest contrary to its statutory obligations.

"LAZ today is not an institution the nation can look up to for guidance, the association was supposed to guide the nation on matters of law and legal framework and should have stood tall so that people would have been running to them as an aorta of neutrality," Mr Ntewewe said.

He said LAZ having been established with statutory instrument it was expected to be neutral of affairs of the state as opposed to always taking partisan stance.

Mr Ntewewe said LAZ is no longer an institution people can look up to because its positions on several matters are synonymous with that of the UPND.

He said it was clear that the association vowed to always contradict Government and take the position of UPND.

Mr Ntewewe said it was disappointing that LAZ has always taken opposite and antagonistic views against Government.

Mr Ntewewe said LAZ has taken the position of UPND on bill 10 and President Edgar Lungu's eligibility among others.

And Citizens Democratic Party leader Robert Mwanza said LAZ has lost its credibility by always siding with the opposition UPND on many issues of national interest.

Mr Mwanza said it was unfortunate that the LAZ as an institution mandated by law to provide guidance to the nation on legal matters had decided to side with the opposition.