PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE

AS the country gets closer to the campaign period for next year’s general elections, political players must espouse levelheadedness and objectivity in their conduct and public discourse. Many a time, politicians, civil society organisations and the general citizenry get highly charged during campaigns. It is, however, the politicians who must set a sober and healing tone so that the political landscape remains violence free. In fact, this is the opportune time for politicians and stakeholders to take introspection and thereafter plan peaceful strategies for the 2021 election campaigns. They should get to the drawing board and plan issue-based campaigns, this time around, because the electorate is fatigued with political violence and rhetoric. For once, politicians both in the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) and in the opposition must only proclaim that which is realistic as opposed to promising “Heaven on earth.” Political parties ought to retrieve their party manifestos from their shelves and expound issues therein so that voters have a clear opportunity to choose a party with a realistic vision. Foul language and violence are not the best political strategies, hence the urgent need to consign them to the political trash can. As a sure panacea to political violence, political parties must disband their security wings, whose members are often the instruments of violence. Most of the time, the offensive weapons are retrieved from vehicles used by the security wings which are formed under the guise of providing protection when in fact they are used for bludgeoning opponents. We, therefore, concur with Deputy Inspector-Generalof Police, Bonny Kapeso, that cadres must give chance to police officers to conduct their work without interference. Mr Kapeso feels that political cadres have been conducting themselves in a manner that make law enforcement officers’ work very difficult. Often, cadres become an encumbrance and are seen during political gatherings attempting to provoke police officers. Quite frankly, cadres from opposition political parties believe that police officers apply the law selectively. This is the source of conflict between police and opposition cadres. In fact, UPND during Wednesday’s meeting with Mr Kapeso came out strongly, accusing police of favouring the ruling party and being high-handed against opposition members. Thus the meeting has provided a starting point to thrash out sticky issues, especially in as far as conducting public meetings is concerned.

Such meetings must continue to reduce tension between police and political parties. However, there will be need for parties from both sides of the political divide to get to the round-table and discuss matters that usually lead to violence. There is absolutely no need for political cadres to maim each other during campaigns or each time they meet. Clearly, the 2021 general elections are a make or break contest for some political parties, hence the imperative need for political parties to meet and denounce violence. They should not only denounce violence, but identify causes and also seek remedial measures. Many times, political rivalries have met and denounced violence, but resort to physical confrontations immediately they get into the campaign field. For once, political nemesis must not apply the “panga-for-panga” formula but adopt humane and civil ways of resolving differences. Elections are not an end in themselves neither are they a “do or die” affair but an ordinary democratic process to choose leaders.