SACCORD demands alternative plan for cadres

PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema should provide a clear strategy on how he intends to end caderism and lay out an alternative plan for cadres, the Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has said.

And SACCORD executive director, Boniface Cheembe said his organisation expected President Hichilema to set the tone on how the shortcomings in the amended Constitution of 2016 will be addressed as he opens the first Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly today.

Mr Cheembe said he had taken note of Mr Hichilema’s directive to end the era of cadres controlling public facilities such as markets and bus stations.

He however said his organisation wanted to know how cadres’ welfare would be taken care of during the transition from controlling public facilities.

“We expect the President to lay out an alternative path to productive engagement by these cadres as they transition from controlling public facilities and in the process create chaos, to performing orderly and gainful activities that foster peace,” Mr Cheembe said.

Mr Cheembe said President Hichilema should also set a tone on how the shortcomings in the amended Constitution No.2 of 2016 will be addressed which must demonstrate the difference in approach from that which was taken in the previous government.

He noted that the failure to finalize shortcomings in the constitution had contributed to constitutional instability and it was important that the Mr Hichilema attaches a timeframe in addressing this mat

On conflict and the Public Order Act, Mr Cheembe said SACCORD expected the President to clearly lay out his vision on reforming the archaic piece of legislation which had been a source of conflict for many decades in Zambia.

He said President Hichilema’s vision must highlight the past problems in reforming this law and the new measures to be undertaken to reform it.

He said that the President should highlight a clear timeframe in amending this law so that stakeholders could prepare themselves in contributing to its reform.

Mr Cheembe said Mr Hichilema had already shown political will to guarantee human rights for all but SACCORD expected stronger policy pronouncements on promoting and strengthening legislation for the protection of human rights defenders in the country.