ABSURDITY HITS JUDICIARY
Mr Changala, the civil rights and political activist Zambia were being entertained to the most uninspiring conduct of the Judiciary that was seemingly endorsing anarchy by the Executive which he said was abusing the Judiciary using its overbearing hand.
“Any progressive country is anchored on the rule of law and the doctrine of the Separation of Powers. In our constitutional democracy in Zambia, government is anchored on three separate arms, including the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Of all the three arms of government, the major culprit when it comes to State abuse and the abuse of the citizenry, it has always been the Executive which has an overbearing hand on the other two arms of government,” Mr Changala said.
It is absurd that the Judiciary, which is the last line of defence when a country is descending into lawlessness and abuse of the State, has decided to remain indifferent and a spineless spectator while the rule of law and constitutional democracy are being raped. In Zambia today, we are just one step away before we descend into a banana republic,” Mr Changala said.
Mr Changala said Zambia was only holding onto what he termed a thin thread that was separating what was normal and abnormal in terms of governance and that that thin thread was nothing but the Judiciary.
He stated that with the current events in which the Patriotic Front (PF) has had many of its applications filed away from the Judges, the position of the Judiciary had become unknown on the good governance of the country.
Mr Changala said there was little doubt among Zambians that the Judiciary had been hit with absurdity, anarchism and chaos in the manner it was handling the legal matters of the PF who in their desperate situation had made and files many applications in the courts of in pursuit of justice.
“The PF in their desperation to pursue justice in a civilized manner have made many applications in the courts of law. They have gone to the Judiciary because the position of the Executive and the Legislature on PF matters was known. The PF have made many applications which have been shelved, thereby turning the Judiciary into a filling cabinet rather than being an institution that is expected to dispense justice timely and judiciously,” Mr Changala said.
He said with the many judicial applications made by the PF out of desperation, it was important for the Judiciary to give cases the urgent attention but that it was worrying that no urgency had been given to the cases thereby holding the former ruling party in a desperate political situation.
“I am aware that the Judiciary is domiciled in Zambia and is extremely alert to the urgent desire that the PF legal matters are streamlined and urgently adjudicated upon. But they (Judiciary) have decided to watch with arms akimbo as the PF is engaging into endless fights with expelled Matero Member of Parliament Miles Sampa yet the answer is right at the doorstep of the Judiciary. I am seeing a Zambians that can easily go up into flames as the our Judiciary remains a spectator,” Mr Changala said.