MINISTER WARNS

Sun, 04 Feb 2018 11:53:11 +0000

By CHITE MTONGA

THE Zambian law does not allow political parties to recruit military personnel and such action has grave consequences under the laws of Zambia, Minister of Justice Given Lubinda has said.

Mr Lubinda said Zambia was a multi-party democracy and persons had the right to form political parties but recruiting and training military personnel was against the law and government would not take it lightly.

He said Zambians were free to associate with any philosophy but engaging military personel was a crime and those associating themselves in such acts were breaking the law.

Mr Lubinda told the Daily Nation in an interview that Zambia did not have laws to bar people from joining any political party as it was a multi party state but people need to be wary of some political parties that were thriving on illegal activities.

“We do not have laws that bar any political party’s ideologies from existing but really some activities have no place in a multi-party dispensation,” he said.

Mr Lubinda said allegations of the Socialist Party recruiting military personnel were saddening and government would not take such allegations lightly but go further to investigate and ensure that all those involved were brought to book.

He said it was alien to Zambian politics for people to adopt certain political ideologies but breaking the law would not be tolerated. “If you, for instance you want to create a dictatorship in Zambia that cannot be allowed because the law simply does not allow and if for sure there are some people engaging in such activities they must be stopped,” he said.

Mr Lubinda cautioned all political party leaders to avoid engaging in activities that were illegal.