Wed, 30 Nov 2016 14:06:58 +0000
By Nation Reporter
THE Judiciary is not immune to criticism and public scrutiny, President Edgar Lungu has said.
The President has come to the defence of his press aide, Amos Chanda, who has been under intense criticism for advising the judiciary not to fall into the temptation of being seen to be participating in partisan politics.
President Lungu has since asked the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) to repeat the Sunday Interview programme on which Mr Chanda said there was growing discontent in the Patriotic Front (PF) with the manner some judges had handled the election petitions.
Speaking to journalist upon arrival from Tanzania at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKAI) yesterday, President Lungu said the judiciary, like all other arms of government was prone to criticism.
“We need to know that all of us are open to criticism in one way or the other. The Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature are not immune to criticism. We cannot say the Legislature, Executive or even the Judiciary cannot be criticized,” President Lungu said.
The Head of State said all arms of government should be criticized but that such criticism should be within the boundaries of respect and decency for the roles the various arms of government performed.
President Lungu has emphasised that he had a lot of respect for the judiciary and that his actions in the past had proved his respect for the courts of law.
“I have always respected the judiciary and if I did not, I would not have sat down in State House and waited for them to adjudicate after elections. I did not and I do not think Amos (Chanda) would go and do something different because he is my Spokesperson and he understands my sentiments about the judiciary,” President Lungu said.
President Lungu has asked ZNBC to air the Sunday Interview which featured Mr Chanda stating that his critics were twisting and politicising his press aide statement.
“I will ask ZNBC to air the interview on Thursday after news so that we can all hear for ourselves what he said and then I will comment if there will be need. Probably we just want to politicise whatever he said. So I say let us tune in on Thursday after the news and we listen to what he said then we debate. You know why I am saying this…Zambians depend on hearsay, opinion and want to run with what others think so I am saying let us listen to what Amos (Chanda) said then we can debate,” President Lungu said.
The President said he had spoken to Mr Chanda who had explained that he did not say anything to warrant the kind of criticism and the bashing he was receiving from some sections of society.
