Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000
By Aaron Chiyanzo
THE Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) has a hidden agenda and now risks renewed calls for a new association which will represent legal practitioners with respect and dignity, Lusaka lawyer Hobday Kabwe has warned.
Mr Kabwe said that LAZ was uninspiring as the association was now fond of twisting President Edger Lungu’s words in order to paint him black.
He observed that the association had become too political and that it had even forgotten about its original mandate.
The Lusaka lawyer said in an interview that the association now risked losing the confidence of more legal practitioners and warned that it also risked inviting calls for the formation of a new association.
Mr Kabwe was reacting to accusations by LAZ that the Head of State had threatened judges when he recently cautioned them against plunging the nation in turmoil.
He said that the association should have engaged President Lungu to find out his exact intentions rather than jumping to conclusions.
Mr Kabwe explained that there was nothing wrong in the statement by President and that LAZ was quick to attack because it had its own hidden agenda.
“I have studied the statement by President Lungu and I see no problem with it. He is the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces, he is also the custodian of our constitution and he must make sure there is peace in the country.
“LAZ has its own hidden agenda, it has become partisan. If there is no change, we won’t hesitate to call for the formation of another association which will represent us with dignity,” he said.
Mr Kabwe expressed disappointment that LAZ was going back on its old track of meddling in partisan politics.
Earlier, Mr Kabwe had made it clear that the LAZ leadership was under ‘‘microscopic watch and might still face robust action.”
He had told the Daily Nation that change in the association was inevitable if the current leadership behaved like a mouthpiece of the opposition UPND.
