By JOHN KOMBE
The complaint over the leaked audio allegedly involving Political advisor, Levy Ngoma and Home Affairs Perment Secretary, Josephs Akafumba, should be redirected to the office of the Public Protector and not the Speaker, the Green Party has said.
Green Party president, Peter Sinkamba, said in an interview, the Democratic Party (DP) letter to parliament asking the Speaker of the National Assembly to probe whether President Hakainde Hichilema could be found with a case to answer for not acting on the leaked audio involving senior government officials among other issues, was misdirected.
He said that Mr. Kalaba was knocking on the wrong door because the matter was not under the mandate of the Speaker.
He said that this was a sign that citizens were being denied a right to complain on constitutional matters because the right office was just on paper.
He said that having a non-operational provision in the constitution was meaningless if citizens continue to be left in limbo.
He said that the office of the Public Protector was a non negotiable matter in this democratic era and must be given the attention it deserves.
He demanded that the office be opertionalised otherwise citizens will continue to raise questions that will remain unanswered. He said that such a situation had potential to create great dissatisfaction among the citizens.
Mr. Sinkamba also pointed out that the office if operational would also look into the matter of state capture which remains a thorny issue.
He noted that it was not surprising that even traditional leaders had nowhere to complain when they are blocked from having an audience with the Republican President.
This, he said, was a possible area where state capture by some institutions or individual was very possible.
He said that the traditional leaders were now complaining through the media because they had nowhere to run to.
He therefore urged the government and all relevant stakeholders to consider the matter seriously.
He said that the office of the public protector was critical in ensuring that the public is accorded quality public service that satisfies constitutional requirements. He said that it was for this reason that the office needs to get to work for the good of the public.
