By KETRA KALUNGA
THE UPND must not interfere with campaigns of other political parties during the Kabwata by-election next month to show that things have changed for better, says Caritas Zambia.
“We don’t expect the UPND as a ruling party to interfere with the campaigns of the other political parties taking part in the Kabwata parliamentary by-election having assured Zambians that once voted for they would do things differently,” Carita Zambia, Executive Director, Eugene Kabika has said.
Mr Kabika said having condemned the way the Public Order Act (POA) was applied under the Patriotic Front (PF) regime, the UPND should show leadership and allow other political parties to campaign freely ahead of the January 20, 2022 by-election.
He said in an interview that having detested the way the POA was applied under PF, the UPND is not expected to gather its supporters with the aim of disturbing campaign programmes of opposition parties.
“In the Kabwata by-election, we expect the UPND as a ruling party not to interfere with the campaigns of all the political parties that are taking part. Allow them to campaign as much as they can, just as you promised,” he said.
And Mr. Kabika has urged the police to ensure that they follow what is provided in the law when executing the Public Order Act.
He said once the police are notified by the opposition parties on their campaign programme, they should not develop cold feet or try to meander around as was the case in the past.
Mr. Kabika said by so doing, the police would be playing a critical role in promoting multi-party democracy in the country.
“We don’t want stories we were hearing, no you cannot do this because the President is in the area. If the President is in a certain area it doesn’t mean that place becomes a no-go area for leaders of the opposition political parties. We don’t expect that to happen,” he said.
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