Sat, 17 Dec 2016 09:22:34 +0000
By KALOBWE BWALYA
GOVERNMENT will not tolerate the anarchy exhibited by the opposition UPND in the country, causing the apparent breakdown of law and order, Vice President Inonge Wina has warned.
Ms Wina has advised the UPND leadership to restrain and discipline its cadres from causing anarchy and public disorder because such behaviour would take them nowhere.
The Vice President said that no government would condone such lawlessness whether it emanated from the opposition or ruling party cadres.
She was commenting on the riot on Thursday at the Supreme Court and High Court buildings in Lusaka during which UPND cadres clashed with police and damaged public and private property.
“Mr Speaker, for any doubting Thomases it should be known that there is a legitimate Government in place in this country and no government will condone lawlessness whether that lawlessness emanates from the opposition or PF cadres; that cannot be allowed,” Ms Wina said.
She said there could not be a situation where political cadres wanted to take decisions on behalf of the judiciary, ‘‘even to decide where a case should be heard from; therefore the situation is unacceptable and the highest degree of lawlessness’’.
“The judiciary decides where a case should be heard in camera or open court, hence it is not the duty of cadres to decide or even to stone the judiciary. How far can we go to enforce law in this country if cadres continue behaving in this manner? Government will not sit there watching the situation deteriorate,’’ said the Vice President.
The Vice President was responding, during the oral answer questions, to PF Mwansabombwe MP Rogers Mwewa who wanted to know what immediate action Government was going to take against the UPND cadres who stoned the police, judiciary premises and smashed vehicles as they staged an illegal march from their party secretariat to the High Court to protest over what they termed ‘‘delayed ‘’ court judgments in their favour.
Ms Wina said when the same politicians got arrested they came in the House to complain and make noise in the media that they were being victimized, but Government would not sit and watch the situation deteriorate.
Police have since arrested 52 cadres in connection with the riotous behaviour. The cadres, that were clad in party regalia, took to the streets around 10:00 hours and caused panic among motorists and residents as they chanted party slogans and threw stones at vehicles.
They moved from their secretariat in Rhodes Park to Makishi Road where they started throwing various missiles at members of the public. The stones damaged vehicles while some hit motorists.
