Dissent has been abolished in Zambia - Changala

…says the Public Protector’s office has been rendered moribund and calls for investigation into silence over alleged abductions and attacks on dissenting voices

By NATION REPORTER

CIVIL rights activist Brebner Changala has questioned whether Zambia’s public space is still functioning, accusing the executive of rendering key oversight institutions ineffective and leaving dissenting voices vulnerable to abuse.

Mr Changala said the apparent silence of the Office of the Public Protector over reports of abductions, killings, beatings and detention of people critical of the government have raised serious questions about the institution’s ability to discharge its constitutional mandate.

“The office of the Public Protector has been rendered moribund deliberately by the executive so that they are left to do things as they want,” Mr Changala said in an interview.

He said the Public Protector was established as a constitutional institution to protect the public from abuse of authority and should therefore be independent from executive influence.

Mr Changala questioned why the institution had remained quiet over what he described as the disappearance and persecution of dissenting voices.

“The Public Protector is there to protect the institution from abuse taken by the executive. That is why the Public Protector, by law, is supposed to report to Parliament,” he said.

He said the Public Protector’s constitutional status demanded that the office should be seen to act whenever there were allegations of abuse of power or violations of citizens’ rights.

Mr Changala also expressed concern over  the growing concentration of power in State institutions, saying this had the potential to weaken democratic safeguards.

He said the situation required scrutiny to establish why institutions mandated to protect citizens appeared unable or unwilling to respond to allegations involving people perceived to be dissenting against those in authority.

Mr Changala’s remarks come amid continued public debate over alleged abductions, arrests and other forms of intimidation involving political opponents, activists and other dissenting voices.

He said the country risked losing important democratic safeguards if constitutional institutions were allowed to become ineffective or silent when citizens needed their protection most.

Ends.