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Zambia: PF Wrangles Worry Conflict Resolution Body
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The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
25 March 2008
Posted to the web 25 March 2008
Ndola
THE Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has advised the Patriotic Front (PF) to work towards reducing internal wrangles.
SACCORD, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) involved in amicable resolution of disputes, said it was a concern for the public once parties were engaged in wrangles instead of providing checks and balances.
SACCORD executive director, Lee Habasonda, said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that it was sad that internal political party politics had failed to mature, and the wrangles were a manifestation of failure to manage internal democratic processes.
"It is disheartening that even frivolous differences within political parties result in expulsions, suspensions and rumour-mongering in the media when they can be resolved administratively," he said.
Mr Habasonda said that this kind of public perception of political parties was seriously undermining their value to the consolidation and progression of democracy in the country.
He advised the PF to sit with its MPs and decide whether the action to expel or suspend MPs was in the interest of the party.
Meanwhile, PF spokesperson, Given Lubinda, has urged the electorate to weigh the cost of holding by-elections against the propensity by some MPs to strangle democracy.
Mr Lubinda said in an interview yesterday that the electorate complaining about the cost of by-elections should ask themselves as to whether it was right for the MPs to go against intra-party democracy which ultimately resulted into strangling democracy at national level.
"These MP's are stabbing, strangling democracy and people must start asking themselves what is the cost of by-election compared to democracy.
"Let the people do the equating. What is the opportunity cost of having politicians that you cannot shepherd," Mr Lubinda said.
On the constant attacks between the MPs taking part in the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) and those against, he said after wide consultations, the PF had resolved that it would no longer reiterate.
He said this was resolved after realising that most of the issues brought out were in the affidavits filed in the courts of law.
"For now we shall reserve our comments until the courts have tried the matter," Mr Lubinda said.
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And PF on the Copperbelt has advised party members not to be shaken by the expulsions taking place in the party because it was a self-cleansing process.
Provincial treasurer, Mwenya Musenge, said party members should not worry about the expulsions because the self-cleansing process had just started in the party.
Mr Musenge, who is Nkana member of Parliament (MP), said the party would continue to uphold discipline in the party and ensure that members were obedient.
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| Copyright © 2008 The Times of Zambia. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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