9 October 2009
PENTECOSTAL Assemblies of God (PAOG) national overseer Harrison Sakala has urged the 18 civil society organisations to stop honking and other demonstrations against former President Chiluba's acquittal because it is unconstitutional.
Bishop Sakala said using demonstrations or even rallies in pressing for an appeal against Dr Chiluba's acquittal amounted to pressurising the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), which is illegal.
He said demonstrations and other peaceful means of showing displeasure could in themselves be legal but what made them unconstitutional was that they were ultimately targeted at the DPP to work under duress. The DPP is protected by the Constitution.
Bishop Sakala, who is the immediate past Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) chairperson, said any action that would lead to mounting pressure on the DPP to act, was unconstitutional, no matter how peaceful it might be.
The 18 civil society organisations calling for an appeal against the acquittal of Dr Chiluba on Wednesday suspended their planned honking protest following a meeting with the police command.
The consortium, however, said it would launch massive countrywidedemonstrations next week on Friday and the police had assured it that the rights of the members to demonstrate would not be interfered with.
But Bishop Sakala said there was no need for the organisations to continue with their agitation because the exercise was illegal, for as long as the ultimate target was the DPP.
In a related development, International Fellowship of Christian Churches (IFCC) president Simon Chihana paid tribute to the CSOs for calling off their planned honking saying it was a sign of maturity and their love for Zambia.
Bishop Chihana said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that his organisation was humbled by the CSOs cooperation with the Zambia Police Service, which led to the finding of the peaceful solution to the issue.
And the Independent Churches Of Zambia (ICOZ) has called for a complete stop to the demonstrations against Dr Chiluba's acquittal.
ICOZ Board chairperson David Masupha said civil society organisations should learn to dialogue over matters affecting the nation than resorting to acts that would cause confusion in the country.
He said the CSOs should realise that they would be the ones to blame if some people, who had perhaps been planning to plunge the country into anarchy, took advantage of the demonstrations to cause civil strife.
Bishop Masupha said much as freedom of expression was a human right, it should not be abused in such a manner as was being done by the civil society organisations.
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