ActionAid Zambia does not intend to undermine government

…Mwale said the study which revealed shrinking political and civic space leading to human right abuses was done to discover the source of the problem and then find the solution to end it

By Francis Maingaila

Lusaka (22-03-19) ActionAid Zambia (AAZ) has assured the Zambian government that the study which revealed a glaring shrinking political and civic space in Zambia was not commissioned to undermine the interest of government but rather to find the cause that will lead to discover the solution which help to solve the ever growing problem of human right  violations in the country.

AAZ Board Chairperson Aretha Mwale told journalists when she opened the official launch of a report dubbed “Impact of Shrinking Political and Civic  Space on Operations of Human Rights Activists in Zambia” that  the organisation under her charge was working with citizens’ groups, like minded Civil Society Organisations, State institutions and political formations in the area of governance and human rights discover the cause of political conflicts in the country.

“The major findings of the study was that, the political and civic space in Zambia was not without human rights abuses and lacked accountability.”

According to the research which was conducted by GEARS  executive director Macdonald  Chipenzi and former Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) executive secretary Lewis Mwape, the shrinking political and civic space was manifested in massive violation of human rights, intimidation and harassment of government critics, lack of accountability and general disregard of the rule of law with impunity to the advantage of the ruling the party.

“The impact of the these abuses was not only sitting on the way of the democratic processes but was affecting the peace the country has enjoyed for the past 54 years of independence,” read the report which was produced by Chipenzi, who is also an academicians.

The report recommended for speed action from all concerned parties including the government and all interested parties to stop the noted human right abuses as a measure to preserve the peace which was being threatened by massive massive  violation of human right abuses.

However, Mwale said the shrinking political and civic space was not exclusive to Zambia alone.

“Globally, the shrinking political and civic space is under attack, dissenting voices are not only silenced but are also persecuted, while others actors are being jailed and killed.”

She said it was against this background that AAZ commissioned a study to understand the the situation surrounding civic and political shrinking space in Zambia and appreciate how it is affecting the operation of CSOs and activists, including political actors.

Although the report in the area of shrinking political and civic space is damaging to government, Mwale explained, the interest of the CSOs and activists was not to undermine government’s legitimacy but to work with it to discover the sources of the problem so that together, we can work out the solution to stop the problem.

She said political and civic space is needed to popularise not only interest and ideas but also to navigate and minimize tension and differences, including finding commonalities.

She however expressed doubt that meaningful achievement can be attained on a count that the law was always undermined and the accountability remained myth.

In situation like this Mwale suggested, people will find it difficult to operate and appreciate the benefits of freedom.

“Our interest in this whole scenario is to search and find the cause of the problem which in our opinion is sitting on the rights of the people and then find the solution to the problem which prevent people from living a dignified life.”

And ActionAid International Secretary General Adriano Campolino said the problem of political and civic space is real in the world today and expressed am urgent need to find the solution to the problem.

Campolino blamed failure by the government to respect the rights of the people as the main contributing factors to the shrinking political and civic space world wide and Zambia was no exception.

He observed that there people in the world today experiencing persecution for defending the rights and freedom of the marginalised in their society.

He further disclosed that of the 300 plus countries across the world, only 22 are open to the human rights.

“The problem being faced by the world today is to find a way of helping victims of human right abuses particularly the human right defenders facing political attacks in their own countries.”

He observed that, the other cause to the shrinking political and civic space is that, people holding the power are not willing to share their power and are doing every thing possible to close the space so that they stay in power will be prolonged.

He said unchecked power among leaders would eventually lead to acute dictatorship

He also suggested that rpression of women and political polarisation, including the presence of punitive rules and laws aimed at controlling opponents are also used to close the space.

He added that criminalizing the rights to expression and to prosecute the media were the clear manifestation of the closed space.

He said it was the duty of government not only to respect but protect the rights of citizens.