PF rubbishes study on shrinking political and civic space in Zambia
PF Media Director, Sunday Chanda
The ruling patriotic front has rubbished a report on shrinking political and civic space in Zambia.
The study dubbed the ‘impact of shrinking political and civic space on operations of human rights activists in Zambia’ done by McDonald Chipenzi and Lewis Mwape has highlighted numerous social challenges that have engulfed the nation.
According to the study findings a wide range of factors has contributed to the shrinking political space in Zambia which include economic discrimination and social media manipulations as well as legal harassment.
But Party Media Director Sunday Chanda says the party is aware that there is a conspiracy involving a certain opposition leader, a particular cleric and some civil society organizations, to sabotage the dialogue bill on constitutional amendments.
Mr. Chanda says this particular politician and his conspirators secretly invited a known professor from East Africa, with whom they had a secret meeting at a lodge on the outskirts of Lusaka over the past week.
Mr. Chanda disclosed that, part of their scheme is to target other voices such as the law association of Zambia and others to join in their desperate crusade to sabotage constitutional reforms, including amendments to the Public Order Act (POA).
He has told q-news that while the opposition and aligned CSOs cry about political space, the government has opened an opportunity to amend the public order act to ensure it conforms with modern day democratic practices.
Mr. Chanda says government has demonstrated good will.
He says the bill will provide for a national dialogue process to facilitate the constitution refinement process and regulation of political parties, public order and electoral process reforms.