Do You Agree with the Assertion That the Public Order Act in Zambian Constitution Has Made It Difficult for Opposition Parties to Exercise the Right of Assembly?
ZAMBIAN OPEN UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
STUDENT NAME : YOUR NAME
COMPUTER NUMBER : XXXX
SEMESTER : ONE
YEAR : THREE
PROGRAM : BAE (SECONDARY).
COURSE
COURSE CODE : CVE 211
LECTURE : MR.M.MWANSA
ASSIGNMENT:
DUE DATE : 11th April 2013
ZAMBIA OPEN UNIVERSITY.
P.O BOX 31295
LUSAKA
The debate on the Public Order Act is an interesting one. There is no doubt that this piece of legislation has for a long time raised a lot of contentious arguments between those in government and those outside the realms of power (opposition parties, NGOs etc). However, it seems this piece of legislation is viewed differently depending on who assumes state power as seen by the former ruling party which has been crying foul over the same controversial law it took advantage of, while in Government. The aim of this paper is to support the assertion that, “Public Order Act in Zambian Constitution has made it difficult for opposition parties to exercise the right of assembly”. The heart of the subject hinges on the note that; there is urgent need to review the public order Act and its implementation. It is clear that in its current form, the public order Act is not advancing liberties, but is curtailing inalienable rights, which include freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly.
Public Order Act is the piece of registration that gives tight to hold public meetings in a lawful manner.1 According to the present laws anybody intending to hold a meeting must notify the police and such notification would determine whether or not such a meeting would take place (Favour,2013:2).
However, according to LAZ such impositions
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
STUDENT NAME : YOUR NAME
COMPUTER NUMBER : XXXX
SEMESTER : ONE
YEAR : THREE
PROGRAM : BAE (SECONDARY).
COURSE
COURSE CODE : CVE 211
LECTURE : MR.M.MWANSA
ASSIGNMENT:
DUE DATE : 11th April 2013
ZAMBIA OPEN UNIVERSITY.
P.O BOX 31295
LUSAKA
The debate on the Public Order Act is an interesting one. There is no doubt that this piece of legislation has for a long time raised a lot of contentious arguments between those in government and those outside the realms of power (opposition parties, NGOs etc). However, it seems this piece of legislation is viewed differently depending on who assumes state power as seen by the former ruling party which has been crying foul over the same controversial law it took advantage of, while in Government. The aim of this paper is to support the assertion that, “Public Order Act in Zambian Constitution has made it difficult for opposition parties to exercise the right of assembly”. The heart of the subject hinges on the note that; there is urgent need to review the public order Act and its implementation. It is clear that in its current form, the public order Act is not advancing liberties, but is curtailing inalienable rights, which include freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly.
Public Order Act is the piece of registration that gives tight to hold public meetings in a lawful manner.1 According to the present laws anybody intending to hold a meeting must notify the police and such notification would determine whether or not such a meeting would take place (Favour,2013:2).
However, according to LAZ such impositions
References: Bulungwe M. (2012). In defense of democratic rights. Lusaka: GHW Press. Coalition for the Defense of Democratic Rights (CDDR,2013). Zambia violations of the Harare declaration by the government of president Michael Sata and the patriotic front party. Lusaka:CDDR. Favour K (2013). Review of Public Order Act in Zambia. Lusaka: Kabsy Digital Media. The post (2012). The public order Act. Retrieved on 10th April 2013 from http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=29864 Mwebantu (Editor,2012) Retrieved from http://www.mwebantu.com/2012/12/16/saccord-says-zambia-police-service-is-abusing-the-public-order-act-poa/ Tunfweko News (2013)