By KASONDE KASONDE –
THE Commission of Inquiry on Voting Patterns and Electoral Violence has said that political parties should take the commission seriously because they have a major role to play in its success.
Commission chairperson Munalula Lisimba said political party leaders had an important role to play in the inquiry and should therefore ensure that their members appeared before the Commission.
Mr Justice Lisimba said political parties should educate their members on their democratic right of speaking out on electoral violence.
“All the 40 political parties were invited for this meeting, unfortunately only two namely United Party for National Development (UPND) and the MMD have showed up, despite the meeting being vital in curbing electoral violence,” Justice Lisimbi said.
He was speaking in Lusaka yesterday when the commission met with political parties.
He said the success of the commission was solely dependent on people willingly testifying especially the ones that were hurt due to electoral violence.
Mr Justice Lisimba said it was unfortunate that there could be sentiments that the inquiry was of no purpose and therefore shunned appearing before it.
He said it was clear that there was violence during the last elections and people died but what was not known was who had caused the violence.
Mr Justice Lisimba said the commission of inquiry had a mandate to identify the root causes of the violence and recommend measures.
And UPND representative Mulondwe Muzungu raised concerns as to why the Patriotic Front was not present in the meeting despite the commission being set up by President Edgar Lungu who is also the party president of the ruling party.
Mr Muzungu said the absence of the ruling party was a sign of disregard to the commission and left other political parties thinking that the inquiry was an academic exercise which was headed for nowhere.