ON THE DISGRACEFUL TREATMENT OF DR KASEBA

It is disheartening to note the kind of treatment the Former First Lady Madam Dr. Christine Kaseba Sata is being subjected to by the Patriotic Front (PF) Government and Party only about 225 days after the demise of her husband one of if not the most celebrated Presidents of the Republic of Zambia.

As Operation Young Vote and young people generally have hearts left profoundly bleeding at this episode of subjecting Dr. Christine Kaseba Sata the widow to late President Michael Sata the sole founder of the PF party whose benefits and outcomes are being enjoyed by those who are allowing this taboo happen on the former First Lady. The eviction of Dr. C. Kaseba Sata from 8 Reedbuck Lodge to go and leave with her mother in Libala is not only unacceptable but must also be immediately reversed.

Our questions are: Where are our mothers; the current First Lady Mrs. Ester Lungu, the Vice President Madam Inonge Wina, Women in Cabinet, Widows Association of Zambia and right thinking Zambians.

What the PF is subjecting Dr. Christine Kaseba Sata to is a precedent that will erode our respect for widow and Ubuntu. Regardless of the shortcoming of Dr. Christine Kaseba Sata if any, there is no justification under the sun to embarrass and humiliate her in such a manner. 

The current First Lady should remember (if she cannot should find out) that at some point between September, 2011 and October 2014 these same people who may be misleading them (the President and Herself) praised President Michael Chilufya Sata and the First Lady then Dr. Christine Kaseba Sata who today they are seen as a lesser human being going by the humiliations she is being subjected to.

This kind of attitude and treatment of widows let alone the Former First Lady has no place and should have no place whatsoever in our society.

The Republican President and Government in general should take responsibility and account for this embarrassment and make amends.

As a people we must stand together is stop this rot in our society. It is inhumane and sends wrong message to the ordinary citizens who may take this as normal practice.

This but one issue is evidence enough why the New People Driven Constitution is needed sooner than later as the Bill of Rights in the Final Draft Constitution is protective of women and any other citizens who may find themselves in similar circumstances as Dr. Christine Kaseba Sata. Such issues of people’s fundamental rights cannot and should not be left at the mercy of any individual. If the Former First Lady of a party the late husband can be subjected to such humiliation (225 day after the death of her husband by the party he formed), how about an ordinary citizens, what kind of humiliation would they be treated to? 

People Driven Constitution adopted through a Referendum before 2016 Elections is the way to go and only way to have our Rights Respected and stop this rot.

Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director

THE UNIVERSITY CRISIS IN ZAMBIA

OPERATION YOUNG VOTE (OYV)

Lotti House, 6^th Floor, Suite 21, Cairo Road P.O. Box 30153

Email: oyvleader2000@gmail.com Cell: 0955/77-769 688

LUSAKA

                                                                                                

22^nd June, 2015

 

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION

 

PLIGHT OF STUDENTS/THE YOUNG PEOPLE, INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING AND ZAMBIA’S FUTURE

The manner in which the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is handling the education sector at tertiary level leaves a lot to be desired. It is now very clear that the PF has no strategy on how to ensure that the institutions of higher learning run effective and efficiently. This lack of strategy and foresight on the effectiveness and efficiency of the institutions of higher learning compromises the quality of graduates offloaded from these institutions which in turn affects directly their performance and lives of citizens generally.

 

As OYV, we are appalled at some insinuations by some senior PF Members claiming that the educated are the people that have destroyed Zambia’s economy. Maybe this explains why the PF has convincingly shown the world that education seems not to be among its priorities.

 

The happenings at the University of Zambia (UNZA) where lecturers and other staff are on go slow and those at the Copperbelt University where the students have given the PF Government a 48 hours ultimatum to pay the over 3000 students meal and project allowances is indicative of some lack of strategy on the part of Government especially that this is not occurring for the first time in this regime. This is testimony of government’s misdirected priorities especially that government is in the process of borrowing to buy motors vehicles. Students who are mainly young people deserve better and not subjecting them to situations of not paying them, pulling them to limits and wait until the threaten to demonstrate or indeed demonstrate before they are paid. The backlog of arrears at UNZA need government’s intervention in that all outstanding arrears must be cleared before engaging whoever governments thinks would be entrepreneurial enough to have UNZA begin to generate its own resources. Whichever team may be brought in to manage UNZA would not perform as long as the arrears/government debt burden on the institution is not settled.

We are of the considered view that the manner in which the PF Government is handling education at higher learning not only compromises the product in terms of graduates but also has an adverse impact on the quality of future leaders, technocrats, thereby putting Zambia’s future at a stake.

If the future of this country is to be secured, education and indeed education at all levels including higher learning must be at the heart of government. It MUST BE PRIORITIZED. There must be serious investment in education as opposed to the luxury of borrowing for consumption such as purchase of motor vehicle.

Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director

ZAMBIA MAY GO FOR EARLY POLLS

OPERATION YOUNG VOTE (OYV)

Lotti House, 6^th Floor, Suite 21, Cairo Road P.O. Box 30153

Email: oyvleader2000@gmail.com Cell: 0955/77-769 688

LUSAKA

                                                                                                

23^rd June, 2015

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION

ZAMBIA MAY GO FOR EARLY GENERAL POLLS
It is unexplainable why the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) is running political/campaign adverts in the media when the next General/Tripartite Elections are not expected anytime sooner. The country is not in a campaign period for the PF to be running adverts on radio and elsewhere about President Edgar Lungu. This should send a message to all stakeholders in the electoral process to begin positioning themselves for an early poll unless the PF is able to explain to the stakeholders and citizens in general why it should run a close to 10 minutes jingle in the media.

According to our laws and rules of engagement in the electoral process, such campaign messages are only allowed during the electoral campaign. If the PF has started campaigning for its candidate in the 2016 Presidential Election, H.E. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, the Election Day may as well be announced so that the other political parties start doing the same for their candidates if the playing field is to be leveled.

It is undemocratic to want to catch other players including stakeholder such as opposition political parties and civic society organisations in an election in a democratic society whose values include the rule of law and fair play.

 OYV is of the considered conclusion that since the said paid for political adverts by the PF are already running in the media President Lungu should henceforth dissolve Parliament and call for the Tripartite Election so that all stakeholders are on the same footing. The continuous running of the said political advert by the PF is notification that the country is in the campaign period, as outside the campaign period no such political adverts are condoned as stipulated in Section 27 and Section 8 of the Electoral Act and Electoral Code of Conduct respectively.

 Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director

THE PF MUST AVOID SETTING A WRONG PRECEDENT IN GOOD GOVERNANCE

OPERATION YOUNG VOTE (OYV)

Lotti House, 6^th Floor, Suite 21, Cairo Road P.O. Box 30153

Email: oyvleader2000@gmail.com Cell: 0955/77-769 688

LUSAKA

                                                                                                

8^th May, 2015

 

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

It makes very sad and vexing reading the kind of politics the people of Petauke particularly and Zambians generally are being subjected to by the Patriotic Front (PF) political party and Government.

OYV is of the resolve that there is no justification whatsoever for the PF to impose Dora Siliya on the people of Petauke, after she was rejected in the primary election for the adoption process, but also the petitioning of her 2011 election victory by the PF through its candidate that lost.  

 

First and foremost it is irresponsible, heartless and evil for the PF to have petitioned Dora’s election victory in 2011 and subjected people of Petauke to go for more than two (2) years without a representative in Parliament, and wanting to see a “powerful” candidate in her today. The PF went further and fought tooth and nail, Dora’s bid to re-contest her seat on the opposition Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD). It is beyond being hypocritical for the PF today to decide to impose Dora on the people of Petauke just to waste another close to K7 million kwacha for an election.

 Our conclusion is that the PF will go to any lengths to disrespect the people’s decision even if it means them wasting money that could be channeled to needy areas like delivering a people driven constitution, placing medicines in health centres, operationalizing the student loan scheme among others. If they wanted Dora to be the representative of the people of Petauke they should not have petitioned her 2011 election victory.

 OYV is of the considered view that if Dora is really genuine on her joining the PF she should be ready to be an ordinary member and campaign for Mr. Daka or Mr. Banda who beat her in the primary election for adoption. If the two preferred candidates got 11 and 10 votes while Dora trailed with only 4 votes, why should she be imposed on the local PF and the people of Petauke? If Dora is not asked to throw her weight behind either Mr. Daka or Mr. Banda, then the kind of political prostitution that our politicians are used to will be difficult to stop. This also entails continued frustration of genuine, committed, hardworking and dedicated members of the PF a situation that may lead to them voting for the candidates from other political parties compromising the chances of PF winning the election and generally loosing popularity.

 With the foregoing, we at OYV are therefore appealing to the morality and conscience of the PF leadership (the President who is also Republican President, the Secretary General, the entire Central Committee) to rejected being put to test and taken for granted, by allowing Dora to be an ordinary PF member so that she supports the PF locally preferred candidate. PF must set a precedence of stopping political prostitution and also bring to an end the “Alpha and Omega” syndrome in politics by those that think they are indispensable even when they use crooks methods to remain in political office.

 We believe time to stop this rot is now.   

 

Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director

 

 

ALLOWING ILLEGAL STRUCTURE IN POLITICAL PARTIES FOR CONVENIENCE

5^th May, 2015

MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 The attitude and behavior of our political leaders in the country of allowing some “illegal structures” to exist in their political parties when such structures are supportive of their political expedience and exposing them as illegal when seen not to follow those leaders’ thoughts and plans is not only hypocritical but also failure to promote tenets of good governance and observance of the rule of law at a basic level. It is so vexing and appalling to hear the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Chishimba Kambwili who is also Chief Government Spokesperson and Youth Chairperson in the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) disown and declare illegal the Media and Publicity Committee of the PF today, a structure he was mute about for  years. Just because this committee has differed with him on the issue of acceptance of Dora Siliya in the PF, Mr. Kambwili has realized that this committee is illegal and has no place in the structures of the PF party.

 OYV is of the resolution that it is very evident that our leaders do not learn and choose not to learn. Such “illegal” structure existed in the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) called the “Die Hard MMD Young Wing” run by Bowman Lusambo. Leaders in the MMD kept quiet when Mr. Lusambo spoke supportive but the moment he seemed divergent from their views, the “Die Hard” was deemed illegal and disowned.

From these two experiences, it is clear that political leaders are not decisive of the kind of structures they need to enhance good governance and the rule of law.

 OYV would like to advise the political leaders to either legalize/legitimize  or stop the mushrooming of non-existing committees/components within their structures at the earliest to avoid confusion as this erodes the little confidence the members of the public have in the political parties but more so in the political leadership.

 Therefore if what Mr. Kambwili alluded to that the Media and Publicity Committee in the PF run by Mr. Brain Hapunda and now supported by Mr. Sunday Chanda does not exist and is illegal in PF, the party should ensure that the committee is legitimized with the PF structures or totally disbanded as what happened to the “Die Hard” in the MMD, as ignoring it is harboring a time bomb.

Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director

YOUTHFUL ATTORNEY GENERAL CHEERS OYV

9^th April, 2015

 MEDIA STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 APPOINTMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE TO POSITIONS OF DECISION MAKING AND RESPONSIBILITY BY PRESIDENT EDGAR LUNGU

 The appointment of young people to positions of decision making and responsibility in Zambia’s governance structures is long overdue. OYV would therefore like to commend President Edgar Chagwa Lungu for the step he has taken to appoint Mr. Likando Kalaluka as Attorney General and State Counsel (SC).

We at OYV would like to express our gratitude and delight at President Edgar Lungu’s listening ear as we appealed to him consider appointing young people to positions of decision making when he appointed Madam Justice Ireen Mambilima as Chief Justice. We contended that President Lungu was a youthful leader/President and that his rein was the appropriate and best entry point for the young people that constitute above 68% of the national population into high level governance positions and that he had no excuse to fail in this endeavor.

It is very encouraging to the young people to see one of their own in the position of Attorney General, a position that is pivotal to the legal engagement of Government. Further, the young people feel motivated at this move knowing that the efforts of those that work hard and sacrifice get rewarded. OYV would like to take advantage of this moment and appeal to the young people in the country (whether in the ruling party, opposition political parties, government, private sector or indeed the civil society) to examine their conscious and begin to work extra hard.

However, good as the appointment of Mr. Likando Kalaluka may be, it remains a drop in an ocean as the proportion of the young people in relation to the national population is huge. This entails that the President should do a lot more to with regards to increasing the number of young people in decision making. President Edgar Lungu must stick to his pronouncements of appointing more young people to positions of responsibility and this must be done now as doing it later may be misconstrued as appeasement and may not go down well with the majority of the young people which will no doubt cost his continued stay in office.

Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director

OYV COMMENDS ECZ FOR COMMENCING VOTER REGISTRATION

27^th March, 2015

THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF ZAMBIA (ECZ) AND THE VOTER REGISTRATION

The inevitability of the ECZ to commence the Voter Registration exercise to register the many young people that have come off age and other Zambians that could not register as voters in the past due to different factors cannot be overemphasized. A lot of young people in Zambia have attained the voting eligibility age of 18 years and they must be given their deserved right to participate in the electoral process through at least, casting their ballot. As an organization, we are alive to the fact that there is a prerequisite document if one is to be entered on the Voters’ Roll.

With the foregoing, Operation Young Vote is of the considered position that the Department of National Registration Births and Deaths must immediately embark on the mobile issuance of the National Registration Cards (NRCs) to the thousands of young people to facilitate their smooth registration as voters. There mustn’t be any excuse to leaving out any Zambian, on the Voters’ Roll, thereby disenfranchising them and infringing on their basic right to cast their vote, hence our well-timed call for the responsible institutions to begin moving on the ground.

OYV would also like to appeal to all political parties to desist from interfering and politicizing the voter registration exercise.

The institutions charged with the responsibility to deliver this very significant right of Zambians accessing documentation to vote and subsequently exercise their right to vote and elect leadership or offer themselves for leadership at any level, must be as objective and balanced as possible as they embark on this exercise especially when dealing with the provinces and other geographic demarcations. This for us is very important as it significantly impacts on the freeness and fairness and outcome of the election at the end of the day. OYV has a conviction that the 2016 Tripartite Elections are very important to the young people as they will give the young people a life time opportunity to determine and shape the destiny.   

 

Guess Nyirenda (Mr.)

Executive Director