President Edgar Lung has not declared a state of emergency but made a proclamation of a situation that may Lead to a State of Public Emergency.
This is according to a statement released by his special assistant for press and publuc relations Amos Chanda.
According to the statement the President Lungu yesterday signed Statutory Instrument Number 53 of 2017 prescribing a situation, if left unchecked may lead to a state of public emergency.
The Statement went on to say that the current situation is simply that the President has given police more powers to stop and search and or detain suspects longer than usual and may search people without a warrant.
Under a threatened state of emergency (Article 31 of the constitution) the powers invoked are those under the Preservation of Public Security Act whilst under a State of Emergency (Article 30), the powers invoked are under the Emergency Powers Act.
Last night President Lungu, in the state of the nation address, said that he will ensure that law abiding citizens will not be affected by the proclamation of article 31, ‘Declaration Relating to Threatened Emergency.’
President Lungu said law abiding citizens should continue to go about their business normally and should have no fear.
“Law abiding citizens will not be impacted by this decision in anyway and should therefore continue to go about their daily routines normally,” President Lungu said.
“I will ensure that measures to be undertaken under this proclamation will not inconvenience any law-abiding citizen.”
He emphasised that the proclamation was actually meant to offer comfort and security to the Zambian people.
“Therefore, this proclamation should not instil fear among our people but instead provide them with a sense of comfort and security,” the head of state said who is also the commander in chief of the armed forces.
“I appeal to all citizens and the business community to cooperate with government as these measures which will be put into place under the proclamation take effect.”
He noted that government will continue to evaluate issues surrounding national security on a regular basis and the nation and would be kept informed.
Those are powers to detain critics and the opposition.
…powers to detain Armageddon advocates. Phew! Finally!!!! Awesome stuff.
I hate Armageddons
Thanks
1mbecile, you are hating yourself
detain all of them. bachilamo ba fyatile
So ECL and his cronies will be the only ones inconvenienced since they are the only ones who don’t follow the rule of law. PF are the lawless in our society.
When the LAZY-BUMZ gets insulted he complains. Declaration of State of Emergency is an excuse to continue abusing powers through PF cadres dressed in police uniforms.
PF can’t rule without brutal violence, intimidation, abuse of judiciary, false charges, kidnapping of opposition, threats of freedom of speech by ZICTA.
The politics PF is practicing belongs in the SEPTIC TANK.
Take this wisdom, “There are risks and costs to action. But there are far less than the long range of risks to comfortable inaction”-John F. Kennedy
The kind of heinous crimes of arson and subversion are recipe for turmoil and state collapse if left unabated. Terrorists aim at destruction and killing mindlessly. The administration deserves support for the common good. No doubt terrorists have fellow terrorists to come up with their amoral narratives but national interest and security should take precedence regardless.
No he didn’t, even if he declared no one will respect.
Why did he have to explain, and get permission from Parliament, of which he knows the 48 suspended will appeal in court?
Poor Lungu.
MEANWHILE…….INTERNATIONAL MEDIA REPORTS ON ZAMBIAN DICTATORSHIP!
VISIONLESS
MOSLEM
DRUNKARD
KAMINAMISA
KA-DANCER
MENO-MENO
MALAWIAN
LAZY BUMZ
BRUTAL DICTATOR
VASCO DA-GAMA
KAMWENDO MUNJILA
THIEF
CORRUPT
DULL LAWYER
With State of Emergency, this USELESS LEADER will attract 20 more nick-names
Presently with no opposition members in parliament, S of E will be approved by PF MPs.
I Forgot
ELECTION THIEF
Tell them because when you observe the attitude of Chagwa and his followers closely, they think a State of Emergency gives them the right to brutalise and even kill other citizens without any punishment. They now think murder is allowed in the name of SoE.
Lusaka times what f00lishness is this. Giving more powers to police to search and detain any one without a warrant for an indefinit period amounts to state of emergency exactly like what we had during Kaunda.
Suspension of rights is the most important part tha qualifies any announcement by the president to qualify as a state of rmergency.
In the UK so many tragedies have occurred but never has the prime gone down the road of suspending people s rights because doing so would be yielding to terrorists.
These are a PF conspiracy to completely destroy Zambian democracy and replace it with the demonstration of craziness.
Lungu and his f00lish advisors have decided to use state of emergency to hold HH and UPND members longer because using the courts , seems HH has no case.
This…
These are a PF conspiracy to completely destroy Zambian democracy and replace it with the demonstration of craziness.
Lungu and his f00lish advisors have decided to use state of emergency to hold HH and UPND members longer because using the courts , seems HH has no case.
This move is what might now burn the country because even PF sipporters who thought KK s dictatorship is long gone will now join hands with any fighters of freedom.
All cases against UPND are collapsing in court hence the drclaration of state of emergency.
Free HH you f00ls.
You f00lish PF supporters in UK the government does not resort to stop and search or enter suspect s homes without a search warrant or target and detain members of the opposition indefinitely without trial.
Africans dont just get it. They misunderstand democracy and use it to demonstrate craziness. They miss use security alert to fight opposition.
What madness is this.
All PF minions who think Lungu s actions are normal are mad.
Free HH.
Uko PF cadres who were sent by mumbi phiri and kennedy Kamba to burn the narket have started denanding their K500 000 or else they will talk.
Its strongly rumoured that one PF cadre named as Muzo got so drunk that he started issuing threats that he will tell the people how and why they were sent to burn the markets.
Right now its rumoured Muzo might be killed for threatening to tell the truth and demanding for money.
Random arrests will be laced with tribalism. Depending Arresting officer’s tribe it may not even be safe 2be PF. E.G. if arrested 4loitering don’t think it’s safer 2say “I’m Mutale, Mulenga, Chanda, Tembo, Lungu or Banda” names associated with PF membership. If Arresting Officer is “Hamweendo, Siandimbwili, Lubinda, Inambao, Sakatengo or Kakoma” ofSouthWest Zambia & is aggrieved & inwardly on vengeance 2balance ‘political equation’? U’ll simply be arrested or shot & lumped with false accusations with no need 2be proved in court. It’ll also happen vice versa in a bid to exact tribal revenge by the other side. In the end all Zambians will suffer.
So Moonga has already started hitting on Namwangas under the guise of being a PF staunch member but inwardly exacting tribal revenge on…
“A personal argument with PF Member of Central committee Paul Moonga made New Labour Party president Fresher Siwale spend last night in Lusaka Central police cell”, Source ZWD.
So Moonga has already started hitting on Namwangas under the guise of being a PF staunch member but inwardly exacting tribal revenge on the other side using his tribal cousin Kakoma Kangaja.
Lastly please note:
1. Civil Servant salaries will not be guaranteed as they can be paid as and when PF Govt wills
2. AIDS patients may not access free A.R.T. drugs especially if in police cells. More AIDS induced deaths to the advantage of Lungu who will be glad to control a smaller population unchallenged.
We are all losers including Lungu himself because when the economy falls he falls with it!
I just wonder which way the PF members of parliament will debate what Mr Lungu declared last evening. Is it a repeat of the constitution and the MPs again in which the overwhelmingly voted for new constitution only to realize later that they voted themselves out of jobs as Deputy Ministers! Likewise, the President has washed his hands and handed over the jigsaw puzzle to the MPs who must approve or disapprove his announcement in 7 days time. Meanwhile, if they approve, even Parliament will be dissolved rendering them jobless. Interesting, isn’t?
More confusion in Zambia. Who is incharge ? Why can’t the president be clear in his proclamation ? The market fire started after the market was opened for cleaning. Are the police implying that someone sneaked in and started the fire under their noses ? So they need more powers to check who wants to sneak in markets ? Unbelievable !
This might be the better option to have a military take over, although brutal but we would know where we stand. This would also bring some brutal awakening to the Zambians who seem to know only peace and stability (equivalent to DOCILITY)
Thick UPNDonkeys, so even Amos Chanda now believes me and has to make a clarification?
But Amos, take it from me, they will not understand anything, donkeys don’t. Let the police just load them into the cells, that they will feel since there will be space to move their hooves and there will be no grass.
Your obsession with the upnd is amazing.even articles that have no mention of upnd ,terrible sees upnd.you need help
time to get that imbecile chief in the cells. MR, Kampyongo you now hve my blessings.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH YOUR COMMENT? WE ALL KNOW THAT THIS PF WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM THE CURRENT TENSION TO CITY MARKET SAGA, GO AHEAD BA POPMPWE.WE SHALL SEE HOW FAR IT WILL TAKE YOU
2m by 2m cells, pack the donkeys standing, 3 per cell.
Now I understand why Gbm was not arrested, due to soace his presidenT volunteered instead. But this is different, he will go in whether crouching or crawling. If he has a medical report from India we will allow hin 3 hrs of stretching daily. The Anericans did it at Guantanamo Bay so it can also be did in Zambia….kikikikikikiki….
Donkeys!!
So who was has gone in first, someone patriotic tell me.
It us UnAfrican where insulting the President is the order of the day all in the name of democracy
….sorry for my broken English, I meant to ask “which” donkey? Not ‘who’ donkey.
Ba Terrible, your English is indeed very terrible! Why don’t you blog in vernacular?
Why is everybody believing that the fire was deliberately started by somebody ? Are the investigations over ? Suppose it was an electric fault ? I don’t get this !
Bacause Larry mweetwa posted on Facebook congratulating upnd for setting ablaze the market.
It was PF who started the fire to declear this SOE.
They were holding back but when it became more clear the IMF was not going to give lungu money , they went ahead with their evil schemes.
All the other fires across the country were the work of PF and kapoyongo.
Let this guy die already please. We are tired of his abhorrent leadership. The chap didn’t even win the election and has caused hell
we are all waiting for that imbecile HH to be raped in jail,so he can learn a thing or two about leadership.Go to USA where it’s all rosy,kikikiki…ECL for life!!
Amen!
FAWLTY TOWERS!
“So if I become a dictator for once bear with me,” he said.
ANALYSIS (Source-
According to Nicole Beardsworth, a senior researcher at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Lungu’s declaration gives him special constitutional powers for seven days. If his statutory instrument is approved by Parliament, these can be extended for up to three months. Thanks to the Constitution’s ambiguous wording, it’s unclear exactly what these special powers entail: definitely the power to temporarily dissolve parliament, and probably also to impose a curfew, restrict freedom of movement and censor media.
This is not the first worrying sign of authoritarianism from Lungu’s administration, as the Mail & Guardian has previously reported. Free media has been largely suppressed in…
So you wont say anything about the targeted strategic installations being burnt down.How patriotic!!All you care about is what ECL does.Well he has the best interests of the nation at heart and we are behind him.Go to Afganistan,SYria,DRC,Pakistan or Libya if you like.We are with ECL all the way.Whats the whole point of freedom if it’s being abused?You want to be given freedom to burn down buildings,freedom to insult the government,freedom to destroy ZESCO infrastructure,freedom to destroy Govt infrastructure,freedom to insult the head of state whist in Jail and yet you call him a Dictator etc…REALLY?the mail and the guardian can say all they want.Try burning down your living room for a start,then we can talk about authoritarianism!!
“The Statement went on to say that the current situation is simply that the President has given police more powers to stop and search and or detain suspects longer than usual and may search people without a warrant.”
Now the compromised IG and his cadre Police can come to your home, beat you up and confiscate your PC for simply being in opposition….as if these clowns don’t have enough powers as it is. This is what happens when you elect incompetent lazy crooks in power.
France has been in a state of emergency since the Nov. 13, 2015 …..purely to enforce peace and order.
And France did not detain any opposition leader on fake treason charges nor have they suppressed free independent media.
So is Zambia experiencing the same level of secruity threat as France was? You fooools are just good at dropping names without doing any research..
I believe this happened after the soweto market of France was torched
No…it was actually after the Chisokone market of France was burned by UPND supporters….
In UK they have a different name for it Security Alert Level has been raised.
@Ndanje Khakis, Well, I wish it could be interpreted that way, however, Security Alert doesn’t contain or say
1) HM the Queen or the PM “…….has given police more powers to stop and search and or detain suspects longer than usual and may search people without a warrant”
2) HM the Queen or the PM “……will ensure that measures to be undertaken under this proclamation will not inconvenience any law-abiding citizen.” It’s not for the Queen or Police to “ensure” but this is done so under the law.
Security Alert is for a short period, but I doubt this will end until after 2021. This will be misused to lock up even the opposition and leave them behind the bars “longer than usual ”
So, You are wrong just as you were wrong to say there was no tension in Zambia
Indeed time to raise the security level bwana ECL.We are with you all the way.There dream is to make the country as UNMANAGEABLE as possible,but we wont let them.they shall not PREVAIL!!!Let them be caged and be taught a lesson.We require a comprehensive report ON all the acts of vandalism/sobotage/terrorism that have taken place since august 2016.We also have proof of some high profile 5 times loser promising to make our land unmanageable if he lost.so we have a clue of who the bitter SOBs are !! they want to bring ARMAGEDDON but we wont let them!!
Good business as usual. Believed, no further explanation required.
You have no idea what implications this has on business…most on social media are too young to know what this; it would have been fine the police was professional..not these cadres!!
Zambia has always been under SOE from the time Chagwa took over. He has ruled by decrees all this time. We are just formalizing what has been. A convicted thief in Zambia can become president. What good should you expect? Welcome to Zombie land where the gates of hell stand ajar! When the sh.it hits the ceiling fan, we are all in sh.it! It is anyone’s game now!
Iwe stop that nonsense with ayour mental criminality shautup if u have nothing to say. U will soon be behind the bar also.
Instead of providing the 500,000 jobs he promised, lungu unleashes his unemployed thugs to attack funerals and burn copper cables to steal the copper and burn markets to have an excuse for a SOE.
That is what clueless dictators do…..instead of providing jobs they provide for arnachy.
That is a good move ECL has taken. Its see if these thugs will continue destroying national property. No one is above the law.
Zambians let us be sober. GOD loves us. GOD cares for you and me. Let us behave wisely in times like these. Never give an opportunity to allow lawlessness in our land.
Let us love one another. Let us abhor evil and its appearances.
A child of GOD must love all times.
Insult all you want you HH worshippers it will change nothing actually the more you insult the more us in the 7 provinces the more we support ECL.Come on boys insult show us your hatred
I do not see how this action will improve the police intelligence to detect these crimes – assuming this fire was caused by an act of arson.
Stop and search , arrest without a warrant sounds heinous to me. I see a lot of bloggers are very excited – wondering why. Remember Bob Marleys’ song ” when it rains , it does not rain on one man’s house…..”
The implications of this action are serious and I cannot understand why Zambians are celebrating. Suppose I have a friend in the police service and a chap owes me some money or been shagging my girlfriend. Report him to the police and accuse him of hiding petrol containers, the chap will be arrested and locked up forever. Job done !
Why are Upnd disowning this cruel act when all along they have been promising us something like this. Or they didn’t know how badly it would affect people ….the same people they want a vote from? Didn’t Larry celebrate? Why is passing the blame (Wanzelu)? Like I said before : when you threaten to kill a person and that person is found dead you’ll be the major suspect. Opening your mouth can put one in unnecessary problems just like “challenging ” the presidential motorcade.
Good, all of you insulting the President and supportive of lawlessness on this and other media will be flushed out to China very soon. Police do not need a permit to request ZICTA to trace you. You soon know how serious this proclamation is. What out. You have nowhere to hide now!
This might be the better option to have a military take over, although brutal but we would know where we stand. This would also bring some brutal awakening to the Zambians who seem to know only peace and stability (equivalent to DOCILITY)
May we forgive each other… Please….. JESUS cried ” Father , forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing” If JESUS forgave us at the worst moment / persecution of His time, who are we not to forgive? let us emulate JESUS please… MR ECL forgive and HH forgive and Zambians forgive each other
@Spaka like lilo alas Mweetwa:NO MERCY THIS TIME FOR HH IN JAIL!!
Now get it from us who are in Zambia.after what upnd has done to mother Zambia because of HH’s refusal to concead defeat in 2016,we dont wish HH anything good.PF Govnt did very well to charge him with treason because that evil man has done more harm than good to mother Zambia.had HH conceaded defeat in 2016,those poor marketeers could have not lost their last ngwees.since HH has never been in public office,he did know the hell he was causing for Zambia by refusing to concead defeat.
FOR THIS REASON,WE ARE URGING ZP TO LOCK UP HH IN CHIMBOKAILA OR MUKOBEKO AND THROW AWAY THE KEYS INTO INDIAN OCEAN!!this must mark the end of the political career for hh because if not,his die hard tribal supporters may burn Zambia…
Ladies and gentlemen we have a president whose brains have been destroyed by kachasu and he can’t think clearly.he is being controlled by the likes of Kaizer. State of emergency is not something nice. It chases tourists and investors among many bad things.this president needs people with brains to advise him and not thugs who are surrounding him. These fires to me look to be state sponsored to justify state of emergency and let people forget about HH.
There’s a lot of insults hailed here. Ladies and gentlemen you call your selves learned but you write such type of language and even go to church the next Saturday or Sunday . Shame on you. Remember whatever you do at night, will one day come to light because it is only a fool who will test the depth of the stream with both feet.
All perpetrators of these criminal acts will one day be visited by the law. On the other hand the president of the nation must be recognized and be respected by all well meaning Zambians regardless of our political affiliations .
Well done Mr. President! One President is a lawyer another is an economical strangulate-r! I meant he (Namwala District Party president) enriched himself from SANGWAPO!
“Armageddon” yakwa Hakainde Sunny Hichilema versus the law of Zambia. Your Excellence we gave you the mandate to protect us and the nation’s property from these power hungry souls who have turned into terrorists. Well done for putting measures to safeguard what is important to the Zambians first.
Let love lead.LikeDr kenneth kaunda use to say,l Quote love yo neighbour as you love yourself.john3:16.& 1john2:5-11.
Castrate hh. .