Govt reaffirms commitment to POA review

Government has reassured the nation that it still attaches premium importance to the process of reviewing the Public Order Act.

Justice Minister Given Lubinda says government through his Ministry wants to reform the Act into a perfect legislation for maintaining law and order.

Mr. Lubinda says this is why his Ministry has been calling for the submission of recommendations on how the legislation can be reviewed to meet this objective.

He states that the recommendations being sought are on both the application and reformation of the Act, notwithstanding the fact that the concerns raised pertaining to this law have been on its application.

He has however, advised that government will only consider the submitted recommendations once CSOs reconcile all contentious proposals which have not been adopted unanimously.

Mr. Lubinda was speaking in Lusaka this morning during a breakfast meeting organised by the Southern African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) where he received recommendations from civil society organizations on the review of the Public Order Act.

And speaking on behalf of the civil society organisations, SACCORD Executive Director, Boniface Cheembe noted the need for government to maintain a consultative and inclusive process of reviewing the Public Order Act.

Mr. Cheembe says the CSOs hope to see the enactment of a revised law that reflects the aspirations of the broader Zambian citizenry.