Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Golden Party of Zambia president Jackson Silavwe says threats of withdrawing the benefits of former Presidents whenever they engage in active politics is retrogressive and must be done away with in a politically mature Zambia.
Mr Silavwe recalls that at inception, the clause was targeted at late first republican President Kenneth Kaunda to stop him from contesting the 1996 general election and future elections.
He notes that since then, incumbent Presidents except late former president Rupiah Banda have used the same law to whip former Presidents.
Mr Silavwe notes that the objective of the law in question is to silence former Presidents and neutralize their political influence.
He has since described the law as retrogressive considering that fact that democracy is about the competition of ideas not about how many people are silenced either by the law or physical force.
Mr Silavwe has since called for the law to be expunged from the statute books and allow former Presidents to both enjoy their benefits and actively participate in politics.