Malicious prosecution of innocent citizens is tantamount to lawfare – the use of the law to basically bully and harass citizens. Such practices are completely adrift with the tenets of good governance.
By Dr. Chitalu Chilufya.
Lusaka – Democracy is a cumulative effect of the much needed interactions between and among citizens and state and non state actors inter alia. These interactions are premised on the existence of the rule of law, which is only possible when institutions charged with the responsibility to protect and uphold good governance are above machinations of abuse both by the State and non-state actors and avoid playing to the gallery.
◾1. The unfortunate so called “Honeybee Scandal” has been a hoax ab initio. How it lasted this long in the media and later in the courts of law is a sad indictment of the gullibility of individuals charged with the solemn responsibility to protect not just the state interests, but civil liberties of individuals.
◾2. Institutions of the state must be above reproach and always invariably, ensure that they take to court only matters they have well and fully investigated and come to a firm conclusion, they have a good chance the charges would be proved in court, and not in the often contrived courts of public opinion.
Malicious prosecution of innocent citizens is tantamount to lawfare – the use of the law to basically bully and harass citizens. Such practices are completely adrift with the tenets of good governance.
◾3. I want to take this opportunity to emphasize that conspirators who abuse institutions of government to prosecute political vendettas have no place in our democracy. They damage not just their victims, but governance institutions themselves, and ultimately, degrade the quality of our democracy.
◾4. Whilst this a moment of relief that this charade has come to its logical end, I regret to have to re-emphasize that this unfortunate propaganda has its origins in the misconceived ideas of leadership succession within the PF five years ago. What’s sad is that governance institutions were sucked into this gullibly, leading to extended periods of anguish for those of us falsely accused.
◾5. In a free and democratic society, it is not sufficient to merely say a suspect had his day in court. That is cheap, and a molestation of the sanctity of the entrenched inviolability of civil rights and freedoms of individuals. The damage caused to the reputations of those falsely accused and the financial burden imposed in terms of legal costs are often too deep to redeem.
Also Read: Heartfelt gratitude to you all – Dr. Chitalu Chilufya.
About The Author: Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, a PF presidential candidate, is a public health physician and MP for Mansa Central who, as Minister of Health, led a national health system transformational agenda that was focused on creating a resilient health approach to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
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