Southern Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has expressed happiness with the commencement of reforms of the Public Order Act four years before the general elections.
SACCORD Executive Director, Boniface Cheembe hopes for professional input in the laying review process from critical and key stakeholders such as the media fraternity, the civil society fraternity, and the unions.
Speaking in Solwezi yesterday, during the North-western provincial consultation meeting on the Public Order Act, Mr. Cheembe said the involvement of critical stakeholders will give legitimacy into the process and consequently enhance the participatory democracy to which the country subscribes.
“We were happy with the launch of the constitutional reforms because for the first time in various legal reform processes as pertains to the Public Order Act, we are starting a review process four years before the general election,” he said.
Mr Cheembe said this hindered the extent to which professional input could be made into the reforms, adding that whatever was done was perceived to have a political interest favouring one partisan line or the other.
“We are aware that in the past such review processes would either be gaining momentum or would be finalized a few months towards a general election, and what this did was to create a very highly politicized environment,” he said.
The one day consultative meeting was attended by members of the civil society organization, the media and the church.
