Party of National Unity (PNU) Highvie Hamududu says police must not be emotional when discharging their duties.
And Hamududu says people must stop talking about his party and focus on growing their own.
Hamududu was speaking when he featured on Radio Pheonix’s ‘Let the people talk’ programme yesterday.
He condemned police for their brutality when they raided opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s house last month.
“The police should respect and protect human rights, they must not be emotional when operating because if they are not careful, they will become emotional wrecks. The police brutality at Mr Hichilema’s house is unacceptable and must be condemned by all right thinking Zambians. If somebody has got an issue or has broken the law, there are procedure to call him at the police and if someone has not run away, you do not use such force,” Hamududu said.
“The police must be professional, they must not brutalize individuals because we are all equal before the law and they must respect human rights. As a Party of National Unity, we condemn the brutal attack at the house of Mr Hichilema, if you have an issue with a member of society it is not right to use such force, there is no justification to that. If you want somebody, you call them and for that matter, you know he never refused to go to the police station and when I was in the party, I accompanied him and sometimes I was even a surety.”
Hamududu urged government to respect human rights.
“I have told you here that government should respect the human rights and I must repeat that. The division in this country is visible, even people who don’t come from here like the foreigners know that this country is divided. Can we come together and begin to unite because we can not develop at the bed rock of this country, we need first of all to unite that is why our motto is ‘unity first’ so that we can begin to develop together. Therefore, let us respect human rights first and foremost and all of us must walk the democracy including us individuals, let’s reduce the hate speech and hatred,” said Hamududu.
And Hamududu told those criticizing him over the formation the PNU party to concentrate on building their own political parties.
“I want to clarify something, I don’t want people to be talking about this political party we have formed. Please talk about your own party because the voters are out there not in PNU, it’s not the president who votes but the people who vote are out there. So let’s stop fighting among ourselves, let’s not be emotional, let’s be sober and give one another space. We have work to do and that is why PNU was born,” Hamududu said.
Hamududu also regretted the high levels of poverty in the country.
“The poverty rate in this country is unacceptably high, in a country so rich like Zambia and the unemployment among the youth is unprecedented and the income inequality among Zambians is so low that many people have been left behind,” said Hamududu.