SACCORD executive director Boniface Cheembe says no political party in the country should die as a result of failure to resolve their internal wrangles amicably.

In an interview, Cheembe said people’s rights and decisions must always be respected.

“We believe that humanity and civilization has been replaced with misunderstanding and differences and conflict. As SACCORD, we have taken note of some internal wrangles that have been reported in various political parties that exist in the country. what is important is that in as much as these differences may be there, it is key that they do not ultimately lead to the death of any political party on account of failure to resolve those issues amicably,” Cheembe said.

“So we would want to appeal and continue to urge all of our political parties and leaders to always ensure that they put in place very strong conflict resolution mechanisms so that when the issue of conflict arise, then they are able to be addressed peacefully and amicably. And of course what is more important in a democratic society such as Zambia is to ensure that all stakeholders and political parties in particular continue to respect people’s decisions and choices such as freedoms of expression and association as well as assembly because people have to voluntarily decide on how they want to associate themselves with others. And if they opt to leave a given political party, it is important that that decision is respected. If they opt to maintain or stay in a given political party, equally it is important that that decision is respected.”

Cheembe urged political parties to develop strong conflict resolution mechanisms.

“So it’s not the question of whether conflict or differences will arise but when they do, how do they get resolved? So to that extent, we hope that political parties will continue to put in place strong conflict resolution mechanisms that will ensure that when these happen, they do not lead to the death or break up of any political party. Dialogue is always important. It is key for a democracy because it fosters a sense of tolerance , it fosters a sense of co-existence and it is key to development because through dialogue you are able to build a consensus,” said Cheembe.