Use proper campaign messages, political parties urged

Use proper campaign messages, political parties urged

Livingstone, February, ZANIS ——-Livingstone District Conflict Management Committee has urged all political parties to desist from using inflammatory languages in their campaign trials as this has the
potential  to trigger violence.

Committee Chairperson Hikazinga Habanyama said there was need for all political parties to refrain from using any languages that can fuel violence and instead focus their energies on real issues that affect the majority of the electorates.

Mr Habanyama said recent reports of some opposition parties insulting the head of state was wrong and should not be condoned.

“People of Livingstone are eager to hear what the various candidates will do to address the myriad of problems ranging from lack of clean water, Roads among others and do not want to hear disparaging or inflammatory languages against the head f state because such remarks will not bring t development which people desperately need ,” said Mr Habanyama.

He also said it was important for all political parties to stop talking about the Mapatizya formula as being violent when such claims have not been substituted.

Meanwhile, Mr Habanyama has commended Southern Province Police Service for maintaining law and order in the Livingstone by-election campaigns.

He attributed this to the police conducting themselves in an impartial and professional manner by accommodating all the political parties to prevent eruption of violence.

“I want to commend the police for being professional and impartial in the execution of their duties and this has helped to ensure peace continue to prevail,” Mr Habanyama noted.

Mr Habanyama also hit home the need for people to turn out in large numbers to cast their votes on February 28 so that the votes manifest their wishes and thus prevent any petitions.

And Mr Habanyama said the move by the government to give relief food to people in Simoonga send wrong signals to other political players, saying such a move should have been done at an appropriate time and not during election campaigns.

However, Mr. Habanyama said if it is true that people are starving in the area,  then the move is justified.

“There should be sufficient evidence that people are starving in Simoonga for the government to justify its decision to give people relief food during campaign,” said Mr Habanyama.

During his campaign trial to drum up support for Patriotic Front (PF) Candidate Mr Evans Lawrence over the weekend, Vice President Dr Guy Scott directed the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit under his office to send relief food to people in Simoong area to arrest the hunger situation.