By 
Former Kasenengwa lawmaker, Sensio Banda, has called on President Hakainde Hichilema to take advantage of the ongoing summit on democracy to strongly condemn and halt Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender( LGBTQ) influences.
Banda said the United States (U.S) government stance on human rights was unequivocally clear which includes the LGBTQ rights.
He said the event advances an opportunity for President Hichilema to unequivocally state his government’s stance on the issue of LGBTQ.
Banda said the President was the top man to declare how Zambia wants to govern itself and interact with the outside world in conformity to the supreme law of the land.
He said the President was the precursor in as far as implementing foreign policy through many avenues such as responses to foreign events, proposals for legislation, negotiation of International agreements, policy statements and policy implementation are concerned.
“Therefore, as it relates to this event, he has on his disposal appropriate avenues to state clearly on the stance of the Zambians on LGBTQ rights on how we want to govern ourselves and interact with the outside world. This is a rare chance your Excellency(President Hakainde Hichilema) to do us honours,” he said.
Banda said the supreme law of the land was very clear on how Zambia want to govern itself in the preamble of the Constitution.
“It clearly states that we are a “Christian Nation”. While I take cognizant of the Bill of Rights provisions which accords right to every Zambia; but the said rights ought to be enjoyed within the Zambian traditional culture, norms and christian values,”he said.
“To be clear, that is way the penal code which is a subsidiary law, criminalizes gay rights so that there are no confusion in implementing the provisions of the bill of rights as it relates to minority population.
This is how we want to govern ourselves as it relates to the subject matter,”he said.
Banda said on the December 13, 2022, President Joe Biden Signed the Respect of Marriage Act with President Biden’s signature, the Respect for Marriage Act became the biggest legislative win in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the USA.
He said in the just ended Summit for Democracy in Ghana,USA Vice President Harris Kamala unequivocally stated their stance on the matters of LGBTQ rights.
Banda said President Hichilema should have an opportunity to rise to the occasion to and unequivocally state the stance as Zambians on the issue of LGBTQ rights.
“You are the top man to present our views in the game as it relates to the subject matter score for us and make us proud,”he said.
He said President Hichilema should declare the country’s stand on the LGBTQ rights in Zambia stating that the Head of State would doing it in conformity to the provisions of the Constitution and with the support of the majority of Zambia.
He said the Democracy Summit has been hosted amid a storm of hype.
“Rightly so because there has been intense promotion and awareness activities evolving around the said event, both in the traditional and contemporarily media avenues,”he said.
Banda said amidst all anticipated thematic talking points and outcomes of the event, there was one of interest, human right.
He said on March 28, 2023, dubbed the thematic day of the event.
On this day the thematic issue was “Partnering for Democracy”: new approaches for Reform and partnerships that strengthen democracy, human rights, and governance. There you are “Human Rights”.
Contributed by Julius Phirl
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