The Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) has delivered its submissions to the Ministry of Justice on the Draft Political Parties Bill(PPB), 2017.

“As PeP, we are cognizant of the fact that, once enacted into law, the Political Parties Act will not only influence the way we operate as a political party, but will also have far reaching implications on the democratic dispensation of the nation and the availability of space for political parties to manoevre and discharge their mandate,” PeP leader Sean Enock Tembo(SET) said.

He said the PeP understands and appreciates the fact that democracy is about numbers and that the Patriotic Front(PF) currently holds a majority in Parliament, which would allow them to pass any law they so wish, regardless of how retrogressive.

“However, we wish to take this opportunity to appeal to the PF and it’s government to earnestly consider our submissions on the Political Parties Bill. As PeP, we believe that a democratic country is good for both the ruling party and the opposition because it creates an environment of harmony and tranquility. It is undebatable that a nation’s social and economic progress best occurs in a tranquil and harmonious environment,” SET said.

He said PeP wishes to reiterate that it shall always stand ready to contribute to the governance of our nation, provided the framework available for doing so is sound and productive.