NATIONAL PEACE ACCORD
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR POLITICAL PARTIES AND ORGANISATIONS
The signatories to this Accord agree to the following Code of Conduct:
2.1 We recognise the essential role played by political parties and organisations as mediators in a democratic political process, permitting the expression, aggregation and reconciliation of different views and interests, and facilitating the translation of the outcome of this process into law and public policy, and respect the activities of political parties and organisations in organising their respective structures, canvassing for support, arranging and conducting public meetings, and encouraging voting.
2.2 All political parties and organisations shall actively contribute to the creation of a climate of democratic tolerance by: · publicly and repeatedly condemning political violence and encouraging among their followers an understanding of the importance of democratic pluralism and a culture of political tolerance; and · acting positively, also vis-à-vis all public authorities including local and traditional authorities, to support the right of all political parties and organisations to have reasonable freedom of access to their members, supporters and other persons in rural and urban areas, whether they be housed on public or private property.
2.3 No political party or organisation or any official or representative of any such party, shall: · kill, injure, apply violence to, intimidate or threaten any other person in connection with that person’s political beliefs, words, writings or actions; · remove, disfigure, destroy, plagiarise or otherwise misrepresent any symbol or other material of any other political party or organisation; · interfere with, obstruct or threaten any other person or group travelling to or from or intending to attend, any gathering for political purposes; · seek to compel, by force or threat of force, any person to join any party or organisation, attend any meeting, make any contribution, resign from any post or office, boycott any occasion or commercial activity or withhold his or her labour or fail to perform a lawful obligation; or · obstruct or interfere with any official or representative of any other political party or organisation’s message to contact or address any group of people.
2.4 All political parties and organisations shall respect and give effect to the obligation to refrain from incitement to violence and hatred. In pursuit hereof no language calculated or likely to incite violence or hatred, including that directed against any political party or personality, nor any wilfully false allegation, shall be used at any political meeting, nor shall pamphlets, posters or other written material containing such language be prepared or circulated, either in the name of any party, or anonymously.
2.5 All political parties and organisations shall: · ensure that the appropriate authorities are properly informed of the date, place, duration and where applicable, routing of each public meeting, rally, march or other event organised by the party or organisation; · take into account local sentiment and foreseeable consequences, as well as any other meetings already arranged on the same date in close proximity to the planned event, provided that this shall not detract from the right of any political party or organisation freely to propagate its political views; and · immediately and at all times, establish and keep current effective lines of communication between one another at national, regional and local levels, by ensuring a reciprocal exchange of the correct names, addresses and contact numbers of key leaders at each level, and by appointing liaison personnel in each location to deal with any problems which may arise.
2.6 All political parties and organisations shall provide full assistance and co-operation to the police in the investigation of violence and the apprehension of individuals involved. The signatories to this Accord specifically undertake not to protect or harbour their members and supporters to prevent them from being subjected to the processes of justice.