THE technical committee tasked to draft the new Constitution on Monday started preparing the first draft which will be ready within four months to allow for comments from members of the public.
Justice Minister Sebastian Zulu said in an interview in Lusaka that the first draft would be ready in the next 4 months.
He said experts at the meeting urged draft persons to prepare a consolidated first draft after making comments on the major views that had been gathered from the three previous reports, the Mvunga, Mwanakatwe and Mung’omba Constitution review commissions.
Mr Zulu said members of the Technical Committee would start travelling to the provincial centres to seek comments on the first draft but would not gather fresh views as that had been done by the previous commissions.
The minister said it was important to ask the Zambian people whether or not the contents of the first draft contained what they submitted to the Mvunga, Mwanakatwe and Mung’omba review commissions.
He said a new Constitution in a democratic country must be compiled after gathering comments on the submissions but would not duplicate the previous work by gathering new views.
Mr Zulu said members were yesterday given the submissions that had been generated from the previous commissions for them to study and that the commissioners would reconvene thereafter to allow the draft team to complete their job in four weeks.
He said he submitted a proposal on the sitting allowances to be paid to the commissioners and that they would revert to him at their next meeting.
Mr Zulu said the commissioners had not earned any allowances from the work they had done so far because formulating the allowances was part of their job.
“I cannot tell you yet how much we have proposed because the matter is still under consideration but we have suggested something as Government. If we do not agree, then I can inform the nation,” Mr Zulu said.
The Technical Committee would produce the final draft Constitution by June this year after which some issues would be subjected to the national referendum.
Recently, committee spokesperson Simon Kabanda said the Technical Committee was different from the constitutional review commission (CRC) and the National Constitutional Conference (NCC).
This is because the Technical Committee had a strict deadline and timeline considering that the gathering of views had been done by the commissions.
[Times of Zambia]
REMEMBER WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND LIKE A HULA HOOP SO WHAT YOU DOING WILL HAPPEN TO YOU WHEN YOUR OPPONENTS GAIN POWER..
Do not waste time and resources crooks. Formulate the constitution as soon as possible
4 months yonse iyo, you were supposed to deliver a people driven constitution that will stand the test of time within 90 days…More tax payers money on you guys
Who is sleeping?
It is justice minister sebastian Zulu
Imwe ba Kabwa where is my comment? mwandini I said Sebastian and Simon are fools to think that we do not know that they are getting hefty allowances every day they sit.
Well done PF 4 months is a very reasonable time to complete that import document unlike the defunct MMD which spenT over 4 years on the same document. KEEP IT UP
Let’s give them the space to work.Intellectuals are not supposed to insult anyhow.We need intellectual maturity to help our country come out of the mess it is in now.This will not come in a day.So, suggestions must be prudent, and with respect to the readers of our comments.
4 months!! osati settinger imwe. You just want sitting allowances. This thing can be done in 4 days ok 4 weeks bakawalala.
excellent ba chileshe, surely we are forgetting that this is our constitution, if we want it clean and effective for a long time we need to pass objective, constructive and mature comments so that tomorrow we shall surely say, we did it together. Remember, we are not punishing PF we are punishing ourselves. Politicians are their also for their own pockets to survive, that we cant take away from them but if we go to sleep or just criticise anyhow, we shall grow old complaining without accomplishing anything. So dear zambians lets put our efforts together to fight for a common good but intellectually as it demands. God bless mother zambia  Â
Is this the entire Zulu sleeping on duty? Yaabah!
How can he deliver in 4 months when he is always sleeping on duty?Â
the clause to build the former president a house should be removed as these guys are already rich… and one aspiring to be the president should have a house already… the house clause was put for kk and to some extent chiluba but otherwise the ones coming now have there own houses.. and I dont think sata will need one…..
This is the same document that was done by the NCC but will just be re-written! Good comment #12.
Good work so far,problem some people are pregnant with hatred,envy and jealousy,they cannot just swallow it that the person they loathed so much is now commander in chief,good work bo Chilufya.Liberate yourselves from prejudice,you live longer to see your prefered candidate also in state house,if at all suckers.
It is very crucial that the duo citizenship clause be included in the draft, investment will increase as Zedians abroad would be more free to participate in civil discourse as well as other areas of economic enterprise … thanks a trillion in advance