The enactment of the new constitution being demanded by Zambians is not a priority for the Patriotic Front (PF) and government is not going to be stampeded into releasing the draft constitution until after it had been thoroughly studied, Defence Minister Edgar Lungu has said.
Lungu said the Zambia had a functioning constitution and that there was no constitutional crisis in the country for Zambians to continue pressuring government to release the draft constitution.
Lungu said in an interview that government was not going to allow the constitution to override more important and pressing needs such as economic infrastructure development and creating employment.
He said government was aware that the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) through the Grand Coalition on the Constitution had been paid by some unnamed donors to champion and push government to release the draft constitution.
Lungu said the Grand Coalition on the Constitution, a composition of the church, student bodies, trade unions and opposition political parties were not experts in the constitution making process and that government would continue ignoring their demands because there were more pressing needs than the constitution.
He said government was equally uncomfortable with some clauses in the draft constitution because they were costly adding the PF government was going to make sure that it enacted a constitution that was going to meet the realities of modern demands.
Lungu said government was also going to look at the implications of the Bill of Rights and the proposal of a constitutional court before handing the document to the public so that the country did not run the risk of having a constitution that was going to make governing difficult for the ruling party.
He said Zambians did not know the implication of the constitutional court and that government was not keen to have constitutional institutions that were going to make governance difficult.
He stated that government was waiting to receive the draft constitution and its report from the Technical Committee and would have to study the document thoroughly before releasing it to the public.
Lungu said there were a lot of other things government had committed its time and resources to and that the constitution while important was not going to derail government’s development programmes that would see the reduction of poverty levels and improve the lives of the citizens.
“The enactment of the new constitution is not a priority for the PF government. It is important but we have equally competing programmes that need the immediate attention of government. So the constitution cannot override the more important programmes and government is not going to be stampeded into releasing the draft constitution or enacting the new constitution,” Lungu said.
Lungu said the referendum Zambians were demanding for was an expensive undertaking and that government would only consider enacting the constitution through the referendum after considering the cost implication of the process. Last week, Lungu said the constitution would be enacted through a referendum.
The more the talk the more one realises how USELESS the are
That Defenseless Minister, why nit clean his repeatation from first that he stopped drinking Kachasu, and therefore no one should call him USELESS? Whatever you Edgar will say it will never be respected. All speeches need to be based on “image building” of USEFULNESS. For example:
What are PF’s priorities?
there you have heard it….. the constitution is important but not a priority. There are other pressing govt programs that require immediate attention..
the message cant be any clearer than this
Not even a week has passed since Edgar Lungu talked of how committed PF is to delivering a constitution during the launch of the African Centre for Strategic Studies…no wonder Sata thinks you are useless! no wonder investor confidence is at an all time low.You can’t give contradictory statements all the time
I support Mr Lungu
he makes sense and is one of the most useful men in PF
Thanks
The more they talk, they more one realises that the PF government is full of really confused and useless people. Anyway we will teach them a lesson come 2016.
Muppets! indeed. So WTF was that Mampara talking about when he was promising people that he would have a constitution ready in 90 days? In the same way the PF the PF feel they are untouchable, we the electorate will reciprocate in kind in 2016 when you wish to reopen negotiations with us for another mandate. You have fooled us once, dont expect to fool us twice
Thank LT for removing my comment on Lungu, it was not good at all. But that man shouldn’t be saying anything at moment, he has an important job at moment, than displaying his uselessness.
Edgar its for you and Sata to decide what the Zambians want. Whether you like it or not people will get their constitution . Now it is more clear that we don’t need you to enact a constitution because I fear it will altered.
For now, then the demand should shift from constitution to getting rid of PF.
WE WANT PF OUT! WE WANT PF OUT NOW!
Its only HH who will deliver the constitution in 2016. PF have failed.
A PF NDIMWE AFISI FOR SURE.
@ Reality
Getting rich before 2016?
So useless indeed 🙁
Kachasu abena Edgar! I think you top the list of USELESSNESS among Sata’s !!!ministers
When Mike Sata and goons promised to give us a constitution within 90 days, that gave an impression of urgency. I suppose we are all allowed to change our minds and be ready to accept the consequences.
edgar always na mbonje kumenso. i dont think it is from fights but rather getting drunk sensless and falling all over the place. thats where those mbonjes come from. kwaliba sure? look how small those hands are? he is not looking after himself properly.
Edgar – Will take it you were not only drunk with Kachasu but was of the thought you were Jocking with your Mbuya’s.
Understand how this is no laughing matter. Wina Azalila
Of course you’ve never had priorities in your lives. That is how all USELESS people are.
CRIMINALS OF A GOVERNMENT!
Useless minister
Hold on……. which constitutional document are you studying? According to your president he has not yet received the draft constitution so which expensive bits are you on about bwnana minister
Lungu ignore at your own risk 2016 is not far where is shikapwasha ask him about zambians
Among the diplomats few days ago he issued a positive statement and now he is contradicting himself. Ignore them and pay the price later. Will let you concentrate on the economic developments for now!
Edger s hard wekin despite amaDizzy.
PF has amazing ministers, no wonder Sata calls them useless. How come E Lungu is discussing contents of a document which has not yet been released to the head of state? This is a sign that the controlling officer may not be in control if the junior officers are able to read the document before him. Yes, PF is a confused party hence they do not need cards for fear of being identified as being useless.
Arrogance
Not only useless but demented also.
do you still daought their uselessness as observed by their useless leader those of you who are still in dauoght this is your chance now to prove for yourselves hiya hiya pf on the finishing line
Doubt
Bwana Lungu, I was encouraged by your comments last week that Government would enact a new constitution before 2016. And now you’ve flip flopped. Who is in this government ever tells the truth about the State of the Nation. This is very worrying.
PF Manifesto article 25 – Judicial institutional reforms.
It states “Under the MMD government the delivery of justice in Zambia has been slow, cumbersome and expensive for the ordinary person. In addition public confidence in the judiciary has been eroded over the years. In order to redress the above the PF government shall:
• Establish a constitutional court;
• Establish specialized courts;…..”
So why is Lungu saying the constitutional court issue is not a priority when it features prominently in the Manifesto. Please stop insulting Zambian’s intelligence. Do the right thing at the right time and you will be heroes. Now PF is depriving itself of the glory it would have espoused if only they implemented a quarter of what they said in the mafesto.
We know now that they are all useless. Ask their president.
What is needed is mutual respect, mutual dialogue, mutual understanding and mutual trust. The government must be allowed to honor its mandate with the electorate.
Who must allow government or do you mean PF, to honor its mandate? From my civics days, I was taught that in Zambia, government is of the people, by the people and for the people. The PIG is back in Zambia, and therefore if we ‘allow’ the government who is essentially the PIG, we are giving them leeway to misbehave as they are already doing. The PIG must be put under pressure so that they begin to realise that government means all people of Zambia and not PF.
Chase those crazy bold heads out of town.
Do not be deceived. A constitution guides even economic policy and bounderies. You can lie to some people all the time, you can lie to all the people sometime, but you can lie to all the people all the time.
And some people wonders why the currency is depreciating every day, it is such careless talks, the more they talk the more they expose how clueless they are about governance. Who taught this guy at the campus?
Lungu, please go home you’re drunk.
I have actually been wondering how many days pf can survive without Scott.
Where does this ‘person’ come from? It is worth investigating because he does not speak like a decent Zambian should nor does he represent the interests of Zambians. The constitution is a non-negotiable issue. Many things are going wrong in this country because we have a constitution that gives excessive powers to one arm of government over others. These excessive powers have be abused over and over again by current and past presidents. Please give us a constitution we want, we are not asking for the impossible.
What is this pf government up to ? Why do they keep on giving conflicting statements on the constitution making process ? Which document are they still waiting for when it was handed to them a long time ago ? This type of arrogance will make them lose the 2016 elections.
As a result of crapping to get to parliament, they forgot they had copied a manifesto from somewhere and needed to study it. Now they are going against it. Useless indeed.
useless lungu about the cost USA to help.
Kuya bebele
Yes we know, not priority because you need more time to steal. If Zambians will allow these chaps to get away with it then we may as we’ll join in the loot.
These guys in govt the way they are running national affairs is like their preoccupation is to show us that they have the power and that is what running govt is all about. It is like they are always responding to the comments on online media (anyway they run govt through facebook we can understand)-goverance by knee jerk reaction of online media comments. The more they give contradictory statements on the constitution everyday, the more they appear very useless to the masses including their muzungu opusa.
I think Zambians have a problem,denying the reality,the pf govt have said it over and over that ,
Their are some clauses which they are not comfortable with,50+1,age limit,constitutional court,provincial parliaments.
The pf govt are factually saying under sata ,forget the constitution because he cannot win.the pf govt have said it several times that they are studying the draft document,
Finally mr lungu has come out open that if they go thru the referendum way it will be difficult for them to govn because the theft flaws will be block in the new constitution.this is the reality we are getting from pf govt,my guess is they will remove the uncomfortable clauses in the draft and present it in parliament for a vote and by 2016 ,sata will be campaigning saying he has fulfilled his promises.
I suspect Edgar Lungu was drunk when saying this. 90 days.
Wynter, Nchito, the A-Chief justice, the speaker, the IG and her panty parade along with their boss will only listen and start thinking when they are out of office. At that time they will start chirping like Cannaries.
It is a priority you goon !