ZAMBIANS should be wary of people forcing them to boycott the sittings of National Constitutional Conference (NCC) because they initially misled others in refusing to submit to the Wila Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC).
Chief Government spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti said this yesterday in Lusaka after touring the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) radio and television studios.
“I want to appeal to the people of Zambia to be wary of people who live in the comfort zone and only appear when the debate on the constitution is crystallising. They appear as vultures when they were not there during the hunting.
“President Mwanawasa appointed the CRC and when he did that, people boycotted and withdrew their members.
Some of their members refused to be withdrawn and were in the process suspended,†Mr Mulongoti said.
He said the CRC, however, went on to produce a document and set the agenda for what was to be discussed.
Mr Mulongoti who, is Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said those who withdrew from the CRC process were not focused and helpful.
“After an extension of two days for them to make submissions to the CRC, some of those who boycotted went to make submissions,†he said.
Mr Mulongoti said the majority of the people who submitted to the CRC did not want the constitution to be adopted using a Constituent Assembly (CA) but that it was the CRC, which suggested the mode.
He, however, said the contents of the draft constitution were more critical to the new national law than the mode of adoption.
“They can’t boycott now when they claim that they have evidence to make a good constitution. Why can’t they take that knowledge to enrich the constitution through the NCC?†Mr Mulongoti asked.
He said Government would remain consistent over the constitution review process.
Mr Mulongoti said the constitution making process was an endeavour for all citizens and not for few organisations.
“Don’t be intimidated or cheated that when they go to the NCC, they will represent you better,†Mr Mulongoti said.
He dispelled assertions that Government would go to the NCC to dictate the process.
The minister said Government’s representatives would go there as stakeholders like everyone else.
“Anyone who is saying that Government will have a bigger role is economising on the truth,†Mr Mulongoti said
He refuted claims that the NCC Act was dictatorial just because the President was given powers to dissolve the conference if there was no progress.
Mr Mulongoti said there was no way the conference could be allowed to go on indefinitely in an event that it did not complete its work within 12 months.
“Somebody has to stop it because there are cost implications to it and the President must have the mandate to determine this. Those who are dissuading you, tell them that you will represent yourself because it is a national endeavour.
It is not fair that after spending so much money you tell people to boycott. Take this as a challenge and an endeavour so that we can have a constitution that stands the test of time,†Mr Mulongoti said.
He said former CRC members cannot be represented on the NCC as suggested by some sections of society because those who served during the constitution review process belonged to groups.
Mr Mulongoti also said it was the CRC which came up with the draft constitution and report and that people wanted to discuss the contents independently.
He also said there was no need to reduce the powers of the President because they were needed to galvanise the activity of the country.
Earlier, Mr Mulongoti said it was the responsibility of the media to ensure that the public was aware of the implications and contents of the NCC.
He said ZNBC faced the challenge of quality service delivery.
Mr Mulongoti said he did not expect public media to criticise Government, as doing so would be subtracting to the integrity of leadership.
“If you begin criticising and pouring scorn on leadership, you will be subtracting to the integrity of leaders, the general public will begin to say that we are irrelevant,†Mr Mulongoti said.
He said, however, that personnel in the public media should not feel threatened because there were disciplinary codes to follow before disciplining anyone.
Mr Mulongoti was not happy that ZNBC was getting “choked†with debts.
“You cannot continue to defer it, you must come up with answers to dismantle it,†Mr Mulongoti said.
cool story…
Who is this Mulongoti, sometimes he can wafo sense on one issue I support him there must be a time frame to finish the debt of the CRC contents. Pipo can not be getting easy man afterall they are required to work in there different professions. Gentlemen let us preserve this small boom and turn the will anything can happen to our economy and we shall be crying. Who knew that Katrin will reach West Africa, central and east Africa where many pipo have been left homeless and without food.
How i wish Zambian politicians learnt a leaf from Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatha Magnanimity
Ex-rival backs Kibaki re-election
Kenya’s official opposition leader Uhuru Kenyatta has said he will not contest December’s presidential poll.
Mr Kenyatta said the former ruling Kenya African National Union (Kanu) would instead seek an alliance with President Mwai Kibaki.
But Kanu, which ruled Kenya for 40 years, says it will field its own parliamentary and local candidates.
Mr Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta, lost the 2002 election to Mr Kibaki.
This is the first time in the country’s political history that the official opposition party will not contest the presidency.
“I can’t just vie for the sake of vying. I can only do so when sure of winning,” the Daily Nation newspaper quotes Mr Kenyatta as saying.
Split
BBC East Africa correspondent Karen Allen says the decision by Kanu, the country’s oldest party, is a significant boost to Mr Kibaki.
There is a serious shortage of principle
Musalia Mudavadi, ODM
However, the party has been split by internal wrangles.
Kanu had been a part of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM) but Mr Kenyatta pulled out of the coalition after a fall-out with Kanu’s secretary-general William Ruto.
Mr Ruto remains a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Another faction, led by former party power-broker Nicholas Biwott, also broke away from Kanu because it was opposed to the party joining ODM-K, which split from ODM.
Fragmented
ODM and ODM-K leaders have condemned Mr Kenyatta’s decision to back President Kibaki, and say he has betrayed Kenyans’ trust.
ODM’s vice-presidential candidate Musalia Mudavadi says the move heralds the death of Kanu.
“Kanu is on the way to winding itself up. It manifests a very serious dilemma in Kenya’s political landscape and that there is a serious shortage of principle,” he said.
Former President Daniel Arap Moi, who still wields a lot of influence in Kanu, last month announced that he was backing President Kibaki’s re-election bid.
Opposition parties in Kenya have fragmented in recent months with the biggest presidential challenges coming from former cabinet ministers Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka.
For the 2002 poll, Mr Kibaki headed a broad alliance, including Mr Odinga, to defeat Kanu and Mr Kenyatta but this has since fractured.
You Lusaka Times! You can’t be sensitive enough to remove a topic when no one is contributing? This is disgusting.
Pelete
Where are you? Paste some advocacy issues here. Lusaka Times are enjoying weekend in Jo’berg.