A Consortium of Civil Society Organizations has called on Zambians to rise and demand for a new constitution.
Speaking on behalf of other CSOs at a media briefing in Lusaka this morning, Zambia Episcopal Conference Secretary General Father Cleophas Lungu said the current situation calls for desperate measures.
Father Lungu said President Michael Sata’s recent statement on the constitution is not only an insult but also falls short of any moral gratitude to the people of Zambia.
And Father Lungu has appealed to all stakeholders who include the Church, political parties and Civil Society Organizations to mobilize their structures countrywide to demand for a new constitution.
He has warned that President Sata’s statement has shown that the PF government is not committed to giving Zambians a new constitution as they promised in their campaign message.
President Sata while in Mansa over the weekend said that Zambia does not need a new constitution but amendments to the already existing document.
Zambian! For once let us unite and demand for a new constitution. We need to ensure that we have good governance structures in place for the sake of posterity.
It may not affect you now but it will affect your children or grandchildren.
We don’t need a new constitution we want Hospitals improved, UNZA improved and job creation
Nonsensical article yet again, I am so angry I just dropped a tear
Thanks
Mushota has become my Favorite. Why did the people of Zambia not Rise when Banda produced junk constitution. if the old man said let us just amend, he was right. The Church (so called) was there in the Banda constitution making. where you wanted some one to have a degree to be President. Amendment will not take to much money.
@Eshu, you right, for once Zambian let unit and stand up for this cause, Sata will not give us the constitution we want. he has his agendas to protect.. our forefathers fought for our freedom, we need to fight for our rights, for the way we want things done in Zambia. we have been docile long enough, history has to change this time.
ALUTA CONTINUA A PEOPLES DRIVEN CONSTITUTION. SaTa you will not stop us.
Zambia will be a better place once this group of old and brain dead politicians die. They must die as quickly as possible lesa bombelenipo, twalomba fwebanabenu.
Since when did Zambians ever rise for anything!
They are used to the lowest standards of everything!
@1.4 insansa,
How i wished lesa abombelapo wafwa iwe wine. Awe mwandi mwemfumu lesa, twafweniko uyu mwaice abula umutwe uyu insansa afwe.
As for the church, what difference ll it if the new constitution is given with same articles writen in diferent jurgon but meaning same? The church shud avoid becoming like the current toddler LAZ executive which is the ”umukhonto we sizwe…armed wing for the opposition”
Zambians dont rise, they only fall. when they rise they will rise on a wrong time and quickly vote in any frog on the ballot.Enjoy yourself Mr President. You rule docile people.
It only makes sense that we get a new constitution, one that will stand the test of time.
I will rise and demand a new constitution!
#OneZambia
Rise alone?
Zambians are docile people unless the ghost that enabled them fight the third term rises.
Do people really understand what a good constitution does to a country? It brings a lot of good things, one of them is a leader voted by the majority unlike the case at the moment. Accountability by reducing the powers of the president, so that you can have new and nice hospitals as mentioned by some bloggers above. It all starts from there.
Spot on!
@4 teddy
Would you ve said the same had HH won the elections.
The call is genuine, for the saddist that believe Zambians are docile, you may wish to keep your negative energies within your filth mind,
This call calls for desparate measure, I said it before, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘We have learnt from experience that freedom is not given voluntarily by oppressors, but it should be damanded by those who are oppressed’ This scenarior is not different from what Father Lungu is calling, we need to rise beyond ploitical interest….It will not affect Sata and his minion, they are in their eleventh hour, just like the the late Dr Chilkusu, who was betrayed the voters and the party that sponsored him, He is gone. The constituion will have no meaning to the dead.
Lets Rise Beyond Part Lines !!
@General Tzu-Sun
The people who are calling for us to rise have done so several times. They have called upon Zambians to protest against the public order act through the black friday, tell me how many rose with them. I tried for a month and my black faded to white no one joined. I have seen countries who rise, Zambia waits for a few to sacrifice.
MMD was told to include a clause in the Constitution which allows a running mate to the President. a 50+1 clause… they refused. now when it is SATA’s turn you want to rise. all those things have no meaning to a common man. you should have done those things in Banda days, but you brushed a lot of things away with impunity. Go and rise alone.
because that’s what he promised prior to the elections
Chambeshi! Listen for once, the reason why we voted MMD out of office is because they never wanted to listen to the people. Sata was voted into office to make thing right. Now if he thinks the only right thing to do is to continue MMDs way he will awake to a rude shock.
I disagree with Mushota’s reasoning. Sometimes having a certificate does not necessarily mean learning. You can have a degree but you are not learned.
A constitution provides an environment that can trigger the rise or fall of any economy. Building a hospital in itself as she suggests is not a problem, but the sustainability and management of such an infrastructure lies within the do’s and don’t’s of the confines of the constitution, failure to that, abuse and corruption becomes the number one freind of such a nation.
The saddest thing IS THE ALMOST OMNIOUS SILENCE FROM THE OPPOSITION!!
They should have been all out organising peaceful marches/rallies/ & Eleventh Hour Blaring of horns in all cities & towns for a good eleven minutes after 11oohrs in the morning everyday!!!
Politicians are the same selfish people. They will not support something that will disadvantage them such the 50+1 We ought to do it our way.
People like Mushota who are not serious when discussing important national issues and people like Chambishi who are so naive make me feel very sad. It does not mean that, if Banda produced a junk contitution then we should not raise when Sata want to do the same, i think thats a reason we should say enough is enough. Money is already spent by both regimes, therefore, we should demand for the best. All these other things like universities, jobs and so on can be better done when there is a good foundation which is a good governance system that starts with a good people’s constitution.
I’m urging Zambians to be calm. We don’t know what the process demands. Be calm and see. Ignorance is no defence
Yes be CALM, & be led to the slaughter like cows!!!
If that’s your photo in graduation cap, what a wasted education!!
You dont know what the process requires. Not everyone of us. MMD had a road map of this constitution, but MCS came and said it was a waste of money and that him will make it in 90days. This man’s roadmap is only in his head.
WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOOD ABOUT SATA’S CONSTITUTION? THE SAME MAN SOME OF YOU ARE CALLING ILLITERATE HAS MANAGED TO FACILLITATE THE PRODUCTION OF A GOOD CONSTITUTION WHICH YOU ARE NOW CRYING FOR.
INFACT WHAT HAS HAPPEND IS THAT THE OLD CONSTITUTION WAS ONLY UNDERGOING SOME AMENDMENTS AND NOT A COMPLETE OVERHAUL. FOR EXAMPLE ZAMBIA REMAINS A CHRISTIAN NATION BY THE CURRENT CONSTITUTION JUST AS THE CURRENT DRAFT HAS MAINTAINED. SO SATA IS RIGHT. I KNOW THAT “ONCE BEATEN TWICE SHY”, SO FATHER LUNGU IS FAILING TO UNDERSTAND SIMPLE ENGLISH BY A LESS EDUCATED SATA.
Why have all govts been so relactant about the constitution there has always been struggles about this issue what are they affraid of
They are afraid of real freedom, afraid of accountability, afraid of breaking endless recycling of failed political ideology, afraid of loosing power which comes with unjustifiable and illegal benefits, afraid of loosing financial benefits which come with institutional corruption….
And you are asking what they are afraid of?
why are you demanding for the new constitution, what are same of the things that you are avoiding to happen for the delay of the new constitution, cause i don’t get it weather they release it now or later its still makes no difference.
The problem with Sata is that he speaks as if he is still in the opposition and not as a Head of State. Akamba ngati ali mutulo! Why didn’t his people prepare a written speech for him. Sata should never be allowed to speak off cuff. He will put the country to war. Saziba kukamba. With all the money that has gone to preparing the constitution, how can he say the government does not need a new constitution. Where has he been? Mutulo? Zambians have been too patient with this man. How much longer are we going to tolerate this marabishi?
The time to arise is now and demand a new constitution is now.
CSO give us program of actions now.!
HEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM!! YOU WANT SOMEONE TO GIVE YOU A PROGRAM???
Such fundamental rights being trashed by incompetent govt don’t need a program – it all comes from the heart of individuals – if you FEEL SO OFFENDED, take it upon YOURSELF & YOUR FRIENDS – we all know how each & everyone of us feels, lets all start small none-violent public disobedience – these will just snowball & catch like a grassfire – BEFORE WE KNOW IT, we won’t be praying for 2016 to come early – IT WILL COME EARLIER THAN EXPECTED!!!
My friend always says leaders are a reflection of the led. Looking at some of the comments I agree. Since we as Zambians are so d’ll and stpd then we have the same as our leaders.
Why waste so much money ba ******?
When you paint your house does it become new? In the same vain we are just modifying the constitution and not coming up with a new one. Certain areas like 50% Plus whatever ni marubish and can just intensify tribalism and regionalism which is not good for Zambia. Just because you are a Father or Priest for a certain Church does not make you wiser than others may be to your flock. Abush wastage of national resources on re-runs in elections.
Its actually the 50% + 1 which will finish your tribalism mind and also your regional thinking because every person who want to win must bring in other tribes. Only the wise will recognise wisdom when it comes by.To some it will be foolishness because they think with tribe and the belly.
@ Chambishi, you are saying amendments will not cost too much, but we have already spent over ZMW 150 million. If Sata had said amend before we spent the money it would have made sense. The trouble is that PF is breaking all the promises they made. Thats why the BUFI song is so, so true. We need a President we can trust who will not tell us lies. I am afraid Zambians have been taken for a ride yet again. People might never trust any body in State house, Sata is the last straw.
White elephant constitutionalism is exactly what MCS is rightly challenging. Any nonsense must be subject to scrutiny. The time of reckoning is now. Those who enjoyed living on loans are being asked to repay back to the lenders. There is no need to rush for referendum. First things first. Any provocative articles must be set aside. It is quite possible that the document contains too many loopholes.
All this someone didnt know before selecting a technical committee which has spent more than K150million? How can one intelligent person realise only after we have lost such moneys. Is this what they call incompetence?
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