Parliament has rejected by 69 to 42, a motion moved by Mazabuka Central MP Garry Nkombo urging Government to put in place a roadmap for the enactment of a new constitution.
The motion also sought to urge Government to expedite the process of enacting a new constitution considering that the work of the technical committee has been completed and is ready for submission.
The vote had two abstentions
The House was forced to vote manually after electronic voting failed following a technical glitch after a division was called.
The house which started debating the motion at 15:30 only adjourned sine die at 21:27 after Speaker Patrick Matibini read out the results of the vote.
And in winding down debate, mover of the motion, Mr Nkombo said it evident that the PF government cheated the Zambian people when it pledged to enact a new constitution in 90 days.
“Mr Speaker, it is now clear that when the PF Government pledged to enact a new constitution in 90 days, they infact played the Zambian people,” he said.
He reminded MPs that they are the mirror of society and that their conduct in and outside the House should represent the aspirations of the Zambian people.
Meanwhile, Responding on behalf of Government, Home Affairs Minister Ngosa Simbyakula cautioned stakeholders against taking a partisan position on the issue constitution making.
Dr Simbyakula argued that there is no constitutional crisis in Zambia adding that all stakeholders should approach the issue in a sober and calm manner.
“The technical committee is just about to hand over the report and the draft constitution to the Executive, we are at a cross roads. We must guard this process jealously especially at the stage this has reached, the adoption process is where all the past processes have failed,” Dr Simbyakula said.
Let us all wait for the document to be handed over to the executive. This is the stage where the PF can shine and pass this document to the rightful custodians, the people. Let us not fail the people now.
of course bearing in mind that “the rightful custodians” excludes ka (HH). let him develop an animal driven constitution for his cattle herd
New constitution with Sata “can’t never”. People want to pretend as if they don’t know Sata, he is not called a snake for nothing. Just accept the reality and move on. You voted for Sata and you got what you deserved.
The constitution is for Zambians not for sata,,,, the sick part is if Sata and PF didnt want a new constitution in preferrenc for an animal driven constitution,,,why did they spend some much money to draft it only to reject it into a waste bin,,,, buying chibuku for their cadres would have been better
There is no dispute that a new constitution is a priority but certainly not a number one priority
The country has other more pressing national matters such as health, job creation, food security, education, roads….etc that require immediate attention
I am confident that a people driven constitution will for sure be delivered way before the next elections in 2016
PF govt knows that its not how quickly they deliver a new constitution that will win them a re-election but delivering on substantial tangible campaign promises which will benefit the majority.
Disgruntled opposition demagogues and their Bantustan leader will kiss the dust yet again
PF thinks even ithey dont give us the new constitution, they will win the 2016 elections. We tell you Sata not even rigging will work for PF. Wake up from the slumber, the reality is different on the ground. People are suffering and are not happy with Sata and his Pathetic/Panga Family (PF). People of Zambia feel cheated and are very disappointed with Sata.
I said it reference:
One Hit Wonder! says:
March 12, 2014 at 12:15 am | Permalink
“The last nail on the coffin! If that’s the constitution and the law as things stand then winner (PF) takes it all until the next general election. This explains why government has been pompous about the whole constitution all along! There’s trouble ahead!”
The constitution process will now die a slow and excruciating death.
There you have your PEOPLE-DRIVEN CONSTITUTION you stupid Zambians! Guy Scott has made you eat it!
And His Excellency MCS is laughing at your stupidity in State House! He knows that not only the MPs are useless, but so are you Zambians. Now he can do anything he wants and does not even need to tell you idoits about it.
Shut up about all this CONSTITUTION nonsense, it is over!
So Sine died? MHRIP
In a ‘sine die adjournment’ of this type, the hearing stands open indefinitely, and could theoretically be resumed if the situation changed.
But the situation will not change over night brethren unless we unleash the BRE to infiltrate the majority PF MPs in the house and cause them shick polomia of the acute type for not less three months. Unable to attend proceedings in parliament – we shall call for a general election.
Therefore, in real terms, the cry for the constitution is over at least for the rest of what’s left of the PF government. My take is that the government will release a watered down version of the constitution suited to their needs and not of the people. Remember, this is not a victory to the PF as a referendum would really have to take place if we had to adopt a…
…. ADC (Animal Driven Constitution)
New constituting to remove Sata’s powers, ” can’t never”
what will you do when sata gives you the new constitution.? I believe he will. But remember he is not under pressure. If he does deliver now your HH will say ”am glad we put sata under immense pressure” HH just wants to pick up easy points and get the credit. HH=PETTY
69 + 42 + 2 = 113. We are supposed to have 158 MPs (150 elected, 8 nominated). So, apart from Dora et al (3), where are the remaining 42 MPs who did not participate in the voting?
I am sure your HH will be more than delighted to answer that question since he gave explicit and unequivocal instruction to his MPs to continue with their stroppy and cantankerous behaviour
@Jinx
there is no mathematics of plus and minus in PF, Its all about worshipping their god Sata
just imagine Felix Mutati gets a job COMESA but PF congrates Sata,,, sick people!!!
Most likely the 42 where either dubiously assigned “other” duties thereby missing the crucial vote. This must have been well calculated by the PF. What the PF has done however with their mathematics is to confirm our worst fears that if this constitution is adopted by parliament, the people of Zambia will be the biggest losers. Honestly parliament needs serious reform if we are to go round such tricks.
with or without the new constitution people will decide come 2016. MMD was advised but never listened at grass root people have spoken. Even the old and the un educated have spoken that PF is a dissapointment and need to change its mentality
@wazeya
Stop dreaming! By 2016 PF will have fixed everything and IF we have an election it will be Zimbabawe style. Why do you think they have been making all these by-elections?
They are not interested in improving and developing Zambia. They are only interested in staying in power, and Sata remaining in State House.
We now have a de facto one party state and a President for Life.
“Kudos” something wrong with your mind. How you describe HH, this is the next president of Zambia not this skunk you have in the state house who can even calculate simple probability. Wake up my friend people are suffering in that country. It is wrong to wish people ,,,,,,, but this one it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Next president in your dreams yes. You think the people of Zambia are that cheap to vote foolishly for somebody who does not even respect zambia? Continue dreaming! Mr dreamer
Iwe namazai just continue working in old people’s homes and continue cleaning the backside of those old people. Elo Kanye Elo ushinde pantu ulanunka amafi
It’s amazing how this issue on constitution has taken . they are those who are demanding for ovious reasons selfish because they want to ascent to power by eliminating others not to qualify this us is evil thinking.If you are popular like the current Govt. Why worry just campaign bring on the table what you can do for the majority.PF has a good agenda that’s is to empower citizens,improve infrastructure health … Well done PF
Good effort you are enjoying where you are because they have good laws, America is
prosperous because of a good constitution, and they change their laws when they see it fit, constitution benefits all and empowers people, with no constitution there is no empowerment of citizens, Constitution is on PF agenda, come 2016 what are they going to say they achieved,by then all the cheap chinese infrastructure would be failing apart
fresher wawa ‘roads first,animal driven constitution last’ i believe thats what my relatives in luwingu are looking foward to see, i dont know about your relatives in rwanda…
Posterity will judge you harshly PF MPs for failing Zambians. You will be remembered in History as enemies of the people; lawmakers without foresight, whose master is their bellies. Yes your children and grandchildren and there children will question your Raison d’être and what you stood for. No one knows what these PF MPs stand for. They have no stand and stand for nothing except their bellies. “if a man has no stand; if he has nothing that he can die for, he is not worth living”; so said MLK.
@ mr bulaya
To you all opposition mps are the ones doing good job in parliament. NOT SO SIR.
There demand should be reasonable. You can force some one do to what you want in your own way. Some one with more powers than you. All you nees is to reason with a person with power. Period
Mps who are just representing themselves and their nuclear families. The majority interest is never taken seriously because our leaders are selfish and have no priorities. I wish Sata as old as he is could give us the constitution and make things better. Surely power has gotten to the PF heads and they want to stay in power as long as they want, this is not a govt that will even call for election when time comes!
@observer
Can you tell me why you need a constitution now and not next year and not after next year.what immediate changes is it going to bring in peoples lives.
Are we sure Zambians we don’t need a road map? Anyway Only 112 voted but in 2016 millions will vote them out and put people who look promising.
I’m afraid to let you know that Zambians are not that organised. ..come general elections they will vote based party affiliation or tribe. What do people of say Sinda or Luangwa care about this?
Where are the likes of Reuben lifuka, goodwill lungu, ex saccord habasonde to mention a few who used to be talk a lot during the previous regime??? This guy are now quite because they are eating with the corrupt PF government
sister yondo its actually ‘quiet ‘ and not quite.
Big L,
You have failed to answer questions asked by Yondo Sister. All you CAN is Pull Him Down (PhD) over a letter, or a typical error of antonyms’.
Big Loser indeed.
Evil is reigning supreme and not even God can stop the excruciating agony Boma is subjecting us to forthwith. Zambia is. not a Christian nation. It is a Sata Nation.
Political dribbling at its best! PF 1:0 Zambians..after the 2011 elections the opposition were in the majority in parliament.Priority number 1 -PF quickly decided to contest opposition seats in the courts.They won 10 opposition seats through bogus by-elections and with the archaic colonial rules at their side the oppostion stood no chance.Mps lost seats for giving as little as K100 to constituents.The judiciary is also tilted in PF favour.We have a chief justice that was rejected by parliament who happens to be Sata relative.Sata has succesfully appointed 2 more Pro- PF supreme court judges 5 more Pro PF high court judges(offcourse ratified by our illiterate Mps).The opposition and any one against Sata stand no chance in the courts of law now.
Donor nations are looking and shaking their heads.The British and Americans have tried to hint to Zambians to wake up.But I think Zambians are selfish self centred people.As long as they can get a cut for themselves and their families they dont care what happens around them.How else can you explain how the Mighty BEMBA Tribe are just watching Sata insult and persecute their chitimukulu.How else can you explain why the people of North Western Province sit and watch mineral wealth from their province being taken to develope Muchinga province while they languish and watch loved ones die in accidents on the dilapidated Chingola -Solwezi road….How else can you explain why Zambians sit and watch their loved ones die everyday in road accidents caused by poor road networks around the country
The people on the coperbelt even celebrate when Sata says he is making a dual carriage way from Ndola to Kitwe- talk of selling ice to Eskimos! Resurfacing a dual carriage way in 2013/2014 and you raise your fists and say PF is working? You are supposed to have a 6 laned highway people! He has sold land in a game park to miners who will own 100% of the mine and they are constructing a road to ferry copper from the mine to the copperbelt.More accidents coming to a town near you.Raise your fists you obsequious PF cadres.no wnder he is resurfacing the dual carriage way.Its for the Austrialian trucks that will be ferrying copper…Zambians you deserve the Zambia you have,you deserve Sata!
@ Grand: MPs are sent to Parliament to make laws that are necessary to the aspirations and needs of the people they represent. whether they are doing a good job or not by refusing a motion to create roadmap for enactment of constitution, is left for you Grand to Judge.
I agree that they have power, but power without control is catastrophic. The exercise of power should be the constant practice of restraint, selflessness, open mindedness, rationale and control. The MPs should put aside there differences, egos and ostrich mentality, and rise to the occasion and execute their responsibility as lawmakers and provide leadership, direction and framework for the enactment of our supreme law [Constitution]
It appears the document is so fruitful as PF promised for a Driven Constitution and for sure i can see from the cries of the opposition that the Document is well set. Viva PF
Two choices we have, either to wait for 2016 or kick PF now as we did to KK. We are not like Zimbabwe. Guy Scott has gone far. Instead of giving roadmap he is bragging. Useless opposition MPs bought by PF. HH has a point for detering UPND MPs.
So they adjourned sine die, huh?
OK, so why haven’t the lawmakers fixed a date when they plan to resume sitting….. and how many people even picked up on that meaning?
Serious, if the country really wants to talk about “people driven” democracy, why does “the people’s house” continue to use arcane Latin expressions that few understand (thanks Wiki!)? It makes about as much sense as those crazy-a’ss leftover wigs and is yet one more way of saying to the average person you are below the system and have nothing to do with government!
End of blog, sine die.
A sad day for democracy in Zambia!
After 50 years of “Independence” this muzungu Scott is telling us he can do what he wants and there is nothing we can do about it.
And Sata and his “bought” MPs are saying we are not here for Zambia, we are here FOR THE MONEY! It is “our time to eat”.
Can we fall any further? Second term for PF? THIRD TERM FOR SATA?????
What is next?
“A MOTION MOVED BY MAZABUKA CENTRAL MP GARRY NKOMBO URGING GOVERNMENT TO PUT IN PLACE A ROAD-MAP FOR THE ENACTMENT OF A NEW CONSTITUTION HAS BEEN REJECTED?”
Imagine the opposition moves a motion only to reject it later! What a waste of parliament time!
The opposition knows very well that the draft constitution in its current form will not pass because it has already been rejected by our chiefs. Someone, between the so called technical committee and the executive might have to look at it again to reconcile all views.
How ridiculous indeed!
THE BEST OUR MPS CAN DO THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING IN THE HOUSE IS TO RESIGN IF YOU SAVE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE.MMD, SEIF AND UPND.
President Sata is a true soldier of politics, i still believe he knows what he is doing. He knows that a constitution is a priority for the Zambian people and the PF not the way Garry Nkombo is putting it. This is where people should know that there’s something wrong with HH and his UPND. Honestly Mazoka was absolutely different from HH and if he was around UPND would have been in power. Garry Nkombo and HH wants a CONSTITUTION road map when they don’t have a road map for the Youth and Zambians at large.HH has a spirit of confusion, if these people had the heart for the Zambians they would have been advising the government on the best way to run the country not always criticizing such that they blow out any little thing that rags behind by PF so that it looks big.HH is not up to good…
It is a known fact that the majority of MPs we have in parliament are “useless” hence they will not help Zambians get a new constitution before 2016.
MPs such as January Zimba and Vincent Mwale just make noise when grilling Civil Servants over monies they have no idea what Civil servants go through to just satify demands of some Ministers. When debating important issues they are very quiet as if they are absent from the House. Zimba we wanted to hear you, you are backbencher. Don’t just lambast graduates and PS. Your Constiutency wants to hear you dabate about their welfare!