Thursday, March 28, 2024

Government will allow the public to discuss the draft constitution once Cabinet looks at it-Kabimba

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Wynter Kabimba
Wynter Kabimba

MINISTER of Justice Wynter Kabimba says Government will subject the final draft constitution to public discussion once Cabinet looks at the document.

Mr Kabimba says Government has not taken any position on any clause in the draft constitution.

“Cabinet will subject the whole document to the people of Zambia, who are the owners of the supreme law of the land. We have not yet looked at the document,” he said.

Mr Kabimba said this during a live phone-in programme on Petauke’s Explorer Radio on Tuesday.

He said Zambians are the major stakeholders in the process and will therefore choose what they will retain in the new constitution and reject what they do not want.

The minister was responding to a caller who sought clarification on the issue of the final draft constitution.

“We are very happy that you, as Minister of Justice who is also chief executive officer of the PF, are here. We want to know the truth from your own mouth on the constitution,” Nsangu Phiri said.

Mr Kabimba said there is no need for people to worry that the draft constitution will be tampered with by the government because it has taken a long time to be released to the public.

He said the process is ongoing and government is following laid down procedures so that the final document can be owned by the people.

The minister further assured all stakeholders in the constitution-making process, dialogue and consensus will continue being a key factor.

“Yes, the final draft constitution is now at the ministry of Justice but I have not read it because I am waiting for the matter to go before cabinet. I am a disciplined member of a collective grouping called cabinet,” Mr Kabimba said.

He said once cabinet gives him directives on the issue of the draft constitution, he will then table the document before Zambians for scrutiny.

“I want to assure you that the process is on and no one is playing delaying tactics,” Mr Kabimba said.

35 COMMENTS

  1. We already know that you intend to bulldoze the constitution making process through a compromised parliament. The scheme began by creating bye elections and buying off opposition MPs, so that PF can dorminate parliament. The people of Zambia will not forgive PF for this, lies have short legs.

    • You are very right. Gabriel Namulambe indirectly hinted during Sunday Interview on how they shall choose the provincial delegates carefully so as to favour their cause. The same as MMD did. According to Namulambe a Cabinet Memo take 4-5 weeks to do the circle so why has it taken 8 months since the draft was ready to circulate to Cabinet. After all they meet every Monday.

    • One way of accelerating development across the country will be through the inclusion of a decentralization or devolution clause in the constitution.

      Let provinces have their provincial parliament and an elected provincial govt.
      with improved oversight institutions such as the Auditor General;s office, ACC, DEC etc, provinces can be allowed to retain up to 6% of VAT to meet budgetary requirements and financing projects. some can jointly be financed by the provinces and Federal govt

      We cant continue with everything being planned, decided and financed….etc….. in Lusaka

    • This has been the most unpredictable set of leaders Zambia has ever had in the last 50 years. Hopefully this is the last we are seeing this type of leadership. Is it not just last week when Kabwili said that constitution making is non priority for PF govt, and now Summer is informing us that govt or cabinet will be spending time to look at a non-priority issue. Really, is this what the country deserves from PF leaders? This country needs leadership ready to make decisions, so we can move on and not this flip flop type of governance.

    • Kabimba is a very honest man. If there is anyone who looks forward to having a pipo driven constitution, its him. As he has said lets practice patience. Once all the procedures are fulfilled, we are going to have it. Have faith in the PF

    • @Gen, you are exremely right! We need independence of all the People, rather than this enshirined dictatorship by State House, its Cabinet and the Party [PF].

      Let us have total governance by the People at all levels of our Society. We need governments starting as far as the village level, after all Cap 289, Village Regislation ans Development Act, says so. Shall we avoid this dictatorship by the few at Cabinet!

    • Zed@Crossroads; its a case of the tail wagging the dog. The chaps go where the wind blows. Now that the population and the wind of foreign embassies is blowing against the PF government, Kabimba thinks he is assuring us that actually the government is still with the people. Dont be surprised if Kabimba and Scott redefine the 90 days as being measured in geological time scale and that we are on day 20 in that time reference.

  2. yai Dr Mumba at least we know mmd will sell all the govt mining shares when you are in power and we can get richer while zambians can die with minimum wage; thanks to mmd KCM, Mopani, Kagem, is under our control

    • @otherside, the problem with being a habitual liar is that even when you tell the truth people do not believe you. So what is so difficult about Cabinet reviewing the document at the same time as the rest of us? This is just a way of buying time so that the new constitution is not in place by 2016. Tell Kabimba we already have deciphered the PF’s intentions. We are equally enlightened so we shall not be taken for a ride anymore.

  3. …..this coming from a dull lawyer that has never won a case in court…lord what did we do to deserve this irritant called Summer?

  4. wynter, I am sorry I cannot buy your excuse. That document has been in your office for the past 4 – 6 months? Yet you say that you have had a look at the document? Then what are you doing all this time? Campaigning? How can you allow such a delay on such an important issue, that is if it is important to you and your cabinet? Can the people then surmise that this cabinet is a collection of loafers, a collection of thieves stealing taxpayers money? Just be frank and state that you shall delay the issue until 2016 after the elections! Shame on you.

  5. ((“Yes, the final draft constitution is now at the ministry of Justice but I have not read it because I am waiting for the matter to go before cabinet. I am a disciplined member of a collective grouping called cabinet,” Mr Kabimba said)).
    Uumm this was a very unfortunate response from the Hon Minister of Justice! If the Chief Legal Adviser to the President (Chairman of Cabinet) and Chief Executive of the ruling PF party has not found the draft constitution important enough to read, who will? How will Cabinet effectively discuss the Draft if their chief legal adviser will not be in a position to explain the correct implications of content of the document as well as the adoption process to the Chairman and members of Cabinet?? The Att. Gen. & Sol.-Gen need to be in tandem with the Min.

  6. Pressure is working, wynter you tired of watching the draft just sitting their on your desk, great you ‘re now ready to move forward with it, pass that constitution and watch things turn around. Investors, and many others are losing confidence in you
    for backtracking on your promises.

  7. How many years does this Brute need, to do his job?
    Just an excuse, as this current archaic Constitution allows Kabimba rape Government coffers, & systematically abuse Zambian Citizens.
    JUST DO YOUR JOB COWBOY!!

  8. Honourable Minister the issue is not that you are working what the people need is you being open and be willing to communicate every step in a humble way. Also you gave us a time frame and a lot of money went into it. What we need is to justify why you need other options which where not stated when you where embarking on this journey. Why sudden a U-turn? The constitution is for the people if what they have proposed is in the majority let it be. The church will preach and lives will be changed and the constitution can not change lives but only provides framework.

  9. ((“Yes, the final draft constitution is now at the ministry of Justice but I have not read it because I am waiting for the matter to go before cabinet. I am a disciplined member of a collective grouping called cabinet,” Mr Kabimba said)).
    Last sentence unfortunately sounds arrogant to the collar.
    The Minister should have said, “Yes, the final draft constitution is now at the ministry of Justice but I cannot state the position of Government for now because cabinet has not yet deliberated on the document. I would be violating the principle of collective responsibility and the disciplinary code of conduct for Ministers if I start commenting before Cabinet adopts a position”.

    • Kabimba is so ego-centric that everything is in the first person. “Because I am a desciplined member of the cabinet…” My foot Kabimba, why should you always talk about yourself? Wont you get it that no one is interested in you , your naked ambitions and what you stand for? Go back whence you came!

  10. We might as well copy,steal,import or plagiarize the Kenyan document and send it straight to the public referendum.Having our dull cabinet examine a draft document raises serious mistrust and must be bypassed.

  11. @ other side, Sorry you are among very few who still have faith in this pathetic Government. This is the most useless Government I have ever come across. They are uncoordinated, un-inspirational, and clearly lucid. If one still has faith in PF, then his mind should be checked. No sane being can still remain comfortable with this kind of leadership. It is pathetic to say the least!

    • @mamen
      I am also disheartened to note there are people out there who sincerely believe PF will deliver them out of their misery despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. PF tosses them around, giving them the middle finger at every turn but they still can’t see PF is a failed project and a colossal blunder by the voters. Because of these people with misplaced faith in PF we have ended up with the most useless govt on the planet.

  12. Draft constitution no longer has contentious clauses – opposition

    The sixteen political parties in the Grand Coalition on Enacting the Zambian constitution have argued that contentious clauses are no longer there in the draft constitution.

    Spokesperson of the sixteen political parties Jevan Kamanga in a statement issued to QFM News says Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba’s statement suggesting that he will send the Contentious Issues to the Public before enacting the Zambian Constitution are misleading and misplaced.

    Reverend Kamanga says as far as they are concerned, the resolutions at the National Convention sealed every contention and therefore there are no contentious issues in the Draft Constitution.

    He says when delegates attended the District, Provincial, Sector…

  13. This arrogant unelected mammal has truly taken us for a ride….they are running the clock. He knows that by the time the empty tins in cabinet finish reading it it will be 2015.

  14. And then what? As if you guys will take heed en Implement the solid points from THE People there after! Jaja….. Blablablabla, lets only hope thats your intention trying to appease the masses since 2016 is around the corner. Anyway, silver lining has brings about hope!

  15. The lack of sense of urgency about the constitution is part of the strategy by PF to derail the process. What are we waiting for?

  16. Zambians voted to be treated like children, kwena, so cabinet might even decide not to show the document to the Zambians, hahahahahahahahaha

  17. I need a copy of the leaked final draft downloaded that time but my computer erroneously got formatted and I lost that copy. How can access another copy good patriots?

    • @Ganda, in this world of “white knights” and “black knights” what is the best way of sharing the document without attracting undue attention from “big brother”. Its easy to upload the document on some share drive but as we are operating incognito, some how someone may end up being exposed. In the absence of a secure mechanism of sharing a public encryption key so as to pass on the details securely, it is dicy. Will try to see if it can be uploaded on share server securely, without compromising the server nor anyone’s details (wiki-leaks style).

  18. A kabimba guided constitution is a recipe for self serving clauses and the destruction of zambia.

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