Thursday, March 28, 2024

Constitutional referendum will fail due to voter apathy -Msoni

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Opposition APC President Nason Msoni
Opposition APC President Nason Msoni

Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) says the apathy that has continued in the country’s by-elections is departure point to stop debating feasibility of holding a constitution referendum before 2016.

In its argument the APC referenced on the recent Malambo, Mulobezi and Petauke Central by-elections in which voter turn out is said to be less than 30 percents of the registered voters.
APC president Nason Msoni has observed that such levels of apathy clearly show that having a national constitution this year will fail miserably.

Mr. Msoni has told Qfm News in an interview that his party therefore agrees with government’s proposal to table in Parliament non contentious issues of the draft constitution.

He is of the view that other opposition political parties should take advantage of the willingness that government is showing and support the constitution amendments in Parliament.
Mr. Msoni has explained that this is because he thinks it will be cheaper and cost effect to have non contentious issues adopted by Parliament.

21 COMMENTS

  1. Zambians’ attitude towards their presidents is like a man who marries and divorces 5 times and still thinks it’s the women’s fault. No idi.o.t, it’s you!

    A successful country takes work from both government and citizens. Changing presidents doesn’t make you better citizens you dunderheads.

    Change your attitudes towards developing your communities and yourselves and you will start to see Zambia evolve into a better country.

    • I dont think it’s simply a question of changing attitudes – a very big part of it – But also a question of being realistic and pragmatic.
      In zambia we have a problem of “copy and paste” n our so called academics do so without fully considering the possible implications for the people of Zambia.
      How do you include a national referendum when 80% of the population do not even know what that is? How do you propose dual nationality when less than 1% of Zambians realistically stand a chance of obtaining this? How do you call for a 50+1 voting system when you are a broke nation? I’m not even sure if Zambia is ready for democracy. We want to copy the west and ignore the reality of our social and economic realities. It cant work
      Yes, the referendum will be a waste of money at the very…

    • The simple reason is voter fatigue. Zambia so far holds the genesis world record as having conducted the most bye elections in a single sitting term of parliament.
      Parliament unfortunately will vote on partisan lines when the question before it is not partisan, that is the fear.

    • @Nubian princes
      no no no!!!…. sex, marriage and divorce is a wrong example, please avoid veiwing things from a sex Point of view,,, this is Zambia politics!! where Dora who was a PF`s worst enemy,, labeled corrupt and Everything today is having unprotected sex on a PF mattress with permission from the small president Lungu…..again, cant you see that RB is the big PF president in the Control room while the official PF president Miles Sample is left out in the Cold in Matero…
      Next time @Nubian princes use a condom in your thinking its good for you,, you can live longer……. signed Uncle ndobo

    • @Nubian Princess 1.1 and @its a worry
      Concur.

      It is great wisdom Mr Msoni shows here and is plain fact. Any reasonable person in Zambia will see this is how all opposition party Leaders should present on this matter. It’s a worry’s statics and extractions from those is perfect reasoning.

    • How will it be cheap when you still have to hold a referendum in the near future? Whether you have one issue to decide on after others are taken care of parliament or you have the whole lot of issues on the referendum paper, the cost is the same. The cost factor, unfortunately, can not be avoided as long as will go the referendum way, piece meal, whole meal.

  2. This man mr msoni is very funny he makes a lot of political noise but when is he going to start mobilising members mr ngondo had more brains than him becouse ngondo was working towards his dream this man talks towards his dream

    • Msoni is a joke. He should get his APC MPs to support PF if that’s what he wants, instead of begging other opposition parties with MPs to do so.

  3. The European Commission has already conducted its own survey in Zambia, having wanted to fund the Constitutional Referendum.

    Their finding clearly stipulates or shows that indeed it will fail to pass the threshold, resulting it to fail technically.

    HH and Nawakwi know this very well, but would rather play PING – PONG to the gallery for political gains.

    Why is the European Commission keeping quiet on this issue.

    I would edge all opposition parties to go and campaign drumming up people to turn up for the referendum .

    Just as well, the government needs to spearhead this agenda.

    • Don’t blame the opposition. They are not running govt. It’s Lungu and PF who cannot get a referendum going because Zambians are demoralized by this useless govt. Most Zambians just want to stay at home drinking beer instead of bothering with the PF circus.

    • Buck Teeth Lungu#

      Therefore, you must blame the people staying at home drinking and not making an effort to go and exercise their right to vote for a referendum. Really sad analysis.

  4. Mr Msoni if you will provide real leadership the referendum won’t fail.
    When Samaras said he didn’t want Greece to end up like Zambia, everyone said we were better economically than that country but poor Greece has successfully held a referendum organized within a space of less than two weeks.
    We have campaigned for a new constitution (& spent colossal amounts of money) in the last 25 years & now we have an opportunity to achieve that but a few greedy people want to send us back.

    • That is where you go wrong! Zambia is not Greece. Leave Greece to the Greeks. Any realistic person knows referendum cannot go through in Zambia. If Edgar was wicked he would allow it take place and ask all noise makers to shut up after it fails. Lucky, he is far more reasonable than most of his critics. That is where some of us doubt HH and Nawakwi. If they cannot see this, straight forward case, then they are not fit to cry for presidence.

  5. A constitution can be amended. What is wrong with the current constitution? The problem lies with the people. They do not know the value of their current constitution. Amend it, there are enough opposition MPs to see good laws drafted. Wait! I forgot, the opposition like the ruling party MPs are equally incompetent.

  6. What is wrong with the current constitution you ask, well for starters it was left to you kaboi’s by the your colonial masters over 50 years ago. Is that a good enough reason for you? Keep in mind Mr gold fish memory capacity that this is the same constitution that was used to manipulate the black Africans with draconian laws such as the public order act that your dictator leaders have used to to silence democracy. What is wrong with the current constitution you ask?Are you a man or a ape is a more pertinent question.

    • Don’t blame colonialists for gifting you a constitution that your monkey leadership has failed to change in 50 years. What if the colonialists had not bothered to gift you with a bad constitution, how would you be misgoverning yourselves? Zambia would have been DRC by now. Get a move on. Stop blaming the past.

  7. Its a shame that in Zambia it takes decades just to organize and put a document to a referendum due to selfishness.

    Rotten nation of shameless self seekers.

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