The Grand Coalition on the people driven constitution has demanded that government respects the wishes of the people of Zambia by delivering a people driven constitution.
And the coalition says taking the draft constitution to parliament is meant to make the public believe that the PF government means well.
Grand Coalition Chairperson Father Leonard Chiti says Zambians must realize that the PF has a majority in Parliament and will use this as an opportunity to undo the people’s submissions.
Briefing journalists in Lusaka today, Father Chiti says the coalition supports the Law Association of Zambia’s position to do all they can to ensure that government delivers a new constitution.
He says the Grand Coalition stands ready to support LAZ and any efforts of all well-meaning stakeholders to ensure the country has a new constitution.
Father Chiti has reiterated that the coalition is against plans by government to adopt and enact the new constitution through parliament with the exception of the Bill of Rights which government plans to subject to a Referendum.
He says the coalition has accessed and read the Draft Constitution Bill expected to be tabled in parliament and maintains its position that this parliamentary route is treacherous and not in line with the Zambian people’s aspirations.
Fr Chiti says the parliamentary route will dishonor the interests of Zambians who validated the content of the draft constitution through local, regional and national consultative meetings.
Foolish PF
Why should parties and their members behave like they are in a monarchy that will last for inherited eternity? Isn’t this time to have national rather than myopic party interests? It is this attitude that will forever keep us under mediocrity for as long as we view things in this short sighted way.
At the expense many social programs needing serious funding, can the Zambian treasury afford to commit millions of Kwachas to fund a costly referendum now and tripartite elections separately considering that Decision 2016 is due in few months time? Isn’t it cost effective to let parliament which carries the people’s mandate enact what is collectively deemed non contentious in the draft than the so called Grand coalition rambling on errands of its alliance partisan partners? Every part considered contentious could and should be subjected to a referendum in a dual voting process tied to the 2016 tripartite elections. The worsening culture of apathy risks sabotaging the referendum if conducted separately. I regret to say in his flawed partisan campaign, Chiti is proving to be a…
I regret to say in his flawed partisan campaign, Chiti is proving to be a disconnected cadre from the common man’s pressing issues in the country. There is no way an apathetic population will go to the booth now and then in Decision 2016. We can learn that the get out to vote initiatives have solicited little or marginal response from Zambian voters. Zambians get out in droves to vote only when there is something they believe its critically a matter of national survival. Though am an adept constitutionist, am alive to the fact that these called changes in the draft constitution, are not some of the pressing issues to the majority of the Zambian populace right now. This is where liberal politics and its civil society jingoism miss the winning divide of relevance in young democracies…
What Fr Chiti is not telling Zambians is,whether the referendum route is used or not, when it comes to enacting it into law it will still be the same parliament he wants to demonise which shall do so. The best is to lobby the majority of the parliamentarians, but if he thinks he has the mandate of the majority of the Zambians THEN he’s mistaken unfortunately that’s how democracy works. The Zambian Parliament will never outsource their major responsibility of enacting laws to any other Government wing or NGO.
Chiti in his increasing irrelevance of partisanship gingoism has lost credibility, direction, purpose and voice of reason he was selected for in the then civil society. The so called Grand coalition has sadly become a useless extension of partisanship agenda.It’s time to be replaced if it has to survive in our nascent democracy. He lost it when he opted to be an axis if evil and aberrations in the January 20 bye-election. Sonce then, he has continued to degenerate in illogical statements. PF cannot Marshall the voting numbers in the August house. Now he says they have the numbers. Total confusion.
What’s the difference between fr chiti and fr Bwalya? These fathers should just join politics once and for all
PF government or Grand Coalition,its all politics of the selfish,by the selfish for the selfish.Their shortsighted interests always outweigh those of the Zambian nation.
The problem that unfolds is this, the constitution only needed amendments. Then for years commissions of inquiry and grand coalitions were set up to embezzle millions through seatings. Our MPs, the majority do not even know the definition of their jobs. You expect what now! From them! Really? hahahaha.
Story about loadshedding as reported in the watch dogs paper told by dr Canicious Banda:
My response is as follows:
Canicious Banda (Mr),
This questions you ask were asked by Nawakwi, and the answers were given. What type of doctor are you who cannot even recall that in 1991 we had only a few mines? Only you Mr Conscious would not tell what happened with the mines before 1991. Many people would never call you a doctor because of your lapses. You stopped thinking like a doctor soon after joining hh. You got your brain washed. Remove the dung in your brain and stop wasting time on useless questions. We can’t give you the answers to your questions. The answers were given to Nawakwi. She can share them with you…Upnd without anything to offer….Tesheti…
What any sane person will not dispute is that for every prosperous nation, there is a good practical constitution. For once, let us come up with a constitution that is good and practical.
Ignorance at its best. Even after referendum has past, it is only the MPs who will vote and agree to which clauses should go into the constitution. So stop misleading people. It is only parliament that is mandated to make laws in Zambia. Referendum is just an expensive exercise that cannot guarantee a good constitution. Only parliament can.
the worry is not about the process. it is about the content of the constitution. Father Chiti is 666. by subjecting non contentious clauses to parliament it means that Parliament will vote rationally and will not incorporate gay rights concealed in ‘minority rights’ clauses. The people of Zambia cannot see this clauses because they will vote ignorantly. people will only vote for the sake of voting and not scrutinising what they are voting for. this will be the opportunity for father to say,’ include the minority rights’ for people to vote. by this it will be too late and government would have been beaten clean because they can even cause an uprising.
So Parliament is urged not to fall pray to this father Cheat.
The Constitution has lost steam and I do not see how making amendments on a case by case basis is being opposed. I can tell you why- Grand Coalition members are paid by NGOs to get the Constitution but they are fast losing relevance to their donors once the amendments go through.
This is an old song, I think Zambians must query the PF on the economic performance of the country rather than a matter that has a solution.
Comment: Foolish ka senior citizen you’re just pf cadre roat with yo ignorance zambia needs pipo like fr chiti who press govt on these important issues,if you dont see the need to have a referendum,leave us who have seen the need,we cant afford to be wasting resources into draft constutions each time we have a new president, if pf plans to subject the referendum alongside general elections so as to deprive pipo’s participation in coming up with a cobstitution that shall meet pipo’s aspirations,am ready to use my personal resources to decampaign this selfish motive by pf govt