Friday, March 29, 2024

Stakeholders who supported ‘constitution parley route’ now disappointed – Mweetwa

Share

INFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Chishimba Kambwili (r) and Choma Central Member of Parliament Conelius Mweetwa stand together as matchers (not in picture) pass. This was during the Youth Day celebrations at Choma stadium
FILE: INFORMATION and Broadcasting Minister Chishimba Kambwili (r) and Choma Central Member of Parliament Conelius Mweetwa stand together as matchers (not in picture) pass. This was during the Youth Day celebrations at Choma stadium

Choma Central UPND Member of Parliament Cornelius Mweetwa says it is very clear that most stakeholders who supported the move by the PF Government to take the constitution amendment bill to Parliament are now regretting.

Mr. Mweetwa said that stakeholders who mean well for the nation opposed the parliamentary route knowing too well the damage the PF would cause to the final document.

Mr Mr. Mweetwa said that it was now apparently clear that the PF has duped and deceived the Zambian people on the constitution making process.

Last night, Parliament overwhelmingly agreed to remove the mixed member proportional representation clause from the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment Bill) National Assembly Bill (NAB) Number 17 of 2015.

The House voted 110 in favour of pending the proposal with 39 objecting and 1 abstaining.

This followed protracted debate by members of parliament (MPs) on whether or not the clause must remain on the bill.

The Proportional Representation Clause sought to increase the number of members of parliament by 94.

Overall the Amendment Bill number 17 of 2015 seeks to amend non-contentious issues in the 1996 Republican Constitution such as 50 percent plus one Presidential Electoral Threshold and Vice Presidential Running Mate Clause.

Minister of Justice Ngosa Simbyakula in proposing an amendment to the bill meant to remove the proportional representation (PR) clause said this was necessitated by the need to provide for further consultation.

“We are proposing that the proportional representation be packed for the time being for further reflection and consultation to a later stage. The Patriotic Front is not discarding this principle of PR. We thought the people of Zambia should further reflect on this proposal,” Dr Simbyakula said.

Meanwhile,

32 COMMENTS

  1. A constitution is a dynamic document. Trying to come up with a document that will meet all our aspirations in one stting is a fallacy. The justice minister is right by packing the clause on MPR for the time being. When the time is right the house will go back and perhaps then it will be appropriate for the country. The issue of just copying phrases from western democracies may haunt us in the long run. Let us move slowly and have a document that is appreciated by most our pipo and one which is localised

    • but kambwili!! ,,,, the man is just beer fat and he thinks he a mpeta!,,, look at how he is standing, `threatening violence` to kachema mweetwa….,,,,, this constitution was a BIG LIE and waste of time,,, Sata tricked you and he died with his 90 days tricks,,, and you dummies are still fighting over bones

    • munjali you are a slow thinker and you forget easily. This document was debated by people for how long? only God knows. In all the provinces where the people who were tasked to come up with this draft constitution went, this clause was supported. Why do the current crop of PF leadership think they think better than all Zambians? and you support that thinking? Obviously it shows how blinded you are.

    • Where is Nevers Mumba now? It is true what they say that politics has failed him. Go back to preaching. You cant be trusted if you can still be cheated by Pathetic Failures (PF) on every issue.

    • What do you mean that the time is not right? When will it be right? Do you even understand why this MPR was proposed? Lets not support people who make changes to their advantage. History has shown that such manouvres only come to bite us in future. FTJ tried to bar KK in 1996 only got caught up himself denying his Kafupi father. Sata and MMD changed a law on car theft to punish Vera’s boyfriend but Sata ended being denied bail for failing to return his official car after they lost elections. Why is PF scared of MPR?

    • Munjali
      Or whatever you call yourself. Clearly, you have never been a scholar of constitutionalism and you would have done the readers good service if you restricted your arguments to your profession. It could have done you good. The constitution is a people document,and if you had those views,time to put them forth was during the review commission! Just in case you would dare me for an exhaustive debate,i can take you on so long we debate issues, theories and how they work and would fail in various places. You have always on the other hand believed that free Ed is impossible up to university but Tanzania is en route to that.

  2. I THINK PATLIAMENT MEANT WELL. WHEN NEW DISTRICTS WERE CREATED, THE UPND CONDEMNED THE MOVE AS BEING EXTRAVAGANT. BUT DO WE NEED ALL THESE MPS. INFACT MOST OF THESE WILL STILL BE PF SEATS. HERE I SUPPORT THIS MOVE.

  3. A document as important as a constitution taken to a partisan parley can only happen in this cursed house of prayer. In a normal society morally upright MPs would have been carrying out indabas in their constituencies before going to debate & eventually vote. But then most of the !diots in parley (who are a reflection of us the electorate) cannot think beyond their sokanda filled bellies.

  4. Iwe monko mweetwa, nothing wrong with removing that clause..! Y increasing MP numbers…? Don’t be selfish…! U guys are just wasting tax payers money…!

  5. PF meant their word. All the important clauses are still there. Can we now work. Enough of this unproductive urguments. UPND should learn to support where good things are being done or else they will lose even the simple sympathy people have for them.

  6. Ulya Palya Nichi Devil Upnd Are Confused Even The Way They Debate One Can Tell That This Mp Was Told What To Say. THE TRUTH WHY UPND WANTS MPS INCREASED IS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY CONTRIBUTED TO THERE PARTY TO ENABLE THEM PAY BACK CREDITS THEY ACCUMULATED DURING BY ELECTION. DONT SAY PIPO HAVE SPOKEN WHEN U DONT EVEN VISIT YO PIPO. UPND MPS ARE VERY BAD THEY ALWAYS WANT AND WISH PF TO FAIL WHICH IS REASON WHY U WILL NEVER RULE THIS NATION. WISH YO FRIENDS WELL AND HELP THEM TO SUCCED AND PIPO WILL SEE AND APPRECIATE BY VOTING FOR U. SAME MPS WALKED OUT,SAME PIPO WANTS GOVT CUT SIZE OF CABINET,NOW WANTS MPS INCREASE BY 94 nonse

  7. Zambian are not objective. That’s why we are a poor nation. Spend all the money gathering information and then come and do what a few fools want.

  8. Christians let’s pray hard against satanism brot by UPND lead by Hopeless Hypocrite. They have brought a spirit of confusion,hunger,anger etc to tempt people n wek against PF n gain saport. They know that HH is finished com 2016. Viva ECL

    • Which Christian would pray for a party that decimates the economy, plunges the Kwacha and skyrockets prices??

      UPND are way ahead of PF; HH lead our nation out of PF quagmire

  9. Only a banana republic takes its most sacred document to the political vultures of MP’s for amendments.MP’s are greedy foxes whose selfish interests always come 1st.

    Let independent experts draft a document,collect voters input and then subject it to a referendum for approval or rejection after a period where both supporters and opposers of the document campaigning for their cause.Anything other than this route is just feeding the foxes.

  10. Why do you delight in misleading people? Since when did ‘PENDING’ mean ‘CHANGING’? Please we dealing with a national and not a partisan document; therefore we need to behave as Zambians!

  11. Yaba PF carders are very shallow minded and your PF. First of all we have the original and this useless stuff you’re changing is going to be revealed come election time or later on. How can sane people think it’s okay for us to have more districts and more Mps with no money. Mr president talked about cost saving measures, is there any one with brains in this party, the country is failing to take care of it’s own problems now how are we going to take care of 94 greedy proud useless Mps.

    • China, you’re so full of insanity yourself as can be seen from your confused post! Never comment on matters without understanding!

  12. I said this yesterday and last week – that document was created by politicians, clergy, students, marketeers, kaponyas, the youth, the physically challenged and many other stakjeholders. I repeat a sub group from that larger group of stakeholders has no right to make changes on their own. When someone says some people are dull for following the PF position its being kind. Its ridiculous to believe Kambwili and co have our best interesst at heart.

  13. @end of hh! Of adding yo scraped Comment: which God do you worship to be precicly! Because the truth itself has it that pfools are themself to be blamed due to thier heed of consulting to the sangoma gods- which are pure blood suckers at work. God forbid! Its true you guys need prayers & not playing around you fakaz with the constitution issue ok! Indeed the clause of increasing the number is very inevitable!

  14. In New Zealand the change of their flag has been subjected to a national referendum. The MPR is working well and the fruits are there for their people. The Maori who are the earliest migrants to New Zealand, despite being minority vis a vis whites have representation in government and command respect. So instead of increasing people’s representation in Parliament PF has opted for a bigger number of ministers thus increasing the control of a presidential on the affairs of the people.If you have no brains to debate issues keep quiet. Tired of your insults.

  15. @China
    You spoil your debate by using rough language. There are brains in PF. The issue is that PF has the same ideology of putting more power in the presidency than in the people. Certainly people like Hon. Dr Simbyakula earned their degrees genuinely and deep down his heart he knows that MPR is superior to having more Ministers. Ministers are not only more costly to the tax payer but are all appointed by one person. Ministers get both MPs allowances and Ministerial salaries. He knows that having a running mate vice president is much better too BUT short term personal benefits outweighed his judgment. The idea of losing a Ministerial position and going back to the miserable UNZA salaries scare him to death. He is just human. PF does not believe in democracy but in one person…

  16. Stop insulting Zambians for advocating for the clauses PF have removed.If you care to recall these clauses have been included and overwhelmingly supported all along. If Our voters the majority of whom may not have cared to see through the ideological orientation of PF had known they would certainly have thought twice about voting for PF. By increasing the number of members of the Executive wing thru appointing more Ministers and refusing to increase more people’s representatives you have denied power to the people to control government. The Auditor General’s Reports will continue to gather dust and undisciplined public servants will continue to do as they please provided their boss the President is happy with them. You have been robbed of your heritage as a people to rule yourselves.

  17. The opportunity to cut down on costly by-elections has been lost. The opportunity to fight corruption in government has been lost. The MPR system and appointment of Ministers from outside Parliament was meant to strengthen the people’s power to put a check on the exesses of government. Government would have been compelled to work for citizens as opposed to what is happening now. By allowing a Parliament dominated by one party to adopt our Constitution we allowed people with an interest to put in place what theiron party wanted and not what the majority of Zambians wanted. Certainly Ministers would never have supported clauses which would have seen them out of their ministerial positions even if they were to win their parliamentary seats in 2016.. By allowing parliament to decide on these…

  18. By allowing Parliament to decide on these issues it was like asking fish to scoop water out of their dwelling. They cannot destroy their own source of power and lavish lifestyle. It is Zambia 0 PF 1. Own goal.

  19. @leadership, from the bottom of your heart do you really believe the new constitution is worse than the old constitution? I strongly believe that if you take time to look through the new constitution you’re likely to discover that what has been achieved with the new constitution is transformative stuff. All the previous Presidents were scared of this level of dilution of their powers. You’ve to give credit where it’s due. Now we have a situation where the Preaident has to comply with constitution otherwise he will be dragged before the constitution court (accountability); an autonomous central bank; an autonomous auditor general; an abudsman etc. This is progress by any standard. God Bless Zambia.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading