President Edgar Lungu has invited all Zambians from across the country to be part of the signing of the constitution amendment bill at Lusaka’s Heroes Stadium slated for Tuesday January 5,2015.
The President’s Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda has revealed that Mr. Lungu has also invited people from all the ten provinces to attend the momentous ceremony.
He has told ZNBC News in an exclusive interview in Lusaka that the President is delivering a promise that has been eluding Zambians for many years.
Mr. Chanda adds that President Lungu’s decision to sign the constitution bill which contains the 50 percent plus one , running mate and dual citizenship clauses is the most courageous decision taken by a Zambian President.
He has since appealed to all Zambians to turn up for the festivities meant to start at 11:00hrs with the signing slated for 15:00hrs.
Mr. Chanda adds that Cabinet has informed the President that preparations have already started and will also include military honours.
He says the amended constitution when signed into law will preserve money which would have been used on protracted conversations regarding the constitution.
Meanwhile Some governance stakeholders have welcomed President Edgar Lungu’s assenting to the constitution amendment bill, set for Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
Zambia Center for Inter-Party Dialogue -ZCID- Executive Director, Harace Chilando says the President’s decision to assent the constitution amendment bill is progressive.
Mr. Chilando has since advised people not to disparage what has been achieved this far in the constitution making process, saying it is good that contentious issues have been absorbed.
He was speaking to ZNBC news in Lusaka.
And Anti-Voter Apathy Project -AVAP- Executive Director, Richwell Mulwani has supported Mr. Chilando’s position, however calls for violence-free elections this year.
Mr. Mulwani has further praised President Lungu’s decision to assent the constitution amendment bill, as promised when he was voted as Zambia’s 6th head of state.
does that mean that people should not go to work? what a country
kekekekekeke maybe its now a public holiday called “Constitution signing day”
No thanks. We are NOT coming!! We don’t drink on Tuesday.
Dr. Magufuli would put this event on TV for 15 minutues and spend doing something to inspire the nation. PLO Lumuba says, “…, we just dance…” When will we ever have a serious person in that seat?
GIVE CREDIT WHERE ITS DUE – ON THIS ONE LUNGU HAS KEPT AND DELIVERED ON HIS PROMISE!!!!
BRAVO EDGAR LUNGU!!!!
@Really, whizkid, Nostradamus, 1Plus1 On this one Lungu namibutulusha!!! I see you’re struggling to find a counter move…!!!
Some of the comments here are just more than nauseating to say the least. Why is it that some bloggers here always try so hard to sound smart but because of their myopic approach to everything championed by their government they end up sounding totally otherwise.
Let me break it for some … The scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States is a famous Constitutional Convention that took place at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. To this day, September 17 is designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
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Events are free and open to the public and they are organized by the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens like me and now about to reclaim my Zambian citizenship because of this document, a Zambian American I will become Tuesday, Hallelujah!
When Constitution Day falls on a weekend or on another holiday, schools and other institutions observe the holiday on an adjacent weekday. The day is a public holiday in the United States of America and the law establishing the present holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004.
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In the United States back in 1787, 74 delegates from the twelve states were named by their state legislatures as delegations to the Convention; 55 showed up, and 39 eventually signed. Many would have loved to attend, granted … New York was the national capital at the time but traveling by horse-back used to take days and most could not attend.
ECL is asking as many as of us to attend and at the time of my writing this blog, even though I am currently in the United States, halfway around the world, I can take a flight and be in Lusaka by Tuesday afternoon right before the 15:00 signing time if I wanted to attend.
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For Americans, the scheduled opening was on a Monday, George Washington arrived on the Sunday before … so, what is this nonsense of people rambling that ECL is asking people to come to Lusaka edemas to witness the assent on Tuesday? The Constitution Convention finished deliberation and on a Monday all the twelve colonies at the time constituting the United States gathered and feasted to commemorate a historical event for these great states.
Robert Morris, Congress’ financier for the American Revolution and a Pennsylvania delegate entertained the delegates lavishly because at the time the US Treasury was not in place to foot the bill. The delegates ate supper with one another in town and taverns, enough in preparation for the morrow’s meeting. So, if the smart…
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Robert Morris, Congress’ financier for the American Revolution and a Pennsylvania delegate entertained the delegates lavishly because at the time the US Treasury was not in place to foot the bill. The delegates ate supper with one another in town and taverns, enough in preparation for the morrow’s meeting. So, if the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise decide to show up edemas as delegates fed by GRZ, so be it!
If HH, GBM and Kavindele who are our Zambian modern day equivalent to the American Robert Morris want to foot the bill for all delegates coming to the signing ceremony in restaurants and bars instead of GRZ, so be it!! They are Zambians for crying out loud.
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The Americans of 228 years ago took the signing ceremony seriously and see what they created for themselves … the world’s economic and military power of unequal proportion to the nth index. A home of the free and the land of the brave! It is time to stand and sign of Zambia, proud and free. Our land of work, and joy in unity … victors in our strange for the land because we won freedom’s fight, we are all one … strong and free!
So, for once, be patriotics and run this country. Remember like James Madison and others realized and said “… sovereignty was no longer to be theoretically indivisible. With a wide variety of specific powers among different branches of national governments and thirteen republican state governments, now “each of the portions of powers…
Lastly …
So, for once, be patriotics and run this country. Remember like James Madison and others realized and said “… sovereignty was no longer to be theoretically indivisible. With a wide variety of specific powers among different branches of national governments and thirteen republican state governments, now “each of the portions of powers delegated to the one or to the other … is … sovereign with regard to its proper objects”.
Therefore, let’s take pride in our own document for once … as the last known and standing UNIPist on these blogs, I would like to say, “… Mr. President … thanks a trillion; and thank you once more for doing what several of your predecessors have failed to do for the smart people of the Zambian Enterprise.”
I am B R Mumba, Sr and I…
@BR Mumba, you’re the one trying to be smart-ass. What is 1787 or whatever you bring about your dream USA?
Zambia has a constitution, what your Lungu is going to do on Tuesday is to launch a 2016 campaign.
No catholic bishop or any respectable Zambian will attend signing of graffiti, with misspelled words.
I am B R Mumba, Sr and I approved this message … soon to be known as “a Zambian American” come Tuesday afternoon. Huh, I like the sound of that … let me say it one more time. A Zambian American, what a sweet life!!!
@ Nostradamus … I don’t know about you but I am having a blast! You sound worried, confused and agitated, sorry mate … New York treating badly, huh! It’s a great time to be alive, what a great time to be Zambian … what a sweet life!! I am loving it and I don’t really care what you think. You can hung for all I care … thanks a trillion.
What a sweet life … be blessed, whatever that may mean to you
Do the Amendments of the US constitution require A public gathering, if this was Zambia’s first constitution maybe that can be understood, what people are questioning is the use of public funds, resources and manpower when it can be channeled elsewhere. Hope this will not make Zambia a laughing stock on the international level.
Constitution day is not a US federal holiday, let us not mislead people. It is a day to commemorate the signing of the 1787 constitution in short a day to observe and remember what happened in 1787 but it is not one of the federal mandated holidays.
In short Constitution day is recognized by the Federal Government to commemorate the 1787 signing of the Constitution but it is not one of the Federal Mandated holidays, in short people still go for work but just observe and remember it.
@Hold politicians accountable … This is an enactment of an entirely new Constitution for us not an Amendment thereof. So, your analogy does not apply. The government of the First and Second Continental Congress in the United States was for the period from September 1774 to March 1, 1781 is referred to as the Revolutionary Congress.
The Revolutionary Congress is what declared US independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. From 1774 to 1787, the US had a semi-autonomous Constitution which was called the Articles of Confederation. This document ruled supreme among the thirteen colonies for 13 years more like the soon to be replaced Zambian Constitution did only in our case for 50 years.
We tried to change in 1972, KK could not deliver … in 1996 FTJ dribbled us and Levy tried in…
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Therefore it would be erroneous of anyone to compare the 27 amendments to the US Constitution to this historic moment about to take place on Tuesday. The first 10 Amendments to the US Constitution can be considered part of the original Constitution.
And Amendment 18 was repealed by Amendment 21, which means that in a span of more than two centuries, there have been only 15 amendments to the US Constitution. None of these Amendments needed a ceremony like what happened in Philly on September 17, 1786.
So, you are comparing apples to oranges but let’s hypothesize for a second that this was an amendment even if it is not. Who cares what the world thinks about our own Zambian thing if we want to celebrate.
For all I care they can laugh all they want or celebrate…
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For all I care they can laugh all they want or celebrate with us, I don’t give it a flip what they think. We are Zambians and we are doing our own thing and the rest of the world can do diddly-squat about it!
We are not killing anybody out there, we are shaping our own destiny … so, for once all I can is that we are doing our own thing and it is one Zambian thing to be proud of … thanks a trillion.
Zambia needs to use the right terminology and the lawyers can help us all understand., that is why the country has been spending a lot of money when clauses could easily be amended, and new ones added to the constitution and the ones not needed removed. This should not call for a new constitution every time.Comparing the Signing of the 1787 US constitution and the amendment of the Zambian constitution is like comparing apples to oranges.
Every rational Zambian should care about the un budgeted expenses and the loss of manpower, like others are putting it this can be signed in an office and reported on news.
And nobody said Constitution Day shuts things down … it is observed and just like Tuesday is not shutting everything down, but it is open for observance, pal … what part of that are you failing to get?
I rest my case … thanks a trillion
Constitution day is observed but workers are still productive in America, will this be the case on Tuesday when workers who are supposed to be serving the public will be at the Stadium, how many man hours will be lost and what will be the cost , at the same time people will still claim a full salary.
Who told you it was not budgeted for? Please review your sources, for all we know ABC allocated funds to the omnibus spending bill from our August House during the last budget presentation. Every rational Zambian would know that.
The funds that are lacking involve what need to be spent on the Referendum which will be eventually be referred to as the 1st Amendment to the Zambian Constitution. The funds for that are not currently available.
The upcoming dumbwisa on Tuesday is already paid for.
In 1786 at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia every one that mattered in the US Government new and observed the historic moment … you are stuck on the after effect which was only declared a holiday in 2004 by Senator Robert Byrd (MHSRIP) attachment to the spending bill.
All Civil Servants, every meaning Zambian can be at the Heroes Stadium if they want to … it is our own version of September 17, 1787. What happens next year on January 5, 2017 no one cares just like it took the late Senator Byrd to request for it to be holiday.
Again your points of argument are totally off … helter skelter they are.
Have the loss of man hours been budgeted for to attend the signing of the constitution and the payment of full salaries, Zambia currently has a deficit. How much was budgeted for the constitution process and how much has been used, were there other cost saving alternatives that were not utilized, can every Kwacha be accounted for and said to have been used thriftily.
Again comparing the signing of the 1787 US constitution to the amendments of the Zambian constitution is like comparing apples and oranges. Let us not just support methodologies for the sake of supporting them. Let us for one put the interests of the nation above political affiliations. Yes Zambians wanted 50+1, Running Mate, Dual Citizenship however this can be implemented using cost saving measures.
Sata said (lied) 90 days. How many YEARS ago was that?
Please Mr President wait I buy a plane ticket from Australia as I am a citizen of Zambia. Heroes stadium will be filled with 13 million people. I am coming Mr President.
@Hold politicians accountable …
It appears to me that you have cognitive dissonance issues and until you prove me otherwise, there is no sense in continuing this debate with you. Your straw man fallacy is not working, pal … each point you bring in gets debunked and instead of acknowledging your insufficiency you immediately run to another subject matter.
All that running is not adding value, you keep losing and running to something else … I am not oblivious to tactics of your kind and so just so you know, one of the things about freedom, is that you have the right to be wrong, a right to be a skeptic if you so choose, even a right to be … just like you have the right to fill in the blanks.
It’s a free country … thanks a trillion.
Everyone is entitled to their views and opinions and should be debated with respect and facts , emotions or personal attacks or illogical party arguments will not add value to building our nation Zambia. Everyone one of us should be above board and be committed to our nation above all party affiliations and hold whatever Government of the day accountable.
This makes me proud to be Zambian. As a people we can achieve a lot if we focus more on what unites & makes us strong rather than always fault-finding & being judgmental.This is a great achievement Zambia!Thank you once again Mr President, MPs from both sides of the floor, all those who applied positive pressure in the back ground, etc to achieve this historic event in the young life of our nation. Good & strong systems of governance are what this country desperately needs & this is what the new constitution promises. It’s never been the so called political messiahs who sell the unsellable – we’ve had many of these before & they have all failed to deliver because governance has been weak in this country & easy to manipulate. God Bless Zambia!
“He has since appealed to all Zambians to turn up for the festivities meant to start at 11:00hrs with the signing slated for 15:00hrs.”
5th of January is a working day just after a long holiday ..and people insult me when I call this empty tin in State House an utterly Lazy Bum who wants to call another holiday.
Cabinet has not declared the day a holiday – so what is your problem?
He is just signing a dodgy Constitution amendment bill, for goodness sake! Not saving the world, let alone Zambia. How much resources will be spent on this populist self-indulging ceremony? He has invited ‘all Zambians’? That’s somewhat reckless, isn’t it? No work?
AS WE STATED BEFORE NOW WE ARE GOING TO WASTE MORE MONEY JUST FOR PEOPLE TO WITNESS THE SIGNING OF THE JAMESON AMENDMENTS? ON THE SECOND WORKING DAY OF A NEW YEAR? FELLOW ZAMBIANS WE NEED TO GET SERIOUS. THESE ARE JOKES! SIGN THE JAMESON AMENDMENTS ON LIVE TV AND LET PEOPLE GET BACK TO WORK.
A poor impoverished country wasting money
Like you told me Mr. President when you were minister of Justice. WELL DONE!!
Zambia is just full of negative and retrogressive people. instead of celebrating a once in a life time achievement they are busy denouncing it. For once we have a president with balls to give the Zambian people what they want but we still have nonsensical and negative comments. For f sake this is the first time the constitution is being people driven and being amended in 50 years. shouldn’t we really cherish this? We all know that PF did not support the 50+1 vote and dual citizenship but the president has respected the will of people even though thats not want he would have wished for. Lets be happy and proud for our well meaning president.
Chimbala@ is the issue of civil servants participating in elections only after 3 years of their resignation be part of what the predident will sign on Tuesday?
Comment: Well done, Mr. President, you have fulfilled your promise. Let the people talk, whilst your legacy will be recorded in the history of mother Zambia. You have done your part, the lord bless you and keep you well.
For once we have a President in Zambia who speaks action. Anycase people in opposition, the likes of BR Mumba Sr, will say all the analysis to justify against a good act. just like the devil will justify for you to do wrong. we should not follow such detractors
All negative comments are coming from UPND maniacs. Learn to play safe for the country
This will be a great day, we asked for this finally Lungu has done it. Condemning the day of signing is immaterial, this has to happen, this is historical and RIP those that have missed and will miss the signing ceremony as they too might have contributed to this document and where looking forward to this day. Viva PF, viva Lungu
Well done Lungu!
Well done Zambia!
Next stop is the Barotseland Agreement.
We the Barotse wish our closest neighbour Zambia a Happy Constitution day.
I see a lot of people congratulating only one person. i.e EL. A lot of work was done by a lot of people & EL is just there at the right time & place. He basically had very little choices of stopping this process & it was going to weigh heavily on his campaign. Most Zambians have very little analytical skills & never spend time to read & research on anything. Some people have a never a read a single book for 20 – 30 years & we still want to call ourselves a progressive nation.
Most people do not even know what they are applausing to, the constitution is doggy, it’s a working day it does not matter what business you do, if you go to the stadium you will lose out on business and mostly Edgar will be wasting lots of tax payers money in terms of security and stupid dancers who do not even know what they are dancing to….anyways we are mourning about this and other things meanwhile it’s going ahead just like anything else that goes on……pf are doing all this because they know their position in the election otherwise they could have changed their ways…..the country is going down and down…..stupid ceremonies all the time.
I am happy about dual citizenship. It is a smack on Kabimba’s face.
God bless Zambia. If you can’t say something good about somebody, just shut up.
@Hold politicians accountable, thanks for challenging some nincompoop. This is Zambia and not America so comparing Zambia to America is like comparing Apples to Orange (I would say to salt). This is an amendment and not a new constitution can some people get that right please. Secondly, we have read in some media that K20 million will be spent, for this function. Really what are our priorities? Medicines, electricity generation, food security or signing ceremony? I guess the answer is obvious. If any one tells me it was budgeted for, then I guess he/she does not know how many important government activities were not undertaken last year due to inadequate funding. Laslty, yes we need the constitution, all we are saying signing it the bill should have been at reasonable cost considering our…
No one is obliged to attend. Being invited does not mean you must attend.. Stop. The negativity Zambia Chalo Chesu!
This is a big deal! Let’s cele brate it. It’s true as the saying goes haters are going to hate no matter what.
Anyway to all positive minded people this is a big deal. Congratulations Zambia!
@Hold. You are so worried about expenses Ni Mpiya za nyoko.
This is tax payers money, public resources, if you are not concerned and willing to hold the Government accountable then it explains why Public services are of low quality and you should take full responsibility for your attitude and it is unfair for you to be in the western world enjoying the fruits of productive Governments and citizens who know how to hold their Governments accountable.
@BR Mumba – Stop comparing the historic signing of a peoples’ Constitution in the USA in 1787 to the amendment of a still largely colonial Constitution in Zambia. The process at arriving at the amendments to the Zambian Constitution do not legitimise it as a people’s original or new Constitution. Here I am not referring to content, but process and the reckless decision to spend money on an irrelevant lavish ceremony. Lungu can sign in his office (if he has one – seeing as he is always up and about) It appears what has tickled you to no end, Mr Mumba is the dual-citizenship clause – behaving like an overly excited kid, after being handed a lolly pop.
Am Just happy for those wth dual citizenship because am one of them, which gives me confidence and guts to stand as the future president of the republic of zambia. what a sweet life.