Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has called upon all stakeholders to embark on educating Zambian citizens on its contents in readiness for the referendum to be held on 11th August 2016.
In a statement released to the media, TIZ Executive Director Goodwell Lungu noted that that the provisions of the Bill of Rights among others will help in making the State to be accountable to the citizens and that stakeholders will only waste time at this hour if they concentrate on debating the process.
Below is the full statement
TIZ PLEASED WITH PROGRESSIVE BILL OF RIGHTS RELEASED
Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) is pleased that the just released Bill of Rights is progressive and would like to urge all stakeholders to embark on educating Zambian citizens on its contents in readiness for the referendum to be held on 11th August 2016. We have noted that in the past, stakeholders have spent a lot of time debating the process of enacting the Constitution thereby denying citizens an opportunity to be educated on the contents.
TIZ notes that the provisions of the Bill of Rights among others will help in making the State to be accountable to the citizens. Some of the key progressive elements of the Bill are that it will guarantee the rights of freedom of expression, assembly, association, access to information (which has been a long cry and demand by most governance CSOs), equality before the law, youths and children’s rights, social, political, legal, economic and cultural rights of citizens.
The Bill further guarantees the freedom and independence of the media in article 23 (1). The key elements noted are as follows;
11. (1) The Bill of Rights, as provided for in this Part, is fundamental to democracy and constitutionalism and shall be the basis of Zambia’s social, political, legal, economic and cultural policies and State action.
Recognition of role of civil society
12. The State shall recognize the role of civil society in the promotion and protection of the Bill of Rights.
Access to Information
22 (1). A person has the right of access to information held by the State or another person which is lawfully required for the exercise or protection of a right or freedom.
Enforcement of Bill of Rights
57 (1). A person who alleges that a provision of the Bill of Rights has been or is being contravened, in relation to the person, may apply for redress to the Constitutional Court or to another court which that person has immediate access to.
58. The President shall, each year, when addressing the National Assembly, report on the measures taken by the state in the realization of the Bill of Rights.
In December 2015, TIZ through our Vice President Mr. Joseph Kalungu Sampa, recommended that in moving forward, stakeholders needed to focus on ensuring that we have a campaign that will ensure that the 2016 National Referendum adopted the remaining progressive articles. TIZ wishes to reiterate its consistent position that stakeholders will only waste time at this hour if they concentrate on debating the process.
In its view, now is the time to educate the public on the contents of the Bill of Rights. TIZ shall disseminate the Bill of Rights, mainstream and educate the citizens on its contents countrywide, using all its platforms that will include, workshops, radio and TV programmes and its website and Facebook page. For avoidance of Doubt, we have herewith attached the said Bill of Rights
Goodwell Lungu
Executive Director
Transparency International Zambia
You can download the Bill of Rights Below
Understanding that is beyond a cadre…cadres are not different from diapers…See even if a diaper sh!tted upon, urinated upon and stinks, it will continue protecting the sh!tting azzhole until it is pulled down. Because there is no thinking involved..That how EZC is behaving…a its a puppet extension arm of PF and wants to confuse people on that material day, by bringing two thinks to vote for on the same day…Only the literate can vote here without hardship of understanding the two different issues..and this, will even confuse vote counting deliberately to make PF make it back, against the masses
There is a third option, which is to vote NO. PF have not formulated the referendum question, they have not publicised their Bill of Rights and they have not explained how people who cannot vote in the elections for not having voters cards but can vote in the referendum with NRCs all in the same room. Clearly the easiest option is just to reject this PF nonsense and VOTE NO.
Belo yalila ngilingili…!!!
Corruption/Manipulation OUT …… Good Governance IN
PF Panga Violence OUT ……… Police IN
PF Cadres in Market/Station OUT…….Councils IN
Tribalism / Nepotism OUT…… Ubuntu IN
Road block/RATSA theft OUT……Road Safety IN
Abuse of Office OUT ……… Accountability IN
Hunger OUT ……. Household food security IN
Discrimination OUT…… Respect for All Races/Tribes/Beliefs IN
Inflation/Weak Kwacha OUT………Prudent Economic management IN
Madala 65 years retirement age OUT….Youths Jobs IN
Lack of medicine OUT……. Good Health IN
Private property inversion OUT…… Respect for property IN
University closures OUT…. Good education IN
Lungu~RB~Siliya~Kaingu~PF OUT …… HH~GBM UPND IN
Thank you TIZ. You are the only NGO making sense. We get so blinded with political emotions as Zambians & take many things for granted. Some have just elected to see no good. I’ve never seen a group of people so misinformed & unconcerned about the Constitution they were crying for simply because they prefer somebody else without even the will to do it. Wake up & read the Bill of Rights Zambians. It is for you & it is all in your interest. You may never get this gift that God has provided again. God Bless Zambia
You must be the only one who has seen the PF manipulated Bill of Rights. Even its author, Simbyakula, does not want to be in Parliament to discuss it after August.
@Back Teeth, the BoR has been published the past 2 weeks in the Daily Newspapers. Check pages 16 to 18 of today’s Zambia Daily Mail even. I can also confirm that it is not manipulated. It is the same as it was in the Draft Constitution which was widely published. Approach this important national issue with an open sober mind. The BoR does not belong to any 1 or party but to us Zambians & it shall be with us for a long time just like the amended Constitution which some attempted to politicise but were only embarrassed because they can’t justify why they opposed it in the 1st place.
My brother or sister “The Chosen One”, am thinking more of our folks in our villages who have no access to the Daily Mail. They will need more information to decide for either a YES vote or NO. I think this very important process is being rushed. I for one am worried that people will vote wrongly just because there has not been enough awareness raising.
I am not in the habit of copy and paste, I will do this one because I like the content of it…
Belo yalila ngilingili…!!!
Corruption/Manipulation OUT …… Good Governance IN
PF Panga Violence OUT ……… Police IN
PF Cadres in Market/Station OUT…….Councils IN
Tribalism / Nepotism OUT…… Ubuntu IN
Road block/RATSA theft OUT……Road Safety IN
Abuse of Office OUT ……… Accountability IN
Hunger OUT ……. Household food security IN
Discrimination OUT…… Respect for All Races/Tribes/Beliefs IN
Inflation/Weak Kwacha OUT………Prudent Economic management IN
Madala 65 years retirement age OUT….Youths Jobs IN
Lack of medicine OUT……. Good Health IN
Private property inversion OUT…… Respect for property IN
University closures OUT…. Good education IN
Lungu~RB~Siliya~Kaingu~PF OUT …… HH~GBM UPND IN
Good governance you are boring us with your monotonous whining. Give us a break an stop whining please. The writing is on the wall and you are in for a rude shock. PF will carry the day on 11 August, period.
It is contradictory to educate voters in order for the voters to do the very opposite of the intended outcome. The debate over quadruple elections involving electing the President, the Members of Parliament, the Councillors, and the Referendum remains inconclusive. The right decision for the civil society would be to continue to peacefully decampaign the referendum in order for the voters to force government to respect the wish of the majority. That is how democracy works.
And what is the wish of the majority sir? To deny themselves better rights and freedoms? How do you know this majority? Before recommend something test & see whether it is bad for the country in the 1st place. It is important to make an informed decision rather than rush a decision based on untested information you hear from partisan interests. Read the BoR & see whether it is really bad for you or the country. You may regret your posting after that. God Bless Zambia.