in the August 2016 elections.
Chief Kansanda of the Lala people in Serenje district has urged the Electoral commission of Zambia to send more sensitization officers in the area to sensitize his subjects on the Referendum.
Speaking in an interview his Royal Highness said people in his chiefdom have not head about the Referendum and that lack of sensitization while cause apathy in the vote for the Referendum.
He said with the little information and sensitisation activities in the area, the ECZ risk having no vote in the referendum from the area.
He explained that people can not waste time in a queue to vote in something they don’t understand as some voters cover long distances to get to polling stations.
His Royal Highness explained that he has only seen two ECZ officers and that the area was too big to be covered by two people.
And his Royal Highness has observed that the referendum should have been accorded the importance it deserves by having it separately as the symbols are also confusing to people who don’t know how to read and need a lot of sensitization.
The public continues to be divided on whether to hold the referendum along side with the general elections with some stakeholders suggesting that the referendum should be held separately because of the need for sensitization of citizens.
This is very similar to the Referendum of of Tuesday 17th June 1969
The statememt as it stands on the ballot paper is not clear, at least for me as voter. It does not state, let alone explain the Bill of Rights contained in part III and Article 79 of the Constitutions of Zambia. This looks like an exercise of googlers.
His royal Highness Chief Kasanda’s call is timely. Take heed and bring on board, otherwise it will be a futile exercise.
Whoever formulated that question must be styuid, might be the dull-already-lost-elections Simbyikula.
I tried to translate that to the complaining Chief, now I can understand what he means.
Answer there is : NO