The Law Association of Zambia has challenged President Edgar Lungu and the PF top leadership to distance itself from Paul Moonga’s proposal to extend the term of office for elected officials from five to seven years.
LAZ President Linda Kasonde said Mr. Moonga’s proposal is threatened assault on the constitutional right and freedom of Zambians to elect and remove elected leaders.
Ms. Kasonde said LAZ is gravely concerned by Mr Moonga’s proposal and is of the considered opinion that the purported rational for this proposal which is that it is expensive to hold elections every five years is flawed.
She said in a democracy, a government derives its legitimacy from the people of that country because democracy is a form of government of the people, for the people and by the people the process of consulting the people of a nation over who should be their leaders is not cheap.
“The whole essence of democracy is that the people of a nation should have the freedom to vote in leaders of their choice and vote them out when they fail to deliver on their promises to a nation,” she said.
She said LAZ is of the opinion that any attempt to extend the constitutional presidential term of office threatens that freedom of choice.
“Mr. Moonga’s proposal is reminiscent of the third term debate that arose in 2000 when suggestions were made that the Constitution should be amended to allow President Frederick Chiluba to stand for a third term in office,” he said.
“At the time, similar sentiments to Mr. Moonga’s were expressed by President Chiluba’s sympathisers in an apparent bid to test the mood and sentiments of the people of Zambia on the issue of the third term. The response from the people of Zambia was a massive anti-third term campaign which forcibly quashed the moves to amend the Constitution to extend President Chiluba’s term in office.”
“We also note the earlier unsuccessful attempt to extend the presidential term in the case of Richard Mumba and Others v The Attorney-General, The Law Association of Zambia and The Electoral Commission of Zambia and Others which judgement was delivered in March 2016.”
Ms. Kasonde said LAZ believes that how and when Zambia’s leaders can be elected into office is a fundamental part of our Constitution and should not be tampered with lightly.
“We therefore urge all elected officials to ensure that during their tenure they work effectively and efficiently to deliver on their promises to the people of Zambia and thereby win their confidence for possible re-election. A political party is not tied to its leader and no elected official is irreplaceable. There is no shortage of leaders in the country who are willing and able to lead the country,” he said.
How can he distance himself when he’s the one orchestrating these calls. He would have castigated Moonga yesterday at the swearing-in ceremony, but he made no mention of it. That gives you a clue…
Moonga was speaking on behalf of Lungu to test the docile community.
Being religious as I know them to be, they will be praying and fasting on this simple matter and some “Bigshop” from North mead will tell them God has agreed.
You are just trying to find a cause where there is none. How do you expect the president to respond to every sentiment that someone give! You very well know that the issue of seven years cannot succeed any where. Zambian people are much stronger and more intelligent than you think they are! Ask one of the opposition leaders will tell you how you cannot take zambian people for granted!
As the head honcho, Lungu should not allow careless talk that might threaten the security of the nation like this. This is why he should have castigated Moonga the boot licker.
Why should Lungu comment on Moonga’s opinion? Is freedom of expression only allowed if someone criticises ECL? Or when Fred Mweembe insults people who don’t like his views? Moonga has every right to hold an opinion over any matter including the presidential tenure of office.
This is a very unproductive country. How can institutions and NGOs waste time commenting on a personal opinion of a PF central committee member? Mr. Moonga categorically stated that it was his opinion and not that of the party or government.
You are very much right @chibs. People want to dwell so much on irrelevant issues at the expense of collective resolve to move the country forward.
Mr. Moonga is a PF official who PF cadres listen to hence he should not use such a platform to air out his personal opinions that will get hungry weak minded cadres confused after drinking PF subsidised chibuku. There are right channels that he should have made such personal proposes through.
What constitution? The constitution died with KangCourt. LUNGU is now a TIN-POT D!ck-tator, like it or not.
Next, he’ll go for 3rd term so that he dies on the throne.
JK please start composing another song to hypnotize these docile Zambians to gladly accept 7 years & 3rd term.
You have killed me! Sadly mob psychology is what works during Zambian elections
Kwata musana, sunsha-sunsha – dununa!!!! As the dancing continues and sweets and booze is thrown the enforcement will quietly pass like the guidance and religious things that are now institutions…
Yes please Mr. President , you have not broken your silence on this matter. Why? I pray that you are not in agreement with this dictatorial style of governance…. 7 years sounds very attractive, but dangerous to us all. Shout Temptation…….
THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS STAYED MUTE ON THIS MATTER SAYS IT ALL.
The president is too busy to be commenting on everything. The economy needs attention and that is what ECL is attending to
Ba laz that was just a Tonga talk. We tongas enjoy to have wamuyaya leaders that’s why hh will continue as upnd tribal party leader because of tongas in that party who wants him to be there forever.
Paul Monga is NOT Tonga – he is RAT and Caterpillar Eater like Lungu – Just Like Gen Miyanda is NOT Tonga!!
What a coincidence. M7 leaves Zambia and all of a sudden the PF find someone to float this nauseating idea. Edward is watching this debate very carefully. He does not want to test the depth of the river with both feet and is betting on the Zambian people not to disappoint.
Indeed Edgar Lungu must categorically distance himself from this 7year term nonsense. even my mongrel knows the current president sits on a usurped seat, as such talk of this extension only adds insult to injury.
Moonga made that statement at the pf secretariat, called media houses; this tells you who is behind the desperate Moonga. The guy was used like a tissue you throw away after using it.
What people must know is that Moonga alone has no guts to tell Zambians that we need to extend the presidential tenure to 7 years. He is beeing used by the powers that be to test the waters. You know how dictators operate. At soem point when the debate is too hot, Lungu will come out and deny any knowledge of the tenure extension. Even the way Inonge Wina asnwered in parliament, you could tell that it was her and Edward who were sponsoring the debate. Inonge was not convincing at all. They are the ones sponsoring the debate so that the church will start supporting them and that will be it. This is the most stup.id thing that a presdient can do. The US has 4 years. What’s so special about Zambia to have 7 years? What development are they talking about? What it is is that if you start…
Mr Moonga has a point. High Elections cost the economy stability. For poor countries it’s worth considering. Spread the cost further apart. This of course means it applies to ALL parties once they are in power. Don’t see how it affects Democracy! Ones clearly not suggesting a ban on elections or the Right to vote. This response shows what a fantasy world LAZ has created itself. There is no indication they have even seen the benefits of spreading costs further apart.
try it ask chiluba he wil tell some things are better left alone
Well PF have the numbers in parliament (even with UPND boycotts) to change the law should they so wish. That my friends is democracy!
The doctrine that the good of the state itself takes precedence over all other considerations, whether morality or the good of citizens must be embraced by all leaders, present or aspiring.
Am made to believe that Dominium is a Latin term that may be translated with equal force as “private property” and as “political dominion.”
Thus, the “state” is literally owned by whichever prince happens to have control of it. Moreover, the character of governance is determined by the personal qualities and traits of the ruler—hence, the phylosopher Machiavelli emphasized on virtù as indispensable for the prince’s success. These aspects of the deployment of lo stato in The Prince mitigate against the “modernity” of his idea. Machiavelli is at best a transitional figure in the process by which the…
What Mr Moonga should say is since Mr Lungu only ruled for 1 year following the death of President Sata he should be given chance to finish his own 2 terms by extending his tenure for another extra years equivalent to those of the late President Sata (M.H.S.R.I.P).
Moonga’s proposal is a form of stupidity of an *****, for the idots and by the *****s