The Non Governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has charged that the proposed amendments to the Republican Constitution has nothing to do with people’s interests but based on personal, narrow, and selfish interests of some the members from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party.
NGOCC Board Chairperson Sarah Longwe said that she is concerned with PF proposed amendment of the Constitution barely a few months after the enactment of the amended constitution.
Ms Longwe noted that the motion moved by PF Mwansabombwe Member of Parliament (MP), Rodgers Mwewa in Parliament on Wednesday to amend the Constitution to remove popular clauses that were proposed for inclusion by the Zambians themselves, who are the owners of the document is unfortunate.
“As an organization and civil society in general, we believe that our position for rejecting the piecemeal amendment of the Constitution was precisely to avoid some of the flaws that are now being witnessed,” she said.
She reaffirmed the need for Zambia to embrace a wholesome people-driven process that would completely repeal and replace the current Constitution.
“We note with concern mischievous attempts by the ruling party to now want to remove the majoritarian clause, requiring a winning Presidential candidate to get 50 percent plus 1 vote, from the Constitution so that the country reverts to the First Past the Post system,” Ms Longwe bemoaned.
She said the act shows that there is no understanding and appreciation of the need for separation of duties between the main legislation arm and the local governance system that now excludes Members of Parliament from the local councils.
Ms Longwe observed that the attempts to bring back the position of Deputy Ministers with no reference to the proposed structure of provincial assemblies and proportional electoral system that were set aside during the last Parliament sitting is a concern.
“In a period when the country is faced with serious cash-flow challenges, it is difficult to imagine a government that wants to pay a blind eye to a matter requiring magnanimity in the wake of rising cost of goods and services,” she noted.
She explained that It is clear that the added value of Deputy Ministers is almost nil given some of the experiences shared during the last government as it is considered to be unnecessary cost and is unacceptable.
“NGOCC wishes to reiterate that the Constitution belongs to the Zambians and not one political party, therefore, Zambians must be at the centre stage of giving unto themselves a Constitution that embodies the fundamental human rights and as well as promotion of good governance,” Ms Longwe explained.
She urged Parliamentarians to desist from further proposing amendments to the Constitution and recommit to citizens aspirations by doing the rights thing.
Ms Longwe said the Constitution making process is about Zambia, therefore, it must be driven by the people.
Its the foolishness & docility that they see among the citizenry that’s driving them. Zimbabwe is where it is because the citizens chose to speak good english while Mugabe was raping their country.
Learn from S.Korea & they are protesting in streets. I’m already there.
PF are so selfish! These thieves are not the answer to Zambia’s development.
The 1mbeciles saying it’s Pf selfishness are maad. Are you not the same cunts who were suggesting a revisit of the constitution because according to you it’s it has a lot of flaws. Mps are only responding to your suggestions. If it suits you then its ok and if not then it’s selfishness.
@Techilema are you saying the amendments don’t suit us instead they suit you? No very wrong, the constitution should suit all of us that is why any amendment should be through a referendum.
The most selfish of all is CHAPONA NGULU.He has taken small fuctked uup actions in order to blind fold the unsuspecting masses.actions like closing the post,sucking kambwili,national fasting day , religious minister.he attempts to close the entire private media,what the fck is he doing.At the end he will be so drunk that he will even attempt to hide behind the NEEDLE.Chi-colour uyu alibe nzelu,every morning he wakes up thinking of where to hike hike hike the prices.he is up to no good for the zambians.His MPs are busy laughing in parliament as if everyone in the country is happy.Ma tall-lay yenu ba fee-colour.
Since Zambians are so docile, any politician in the ruling party can propose changes or do anything and everyone would gladly take it. These PF thieves are doing what they are doing because the people have allowed them to do anything. The big thief Lungu has already tested that the waters are too shallow and he can run up and down without any consequences.
The DOVE failed to fly.CHAPONA NGULU is busy hiking hiking hiking prices and HIDING behind the bible.
all they do is talk talk talk and talk some more no action and when you ask them why no action? they tell you we are working in the back ground but in the background they are receiving brown envelops and 4x4s like the ones Edith Nawakwi received recently…this constitution will be mutilated to suit their needs and nothing will be done about it by the people….
The minister of Education should quickly revisit the MOU signed between some churches and govt. What is it that churches are contributing to schools for them to claim that they run school apart from churches getting 30% of whatever money the school receives. If government sends grant to schools churches will get 30% if pupils pay school fees churches will get 30%. This move is making school fees in mission schools to be high.Missionaries built their own schools and paid their teachers.
Let us take this to the streets to show them that we are not interested in this nonsense. That minister who is proposing that bill is being used. After Lungu gets what he wants that man is gone.there are in afraid and in a hurry to cover up what there doing. They in 2021 who ever comes in government will prosecute them.All loving Zambians stand up and fight for this injustice. Whether you are from the East, West, North, South please on this let us show them that we can defeat them. This cause is non partisan politics.
Comment: Constitution can not be changed by a click of few people. We are over 12 million in Zambia we have more than 10 political parties in Zambian. So we can not allow one political party PF to change the constitution we are not a one party system. Even during the one party system of Dr Kaunda UNIP used to ask the people. So how can one person from PF propose in the morning then first reading the following day second reading the following day. Then since PF are many in the house they will Vote and win. We do not want to change the constitution by few click
I now believe what one artist said in his song tht we are just ladders they use to go higher and plucky rip fruits and eat them from there with out thinking of the pipo who helped,now is they want to change this they want to change that.see mutati laughing and enjoying with the wife as if they are representin something good to the pipi of zambia,but its i want to hike thiswe want to hike that, where the hell do you think you are driving the poor zambians to!!!!!
Bushe where are the Zambians who stood against Chiluba’s third term bid??..Are they all abayashi? Imwe bantu pulizi, napapata why are we letting our nation go to ruins? Ba PF sure …are you human beings or animals??
Greedy animals who dont get enough.
What is wrong with the amendments they want to make? Which structure in the world does not have a vice or deputy? Didn’t we all complain about the new constitution? constitution court and supreme which is supreme? Stop fighting them but work with to come up with the amendments that will help the country
why was it removed( deputy minister) in the first place?because it was just a drain on our national resources and avoidable, period.How much did it cost to ascent to this constitution amendment? colossal amounts were spent/misapplied .we must have a lean govt bane without any wastage . this has what has caused the country’s economy to get to the dogs.
We are being ruled by thugs that only think of their interests. Unfortunately Zambians will only react when they start starving to death
We voted PF into power and if they feel the new constitution is an impediment to their plan of developing this country why not amending it? Tell us what is wrong with those changes not insults. I Thot NGOs will now submit limiting MPs to two terms
“We voted PF into power…” NO WE DID NOT!
Lungu and his PF LIED and RIGGED their way into power. By closing independent media, manipulating G12 forms and servers at ECZ, and corrupting the Constitutional Court!
PF has organised a COUP by STEALTH! And Zambians like you have swallowed it! They have no plan for developing the country. Do you call LOAD SHEDDING and MEALIE MEAL at K107 a bag planning? The plan they actually have is just to BORROW MORE and how to STEAL IT!
@Smith, even DC’s line of work is not properly out lined at the moment D. minister was even worse.The poor and an educated people who are actually in larger numbers who thought are being represented by people they trusted Will reduce the cost of living just doubled it and they can’t say anything most of them are saying now ati “twaligonga”.Smith tell me wat commodity has been reduced after the elections ‘non’ but our income (we only rely on God’s grace) u c it’s who see these people now the work with there heads down hoping one day one day just one day (but it’s only been a few months from election and already they are filling the heat).Tell me which minister or MP has eaten once , paying for his own fuel moving in air conditioning luxurious vx’s and loadsheded.let me high…
Zambians are like a child who is told fire burns and still wants to see if it really burns. After getting burnt the wound is so painful and the scar is irreversible. When will Zambians learn? W#hen a genuine person comes on the scene He/She is either a cabbage or a Tribalist. A few individuals bribe you and you sing their ‘Dununa Reverse’ song without even thinking that they actually are declaring the reversal of all the progress that the so called ‘cabbage’ made in this country. Look at Kambwili and his selfishness, loud mouth, advocacy for the closure of the progressive private media and just the sarcasm to the electorate! Anyway the tower of Barbel will fall and God is not man that He can be fooled!