The Civil Society Constitution Agenda (CiSCA) has strongly condemned the targeted attacks on their member, ActionAid Zambia, by some ruling party agents for simply speaking out against moves to amend the Constitution.
Interim Chairperson for the newly created Civil Society Constitution Agenda (#CiSCA) Sara Longwe said they will not be cowered by attacks on one of their members by thugs from a named political party.
Ms Longwe said the Constitution is every citizens right and responsibility to safeguard from mutilation by selfish politicians.
“As CiSCA, we stand in solidarity with Action Aid Zambia, and reiterate their observation that the proposed amendments to the Constitution are not reflective of the wishes of the Zambian people, but are based on personal motives and selfish interests of specific Members of Parliament who are pushing for them at the expense of public interest.
“The Constitution is a citizens’ document to which Action Aid like any other institution and Zambian Citizen, have every right and responsibility to safeguard it from mutilation by selfish politicians. The Constitution does not belong to the ruling party and their cronies and therefore, should not been seen and taken as a preserve of MPs or the ruling party. All Zambian Citizens have a duty to defend, resist or prevent anyone from overthrowing, suspending or illegally abrogating the Zambian Constitution,” she said.
She added “We are not shaken by these attacks on our members. No amount of intimidation will silence us or stop our message of people driven constitutionalism in Zambia. Just a few months ago, the same Patriotic Front celebrated this constitutional amendments using tax-payers money, and now they turn around and tell us their amendments are not good for the nation. What has changed? How can we trust them and/or their motives?”
Civil Society is irrelevant in Zambia. You had the chance to campaign for progressive inclusions into our constitution through the referendum but NO, you had a point to prove and now you dont want changes that will clarify vague clauses in the constitution e.g. when does the 14 days start and end so that liars don’t waste the court’s time by trying to show that they under the law better than judges.
There are no vague clauses but vague interpreters.
Where was the Civil society when constitutional judges refused to hear the petition. Zambians had a chance to hold unprecedented mass mobilizations, and these civil societies should have been the leaders of organizing such. Even is it was PF petitioning or any other party. As this not about politics but insuring constitutional obligations are fulfilled & every citizen’s right to heard is protected.
CiSCA – koma pali ma NGO pa Zed. Does this mean citizens themselves cannot tick unless some funding is sourced from overseas to run their causes? Yaba!