Chimfwembe Mweenge the FODEP Executive Director said it is his organization’s considered opinion that President Lungu should have waited for the report from the Minister of Justice whom he said should be receiving submissions from stakeholders on the constitutional amendments including the holding of the fresh referendum on the expanded bill of rights.
He said his organization believes that people must be allowed to exercise their reserved power through elected members and established institutions through a national referendum on arriving at the People Driven Constitution as recognized in the Republican constitution.
He wondered how the Patriotic Front party will deliver on its pro-poor electoral mandate if not by securing their social, economic, political, and civil rights in the expanded bill of rights.
Further Mr Mweenga accused the PF of backtracking on its major electoral promise to the Zambian people when it promised to deliver a people driven constitution within 90 days and the same to be adopted through a national referendum.
He said FODEP is of the view that the only way the country can enjoy these 2nd generation rights is through the holding of the referendum to amend the constitution to include the enhanced Bill of Rights thereby making them justifiable in our courts of law.
Mr Mweenga was commenting on President Lungu’s statement that the country will not have a referendum before 2021 because it is too costly.
Don’t trust any President who had sex with Dora Siliya, Chiluba, Rupiah, and Edgar. Bottom power got them confused.
Hatred will never build a nation. Imagine your preceded candidates became president and people from all works of life acorns him. Just swallow your tribal inclination and work for the development of your country. 1diots like you keeps praising how developed USA is while forgetting that it was developed by Americans themselves. Why harbouring so much hurt against your own country and your country men.
Why should FDD be concerned with president Lungu’s comments on referendum?
FDD should be concerned about UPND’s behaviour – the behavior of HH who stops and hinders the referendum from success.
The enemy of referendum is not Lungu, but HH and his UPND cadres.
Unless UPND and their leaders HH and GBM express repentance about their stance, there is no need for the president to be bothering himself commuting resources to the process.
My view is that let priority areas receive funding until UPND stops politicizing the process.
Like all despots, Edward thinks its up to his benevolence to give us a BoR. They take advantage of our deitifying them to ra.pe us with their small willies.
SOME ORGANISATIONS HAVE LOST CREDIBILITY AND RELEVANCE!
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Have just dropped from Pluto and missed the happening between January 2016 to August 11. What makes you think people will not reject the referendum again? Get real and give GWACHA EGADY A CHANCE. A good one for that matter.
I am NOT a FAN OF LUNGU but on this one I would say he is right! I wish FODEP and other stakeholders in the governance of the country could CONCENTRATE on IMPROVING THE ELECTORAL PROCESS so that WE AVOID CONFLICTS and WORK TO REMOVE CONTRACTIONS AND AMBIGUITIES IN THE CONSTITUTION SO THAT IT BECOMES LOGICAL AND EASIER TO INTERPRET! At the moment EVEN LAZ IS SCARED TO COMMENT ON CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS FOR FEAR OF INTERPRETING THE CONTENTS WRONG!!
You think this silly man lungu cares about referendum when he has just managed to steal an election and then also fought hard to stifle legal rights of oppositon and private citizens. All what this rat care about now is how he will swindle dwanzy zambians into being ok with him getting another term. He needs more time to steal while you poor zambians continue to suffer. Wake up. #lungumustgo
He is thief.He cannot be trusted…
The folly of a certain section of Zambians to personalise or trivialise such an important national agenda by prioritising tribal or sectorial interests robbed the nation of an opportunity to enjoy 2nd generation human rights that will probably never come again. Some of the comments above show that some people still think this is a game. I fear this playful attitude & loss of opportunity will haunt this country & generations to come for a long time until another leader with political will as President Lungu comes our way. Zambia lost in the end because of selfish interests disilusioned that the referendum was for a political party & not for Zambia
What is the point of extended human rights when the current constitution is not being followed? This is an exercise in futility. Zambia under PF, especially under Lungu, is no longer about laws. The referendum was all about protecting the Presidential and ministerial terms in office. It was the small print and not the long list of human rights that Lungu wanted to protect by seeking a referendum for any amendment on them.
Lungu does not understand and accept the current Bill of Rights so why would he go for an expanded Bill of Rights? Lungu does not understand even though the Referendum failed the Bill of Rights exist and is administered by the High Court. If Lungu understood the Bill of Rights then he would not be making the argument that the High has no jurisdiction over the Bill of Rights. It is our Constitutional Right to be heard in Court, marry the woman of our choice,to join a Political Party of our choice, to go to church of our choice, to vote for a candidate of our choice etc. The cost is not an issue. The real reason for violating the Bill of Rights enshrined in our Constitution is to repress the People of Zambia in his quest to achieve a one Party state Dictatorship. If Lungu believes in the…
Lusaka times, what’s the problem. Why re you not vetting out these two fo0ls Lombe and NEZ who are intellectually challenged and always resorting to insults. We can’t have such low level manguams on this block.These iliots need to be dismembered urgently
The president is right why go for another referendum if its costly. Zambianso let’s move on campaign time is over we only have one Zambia
Why should FDD be concerned with president Lungu’s comments on referendum?
FDD should be concerned about UPND’s behaviour – the behavior of HH who stops and hinders the referendum from success.
The enemy of referendum is not Lungu, but HH and his UPND cadres.
Unless UPND and their leaders HH and GBM express repentance about their stance, there is no need for the president to be bothering himself committing resources to the process.
My view is that let priority areas receive funding until UPND stops politicizing the process.
Has Lungu just woken up from the dream of misusing public funds? He is never serious and shot of saying he hardly knows what he is doing. This the same person that carries a huge number of time wasters to UN summits at a huge cost. Yet he claims and sings a song of saving money. Is he now sober?
Iwe @ ‘Peace for Zambia’, there is a difference between FDD and FODEP. One is a Political party and the other is a civil society organisation. The story is about FODEP’s concerns, not FDD
I think if you have used Android device before, you will realise that words can actually be changed.
You would not even have spent time to use you effort on this write-up.
You would have saved the energy.
I have not been on LT for nearly a month or two (?). You mean you still have this poppycock of a man–Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu–as your president? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. No wonder the country is falling apart. Very sad.
revok the licence from mazhya
ndu
Revoke the licence of LUNGU!
He has killed more people than Mazhandu!
Mutinta, you are behaving the same way….democracy has free speech. By the way it is a BLOG not ablock
This is the problem with our Zambian NGOs, they open their mouths at a wrong time and when it suits them, who does not know who FODEP is, everyone knows that it is a subsidiary of UPND. Where were they during campaigns for the same bill or rights they are now blaming ECL, all the NGOs were mute as if they did not exist now they have woken up from their dreaming. Instead of protecting the people they choose to support HH. Mr. President you are right let them wait until after 2021 or may we should do it the same way along the elections, I am sure by that time they would have learnt a lesson.
What about the Referendum we had in August 2016? Or is it that the outcome must have iterations until it becomes a YES? We had an overwhelming NO thanks to those who de-campaigned it, and in my opinion that is what the will of Zambians is, i.e. We don’t want an enhanced Bill of Rights.
A thief will always remain a thief if no repentance is committed. Someone was given a simple task of selling a bag of maize on behalf of a Farmer and when a customer was found, that person sold the bag of maize at K20.00. Unfortunately, what was declared to a farmer was only K5.00 as a cost of the bag of maize. In justifying, he indicated that the bag was not in good shape and the probability of selling it at a higher price was almost nil. Before, the man was tasked to sell the maize on behalf, there was no blagging that he was rich and after that assignment, the Man started blagging that he was a rich person; honestly, how? Therefore a ‘tief’ will always remain a ‘tief’. Now this person would like to have more of it by trying to become a Market Chairperson. As for FODEP, they were in…
Money must be found unless those at the helm of power do not want zambians to enjoy rights. This is evident in the way rights are being abused. it is straight forward and there is no need to argue otherwise.
Donars can be found because they are interested in eradicating abuse of human rights.
What does HH say, since he managed to convince people to reject the Bill of rights?
According to the records, Referendum for the bill of rights failed and we should not be discussing of the failed project. It is just like Brexit where the UK is pulling out of the EU. Britain did not spearhead for another Referendum. Therefore, people in Zambia have spoken by way of failing the Referendum. Why going back for the event that some of the bloggers here assisted in failing the process? Anyway, what does the law say in terms of a failed Referendum?
Bapongozi, yes poppycock of a man as you call him is still here and he will be here until 2026 so ulimbe he is going no where, if you do not want him to be yr president just hung yourself as Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu is here to stay as your president.
A referendum costs billions of Kwacha. If Fodep has money let them finance it.
Only last year, people were being told not to waste time voting in a referendum. Have you now sensitized them about its importance?
Is it ECL who was telling pipo that if you vote yes you are voting for PF? it is folly for UPND and its affiliated NGOs to start pressurizing the President to bring back the referendum issue. You got what you wanted by telling pipo not to vote yes. Zambia has many challenges that need to be worked on and not a referendum this time around. It is also very sad that educated Zambians can pretend a referendum is not expensive when they know it is another election. what guarantee do we have that the threshold of pipo to vote will be met for it to be recognized as a majority decision since in a referendum all those with NRC have to vote. what with pipos’ apathy when it comes to voting. I guess some pipo just want PF to waste money on non issues so that they have campaign points. PF be careful…
Is there no period you can wait after voting? People voted and they don’t want the constitution to change to amend their rights. Those who voted No won why do you want to subject it to another vote. If the opposite happened could have asked for change apapene? Let us enjoy democracy respect your friends vote until a certain period.
Voting in a referendum is one and getting what you want from there is another.