Government has launched a consultative process which will lead to Zambia coming up with a position on whether to leave or remain a member of the International Criminal Court(ICC).
Minister of Justice Given Lubinda has said that 2 million Kwacha has been allocated to the process which will be conducted in 30 districts across the country.
Speaking during a media briefing in Lusaka today, Mr Lubinda said citizens will be required to make their submissions to a team from the Ministry of justice.
Mr Lubinda said that President Edgar Lungu respected the constitution and that sovereign authority vests in the people of Zambia.
Mr. Lubinda has further appealed to the media to help sensitise people on the consultative process which starts next week Monday.
He said the consultative process will culminate in a report for cabinet to make a decision.
And Government has assured the nation that it will not influence the countrywide consultations on whether Zambia should leave the International Criminal Court or not.
Mr Lubinda said that was the reason why Cabinet has not come up with a position on whether Zambia should leave the ICC or not.
Mr. Lubinda said that government does not want the consultations to be a partisan issue, but a process which reflects the wishes of the Zambian people.
Mr. Lubinda also said that the ruling Patriotic Front equally does not have a position on the matter and will not engage in any campaigns for or against Zambia’s membership of the ICC.
Asked whether government has reflected on the consequences of Zambia leaving the ICC, Mr. Lubinda told journalists that government does not want to get involved in discussing the matter, before adding that government desires that Zambian citizens discuss this matter on their own.
Zambia became a member of the ICC in 2002.
wrong priorities,use that money to alleviate poverty by setting up small scale farms and give them the k2million,this will help.why is pf scared of icc.
Zambia will remain a member of ICC with or without ECL.
In my right as a Zambian, here publicly cast my vote against the Rome Statute that birthed ICC. I hold this court in contempt of moral justice on many fronts. Henceforth join the Jewish State of Israel and the USA in rejecting ICC mandate over our land. No apologetics though a strong advocate of the Democratic peace theory.
What e…. is ICC ? I can’t wait violent kaizer to pick up a fight with PF ministers who are for ICC.
To me that K2 billion is worth used on Synagogue of All Nations, PF thugs need salvation.
From beating females officers at stadium to beating to death of a ZAF officer.
ICC headquarters should be in Woodlands.
The stupidity of it all is that whether we stay or leave it makes no difference except that in this case it will cost us some serious money……I have never seen such folly in my life …Yuck!
This country is truly run by empty tins!!
WHERE DID THIS WHOLE ICC WITHDRAWAL TALK COME FROM, STOP WASTING OUR LIVES. WHO IS SO KIND TO DONATE THE K2M WHILE YOUTHS ARE YEARNING FOR SUCH RESOURCES.
Waste of resources because the outcome is predetermined.
UTH did not have water for 2 weeks, 2 weeks…and here you have this empty canister wanting to waste money of ICC because his silly Lazy boss thinks its a priority.
Silly fooools!!
Just yesterday these people shot down a motion to fund our young people’s education at UNZA. Today they suddenly have the money to fund useless venture that 90% of the citizens know nothing about.
Who are these people really serving?
This is absolutely ridiculous from these incompetent do-nothing administration. Constantly looking for ways to waste taxpayer’s money and getting some kickbacks — they have no understanding of priorities whatsoever. Leaving ICC is not a priority at this time when people are literally starving and dying trying to get something to put in their empty groaning stomachs. Walk to a man who is starving and ask him whether he wants Zambia to leave the ICC and most likely he’ll punch you in the face for your stupid1ty. Moreover it’s mainly people with dictatorial tendencies who have been vocal about leaving the ICC. So the question is, why is Lungu so eager to see Zambia pull out of the ICC? What’s he planning to do, become a full fledged dictator? Please PF administration get serious. You…
(Continued)… have a solemn responsibility to see that hunger is eliminated in the country. Worry about the country’s economy, education, healthcare, jobs, infrastructure, agriculture etc, instead of wasting money on this silly and misguided “consultation.” Shame on you.
@ Nostradamus, Pepe and others,
Indeed where lies Zambia’s priorities? I can of course go to Wikipedia for what ICC is but who has information on how Zambia became a member in the first place what was the attraction? All of a sudden it has become a matter of urgency that K 2 million gets spent consulting whether to opt out or stick with this club! Which districts will the exercise be conducted? I hate to even think how the composition of participants will be in terms of being conversant with the ICC, their level of education, whether it will be in form of answering to the question “Should Zambia stay with the ICC?” etcetera, but this is a waste of resources which could have otherwise helped to try and rebuild the trust image of the judiciary among the citizenry. Our leaders’ way of…
contd….. choosing what is of priority is as good as a piece of drift wood! They only are concerned of citizens’ concerns when its election time! Why can’t citizens be afforded an opportunity where these ministers can answer questions from the general public. Time allotted by programs as ‘Let the People Talk’ is just not enough!
Why not put that money to good use by fixing the justice system; employing young thrusting lawyers to fast track prosecution or acquit those who have overstayed in our prisons without trial. These characters don’t really have a plan for this country.
Bwana Minister I for one never used to think you can think so low… I had respect for you not until you started towing along ECL s lines. What are you afraid of? You are fearing to go the Chishimba Kambwili way? Come back to your principles the way we know you. By the way just look at the comments on this page, well sampled because the paper is randomly accessed. 90% do not agree with your useless bill.
I remember this Given Lubinda guy condemning MMD for planning to use K2 billion(unrebased) to purchase tear gas to disperse street vendors, according to him that money was supposed to be used to buy drugs, etc. Now what’s the difference here iwe za yellow. These politicians awe sure. Za yellow stand for one thing, not ma flip flop aya. Atase!!!
Lungu wants to unleash violence on the opposition parties in 2021.
ICC or not you will be held accountable for all the blood shed. It’s not a matter of membership, you will be judged by your actions.
Because of indecisiveness of the leader now you have to waste money. Cabinet can discuss and make a decision. Mediocrity of leadership
Zambians are f$$lish and so are the people they put in power. PF now thinks that the biggest thing there will be on the world stage after Brexit will be ZamICCexit id.ots.
Why waste such an amount on a straight forward issue?We should just remain a member of ICC.
The only people who are afraid of the ICC are African leaders who are planning to kill their own citizens. Private individuals never go to ICC.
Why has this not been tabled in Parliament instead of wasting money asking cadres with a ‘Mob Psychology”.
They just want to give their caders jobs from the 2 million kwacha.
They have failed to provide real jobs now this how they employ their caders to carry out consultations among the illiterate.
What is 2 million kwacha for such a project? This is a joke
Knowing Lubinda very well, half of that K2 million will mysteriously end up in his bank account. That’s how Given Lubinda operates – corrupt and rotten to the core!!
Where the hell did you get these jackals?
Faith, like a jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even from these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope.
in africa, we’re a problem, if we leave ICC our President will turn this country to a animal farm. being a member of ICC is also not good for us, how can you allow someone else to be supervising you? nonsense ! when are we us zambians going to grow and do our own things?
know how to keep, protect, guild, teach our brothers & sister.
know how to be in peace with neighbors.
know how love our enemies, eg Edgar loves HH and work together to develop the nation.
How is the 2kwacha going to be spent , if someone makes a submission the he is paid an allowance? just made a quick calculation assuming 6million zambians will submit then each will get 0.3kwacha , well this alot of money for just submitting a yes or no, its better than nothing
Wow, that is $210 000 USD! That is a lot of money. Most people in Zambia who will be interested in this issue have smart phones. Why not just create an online survey? That will be way cheaper!!
Is this a priority surely?
Only criminal leaders are afraid of the ICC.
Why now? We have lived all these years without discussing ICC. We have been peaceful and were not bothered with ICC from KK to Sata. Why has this just become an issue now. What is wrong this time that we should even spend money for a yes or no. When people start destroying this and that just know that they are scared of something. The Post at taxes, LAZ it has become political, now ICC. HeeeeeHeee. I don’t know where we will end.
You have done well to ask.
I have noticed that most of the people who have posted their comments here lack knowledge, but they are not aware so they speak from absolute imaginations.
Look, the AU raised this matter in the last sitting and called on members to bring a position in the next sitting.
This is what has prompted the government to carryout a consultative process with the citizenry to arrive at a collective position.
This is not only being done by the Zambian government, but many AU member states.
It is not an idea born from sleeping and then having bad dreams and nightmares, then coming up with the process as some opposition supporters perceive. I hope that helps!
In conclusion: ignorance can be very embarrassing.
Yes it was mugabe, MU7 and dose Santos pushing to quite the ICC.
How much of what you wrote here is a fact and how much is a figment of your imagination? KK left office long before the ICC was conceived (1998) or born (2002).
You see what I always say, Peace? these upnd fanatics don’t understand basic principle of governance! They are the same characters accusing President Lungu of wanting to leave the ICC. I don’t know where on this planet such consultative excercises don’t cost anything, but GRZ comes up with a mechanism that will include all Zambian so we do not regret the decision that follows like the referendum and still PF and President Lungu are at fault???? Just like the upnd mps, even the supporters are like brainless zombies who can’t analyse matters and make an independent decision unless their tribal god hh says so. EXTREMELY SAD!!
Total waste of money. Going to ask a man/woman who hasn’t had food for days if Zambia should leave ICC. Misplaced priorities!!!
People are stampeding over a plate of food & MMD-led PF00Ls prioritize the pleasing Al Bashir.
K2million can build 200 small dams for vegetable farming among villagers.
PF focussing on the wrong things as always.
Zambia should exit from ICC because its a Neo-Colonialist tool meant to supress former colonies. Why is it that the ‘Greatest Democracies’ like the USA dont support it ? Dont look at it subjectively coz you would lovd either HH or ECL to be locked up in the Hague. Wherez your pride Africa
This money should have been used to pay tuition fees for vulnerable students that the govt failed to put on bursaries. PF govt has not priorities at all.
Meanwhile the bill of rights will be delayed because there is not enough money in the country to push the process that will lead to the Bill of rights…..
WOOOOW…
Just when you think illegitimate Lungu’s PF Govt has reached rock bottom and exhausted all possible bungling avenues, they re-invent themselves. They now think they are the law unto themselves.
Lubinda is out of his mind. He says “Lungu respects the Constitution” when he has abrogated the Constitution several times. Lungu abrogated the Constitution when:
1.He kept the Ministers in their posts after Parliament was dissolved in 2016.
2. Lungu broke the law when he refused to resign and handover power to the Speaker of Parliament while the Petition was being heard
3. Lungu has blocked the Petition Hearing and denied the Petitioners their Rights to be heard in Court.
4. Lungu was illegally sworn in to power without a declaration from Concourt.
Illegitimate Lungu has no respect for Zambian Constitution as shown in the handling of the Presidential Petition.
PF should change its name to point of order party,
kekeke.. POO party
Well ba Given,
Let me save you the agony of a referendum, The straight and simple answer is that the people will vote against it. So there you Have it. The bill is only 10% of your budget. Invoice on the way.
Kenya and South Africa are soon gonna leave the ICC and the biggest and most powerful nations like USA and China are not even members of the court.Even Russia announced back in Nov 17, 2016 that they’ll leave this kangaroo court so why not Zambia?
Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Gambia, Nigeria, Singapore, the UK, Japan, Germany are in the ICC so why should zambia leave now because a few dictators in africa like mugabe and MU7 have been pushing to leave ?
F00l1sh priorities, give that money to bursaries for students that desperately need it. Don’t you get tired of duping people out of public funds. What are you people scared kanshi?
Only criminals are afraid of the ICC. Why is Zambia a peace loving nation shunning a criminal court?
It’s lungu.
the PF dont like courts.
Or accountability….they never account for any money including the billions borrowed or the millions from toll gates…..
Wasteful leaders and visionless indeed. Atase!
Interesting ?! I thought these guys were comfortable with the petition but just realised they are dead worried. Only two things here: 1. Either the petition is giving the president sleepless:nights
2. Or Lubinda is looking for ways to make easy money.
What a curse !!
Both are right. Also add it is a usfull vehicle to provide some temperal employment for caders seeing the 500,000 jobs by lungu are yet to show.
Was there consultation when Zambia joined the ICC? I do not remember.
Did govt consult the people when joining the ICC? If yes, then govt must respect the will of the people and Zambia must remain a member. If no, then who decided on our behalf for Zambia to join the ICC?
These PF f00ls want to waste money which could be used to better our people and this young boy Lubinda thinks with his corrupt bosses that by leaving ICC they are free. leave but we shall deal with all of you locally. but my advice is keep Zambia with ICC and we shall have some compassion on you
I don’t know where you get information from. KK left office BEFORE the ICC was conceived (1998) and adopted (2002)
What has gone wrong about ICC, all these years it has been a good thing but due to high selfishness among some politicians they want to get read of it, Zambia shall b part of ICC for it is.
Its the fear that these pfools will end up at the ICC because of their crimes against the Zambian people .the other reason is that they want to divert attention from the petition
Waste of money people in the hospital have no medicine. Talk about which can help people. May God bless you all.
Why is the Illegitimate Lungu govt spending K2m to find out if Zambia should leave ICC or not? Give the K2m as Bursaries to UNZA Students or give it to UTH so that they can fix the water crisis. Why is Lungu not taking the issue to Parliament? With President Barrow in power, Gambia is no longer leaving ICC. Concourt in South Africa has blocked Zuma from leaving ICC. In Zambia under President HH there will be no need to leave ICC. We know its illegitimate Ngwazi Edgar Lungu who wants to leave ICC becoz he has committed crimes against Zambians.
hh talks of PF blocking bursaries, his brainless followers agree without question. Didn’t hh and upnd campaign no against the Bill of Right which guaranteed education?? AU meeting asks member states about exiting ICC, President Lungu comes back and says GRZ will not make a decision until it consults widely locally, brainless upnd followers shout out Lungu wants to leave the ICC?? Really, is this the st.u.p.idity and low calibre thinking our political development has sunk to??
Zambian citizen,
We also know that it is mugabe, MU7 and Bashir of Sudan pushing AU to leave the ICC.
Also the ex Gambian president who refused to handover power after losing an election was a main instigator.
as some one above asks , what has suddenly gone wrong after so many years in the ICC ??
spaka, you disappoint me. read 10.1 PEACE FOR ZAMBIA: the issue came up at the AU. President Lungu vividly said GRZ will not make a decision until we consult widely. Whether it is Mugabe, Museveni or anyone else who came up with it, the issue was a collective AU decision of which Zambia is a member of!! Now which part don’t you understand or you are so full of hate and bitterness for PF and President Lungu that you can’t even read what he says?? If majority submit to this fora that we stay in the ICC, then we stay, simple.
“He said the consultative process will culminate in a report for cabinet to make a decision.” “Asked whether government has reflected on the consequences of Zambia leaving the ICC, Mr. Lubinda told journalists that government does not want to get involved in discussing the matter, before adding that government desires that Zambian citizens discuss this matter on their own.” SO SPAKA YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS ISSUE, GRZ WILL SOON ANNOUNCE HOW YOU CAN DO THAT.
I hope am dreaming this story is not true!
Zambia the land of money waisters.
Devilish things are really going on in Zambia right now. It is only criminals who have no regard for people’s money. A responsible parent cannot use family money in this way and tell his children there is no money for them to go to school.
The ministry of foreign affairs is the ministry that is supposed to handle the icc case .This is a legal issue that is not domestic and anything not domestic is to be handled by foreign affairs. The icc can not be completely understood by the justice ministry because that is international politics at play . The ministry of foreign affairs is supposed to have a legal department that handles legal affairs that is international law but am sure it does not have because it does not understand its role. Zambia what is wrong????????
Me thinking, how much did it cost South Africa to announce its withdrawal form ICC? Nothing! Why should it cost us K2m. This money will just go into the pockets of politicatians. STOP THE ROT AND JUST STATE YOUR POSITION – ARE YOU FOR ICC OR NOT.
Consultation is tested strategy in a democracy. Consultations need to be planned in great detail to avoid wasting time and money. Consultation around the country is also welcome. However, the voices in the districts must not overshadow technical expertise available at UNZA Law School, LAZ, Law development Commission, Human Rights Commission and competent individuals around the world. In short, the voices of the people must not be instrumentalized unless the country has been through the national referendum.
All comments withstanding this article and announcement is grossly incomplete.
Which are those districts and what criteria was used to select them
The ICC hasn’t been a problem until South Africa led an unsuccessful bit to come out of ICC because of the issues that surrounded their failure to arrest President Bashir for war crimes against humanity when he visited RSA and it has already backfired on the ANC. It is obvious that the majority of Zambians wouldn’t want to leave the ICC, even just by looking at the comments that are coming through the blog. Why should we be led by another country? Where are you going to get the money to conduct such a non-productive exercise, unless you want to dry the gov’t coffers.
God bless Zambia!
DID our parliament vote for this expenditure? If not then where is the money coming from for it? How many Zambians are really interested in leaving the ICC when there have not been serious cases of genocide or crimes against humanity? Unless the PF know that they have committed such crimes the reason for this rush to cover up their asses!
Someone will be richer after this exercise. What a way of stealing money
Roads in chingola are very bad….bring that money here………this kind of spending is very bad…infact it is evil…
Is this really a priority Mr Lubinda? Why would a country spend so much money on an issue that does not in any way improve on people’s livelihoods. This was a Kenyan agenda and correct me if I’m wrong, it has died a natural death, with the Kenyans not spending a penny on it! Ridiculous!
*****s .Empty tins indeed.2000,000
Mwee mbwaa mweh, twamivotela mulechita ifyabupuba! When did it become our business to save Al Bashir’s skin at the expense of the languishing pensioners? Muletusebanya kuli be UPND.
#senior citizen and Zambian citizen: you are such use.le-ss like the corrupt and thugs politicians who want to leave ICC. The AU is a usele-ss institution which depends on funding from the Colonia masters whom you are condemning. If Zambia is a peaceful nation why is Lungu supporting his tin pot friends to go out of the ICC? Fuseke.
There is so much impunity in the country and leaving the ICC may drug the country into war. Already there is war fare in Lusaka. With state Police being induced to rob women by lawyers.
Court Marshals are being induced to effect Judgements so where is the impartiality of justice in Zambia.
All citizens musk know where to run to if war breaks as so many injustices hVe been inflicted on us and Government owes us a lot. There are crimes against humanity to be probed. So Let’s set up an Extraordinary chamber in the courts of Zambia to see if we do not need the ICC, than to waste money
This is a pre emptive strike by Jameson. He knows that all roads lead to ICC.
Why spending so much money on icc consultative. Teachers and medical personnel posted as way back as October last year are still not being paid salaries. You are spending on irrelevant things at the expense of poor Zambian…………….for what????????????? and who will even benefit at this in time. What is given Lucinda and PF rushing for.
Reading the blogs gives the impression of the calibre of us Zambians. This is in fact a democratic principle which is being applied, but because of incessant hatred for Lungu everything is confused in the minds of the haters. When Britain decided to have a vote on whether or not to exit the EU, all these UPND kaponyas were there and did not see anything wrong because that was democratic. To go further the British Govt. or politicians even campaigned over it. So Mr Lubinda you have a right even to state your position about the ICC issue it is democracy. Just like HH and his vice can say what they want or feel about it. So do not apologise there is nothing sinister about your support or lack thereof. So let the headless chickens go round in circles.
It is an open secret that PF wants to leave the ICC but thinks we are fools but masking it through a fake consultative and allocating it our taxes so they can steal as they always do. Just go ahead and pull out without wasting money. We know you want to make sure your thugs like Kaizer Zulu and his masters are protected from justice at the international level since you have totally compromised the local judges
.5 LUBINDA YOUR FOUL MOUTH HAS ALREADY STARTED SALIVATING. BIG BUCKS COMING YOUR WAY.
This country is run by some brainless, selfish and greedy people, we have hospitals with no medicines, we have people that want to go to universities but their parents are poor farms who get their farming input from the very government in February and the government won’t give students the money needed. Worse more they want to buy what the poor farmers has worked so hard for at a give away price. You are busy wanting to rob Zambians of their little hard earned money through ZRA whilst for you and your families, you live comfortably and sleep very well, God will definitely punish you. Pure hypocrites, I do hope you sleep very well at night!!!
The strategy of this crooked PF thugs to get majority Yes votes is to brainwash the poverty stricken illeterate folks in the country side. Instilling fear by proclaiming that ICC is a demon that will arrest the leadership and even the local chiefs to be imprisoned in a foreign country
@Kev Munde, how much did Britain borrow for the exercise? The fact that we’re leaving on borrowed money is reason enough for us not to compete with a developed country like UK. And by the way, this site does not only belong to PF and UPND cadres. It is open to all who care to see Zambia move forward – keep that in mind before you drown in your partisan vomit. Atase!
Ala efyo nachilafwaya ukubepusha naine? Ati brexit are we talking about Britain?
KEV MUNDE you speak well from your anus
Save the K2million, we will need the ICC to deal with UPNDonkeys like hh and his running mate when they start fanning violence.
Mr Terrible, long time. How are you ?
How much did we spend when joining the ICC??
Who and whom was consulted??
Given, please use that money to buy solar lights for the town centre, Kafue and Great North roads – yhabhaa!!
Mr Albino stop this nonses,PF’or the point of order party POO part has developed several ways of sphoning money from the national cofer.it is like their stealing harbit has reached its higest pick
This is hypocrisy of the worst order. We have been crying for a referendum but have told that there is no money. For this useless thing, money has been found. Now we know that this inept government is just scared of the referendum because the Bill of Rights will hold the government accountable to many things. This is shameful for Lubinda to start doing things that will add no value to the Zambian economy.
But you had a referendum and majority voted no as well as a hardcore decampaign from our opposition brothers. So whose to blame, the government that gave us a referendum or US THE PEOPLE who rejected it??
The “consultative” will go like this;
Should Zambia leave the ICC? 1. Yes 2. No
Vote Yes if you think Zambia should leave.
The “consultative” should go like this;
If our Leaders steal from you, the Zambian people, should they appeal in court at the Hague and get locked up, if found guilty? 1. Yes 2. No
The bottom line is you can twist the so called “consultative” to get the results you want. Why are you scared of the ICC if you serve your people well with a pure heart, high morals and impeccable integrity? The AU is like a “club” with a few noise makers who are scared of the ICC because of what they do and they want to influence leaders like our President who are new or might not have a voice in the “corridors”of power.