FORUM for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi has requested President Edgar Lungu consider convening a private meeting with United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema before next month’s all-parties dialogue process.
Ms Nawakwi said a private meeting, preferably under auspices of the Church, would build trust and rapport between Mr Lungu and Mr Hichilema and help facilitate an effective national dialogue process.
She said this at the FDD secretariat on Thursday when National Guidance and Religious Affairs Minister Godfridah Sumaili paid her a courtesy call to discuss values and principles related to political parties and leadership in the country.
“This tension should be broken by senior officials before national dialogue starts. We feel that Government is in a better position to bring an end to the fighting among parties,” Ms Nawakwi said.
She said a pre-dialogue meeting would ensure that leaders spoke with one language during the national dialogue process so that Zambia could address the largely electoral law related issues that caused disputes after recent elections.
Ms Nawakwi said time was ripe for politicians to start holding social meetings with a view to discussing pertinent national issues, saying the trend of speaking through the media was not helping in building the nation.
She stressed that the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID) in its present form had capacity to chair a successful dialogue process but this required commitment from major political party leaders.
Rev Sumaili said Zambia’s progress and development hinged on citizens’ readiness to embrace values like patriotism, ethics, human dignity and honestly which Zambians had agreed to enshrine in the Constitution.
She said there was need for people to embrace Christian values, emphasising that this was crucial to sustaining the peace being enjoyed in the country.
Rev Sumaili said Government was engaging political parties over values to help promote decent politics which were anchored on respect and unity of purpose.
She said opposition parties were important to fostering unity in the nation and the dialogue process would succeed if everyone agreed and worked together.
Rev Sumaili said unity was not cheap because it required sacrifice and tolerance on the part of political and religious stakeholders and the general citizenry.
Parties should promote co-existence and unity in their structures so that Zambia could remain stable.
Nawakwi is right.
Nawakwi is right but Amos Chanda and Sunday Chanda will speak otherwise depending on how freedom Sikazwe will advise plus Davies Mwila secretary general without portifolio.
PF is ruling Zambia illegally. The head of its government is a foreigner who will go to jail for impersonation.
There is NO need for it.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Mushota Chief No Minister!
Ba Nawakwi you need to hold a convention. You are in that position illegally. So is HH. HH also needs to state his position on who he wants dialogue with? is it bashi Tasila? or PF president or the Zambian President? clearly without that clarity it will be difficult to set the agenda
Shebele Manda and that is a serious point you raise! However, the fact is even if HH disputes the results, ECL is and has been accepted as the President of the Republic of Zambia! There may be some difficulties on how it came to be but, in the end Ms Nawakwi is right, the 2 leaders must set the pace and not compromise by accept each others positions.
@ Shebele Manda I don’t know who HH would want to discuss with under the Nawakwi request but for the all parties dialogue it will be the individual parties’ presidents.
Edith you’re right but HH is not the kind that would accept anything short of him becoming president. For your information my sister this man had made commitments to certain international groups and as such he’s got no other agenda other than what I have mentioned above.
I have no respect to this hypocrite thief, who has shamelessly been pocketing all the party donations and claiming to be from her laundering businesses.
Nawakwi you are no better than the UPND candidate Musonda a stinking prostitute
Okay, but in what capacity will the President meet with HH? We all know HH’s position, so who is he going to meet?
Who is HH meeting?…Its EDGAR sir. He is already president whether rightfully or fraudulently. Let him take a leading role in this process.
No need for them privately because hh will come out with wild statements on the same meeting. Let all political party leaders meet at the same time. Edith stop thinking in reverse
Villager glad you know this charector called HH very well.
One dialogue ya chiani?is there dialogue in USA after Trump’s victory? Let kainde dialogue with the Toka leya headman
Nawakwi you collected MONEY FROM HH and LUNGU you conned both of them you criminal
There is absolutely no need for that to happen!!WHO IS HH?HH is very selfish who wants to be Zambian president through a back door!!
In what capacity will HH meet ECL,a person he does not recognize as Zambian president?Moreover,if that happened,Kainde would come out of such a meeting big headed and make weirds statements about ECL and PF!!Kainde must be left to rot alone in opposition because us voters are determined to retire him via the ballot in 2021!!
@1, 1 is HH ready to accept Edgar as president and what is there to discuss? Any ideas on what should be discussed?
The Constitutional Court caused this problem. If electoral disputes cannot be resolved through this state organ, are we saying there is a higher organ in dispute resolution? If electoral disputes cannot be resolved by the Constitutional Court, what then is the Court for? Let us all agree to disband it. What saddens me is that no one is able to explain how allowing HH and GBM to present their evidence would prejudice anyone. In any case the other side would have a chance to scrutinize the evidence. Is the evidence so devastating that the other side realizes that allowing it to be presented would spell doom for them? This is the logical conclusion of any disinterested by-stander. No one benefits from weakening or causing cracks in the national fabric by not allowing justice to be done.
@ chanchima, well put well said. Also for as long as minions keep putting conditions to the dialogue then it will not be sccessful. Let be a dialogue without parties interfering.
THE CONSTITUTION SAYS 14 DAYS. NOW ITS CLOSE TO 2 YEARS AND YOU WANT TO HEAR MORE EVIDENCE. WHAT EVIDENCE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU HAVE 3.5 PROVINCES AND YOUR FRIEND HAS 6.5 PROVINCES WHAT MORE DO YOU HAVE?
HH had 14 days to present their evidence. After stipulated 2 hrs exams you don’t ask for more time once invigilator has left exam room without your paper. Hope you have understood logic behind the issue
@Sosa mwaice, I agree.
Also, the ConCourt had no power to extend the 14 days limited by the Constitution.
Here is what Article 103 (2) of the Constitution says,”The Constitutional Court shall hear an election petition relating to the President-elect within fourteen days of the filing of the petition.”
And here is what Order XV Rule 7 of the Constitutional Court Rules, SI No. 37 of 2016 says,”The Court may extend time limited by these rules, or by a decision of the Court, EXCEPT WHERE TIME IS SPECIFICALLY LIMITED BY THE CONSTITUTION”. [my emphasis]
Dialogue is for all political parties, No for HH and ECL. The other problem is ECL is head of state therefore it should be HH and Other political party Presidents shoula appeal to ECL to meet them. Nawakwi inclusive.
Nawakwi has nothing to offer to this process all she is waiting for is another free for all general ‘erection’ in 2021 to screw unsuspecting political parties that she can deliver a clear win for all of them, and avoid a 50+1
Bamayo aba ubuule nabapesha amano; Anto-Nyoo anakile fye nokuya na HIV AIDs mu PF
Mwapya ayisa cinokole mukalamba
Yes nawakwi is right these are the women we need in society …..but wait didn’t she also get someone’s husband kikiki
Ba Rev AVOID please pali ebola apo; Chiluba DEAD, Dr Davis DEAD, Munkombwe almost DEAD, Hambulo almost DEAD, Gen Tembo DEAD, Zimba almost DEAD, Ruddolf DEAD, Peter Zimba almost DEAD, Mulonga DYING SLOWLY, the list is endless banensu
For what?
HH can dialogue with Mmembe, Brig. General, etc.
He wants to be relevant when he is irrelevant.
Chisenga, Jean Bonheur and your ilk: Go on weakening the national fabric. My reading of literature on failed states – and I would encourage you to find the literature and read it also if you have not done so already-(Zambia not yet a failed state; it’s a weak state) indicates that things start deteriorating slowly until they reach a tipping point. Even in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Central African Republic etc there were voices that were calling for restraint but they were drowned out by goons. And when the tipping point came, there was no one left to hold things together. When a state fails, it doesn’t matter if one contributed to its failure for one to get affected.
All your comments are correct depending on from which party you belong. However, Zambia being a Christian Nation as we claim to be,we are warned by Jeremiah that Religion without Justice is deception .Jer 7: 1-15.
And Wynter the SWIPE specialist; Nawakwi also wants to be relevant via fraud and deception
Edith has made a honest proposal, the only problem is that it may be misconstrued as giving special attention to Hichilema and the UPND. Besides Hichilema isn’t the type of person you can confide in, he always misinterprets issues. So it’s better for everyone to meet at the same time so that if Hichilema isn’t willing to proceed, others can and the dialogue process shouldn’t be seen to rely on his whims and wishes
Yaba! just imagine ka Mulongoti also being part to the process and being accorded the same etiquette like others? Zambia kuti waseka!
And Ex.Commando SIWALE, the meeting might just be thrown into disarray men!!!!!!
Mulongoti!!!!
Msoni!!!
Kambwili!!!
Tayali!!!!
Yaba, this dialogue is for people like Nawakwi and Musonda only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Madam Nawakwi you’re right but our man HH is not a person that can agree that.HH has been leading UPND well over 15 years without conversion,and he doesn’t except the election results whenever he looses.what guarantee do We have that he is going to accept this suggestion?
Allow them to dialogue. Maybe this violence and hatred between upnd and Pf caders could come to an end. We are tired of this mini civil war.
Thank you Hon Nawakwi, well said. However, that can only be true if we are talking about a normal opposition leader like yourself. Now this h.h….
Trouble with h.h and upnd is that they are fighting a battle whose objective they are unwilling or too embarrassed to disclose. It’s like a baby, baby will cry but it will not tell you why its crying…sometimes its genuine, sometimes its just fun for it to do so. You only come to the table to dialogue if you have the courage to lay down your demands, then give and take process will follow. But never mind, its not a secret, Ackson Sejani said it way way back in 2006.
I am sure h.h expects Patricia Scotland to come chair the dialogue. But sorry h.h, Patricia has more important things to do, unless you are willing to wait until December 2018.
no need of PF head to meet UPND Head PF IS RULING and no opposition is biggere than another so all political parties be treated EQUAL no tuma kangaroo meetings
Nawakwi she’s right this is the woman we need who could think things positively.
What started this dialogue thing? I dont get. Any way it will just present an opportunity for HH to cause problem. Do opposing better need dialogue for what. The people are having dialogue. Who cares what the leaders do with each other?
NAWAKWI has rare WISDOM that is missing in most politicians. The President should not worry about recognition for he is in state house already. He can even surprise us by inviting HH for dinner at pamodzi or visit him at home like Mnangagwa did to Morgan.
if the president ignores HH, and decide to dialogue with Dan pule,Cosmo and May be Winter KABIMBA,,,, it will be meaningless. Nawakwi Understands the gravity and should be COMMENDED.