The National Dialogue amendment bill passed its third reading and now awaits Presidential assent. Justice Minister Given Lubinda tabled the bill for the third reading, in the early hours of today.
The bill which was first tabled in Parliament Last month, seeks to provide a forum to facilitate the amendment of the constitution, public order act, electoral laws and regulation of political parties.
This was after the bill passed the Second Reading and went through committee stage with amendments.
Earlier, Members of Parliament from the ruling, Independent and opposition political parties debated over the importance of the bill. This sparked a voting session that saw the ruling PF amassing 91 votes while the opposition polling 52 votes.
At the time of voting only 146 MPs were present and participated in the voting.
The other contentious bill that was considered were the sales tax bill which passed its first reading in parliament, is now at committee stage.
When it came up for the first reading, Minister of finance Margaret Mwanakatwe told the house that the bill has a number of objectives, which include the introduction of a sales tax on the supply of goods by manufacturers, producers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers and the importers of goods into the country.
Ms Mwanakatwe also announced that the proposed Sales Tax will put a stop to the escalation of VAT refunds, dating back to 2009, and estimated at a cost K17.9 billion as at January 9th, 2019.
She added that the bill is also aimed at imposing sales tax on the supply of services in the country, by service providers and importers of services, with an exemption of certain supplies, imports and exports of goods and services from tax.
The sales tax is expected to come into effect on July 1st, 2019.
“……electoral laws and regulation of political parties.”
Fellow country men, this is what we should all fear. Next step will be to impose a limit on the number of times an opposition leader can stand for elections. HH is obviously the target here.
As many as are of that opinion say “Aye.” To the contrary “No.”
I think that the “Ayes” have it; the “Ayes” have it.
Thats progress.
You think ECL will not assent to it?
The bill gunnered 91 for and 52 against votes.
Like Mumba would put it on this podium,
LET’S ROLL, haven’t we wasted time already?
LET’S ROLL BANE!
A Lecturer(s) from CBU and/or CBU need to go into the ‘hall’ above and school the chaps in there! I know that one key chap might be missing, he can be brought in using the just acquired state-of-the-art plane to attend the lecture. Bamayo ba Luo also needs to attend.
I tried to get a copy of that bill with wrong, but my 2 MP friends are not in Lusaka, probably busy campaigning. Just 146 were present, baffikala balikwisa kanshi?
“National Dialogue bill” sounds like the church or ZCID lead, but it all different thing.
Why forcing people to dialogue if they’re not interested?
Ati if they invite you to their dialogue and you refuse then its 6 months in jail.
If you stop someone from attending, then its 1 year in jail.
PF Bill is illegal, unconstitutional and an assault on human decency and an abuse the legislature meant to preserve 1 man, Lungu. This bill is just meant to increase Presidential term of office to 7 years & amend Public Order Act to take away the little of what is left of peoples freedom to protest, association & movement.
But PF is really a dictatorship regime. Forcing people to join in rap!ng the constitution won’t make it legit.
Please report properly:
The vote in parliament is for or against a bill. It’s not about the PF vs the opposition
Only an uneducated reporter would write :
This sparked a voting session that saw the ruling PF amassing 91 votes while the opposition polling 52 votes.
While their Kalusa is busy asking his MPs to oppose everything life continues. It is the majority that decided and not the minority in a Democracy. HH be warned and get used to losing.
bills need simple majority but the constitution needs 2/3 to pass u can shine now but when the constitution will need to pass you will kalusa as you call him.
The goal is to have one party state like china,the Chinese are the ones behind this scheme,using back door channel, Zambia the real africa,be careful of what u wish for.
Higher Education Minister Nkandu Luo has asked the University of Zambia management and the labour commission to terminate the recognition Agreement for the University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU).
Meanwhile sources close to Luo have hinted to the Watchdog that the erstwhile Minister is also looking for an opportunity to fire all lecturers at the University so that they are forced to reapply under very stringent conditions.
The Minister according to informed sources has directed Management to immediately terminate the recognition agreement immediately.
“l can confide in you that the Minister of Higher Education is looking for a way to fire all University of Zambia lecturers and ask them to re-apply for employment under different conditions of services. To this…
Continued
To this effect, she is looking for any reason within or outside the book to ban the lecturer’s union as the first step,” revealed the source.
“The Boss thinks (and l have personally heard her saying this) that the university employs too many Tongas and Lozis who are seen as default supporters of the opposition,” added the source.
According to the source the Vice Chancellor was at the Ministry on Monday, 1st April.
“She asked him if he can stop lecturers from commenting on national issues in their individual capacities, saying they should do so only through their union. Prof Mumba said that’s not possible because individual lecturers have the right to comment on issues of public interest within their domain as it is part of their employment conditions,”
Another bill sails through without these fooooools reading it
@Jairos Mwale
DO NOT BLAME THE PF. PARLIAMENT IS NOT CALLED “AUGUST HOUSE ” FOR NOTHING. WHY DID YOUR PARTY ONLY MANAGE TO SEND A SMALL NUMBER OF MPS TO PARLIAMENT? THE PEOPLE WHO SENT THE MPS TO PARLIAMENT KNEW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, SO THE MPS WILL VOTE AS WISELY AS WE EXPECT THEM TO DO.
They sent those dull MPs to parliament based on an equally dull song called ‘Dununa Reverse’ so no, the people did not know what they were doing. PF was ushered into power by the uneducated and using that as an advantage the PF are passing stup!d bills in the house and being applauded by the same uneducated masses and also educated f00ls. An enlightened populace can never vote for this dull party. People were taken advantage of by unrealistic campaign promises. That is the same as brainwashing so a brainwashed person is never in control of their own faculties and thoughts. Waumfwa? Expecting PF members of parliament to vote wisely is like expecting a cow to mate with a frog.
In life, those who are ready to quickly adapt to changing times survive. Being negative in every good your friends do is tantamount to self denial. Now that the Bill will become law, what good did this lost HH get by ordering his cowboys to oppose it? Surely, isnt there someone in the opposition better than HH? I see this man leading blind souls to a pity of fire, honestly. Its sad indeed to those that are still looking up to HH, he is a dead hyena not fit to even eaten by vultures.
The same results are expected in 2021, 91 + 52 = 143. This gives us 91/143 = 63% and 52/143 = 36.6%. With the 50%+1 in effect, the President Lungu and the PF has gunnered a landslide victory. It shall be so in 2021, ECL and PF please keep the eyes on development ball and dont be distracted, its game over in…
the constitution needs 2/3 to pass we will wait for you dont worry
But where are you going to get the opposition votes for this bill to go through ba Malinso? Will PF bribe people as they are known to do?
This will bring a big problem on an ordinary Zambian not the target they have in thought. What goes around comes around. you can not make law to target one individual forgetting that one day it may catch up with you
WHICH SPECIFIC AMENDMENT TALKS ABOUT HH MWEBANTU?
Are you alien to the term “Let’s roll”?
Progressive people make progress.
Meanwhile posterity will be making amends.
What I don’t agree with and support is a do nothing, a procrastination and stagnation spirit . A don’t inaugurate until my delayed petition is head syndrome.
The delaying demon.
Pobo after pobo!!!That was 91 PF MPs against 51 bantustan UPND MPs from 3 provinces…….kkkkkkkk…….LOSERS ARE INDEED LOSERS!!!I wonder why HH starts fights which he cannot win.HH knows too well that the oppisition have no numbers in parliament but instead of keep quiet,he stands on an anthill shoulting that UPND will block the bill,how?..kkkkkkkkk…EVEN THE PRESIDENTIAL IMPEACHMENT MOTION WHICH HH DREAMED ABOUT IN 2018 COULD HAVE FAILED TERRIBLY!!As things stand today,PF can pass any bill in parliament because they control the August house!!!WELL DONE PF MPs and now lets amend our constitution comrades!!!LETS NOT ALLOW ANYONE WHO HAS APPEARED ON A BALLOT PAPER FOR 5 OR MORE TIMES TO STAND IN 2021,PLUS PARTIES WHICH DO NOT CONDUCT CONVENTIONS EVERY AFTER 5 YEARS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED…
2/3 to pass the constitution you will find us if you think you can push it the way u want u will be suprised.
AS THE AMENDMENTS STAND, THEY ARE VERY GOOD. I DONT THINK THE PF CAN TARGET HH. WHAT FOR? THE GUY HAS BEEN LOSING AT EVERY TURN. THE PF WILL BE FOOL-HARDY TO WASTE ALL THIS TIME ON A DEAD CORPSE. THE FOLLOWERS OF HH ARE ALSO SLOW THINKERS. SURELY ONE MAN CANNOT HOLD YOU AT RANSOM LIKE THAT. HE IS LYING TO YOU THAT THE CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES ARE TARGETING HIM. NO, NO, NO. HH IS STILL STUBBORN, HE WILL DARE TO STAND AGAINST ECL AGAIN IN 2021,AND THE RESULT WILL BE A RESOUNDING LOSS FOR HH. PLEASE LETS NOT BE CHEATED BY HH. IN ANY CASE THE PF CANNOT RISK FACING ANY OTHER CONTENDER THAN HH, BECAUSE THE NEW ONE MAY BE A FORMIDABLE ONE. SO IT IS BETTER FOR THEM TO FACE THE HABITUAL LOSER. THEREFORE FOR NOW LETS IMPROVE OUR CONSTITUTION FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THIS WILL BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE…
-CONTINUED- THIS WILL BE GOOD FOR EVERYONE INCLUDING HH BECAUSE HH WILL BE THE FIRST TO USE THE NEW PROVISIONS OF THE SAME AMENDED CONSTITUTION TO PLEAD HIS CASE BEFORE THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT AFTER LOSING THE 2021 ELECTIONS.
Okay…so it has passed. PF and others assure me that this time you have read and understood the bill. We dont want to hear that there are gaps bla bla in the constitution otherwise tu ka mifyapa this time.
Trib.als, mulekeni Lungu ateke! Until we identify a viable option, which at this rate of confused trib.als is me myself only alone.
This trib.al Gay Jay also, he has reduced himself to a sense.less trib.al by his blind loyalty to a lost trib.al soul, trib.al Hacks.
PF Govt were identified the gaps in the constitution and advised Zambians to have it signed but the opposition pushed for it to be signed without changing even a common before 2016 general election. The will was finally granted and today you want to say FP never ready the draft constitution before signing SHAME SHAME..!!!
National dialogue bill is all about the big guys of politics and their need for power.Real national dialogue should be schools ,clean water ,better healthcare ,jobs and roads etc.
Am SURE TO BELIEVE THAT almost all UPND MPs didn’t dare to read this amendment constitution.
Sometimes I fail to describe these guys (UPND).They are ALL “ A BAD SEED OF ZAMBIAN POLITICS “.
There a lot to learn about UPND /HH ,though everything is purely on negative reviews.