The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has cautioned the public in their commendation of UPND and it’s leader Hakainde Hichilema in their role to provide checks and balances which have enabled Government, through Cabinet, to respond and propose amendments to Constitution of Zambia Amendment Bill.
During a media briefing on Saturday, YALI Governance and Legal Advisor, Isaac Mwanza, said the history of the UPND under Mr. Hichilema is to never support the constitution-making process, including the process they participated in 2010 and later collapsed in 2011.
“What remains to be seen is whether Mr. Hichilema will now provide leadership to his party MPs to support amendments which the Government intends to propose on the floor of the House. We are cautiously optimistic that he shall do so, bearing the history,” said Mr. Mwanza
He charged that Mr. Hichilema would not want anyone to take credit for enacting a Constitution which would allow youths, women, and persons living with disabilities to be represented in decision making and yet that has been a call these marginalized groups have been sounding for decades.
“The UPND and its MPs must remember that cleaning up this Bill and enacting it into law will ensure we have 30 days to hear a presidential petition in 2021 and beyond for any party that may be aggrieved after elections.”
He said Bill 10 must bring sanity into the Councils where Members of Parliament should have a say in managing developmental projects and making bye-laws that affect their people.
YALI has commended Cabinet for making a Government position known as regards public recommendations to amend the Constitution of Zambia Amendment Bill No. 10 of 2019.
“We believe the gesture by the government is a sign that it has been listening to this debate from those like us who crafted and supported Bill 10 and those who have been against certain provisions of Bill No. 10”
YALI has to join Government in commending voices who spoke against the Bill and those who championed for its current provisions.
“Our call is for UPND MPs and it’s leaders to show sobriety and participate in the process that must help the nation move forward. Our constitution is not perfect and there is no perfect constitution around the world. This is why Constitutions, even the oldest Constitution in the world, has undergone amendments until the 1990s,” he said.
Although the UPND isn’t a Party of choice for many Zambians and that Hichilema isn’t the right candidate, they will now be relied upon by many Zambians for the sole purpose of stopping the infamous Bill 10 from going through. Are we together?
your observations are self centered and misguided .The upnd is the only alternative government in waiting.And without a slight doubt will for the next government come 2021. As things are now,The dice as alread been cast.Believe you me.
These soulless illiterates at Yali should just shut up and stop spewing this poison.
Isaac Mwanza, Andrew Ntewewe and Chilufya Tayali need to shut up for a while and do some very serious soul searching
Wow I never new that YALI was these young men abansele. Would like to cross paths with them. These must teach all the cardres how to insult. Kwena kuli insele ku Zambia. Even overtaken ba mudala ba GBM pantu bena kale ba Yamba ukutukana kikikikiki
Isaac Mwanza, Andrew Ntewewe and Chilufya Tayali are you not ashamed to be used , ask Mutati and MMD how they where used and destroyed after supporting the PF in the 2016 elections, but sad for you after 2021 that so called NGO and yourselves you will be no where ask Lifwekelo how he was used by MMD with his Government created NGO, where is it and where he is he , though has come begging to PF , when he was first cholaboy for Sata .So boys like you just work hard not be used by visionless people , who killing their Government and later alone the whole country which even a fool would see. Wait for 2021 you lose my vote and another 10% that i have to influence, go ask for my full Bill 10 submission at parliament on 26th Sept 2019
would not like to cross paths. Thanks
Bill 10 shud be sent to the trash can where it belongs very fast when u open it up to simple majority PF will fix u
Everyone spits out all the groundnuts in their mouth when a bad one is among them that is natural. Bill 10 is bad because of some bad clauses embedded in it. I call bill 10 sugarcoated because while the PF are pushing for certain clauses in it that favor their hellish reign to through with a few seemingly good clauses the big picture is that bill 10 will greatly aid the PF dysfunctional govt. Why rush to amend the constitution twice under the PF reign. The last amendment took time in order to iron out any anomaly but lungu signed it to gain political mileage, then a few years later want to amend the same constitution they rushed to sign? If PF meant well by delivering a good constitution they wouldn’t have signed it in 2016. We have seen rulers in African countries push for a change in…
We have seen rulers in African countries push for a change in the constitution to aid ruling parties hold on to power longer and PF is doing that. You supported removing deputy ministers position in the 2016 amendment why want to bring it back now? What good can a coalition government do in democracy unless the country is undergoing through a civil war a coalition govt is just a way to avoid the opposition taking reign on their own like Mugabe used to do. Letting cabinet have power in handling monetary policies in a country is as good giving all powers to the ruling party to abuse in mismanagement of money in so doing govt will bring all organs of govt e.g judiciary, executive, and legislature under one centralized system solely controlled by the president.
Track record in constitutional reform only?? I believe he has no track record in any public office .. not even councillor or public cleaner. Even tasila has more experience in public office. So when I say that tasila will be president before hh, do not think I am lying to you. Watch this space. Kz
@kz and your track record was cleaner cum lab assistant, can you compare HH with your self. You are where you are through politics, which any fool can attain. Just a sniper, HH was chairman of Barclays Bank for many years before he joined politics!!
Just a snipet.. not sniper
KZ. Behave yourself has trump ever held a public office before? The man was never a Senate, congressman or even a governor but yet under his rule USA is doing well economically. Coming to the useless PF affiliated YALI why were they quiet when the rights of the young men arrested by bowman and his hoodlums so called police yesterday. When did buying mealie meal become a crime. When I have a big banja at home why should PF restrict me on how many bags I should buy? Doesn’t shoprite from were the men were arrested put restrictions on how many bags one can buy from the shop? Let’s be serious as a country
Hot air from PF surrogates.
Can someone bring the air freshener and open the windows…..
Rowdy this is the republic of Zambia and not USA. Because it has happened in America does not mean it will ever happen hear. Ask foote!
Spot on KZ, we need to come out of this syndrome of thinking that everything good comes from outside. HH is on record of thinking that Trump was going to come to Africa and sort out what he (HH) termed dictators but he forgot about himself. Years down the lane Trump has not stepped a foot on the African soil and HH has gone mute on Trumps help. We need to look inward and solve our own problems and not to blindly compare anything happening elsewhere as a good for us here. We need to be liberated in mind and soul.
KZ. You saying if it happens in USA it can’t happen in Zambia is the same as saying the white people are super human compared to Africans and saying that is limiting the potential of an African person. Mind you Obama is African and yet did that which was thought to be impossible in the USA. You PF people say HH has never held public office and hence can’t manage the country well so I also challenged your thought by giving you an example of trump who never held public office but managed to become president. Most people never thought America could vote for a person such as trump but that didn’t withhold trump from becoming president did it? Now enlighten me on how trump has managed a good economy for his country in a time other countries are saying there is a global economic crisis? You…
KZ. You saying what happened in America can’t happen in Zambia is the reason why most accept mediocrity in Zambia and with such thinking of limiting or putting a barrier on a fellow African person is the reason most African people or countries always remain underdeveloped.
Really laughable …Yali talking about track records
Which record ntewewe?
Mr Mwanza as much as you point out those nice things in Bill 10 also there are concerns like @ Rowdy as stated. In this same bill 10 theres a proposal that once someone is retired they cease getting a salary even if there retirement package is not paid. Ba Mwanza is that fair in your own thinking? We are not in a crisis and we have even 17 months before elections. Is it difficult for government to say lets dedicate the months of April and May to sort out problematic clauses in bill 10 and come up with a bill with general acceptance in the country than having a bill that only pitches citizens against one another.
YALI is a PF branch, we know u.