THE Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) has submitted the chairperson and the vice-chairperson of the proposed National Constitutional Conference (NCC) should be elected by the members among themselves.
In a presentation to the Parliament watchdog committee on Legal Affairs, Governance, Human Rights and Gender Matters, the ZEC stated that electing a chairperson and his vice for the NCC from amongst members would be the right thing to do.
“This is important in order to remove all suspicions of Presidential interference as there is always a feeling that where one is appointed by the President, then allegiance is owed to the appointing authority,” the submission stated.
The ZEC called on all participants to the NCC to be patriotic and serve on the basis of sponsorship by their own organisations so as to reduce overall costs.
“We thus propose that a mechanism be worked out so that respective organisations sponsor their candidate as a way of saving costs,” the submission states.
The ZEC was of the view that any interest group like political parties, civil society organisations or Government officials, must not dominate participation in the NCC. Control by a single group would not produce the desired Constitution.
“We therefore urge a clear public scrutiny of the participant list before it is approved,” the ZEC states.
The position of the ZEC on the roadmap was that of the recommendation by the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC), which provided that, a popular body, the Constituent Assembly (CA), should adopt of the Constitution.
The composition of the NCC was one of the cardinal issues to the ZEC.
The ZEC felt that the NCC ignored the three step process recommended by the Mung’omba Commission namely adoption, approval by the people through a referendum and enactment by Parliament without further debate.
“In addition, we reiterate our strong view on the need for a proportional representation of all interest groups in the constitutional conference.
This is to facilitate balanced debate and objective resolution of matters that will be brought before the conference,” the submission reads in part.
Zambians wanted to have a Constitution that would be people driven and the ZEC stated that there was still room for the Government to positively engage all stakeholders and adopt a more progressive road map towards the enactment of a new Constitution.
The ZEC hoped that the creation of the constitutional conference if drafted in the spirit of accommodating all views would give a new window of hope that should give birth to a renewed sense of dialogue and peaceful negotiations.
“We therefore call upon the Government to keep its doors of consultation open.
All stakeholders, in short all Zambians need to seize this opportunity to work in harmony for a better Zambia,” the statement says.
The Citizens Forum in its submission to the same committee called for the withdrawal of the NCC bill so that it could be redrafted in accordance with what Zambians said through the submissions to the CRC.
Meanwhile, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has reiterated that the National Constitution Conference (NCC) bill should be withdrawn from Parliament to allow for more consultation.
ZCTU president, Leonard Hikaumba said the NCC might appear good but the perception that it was a product of one group would make it illegitimate.
This was because it did not matter whether the bill had answered people’s concerns or not but the people needed to feel part of the process.
He said the ZCTU had talked to Government and other concerned parties on the importance of consensus and the need to be open minded with a strong unity of purpose and inclusiveness.
Mr Hikaumba has said the OASIS Forum should have stuck to it guns over the planned demonstrations at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State summit which will be officially opened this week.
“The chickening out by OASIS Forum will make people doubt the extent of the movements commitment,” he said.

 Times of Zambia

Opposition UPND Magoye member of parliament Ben Mweemba has commended government for sending relief food to flood victims in his constituency.

Mr Mweemba said in a statement to ZANIS in Mazabuka today that government deserve commendation for its quick intervention in the plight of the people in his
constituency.

The MP however urged the Disaster management and Mitigation Unit under the Office of the Vice President to increase the relief food allocation to ensure all the affected
people are catered for.

Meanwhile Mazabuka District Commissioner Misheck Chiinda has called for an emergency District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) in his office tomorrow to discuss modalities for the distribution of the relief food.

Mazabuka district received relief food 10 days ago for distribution to people who
were affected by floods during the 2006/2007 rainy season.

A Parliamentarian in Mazabuka in Southern Province has called for the immediate suspension of the cattle restocking programme.

Magoye Member of Parliament, Ben Mweemba told ZANIS in Mazabuka today that
Government should suspend the programme because its impact has been frustrated by
livestock disease that has continued decimating cattle population.

Mr Mweemba prodded Government to instead channel funds allocated for cattle
restocking towards the construction and rehabilitation of dip tanks to save cattle
population.

He complained that most farmers who have benefitted from the programme have lost
their cattle through corridor disease because of their inability to regularly dip
their animals due to lack of dipping facilities.

Mr Mweemba said while the cattle restocking programme is a well intended Government
programme to improve livestock and the agriculture sector, there is urgent need for
it to re-examine the programme.

Opposition Patriotic Front (PF) President Michael Sata has called on the MMD government to equip and adequately fund councils country-wide if they are to fully implement the “Keep Zambia Clean and Healthy” Campaign programme which Government recently launched.

Mr. Sata said in Kasama yesterday that most Councils had no capacity to implement
the campaign and needed full Government support in order for them to cop with the
task.

Speaking on a live radio programme on Radio Mano, a local community radio station,
Mr. Sata  admitted that the campaign was well meaning but that local authorities
which were expected to spearhead the campaign lacked capacity.

He said local authorities required the necessary equipment and funds to carry on
with the campaign.

The PF leader observed that it was an embarrassment for the people of Zambia to wait
until a ‘Law’ was put in place to keep them clean.

Mr. Sata, who avoided a question on why he himself as Local Government Minister in
the Chiluba government introduced a ‘by-law’ on public nuisance, however said the
campaign was well meaning but needed support to Councils which he said needed to
operate independently without too much interference.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sata has said the road network in Northern and Luapula Provinces has
been neglected.

The PF President said the road network linking Luapula to Northern Province and
within was in a deplorable state and needed immediate attention and accused the
Ministry of Works and Supply of not helping the local leadership.

 He said both the roads and water transportation in many parts of the country needed
attention.

And Mr. Sata has described people calling on him to stop politics because he “is
finished” as myopic.

He said those calling him a finished politician were only scared of him saying they
themselves were finished and were afraid of him.

He said he was still fit and sound and ready for the 2011 Presidential elections.
Mr. Sata quesioned why people who were saying he was finished had continued talking
about him adding that “if one throws away a door mat on the rubbish heap but keeps
talking about it, then it is not finished and you still need it”.

Zambian water authorities are using information from satellite images to improve management of water resources in the country.

The project, Integrated Water Resource Management for Zambia (IWAREMA), is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) TIGER initiative (see African mapping highlights risk of drought and flood) which aims to help Africa overcome water-related problems and use satellite data to close the information gap on water availability.

Carried out by Geographic Information Management, a Belgian company, in partnership with the University of Zambia and the Zambian water authorities, the project generates a variety of environmental maps that provide local policy-makers with information to make effective decisions on water-resource management.

The maps show where urban areas are expanding and where forest and agricultural areas are being lost. They enable the risk of erosion to be calculated, as well as changes in water supplies and the percentage of surface water — an indictor for potential floods.

Zambia is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most urbanised nations, with 34 per cent of the population living in urban areas. Urbanisation has been rapid, however, and infrastructure such as adequate water resources and sanitation has not yet caught up.

The project concentrates on the densely populated Kafue River basin, a sub-basin of the Zambezi River. Half of the country’s 11 million people live in the basin and it is vital to the country’s economy.

Competition for water resources on the Kafue flats from agriculture, fisheries, tourism and wildlife is high, and managing water resources better there would also protect the ecosystem.

“Science plays an important role in water development and management and, as such, the Zambian government is happy with the project as it will help the government to protect the country’s natural resources,” said Peter Daka, Zambia’s minister of science and technology.

Banda Kawawa, from the University of Zambia, who is involved in the project, said in a press release that the project is useful for policy-makers making decisions about the Kafue river basin, and it should be extended to other basins of the Zambezi to improve their information availability.

SciDev.Net

A Parliamentarian has bemaoned high levels of corruption in the construction industry.

Moomba Member of Parliment Vitalis Mooya told ZANIS in Lusaka today that there is
need for Government in its fight against corruption to fight the vice in the
industry.

Mr. Mooya said the construction industry plays a key role in the development of any
nation hence the need to strengthen it by eliminating elements that threaten to
weaken the sector.

He urged all players in the construction industry to desist from engaging in corrupt
practices when negotiating for contracts.

Mr. Mooya’s concerns come in the wake of recent media reports of rampant alleged
corrupt practices among construction companies when acquiring contracts.

Anti Voter Apathy (AVAP) has called all political and civic stakeholders to exercise harmony in the Consitution making processs.

AVAP Executive Director Bonny Tembo said democracy is about accomodating those with divergent views through constructive engagement.

Mr Tembo who said this in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today added that
the consensus building through dialogue is key in democracy.

He stressed the need for all interested parties in the Constitution making process
to embrace meaningful dialogue with a view to resloveing contentious issues.

He prodded stakeholders to give chance and support to the National Consititution
Conference Bill which is now subjected to public debate.

Mr Tembo noted that AVAP supports the NCC Bill because the country is now moving
towards consensus in the consititution making process .

He said that the NCC Bill may not be best but it gives room to Zambians to have an
imput.

Mr Tembo further noted debates on the content needs to be intensified to begin the
process of consenus building on clauses, to make the Consititution stand a test of
time .

He said AVAP will soon launch increased public debates on the Constitution Review
Commission Report and Draft Constitution  in all its Democracy Information Centres
in Lusaka, Luapula, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Provinces.

There is hope that Zimbabwe will turn around her economic situation with the help of member States in the region, Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary, Tomaz Augusto Salomao has said.
Dr Salomao, who was tasked to assess the economic situation in Zimbabwe at the last SADC extraordinary summit in Tanzania in March this year, told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that not all was lost in Zimbabwe.
The overall political and security situation in the SADC region remained stable and was expected to remain so despite challenges experienced during the earlier quarter of this year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Dr Salomao had been to Zimbabwe four times and met President Robert Mugabe and his cabinet, the private sector, some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders, and observed that it was not a secret that the country faced a difficult situation.
“Four elements were clear during my visit. The economy of Zimbabwe is viable and that is under sanctions. Zimbabwe may be the only country in the world where when one needs to import a pen, they need to pay tax and you cannot run an economy like that.
“Above all, there is room to improve management of Zimbabwe’s exchange rate and review her reserves,” Dr Salomao said.
He was happy that SADC responded to the challenges in solidarity with the foregone nations as a safeguard to the overall regional political peace and stability at the highest level with an extra-ordinary summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government held on March 29, 2007 in Tanzania.
“This summit directed several of its organs and the secretariat to assess the situation in these countries, and also mandated South African President Thabo Mbeki, to mediate in the political dialogue in Zimbabwe and report back to the Lusaka summit.

The ministerial troika of the organ on politics, defence and security cooperation undertook assessment missions to Lesotho and the DRC,” Dr Salomao said.
Sir Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, in his capacity as SADC Eminent Person, undertook a mission to Lesotho to facilitate dialogue amongst the stakeholders on issues pertaining to the electoral process in that country, and consultations are ongoing.
Dr Salomao said that SADC remained a peaceful and politically stable region fully committed to peace and security of all its member states.
“SADC believes that political tolerance and dialogue are tools to seeking lasting solutions to the challenges in the region,” he said.