President Mwanawasa says the constitutional review process is an internal matter which the people of Zambia are capable of dealing with in the spirit of national unity.

Mr Mwanawasa has since congratulated the Oasis Forum and the Collaborative Group on the Constitution, CGC, for calling off their planned demonstrations over the constitutional review process during the SADC Heads of State and Government Summit which opens on Thursday in Lusaka.

In his address to the nation on ZNBC radio and television on the eve of the SADC
summit last night, President  Mwanawasa said it is gratifying to note that Zambians have agreed to host the Summit in a dignified and peaceful manner characteristic of the Zambian people.

The President said the debate and dialogue Zambians from all walks of life have
engaged in over the years is healthy in the democratic process of the country.

” As I have said previously, dialogue presupposes a Give-and -Take approach where
the outcome must be a result of consensus, taking into account the aspirations of
the majority of our people and the need to preserve the peace that our  nation has
enjoyed over the decades. In this regard, allow me therefore to congratulate the
Oasis Forum and the CGC for calling off their planned demonstrations over the
constitution review process during the forthcoming summit,” said President
Mwanawasa.

He noted that this was the first time from the time SADC was born that Zambia was
hosting the SADC Summit and that he was humbled that he would serve as SADC chairman on behalf of the people of Zambia.

Mr Mwanawasa said Zambia was assuming the SADC chairmanship against a backdrop of numerous socio-economic challenges faced by member states.

These include agriculture and food security, security, gender, HIV and AIDS, defence
and security and political developments in the region.

All the neighbours will be looking to Zambia to provide leadership over the next 12
months as the region faces the daunting development challenges that lie ahead.

It was therefore the President’s expectation that all Zambians will demonstrate
patriotism by rendering their full weight  to the successful deliberations and
conclusions as well as programmes of action that will steer the region to prosperity
for the benefit of the peoples of the region.

The SADC Heads of State and Government Summit officially opens on Thursday at
Lusaka’s Mulungushi International Conference Centre.

President Mwanawasa is expected to assume the Chairmanship of the regional body from Lesotho Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.

A Civic leader in Mazabuka in Southern Province has called on the Children’s Press Bureau (CPB) to work closely with the Police Victim Support Unit in exposing issues of child abuse. 

Mazabuka Mayor, Edmund Cheelo who made the call in Mazabuka at the official opening
of the CPB said  in view of alleged rampant violations of children’s rights in the
district, advocacy by the children on issues affecting them deserves support from
all stakeholders.

The Mayor advised members of the CPB to report cases of defilement, rape and incest
to the Police Victim Unit if such cases were to reduce.

He said the work being done by the children has full backing from Government as it
is in line with its efforts to advocate for the respect of children’s rights.

Mr Cheelo noted that for a long time, elderly people have spoken and expressed views
on behalf of children because society felt that they were too young to be listened
to and consulted.

The Mayor welcomed the official launch of CPB saying it will empower children in the
media to express themselves through radio programmes and writing of news articles on
issues that affect them.

Mr Cheelo also commended the Youth Media implementors of the project and Plan Zambia
the sponsors of the project for identifying the need to involve the children
themselves in bringing out issues of violations of their rights from both Urban and
rural areas.

The CPB project aims at closing the gap between urban children and those from the
rural areas by providing them with skills and an opportunity to interact through
sharing experiences.

44 children have been trained in producing radio programmes, writing stories and
have participated in events such as the International Children’s Day of
Broadcasting, International day against Child Labour and the day of the African
Child.

Government says the regional economic integration process that Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)  has embarked should help in uplifting the lives of the people in the region.

Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati said uplifting of peoples lives should be achieved through national and regional sustainable development.

Mr Mutati said Zambia and other countries in the region should sustain economic
development through  cooperation and expansion of markets.

He stressed the region would fail to  sustain economic development if it  does not
cooperate.

Mr. Mutati was speaking when he officially opened the 4 th SADC Meeting of the
Ministerial Task Force meeting on Regional Economic Integration in Lusaka today.

He said the region has a challenge of narrowing the gap between the decisions being
made and the implementation process on the ground

He said implementation of decisions will result in creation of wealth, jobs and
poverty reduction which on average stand at 50 percent in the region.

And the Minister further noted that Zambia has in the past years recorded positive
economic development as evidenced by the growth of 5.8 percent Gross Domestic
Product.

Mr. Mutati said economic indicators are that the country will continue on its
positive growth.

And  Outgoing Chair of Council of Ministers Timothy Thahane implored the region to
work together if it has to achieve wealth creation.

Mr Thahane who is also Lesotho’s Minister of Finance Development and Planning noted
that wealth creation and jobs should contribute to the region’s prosperity.

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”.