Chief Government Spokesperson Mike Mulongoti says government prefers to enact the new Constitution through a legitimate body like Parliament and not the Constituent assembly which had a lot of impediments.
Mr. Mulongoti, who is also Information and Broadcasting Minister, said it would take
87 weeks for the government to enact the new Constitution through Parliament which
was cheaper and a less time-consuming road map unlike the Constituent Assembly that
some people and stakeholders were advocating for which could even take five years.
He further said government preferred to tackle certain clauses in the constitution
that could be amended through an indaba without incurring the wrath of article 79 to
ensure that the new Constitution was enacted by Parliament and not the Constituent
Assembly.
The government has already set aside K200 Billion for all the process to ensure that the Zambian people enacted the Constitution in a more decent and somber manner.
Mr. Mulongoti said this in Kitwe today during a live radio programme on the government Constitution review process carried by the Catholic owned Radio
Ichengelo.
He said there were a lot of problems in following the enactment of the Constitution
through a Constituent Assembly to the latter as it had a lot of impediments which
most of the Zambia people did not understand.
The minister noted that the majority of the Zambian people did not know the implications of adopting the Constitution through a Constituent Assembly and that
the advocates of this process were not helping Zambians as they were not telling the
truth.
He further said if the referendum failed to identify eligible voters by 50 per cent,
then the entire process would be thrown in disarray and chaos which would be a waste
of national resources and time.
The minister also wondered what would happen to the entire process if parliament
refused to accept the document and recommendations by the Constituent Assembly.
Mr. Mulongoti added that there was need for government to give direction to the
nation by allowing parliament to operate normally and enact the Constitution as
required by law to avoid the nation being thrown into chaos.
He said government was more than ready with various stakeholders and to amend
certain articles in the Constitution to ensure that the nation moved forward and
adopted a new constitution within the desirable time frame.
And speaking later in an interview with some members of press Chembe Member of
Parliament, Mwansa Mbulakulima, said the enactment of the Constitution through a
Constituent Assembly meant that Zambian’s had passed a vote of no confidence in
their members of parliament.
Mr. Mbulakulima wondered how the same people who had voted for them as their sole
representatives could today turn around and render them irrelevant.
He said the people who would sit on the Constituent Assembly would not have the
authority and legality that was given to the members of parliament.
He appealed to Zambians to trend carefully and ensure that the constitution was
enacted by Parliament.
What is the Government waiting for? All we hear is the constitution will be enacted ,when will that be? The people are tired that is why they want any means necessary to change the constitution. I does not help any one by saying it only takes 87 weeks via the parliament route and yet nothing is happening. We are sick and tired of playing cat and mouse games.
i agree with # 1 , i think the present Govt justs wants to drag its feet so that it can come up with excuses later on when it really matters most.This story of the constituition has been with us for a while now and if LPM champions himself as a president who takes action why has it taken him 7 years?
It is obvious why government wants to enact the new constitution in parliament, it has a majority sitting therefore whatever it passes will go thru.It has nothing to do with the cost of the exercise or the duration.LPM is waiting for a couple of MP’s to defect to his party so that he has an outright majority in the house to completely ensure nothing goes wrong when the constitution goes to parly.So # 1 & 2 that should answer your question why it has taken 7 years and nothing is still happening
Ryutaro – Japanese young pleope never have such a passion in politics I believe young Japanese in Meiji Era had such a passion and it led the revolution. We’ll see the young pleope in the photo will shape the future someday.
Mr Mwansa Mbulakulima are right, we render these MPs irrelevant. We have lost lost confidence in some of them, because they have become useless to pipo who voted for them, thats why we want to enactment of the Constitution through a Constituent Assembly. And we will give authority and legality to pipo who we think wont fail us. Tell your boss to act now pls, this constitution thing is becoming sickning.
Facts and figures are important here. Minister Mulongoti has given only one figure…US$50M for the GRZ proposed route (this is where US$46M from FTJ and others could come in handy) but has not told us the cost of the CA. Just to say it’s expensive to pursue the CA route is not enough. Give us the figures in black and white!
as usual, it is mulongoti again. zambians we are seem to run zambia like tom & jerry catoon, and that old lady.
Ba Joze WE missed you!!!Welcome back.
what do the majority want?arent we not in a democratic dispensation.Give us what we want.Our advocates I feel are so independent as compared to the paliament which could be inclined to the Presidency.The government and the NGOs should make it a point to educate the Zambian what it implise to adopt the constitution in either way.The issue about money,I feel is non at the moment(though I dont have budget figures )as the government has been known to cough funds to projects not budgted for.-in this case our NGOs can come in and help raise the monies required to succesffuly hold this enactment.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND STABLENESS OF THE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON A PEOPLES CONSTITUION SUPPORTED BY ALL.
#7, am humbled jude that pipo like me, especially my rich comments. You jude, when other pipo like gk takes a break to go and see herbalist for muti nobody misses them te? Take care Jude
#8 plz dont stop taking medicine you are taking. it has transformed you into a good mwana-zed. I gree with your comment for the first time pantu you made a good research and no insults of parents, children, pals and you are now mature gk. Ala pakukula tapalila ingoma. Welcome my friend gk from the lost world you had been for so many yrs.
What was the purpose of the CRC?it seems to me that this Government is very much intrested in wasting tax payers money!!.If we allowed submissions from the CRC why should we not stick by them.Mwanawasa is busy finding faults in Chiluba which he himself is laiable to.Parliament is dominanated by the MMD and so this makes it the same as addopting it through cabinet.Indaba and parliamentry process are a sheer waste of time.Let the will of the poeple prevail
#7. Jude
iwe ka Jude, just say “I missed you” as opposed to saying “WE”.
#7. Jude.
Ba Joze has even failed to contribute sensibly becoz of you. Wifulunganya umu kamba Joze #9.
Some of these Ministers should later be cited for inciting the masses by provocating the will of the very masses. Clearly the people have spoken out through the Mung’omba CRC that they want to enact their own constitution via the Constituent Assembly and nothing else. Why is this so called listening government insisting on what they cherish. Remember, the constitution is not an MMD affair but that all Zambians have a stake. I challenge Mulongoti to resign on moral grounds if he insists to pursue his own agenda in the constitution making process. You Mulongoti and company are actually inciting people to rise against each other.
JOZE I wouldnt be suprised hear that you practise ubuloshi.All your contribution have the spice of wicth hunting,and ubuloshi worded.You will never get rich with that,those TZ guys are just eating your MANKUCHA.
wc legitimate body? let us not turn a blind eye to institutions like the task force on corruption. is that a legal body and who says the ca will be permanent.it can be adhoc.
all we have to do is pass a piece of legislation legitimising the constituent assembly and its powers etc.
remember how fast some amendment to the public order act was the issue of funding was not there it was done overnight
zambians are no longer short sighted mind you.
and we have to talk about making a constitution not amending it. amendment is thru article 79 but what we want is a new one all together.no piecemeal amendments.
let us do this properly please once and for all.
cut the trips and state functions and funny alowances for mps and luxury cars. ow do you acieve development when you do not even have the tool in place . not just by it being in place but it shd belong to the people who shd acieve ownership. imean i can do a thesis on this.
Gov’t has been shuffling its feet too much in the last 7yrs on this matter without progress. Zambians want to be in the clear. Was the CRC avenue a complete waste of time and resources after all? Tactics of twists and turns will not do. Let people have their say.
MMD Goverment job well done in fighting corruption in the political arena. A Nation is like a round ball when it has a hole, it will go flat. We the Athletes that went to Namibia to the Southern Region Track and Field,won medals in almost every event and this has come out in the papers, out friends from other countries were paid good money for succeeding, suprisingly for us our Association ZAAA gave us next to nothing, we went for these games just after millions were raised from the Inter Company Race. Today our president of the association is in the papers asking goverment to help to meet some of the cost, where did the Millions of Kwacha from the Inter Company gone too? This money came from Taxpayors be it goverment or private, in whose pocket did it disappear too. We need some honest people and get rid of the Corrupt President of the Association,once and for all. He was fined 1,500,000 in the Chinje court and under moral grounds he should step down.
#7. Ba Joze.
Just because Jude says she missed you when you were away, you think you are somebody, te?
Mudala, don’t fall for that sweet talk to the extent that now everyone else is your enermy. I am sure you still remember the song:
“MWENYE AKAYA UKASHALA UCHIMONA KAPATA MUKAYA!! “
#15,gk kanshi fishi walwala mufana? nakushita forgive again wayamba ukusonsomba te? we ndonshi niwe especially kusele utuka abana lyobe or commonly used mu-bond wikala (like father like son. manje waufa akarinjo pantu kayeye (girl)Jude salutes me coz of my rich comment te? Plz stay away from that yeye with your rotten comments. you error wa pa lusakatimes.com
chi gk, in two days time the moon will be a full moon and the tides will high and you must take a break and go and see your friend mundunyundundu (nonsense chap). I have seen patients bamintima awe iwe wapulamo. be humble mufana and give respect to elders read “busokololo chap1”
#19 born rich, plz comment pali chi gk ichilwele and overloaded with insults pa mukonshi.
M Daka and Jude, for give me for saying the truth about gk. Darlings take care.
Ba Joze u r real.
CIRCUS JOZE,YOU THINK YOU ARE SO INTELLIGENT.IN THE FIRST PLACE WHO ARE YOU?I HOPE THIS IS NOT WHAT I THINK.BUT FOR NOW I WILL PRE-EMPTY MY THOUGHTS-YOU ARE KUKU,YOU ARE JUDE AND PROBABLY SOMEOTHER HOGUE.
ITS STRAIGHT,LANGAUGE TONATION,VULGALRITY,TIME LOG.
JOZE BACKOFF MY A@#$$.AND PLEASE NEVER COMMENT ON MY CONTRIBUTION, AS I WILL NEVER COMMENT ON YOURS.
I VISIT THIS NET ON MY OWN EXPENSE AND WANT TO KNOW AND LEARN WHATS HAPPENING IN ZAMBIA.
FOR NOW PLEASE I BEG YOU TO STOP CHATTING ME.
Where as FTJ was a ‘master dribbler’, LPM is a manipulator. The CRC was constituted to ‘gain’ popularity following his corrupt rise to power. He had no intentions of following through with its enactment. Now that it is time to enact the constitution through the CA, he has been giving mixed and contraditory statement. The truth is that if the constitution is enacted as proposed through the CA, the MMD will be out of Government, very fast. Like our previous governments, LPM has realised this fact. The loop holes in the current constitution allows for election manipulation and thats what the MMD want – they do not have any person who can stand for presidency and win without temparing with the results. I believe even his fight against corruption, though not wholeheartedly, was a route to ‘making’ himself popular. If Zambians had accepted his leadership from the start, I bet he would have refused to lift FTJ’s immunity.
#22,gk mwaice Bajoze naine twalipusana sana,bushe kanshi ifyamba upepa fyamusangoshani?Stop shouting when writing mwaice, you will end up developing BP and your friend Dr.HK will straight miss the diagonosis and instead remove your teeth and yet your complaint is BP and Sugar disease, so calm down mwaice we dont want to lose you because of BaJoze.You have alot to achieve in America not just your degrees but even your social well being as long as you dont imitate TupaK and 50 cents
The people of Zambia want a constitution please lets be serious as a Country, why is it difficult to do what the people want ?. Whether it is expensive, thats not your business there are enough resources to do it if we can afford to approve loans and building of houses at anytime, why not the constitution ?
Kuku boyi wamona ukusabaila kwa mwaice gk te? Ala kwena napesha amano. He cant even make proper judgement bushe bushilu nangu libange te? kuku yalishani business pa masala? come pa inters inkacita organise space for you.
#22 gk ala ulikalwele. I think you are short and stubborn, wearing pants below the bums, smelling like tuna after basket ball trainings and a boy full of mistakes te and now what to bring ifya bu black sheet pa lusakatimes te? mwaice use proper Zed language ya respect kuma elders te? be gk not 50 cent te? i think mwaice kasambe wa yamba uku-seating too much. thats BP or ifwamba upepa weka.
#22 gk,PLZ CALL ME “BA JOZE” NOT JOZE
There is something terribly wrong with Mwanawasa and his crew. As a Lawyer, i assume he understands the importance of a country having a good constitution. We can not have a situation where every president wants a constitution that suites him politically. Unfortunately, Mwanawasa is surrounded by yes-men who care more for there political jobs than for doing the right thing.
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Hope it is okay but I’ve psated a link to the Country Patriot (Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting) on our website.Enjoyed your article very much. Landowners do not understand that state takeover of groundwater is an attack on property rights.We tried to hit this hard on on posting, PLUNDER!If you want us to remove the link, just let me know.