A veteran politician in Mufulira on the Copperbelt Province has added his voice in condemning the planned demonstration by the Oasis Forum during next week’s Southern Africa Community Development (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled to take place in Lusaka.
The politician and prominent businessman Moses Nyundu said the issue of the
constitution making process lies in the hands of Zambians and not staging a
demonstration at Mulungushi Conference Centre.
Mr. Nyundu there was no logic in protesting over the Constitution Making Process
during the SADC Summit saying the gathering had no role to play in the matter as it
was an internal issue.
He said it was an embarrassing for Civil Society groups to display their placards at
Mulungushi Conference Centre, the venue of the Summit where the issue of the
constitution is not on the agenda.
Mr. Nyundu who is also United Democratic Alliance losing candidate in last year’s
tripartite elections urged the Oasis Forum to refocus its constitution campaign
strategy and implore workable solutions.
And Patriotic Front District Chairperson John Katati said the party in Mufulira has
not been communicated to over the planned demonstration by the national leadership.
Mr. Katati added that as a lower organ of the party, it will not do anything until
the top leadership gives a go ahead.
He said even at their recent provincial meeting in Ndola the planned demonstration
was not discussed.
Oasis Forum and other Civil Society groups are planning to stage a demonstration
over the Constitution making process during the SADC Heads of State and Government Summit next week.
Fred M’membe is a very confused animal. Here he goes again shamelessly trying to redeem a troubled group whose impulsive moves have hit a snag. The Oasis Forum vowed to fight GRZ and stage a demo come what may. GRZ has said to hell with your threats we are not curving in. Try it and be responsible on consequences. Realizing the no nonsense tone of GRZ, Sata and his Oasis forum develops Shikishiki polomya. They are cognizant of where they would be languishing for the next 14 days. So M’membe don’t embarrass yourself, GRZ has denied these chaps what they wanted and not that they have cancelled. You helped them in building fake courage to challenge GRZ. But today just because you have realized the uncompromising mind of umushika Shikapwasha you are trying to distance yourself and offer a fake recovery editorial? That is cheap flippancy. Credible people stand their ground and confess their huddles on the way without cooking cheap stories. The whole country knows that Oasis forum has been pressed had in the corner against its conspiracies with Sata. They have finished themselves until another civil society group emerges. The Oasis forum has become a shame and reliability. We need clean non politicized activist in the Genuine Civil society if Democracy has to nurture.
POLICE DENY OASIS DEMONSTRATION PERMIT
POLICE in Lusaka has denied Oasis Forum and the Collaborative Group on the Constitution (CGC) permission to demonstrate over the constitution making process during next week’s SADC heads of state summit in Lusaka. Acting Lusaka division police commanding officer Kedrick Zombe has informed Oasis Forum that he had a shortage of officers to monitor the demonstration. Zombe has since proposed July 21, 2007 as an alternative day for the Oasis to hold the demonstration.
But Oasis Forum spokesperson Musa Mwenye yesterday said he sympathised with the police officers because they were acting under political pressure. Mwenye said Oasis Forum and CGC members were all law abiding citizens. He said he was happy that the police have finally given a response, unlike the ministers that were making political statements on the planned demonstrations.â€I don’t know how genuine the police are in this response but I sympathise with them because they are acting under political pressure,†he said.
He said demonstrations on August 21, could not be possible because that would be after the SADC summit which they were targeting. Mwenye said the Oasis Forum and the CGC would have a meeting where they would decide the way forward.The Oasis Forum and CGC have planned a demonstration during the SADC heads of state summit to urge other regional leaders to help Zambia resolve the constitutional problem.
Last month, home affairs minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha said the Oasis Forum should leave the SADC heads of state alone. Foreign affairs minister Mundia Sikatana also said the constitution-making process was an internal issue that should be left to the Zambians.Later chief government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said the Oasis Forum and CGC were free to picket SADC heads of state, as long as they would abide by the law.
But justice minister George Kunda on Sunday said the Oasis Forum’s planned demonstrations were unnecessary at present as the government was putting in place the National Constitutional Conference Bill to adopt the new constitution. He said proponents and organisers of demonstrations, chaos and strikes would be held responsible for any damage to property, loss of life or lawlessness, which would occur during demonstrations.
Kunda said it was unfortunate that the Oasis Forum and “those bent on derailing the constitutional review process†intended to demonstrate against government during the SADC heads of state summit next week.
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