The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has applauded the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) for unanimously adopting a clause that will allow a person with a degree from a recognized university to contest the presidency.
FODEP Information Officer McDonald Chipenzi says a degree holding president will help to critically analyze national issues at an intellectual level.
Mr. Chipenzi told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that people should not see the clause as a move to target or deter certain people from contesting as a president.
He pointed out that having a degree would also help the president to contribute significantly to deliberations at international conferences unlike the current situation where they depend on their advisers.
Mr. Chipenzi added that the clause will be able to encourage those wanting to be presidents to further their education.
He noted that even in other countries, for a person to contest as president a degree is one of the conditions.[quote]
He said FODEP sees no reason for some Zambians to condemn the adoption of the clause adding that people should embrace it without reservations.
The National Constitutional Conference yesterday adopted an article that will only allow a person with a degree from a recognized university to stand for president.
Article 123 clause 1 (e) stipulates that a person shall be qualified to be a candidate for election as president if that person has obtained, as minimum academic qualification, a first degree or its equivalent.
ZANIS
AM VERY DISAPPOINTED BY THIS VERY SI LLY CLAUSE ADOPTED YESTERDAY BY NCC. THE UNITED STATES WITH 4,236 UNIVERSITIES DOESNT REQUIRE A COLLEGE DEGREE, WHAT ABOUT A COUNTRY WITH 3??? WHAT IS A COLLEGE DEGREE GOT TO DO WITH , EXPOSURE, WISDOM, LIKEABILITY, RESPONSIBILITY, PATRIOTISM, GOOD CHARACTER, CHARISMA, HONESTY, INTERGRITY ????? AM SURE YOU FOLKS IN NCC HAVE TARGETED PF LEADER SATA, AND THAT IS VERY RETROGRESSIVE COZ THE NEXT SMART GUY WILL HAVE TO DO ENACT ANOTHER CONSTITUTION. STOP BEING MYOPIC! WE ALL KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP WITH YOU GUYS DISSING THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY. TRUTH NEVER DIE!!!!!
I love sata
but, sorry,
Sata killed himself when he refused to take part in NCC now, he can’t protest…..it is all down to him not having a degree that he could not reason well, to take part, to protest within NCC, perhaps scrap the all exercise as he always wanted. poor sata. poor bemba man. poor old man,
there can be no comprise on the need for an intellectual to lead my country, the country i am 101% proud…. poor sata
equally, Banda does not qualify to lead zambia….. HH (ingombe ilede – sleeping cow)
next: Chiluba will be back
I applaud the NCC. If one need a sound CV and a degree or two to be head of a public institution effectively, what more the appointing authority who runs the country?
VIVA NCC
This NCC has been the biggest money wasting undertaking in the history of Zambia. You waste so much money just to come up with a degree clause. What sort of degree is this? Degree in what? Is this constitution going to stand a test of time as you have been crying for? Chiluba introduced a parentage clause to fix Kaunda. Now another cohort of wankers comes with some bizarre clause. Who said degree holders are intellectuals?? Bill Gates ( I bet most of the wankers at the NCC do not know him) has no degree. How about Jacob Zuma next door? What is so special about being a Zambian President? If you have a degree in chi Bemba from UNZA does it make you analytical in economic affairs? What a bunch of jockers!!!!!
#3, You need more than a sound CV to govern a nation. Leadership and effective management of government requires intellectual skills, creative skills, a moral value system,empathy, decisiveness, experience working with different types of personality types and teams, broad knowledge base, and a sense of purpose and vision.
The problem with the NCC commissioners is that they dont understand the definition, roles, and responsibilities of leadership and how it relates to governance in a public and private societal institutions. Because of their simple view of leadership(or partisan views) they view it as a formal education qualification issue.
The NCC reflect the impoverished mentality of the leadership in the Nation.Zambia has less than 3 Universities why require a degree to be a President.Besides 99% of educated Zambians are of no good a high school drop out from Chicago has more commons sense than them.
100% of Zambia’s problems is due to lack of leadership.
History repeats itself! Black people behave like little children sometimes! All that money and this is all you can come up with you wankers?? A degree holder will analyse things? Well Ronald Penza pulled penzanomics from his sewer orifice and he was a degree holder. What a bunch of jockers!! Unanimously!!??
I call upon all forward thinking Zambians to vote against the NCC regarding this new law which amounts to stupidity and child like thinking.
Given that Zambians are so gullible as to follow a person like Sata, if this is what it takes to block this Sata joke, so be it! The clause can be changed after we have moved past the threat of having one Michael Sata for president…please people! Sata for president? tell me you are jocking! I dont like MMD and its alaabee but I would not swap them for Sata…hell no!
Well, let university graduates be the only voters tumimone. Ubu Ebupuba. There are less than 500,000 university graduates in Zambia. Sata has obtained a university degree in the last few years when it became clear that they wanted to block him. Ileguwa bola nomba.
And also remember that before HERB, they were talking about age to try and block Sata, today age is irrelevant. Mwapya bakapala.
To patriotic Zambians and not PF kaponya who think Zambians and MMD will ever treat their so called PACT with kids’ gloves like cousins.
Join me in applauding the patriotic and visionary Zambian constitution making Commissioners for their magnanimity in national matters.
They have expediently voted on almost all constitutional clauses that had been pending. Some few minutes ago they just overwhelmingly killed the Presidential running mate proposed clause. Like the included Degree clause I personally advocated for, I applaud and stand behind these two votes. On the other hand the rejected 50+1 clause will be subjected to the referendum after 2011 elections. But be informed that the new constitution will be enacted by the current Parliament soon for use in Decision 2011.
# 12 Senior Citizen….since you are an MMD cadre, is alaabee eligible for 2011 under the new consitution since he was born kwa Mugabe? Are you sure the 2011 elections will be under a new constitution?
The new Mung’omba constitution will be enacted by the current Parliament for use in Decision 2011.The Presidential running mate has been killed while the 50+1 clause will not be there but the recognized 4 year or equivalent college Degree will be enacted unless the opposing camp can find MPs to shoot it down.
This means the 2011 Presidential election ballot papers will carry no candidate’s name who has no four year college degree.Matero University and honorary degrees do meet the clause.But ambitious politicians are free to enroll in college now and prepare for 2016.otherwise they have to find replacement considering that leadership is a service and about individuals.Out of 12 million Zambians there are substitutes.
Senior Citizen stop cheating us….a honary degree does NOT meet the clause. Thats why the minimum duration of the degree is specified.
On second check, saying a mimum of FOUR year degree is being shallow. Degrees in Europe now take 3 years in some recognised universities. So its HH for the Pact and Mulongoti for MMD since alaabee was born kwa Mugabe so not eligible!
Presidency is the most respected job in any country and you can not have someone uneducated in this position. We need analytical people who can understand issues. Good Job NCC.
This is not to kick Sata out, this is to add value to the position of president. Its not late for Sata to go back to school. **==
Iam not a Sata fan, but history has proved that it is not the degree that makes a leader but other qualities as already outlined by our thinking bloggers! RB with his degree in whatever! has proved to be the dullest and most visionless president on the face of the earth, on the other hand KK with his humble teacher education did more for Zambia than the whole bunch of them, cerebrated lawyer of lawyers not to mention the grade10 kaponya in the name of ftjc.
legacy,
I just ommitted the “no” in the sentence below
Matero University and honorary degrees do no meet the clause.
You think i would say a honorary is admissible when i have been advocating for a recognized 4 year college degree?
Legacy,
No cadre here should go and flatter unqualified power hungry politicans that a Matero University and Honorary degree suffice the degree requirement in the Zambian constitution clause.
Matero University and honorary degrees does not meet the clause.
Leadership has nothing to do with having degrees. The University Of Life has far more to teach an intelligent person than most intitutions of learning. By the way the boys did us proud!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4Chief Kabulwebulwe:
U are sor right- what a bunch of small minded i/d/i/o/t/s- this NCC has turned out to be an MMD Dept.
So, what is the definition of “degree” in this context? What verification process will be put in place? Can one produce a “degree” from a non-accredited “university”? If it has to be accredited – which accreditation? There are a number of “Drs” in Zambia whose origin of “doctorates” is not known. This is a very complicated situation Chiluba got a “Master’s” from Warwick (dissertation is a collection of speeches) – we doubt he deserves it. Sata can also ask somebody to put together all his anti-China rhetoric into a pamphlet and find a “university” to accept it.
#16,adding value to the presidency in zambia means having a presidency that continually strives to serve zambians and not the narrow partisan interests.Further it means having office bearers who exhibit leadership according with these attributes:
Leadership and effective management of government requires intellectual skills, creative skills, a moral value system,empathy, decisiveness, experience working with different types of personality types and teams, broad knowledge base, and a sense of purpose and vision.
You cannot get all those attributes on a CV because most of them are acquired through experience and some are developed natural talents.The only way we can increase possibility of good leaders is to ensure non-discriminatory constitutional clauses to larger pools of…
You cannot get all those attributes on a CV because most of them are acquired through experience and some are developed natural talents.The only way we can increase possibility of good leaders is to ensure non-discriminatory constitutional clauses to larger pools of candidates.
We got very narrow minded people within the NCC.Serving short term interest over long term goals for the country. 50+1 was supposed to be passed without a hitch, but because it does not suit bwezani, it’s deemed not good for the country. Honestly, what has a degree got to do with leadership? what kind of degree anyway? subjects?
Our country is slowly but surely degenerating into what will become to be the biggest shock for Zambians, but at the same time the much needed wake up call! Watch this space…
#16 MUSHIMBA: A PRESIDENT IS NOT A CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TO THE CONTRARY A PRESIDENT IS A LEADER! THE QUALITIES OF GOOD PREZ ARE NOT LEARNED IN A CLASSROOM, OTHERWISE ALL COUNTRIES WILL HAVE PUT IT UP TO A PhD HOLDER!
THE SIMPLE THINGS THAT SHOW THE MISEDUCATION OF MEMBERS OF THE NCC AND YOU (#16) IS YOUR LACK OF UNDERSTANDING THE THIN LINE BETWEEN EDUCATION AND LEARNING.
If that is the case they should build universities in each province in Zambia giving equal opportunity to all people. You can not adopt such a law when you haven’t given every single Zambian free education and good teachers. A degree does not necessarily mean someone is a good leader. There are those they call in the western world learning proffesors all they do is go to school and never acquire or make a difference in people’s lives. Bill Gates did not finish his degree… Richard Branson is not educated…The president of Brazil is doing a brilliant job and doesn’t have a degree…The question is …is MMD going too far in it’s quest to keep power? media should follow this trail of thought. KK had no degree.I think public debates, biographies, records give peeps enough info to vote…
Katulwende write and excerpt it for fellow readers interested only;
Open letter to President Sata
Mr.Sata you are in a PACT with HH on the principle that any of you could be front runner.Now that a constitutional clause is against you and the ballot paper won’t carry your name to be a candidate, support HH to avoid wasting your time and confusing members.Time may prove your enemy number one.
We Zambian recall that when you and Nawakwi barred KK in the Mwanakatwe constitution for the 1996 election, you danced Kaunda alala in parliament.Because Zambia is bigger than an individual,KK withdrew with UNIP picking Francis Nkhoma.Give it to HH, Kabimba, Kambwili, Jean Kapata, Guy Scot,Ruff Shanton or prepare for 2016.Unless the PACT is a case of Horse and Rider in deceit of unsuspicious HH,you need not waste your party’s chances.Remember what happened to UNIP, civil disobedience option.Zambian zre not interested in such.Go HH go!
For example someone can have a degree in catering and another have 16 years experience in public service. Tell me ….who would be a better candidate? You can’t judge that is why public debates on policies etc are important. A little boy or girl in garden compound with only a grade 12 qualification…Due to lack of funds unable to attend university might be the best leader Zambia could ever have.
My advise is that Sata need to wise-up because this is a killer bullet to the spirit of a PACT with HH.He has to support HH in the spirit of a PACT otherwise,he is betraying his partner and vindicating progressives opposing it.What is interesting is that almost all UPND commissioners and MPs in the NCC voted for this degree clause.I don’t see what avenue Sata will use to get his name on the Presidential ballot or this Parliament Change the republican constitution.This is a tough one likely to relegate PF to the dust bin because its individualized movement evolving around Sata.
Another stupid clause…If a Zambian is in diaspora you can only qualify as a presidential candidate if you have lived in Zambia for 10 years. Hypothetical scenario a goes abroad to advance their education . ..2 years A’ levels, 4 years degree, 2 years Masters and PHD takes 3years. They are not allowed to contest as a candidate. Additionally, there is no push on dual citzenship which eliminates more potential leaders? If they want educated leaders they need to eliminate some of those clauses.
The commissioners agreed that Zambia can only be better governed when the President is learned and is able to articulate issues at an intellectual level.Article 123 clause 1 (e) stipulates that a person shall be qualified to be a candidate for election as President if that person has obtained, as a minimum academic qualification, a first university degree or its equivalent.
Contributing to the debate, Commissioner Peter Machungwa said it is important to have a Republican President who is educated because the world has advanced in terms of technology and that Zambia cannot afford to lag behind.“The world we live in today is advancing day by day and Zambia needs leaders who will be able to articulate and analyse issues.“For instance, when presidents go for conferences, there is always a time when only heads of State meet to analyse issues but some fail to contribute because they depend on their advisers,” Dr Machungwa said.
He said it is important that Zambians elect a leader who will understand issues at an intellectual level.
Commissioner Betty Chilanga said it is high time people who want to stand for President in the next elections obtained degrees.Ms Chilanga said Zambia has many universities where presidential hopefuls can obtain degrees.She said many young Zambians are qualified and that they cannot be ruled by people with lesser education qualifications.“It is high time we promoted people who are qualified to be in the highest office of the land,” Ms Chilanga said.
Commissioner Lucy Changwe said education is a critical tool that can help develop Zambia.Ms Changwe said having a leader who is properly qualified will help build Zambia’s education sector.“Even when a person applies for a job in any organisation, there are certain qualifications that one has to present before being accepted for a job,” she said.Ms Changwe said it is important for the article to be adopted because it will encourage people aspiring to be leaders to be educated.
“I support that this article be included in the national Constitution because if we do not, we will be doing ourselves no good,” she said.Commissioner Cosmos Chibanda said the position of President is the topmost job and that it is cardinal to have someone who is educated.
#33-37 PATRIIOT; ASK YOUR S. TUPID DR. MACHUNGWA WHY ZIMBABWE IS NOT THE BEST AFRICAN COUNTRY WITH A PRESIDENT WHO HAS 7 DEGREES! OR THE REASON WHY HIS LUAPULA CONSTITUENCY IS THE LEAST DEVELOPED DISPITE HIS PhD?? I WONDER WHT PLACE U (PATRIOT) LIVE IN AMERICA WHERE U DONT KNOW THAT GEORGE BUSH 43, THE WORST AMERICAN PRESIDENT WAS INFACT THE FIRST MBA PREZ??
a** h***s. first you fail to provide real solutions to zambia’s problem and when someone with a real heart for my country comes along you pull this crap..
to all you so called degree holder who came up with this clause… u lack passion to represent the people of zambia but youselves……the person u trying to prevent has more brians than all of you.
to mr sata. i support what you stand for and please dont let these hippocrits drag you down… fight on as the nation is counting on you..degree holders……..ata
This is a very retrogressive piece of legislation. Which degree they are referring to? Is it in Zambian languages, nursing, computers, or what? I have never heard of a university which they confers a degree on how to be a PRESIDENT. This just shows how naive these chaps are. Why are they failing to address the high poverty levels in the country and instead continue to make stupid laws? I feel sorry for Shikapwasha. He is just a Form V and only God knows why he should write himself off. Machungwa has a PHD in Industrial Psychology which he just used to loot the national coffers. If we are not careful Zambia will be like Greece where the most schools were born and yet it is so poor because of people just making noise. If South Africa can have a PRESIDENT with no formal education, what is so…
This is a very retrogressive piece of legislation. Which degree are they referring to? Is it in Zambian languages, nursing, computers, or what? I have never heard of a university which they confers a degree on how to be a PRESIDENT. This just shows how naive these chaps are. Why are they failing to address the high poverty levels in the country and instead continue to make stupid laws? I feel sorry for Shikapwasha. He is just a Form V and only God knows why he should write himself off. Machungwa has a PHD in Industrial Psychology which he just used to loot the national coffers. If we are not careful Zambia will be like Greece where the most schools were born and yet it is so poor because of people just making noise. If South Africa can have a PRESIDENT with no formal education, what is so
special abou Zambia? Besides, most of these so called degree holders are frauds. Look at the composition of the NCC? What good can come out that?
This clause is totally useless,i strongly feel that this very retrogressive. I definetly do not want to be led by pipo like Satana who make contradictory statements because they are too uneducated but munipulators of pipo .Whoever ,degrees are not the source of wisdom by far.Any ,my fellow Zedians lets look at some of the programmes various unis offer,they are programmes like sound and event management something like a DJ.The problem we have in Zambia is that we only think of Uni education in elite terms which is not supposed to be the case,if you talk some UNZA grads ,lawyers included they are so out of touch with reality thats why illiterate people like Satana are having a field day on the political scene in Zambia .There is no alteranative leadership available hence clauses like that.
No wonder is everybody in Zed today think masters degrees only and yet ,these awards only make informed in a particular speciality and not everything .These ill prepared pipo are getting all the promotions ,no wonder institutions are performing poorly because chaps who returned assignments are making very critical decisions in companies which is counter productive.
Well we wanted the new constitution. It is almost here. Those who stayed out can not complain. By the way the vote was unanimous. And unanimous mean unanimous. It has never meant anything else. All the people at NCC and even those who supported the 50 +1 on this occasion realized that illiteracy and Kaponnyalism, absconding classes to shunt trains in the UK should not be rewarded. The world is flat and too complex to allow such individuals near the corridors of power.
Well the good news though is that there is still a full year left before elections. Some politicians still have the time to enroll into some online University and get that one year MBA in something like Kaponyalism or whatever. The MMD has made distance education in Zambia possible through its sound polices. l-)l-)
Since when did a COLLEGE DEGREE = LEADERSHIP? We have plenty of examples, both in the past and now, of individuals who have turned out to be fabulous leaders—both in politics and/or business. Legalizing ELITESM through the constitution is NOT RIGHT!!
This is the problem with African constitutions. They always appear as though they are done to “fix opponents.” Who is not to say this was included in order to “fix” Sata and the like? Whether the NCC realizes it or not that’s how the all damn thing looks to an observer. The clause is myopic at best. You can bet your last Ngwe on this, if Sata gets to plot 1, we all can prepare to waste more millions to come up with another bogus constitution. And these so called “degree holders/intellectuals” at the NCC can’t anticipate this?!
Which way forward for King Cobra. The mistake he made was to boycot the NCC so the MMD took advantage to influence the delegates. But its a very unfair piece of law. Some pipo are wise not because of degrees. Look at Robert Mugabe despite having many degrees look what he has done to Zimbabwe.
Party leaders will soon be degree holders. All the other party cadres assipring to be president of Zambia must say goodbye.
Ignorance is the biggest disease and had Sata had enough education to know the role China today plays on the international economic scene, he would be talking about ways of harnessing their power as opposed to antagonizing them by trashing their investments in Zambia while fratenising with Taiwa, a renagate province of theirs. His opportunism of having been the unacceptable face of Chiluba’s stinking third term bid and also being the architect of the Parentage Clause in our constitution all point to “little education” as the source of his lack of intellect to understand things. Even at Grade 12, he would still not qualify. He should just forget, if KK failed, how can a regionally based scatterfull prevail. Kwamana pe!
I hear HH’s relatives on the NCC voted for the degree, now we are talking treachery.
i told you guys Sata has a degree in animal husbandry
Its called, “DISCRIMINATION”! Who told you degree holders are wise?
I feel very embarrassed to be Zambian, honestly they cant waste the tax payers money only to come with that clause, i dont even think people submitted that to the willa mungomba commissioners. This clause is very retrogressive and it is only targeted at Sata. Most of the members of the NCC who supported this retrogressive clause dont even have degrees, where does it leave them?
I have ACCA qualification. Does it mean I can not be a president of this country you call Zambia
Well history repeats itself zoona. well using education as a standard for leadership is a tricky one as we have so many levels. what will stop someone saying they need a masters degree for any one to be president? issues like wisdom, though un measured by empirical means, skills, compassion, patriotism, entrepreneurship and level headedness etc are qualities that a person needs in order to help others go forward. We have so many degree holders but look at the lifestyle they lead? reckless. I for one who like a person who is educated and can deliver not just UNZA papers. tell me Lungwangwa is a professor and he was DVC at UNZA. if you are familiar with UNZA, then you will realize that this man has no leadership qualities yet he has the highest degree some one can obtain academically-a PhD.
I suppose NCC is about coming up with the constitution that will stand the taste of time. But suprisingly it seems it has been turned into a PARTY LOBBING organ to fufill what a party wants to continue or to get in power. I can foresee the current NCC ending up as a wasted chance to come up with what it was created for – it will be a waste of a lot of resources. The current NCC has turned out to be there to draft the laws that will make parties to go through in the 2011 elections. THIS IS DANGEROUS.
zambia is a joke,Leadership is not = to degree,am a very educated man and am talking from experience believe me.I’ve been there,done it,what can you tell me.My country zambia is a joke.If countries with 9000 universities does not require a college degree to be president,what of zambia with 2 versties.:((
#49, contrary to you views, Taiwanese never feel part of China. so where does it leave you? In the last few months, US sold Taiwan some of the state of the art anti missile battaries and why didnt they opt to use China and instead went ahead to sell them to Taiwan? Read wide boy not just ukwikala kumutanda. palamina mwana so you can see what china is all about. yes they have the largest market but they are not the monopoly. for your information, there is technology in china that will never trickle down zambias way-reason, they see us as paupers even when they want to sound diplomatic that we have a sound bilateral relationship.
Sata simply hits the nail on the head. he is not against the chinese but they must respect the zambian labor laws PERIOD
How many Zambians have degrees ever since UNZA and other offshoot colleges were opened? what happened to the grade 12 threshold that has been in the constitution all this time? at least we have plenty of G12 leavers than UNZA or other university graduates put together. Iam in no way advocating for a less competent presidential candidate but having had a chance to go thru UNZA and other Universities around the globe, i still feel putting such clauses as barriers have terrible aftermaths. It would have even been better to have all Permanent Secretaries, MP’s to have degrees then the president will be surrounded by a high caliber to technocrats. Noti for example we have our rocket scientist Prof Clive Chirwa as president, he cracks a joke about coordinate geometry or non linear permutations
or analysis of variance, then the ministers or MP’s start thinking he is insulting them. Any way lets have such a clause in the constitution and when change comes many more clauses will be put such that all those who have been MP’s before will be barred and lets see where zed will go after wards
Finally something sensible has come out of the NCC. I agree that degrees do not make people wise but it is a starting point. It may not be written in American consistituion but who in the recent presidents did not have a degree? No one in America would vote for a guy like that as he would not understand the complexity of the world we live in now. But remember America is more than 240 years old!! Zambian is just 45. So at the moment it is good to guide the nation to make right choices and such is one issue. May be in future it can be removed but at that time Zambia will be so advanced that people would not vote for a Kaponya for president. Bravo NCC! Sorry Mr. Sata
Hey Spear (54) … I like the aspect of the other qualification that you have brought in and it makes me think that the Degree Nonsense was ill conceived. Indeed there are a lot better qualifications than some of the Degrees being offered by our Universities. Our learning institutions are not so responsive to the market and you see that they still train people in programmes which can’t even help them contribute to our society. Whatever the case, the test of time things for our constitution is now gone with the water :((
Its about sanity in the political realm and not individuals. We are tired of unnecessary resignations that waste taxpayers money. We need to move away from violence and insults to competent and productive social dialogue like our colleagues in the diaspora. What about the vice-president who may take over in case the president gets demised, what qualification do we need for a vice ???? Automatically a graduate as well ! How can a blindman lead the sighted in a bush path ? The degree clause is SUPER !!!
Don’t worry people if your candiate does not have a degree now as they is enogh time for them to get one. Is the clause specific about the duration of the same degree and whether it should not be honourary?
Ba #61, Having a degree is a starting point to being wise?=)) Please spare me! Are you for real?
This has to be the most *****ic thing to come out of a constitution making process and I have several degrees.
Zambia is doomed.
Tamwakwata amano bafikala,..we will still vote for the pact.M******mwe..Wisdom isnt all bout a degree.F**k you all..watchout ASSLIKER.
sata:o sata:o sata:o
Maybe even Chiefs should be degree holders…….
WHAT MAKE YOU THINK THIS MONKEY CONSTITUTION DISADVANTAGES MICHAEL SATA?? YES ITS A FOOL’S CONSTITUTION AIMED AT SATA BUT THE TARGETING IS MISDIRECTED. SATA “WAS”, “IS” AND “WILL BE” THERE. A TIP FOR MMD, TO STOP SATA, ADOBE A CLAUSE THAT DISQUALIFIES A ZAMBIAN FROM STANDING FOR PRESIDENT.THE INEVITABLE ICHIBWATO IS COMING. RUN FOOLS RUN!!!!!
but its only right that this was done. Why are we trying to ran away from advanced education by giving all sorts of excuses. We lose nothing by having a president with a degree. If Sata cant stand then HH will. Besides there can only be one president from that Pact.8->
Children of Abraham (Zambians) rise and challenge the idiocy and embecilty this Rupia Banda administration is championing. We have seen proper *****s with degrees, proper thieves with degrees, thieves running our defence forces with degrees. So, what is this degree nonsense you telling us about? We have seen old men marrying their own grandchildren with degrees, old men with their friends’ daughter going to private rooms in full view of cameras with degrees. Please what is this nonsense!!!!
#3…you are not honest,obviously waleigile na data mu exam room.If you really an intellectual you wouldn’t condone this bullshit,am also from one of the univrsities so i know what an talking about…
ViVa my ass
#3…you are not honest,obviously waleigile na data mu exam room.If you really an intellectual you wouldn’t condone this bullshit,am also from one of the univrsities so i know what an talking about…
ViVa my ass:((
Why are we Zambians scared of new moves? just because USA , UK, etc doesnt have this in their constitution doesnt mean we cant. They most probably dont need it because most of their people are educated degree holders any way. And speaking of wisdon, are you people trying to tell us that educated people can no be wise? For them to be educated in the 1st place is wisdome enough. Stop giving excuses please and maybe be wise yourselves! And I thank you!>:d<
Good Morning
There is basically nothing wrong with adopting this clause. However, it seems that the NCC is moving goalposts. The question is how many political parties were involved in the process of decision making? Did PF/UPND also consent or was it only MMD? If they all agreed, it is fine. Otherwise a lack of cooperation and trust between political players will not do Zambia any good.
i cant agree with the NCC on the degree clause , leadership that inspires and wisdom is not found in degree holders,its there in G12, Diploma holders especially our teachers who have educated alot of Degree holders now, access to Degree in Zambia is not universal, so this clause am afrid it wont stand the time,its useless no matter how you look at it
the milk has been spilt and we need to pick it up from there and move on..Sata support the youngman..period!
Everyone on the NCC will pay for wasting our time. And the country as a whole will lose out as usual. As for FODEP it has obviously becaome a branch of OP. USELESS
Yes le degree holders vote for themselves. why should illiterates vote for them? Zambia is now for the rich. If you are from a poor family you shall ever be poor. captain Solo where re to take over? There is nothing for the poor in Zambia. Kufilila munsenga nomba.
it’s sad that some people on this forum can support such sickening elitism
#79 [-( Much as i don’t agree with the NCC on the article they adopted, I think you are an ***** for wishing a coup to take place Zambia. All we need in zed are leaders who will make decisions that will benefit all (no party lines involved) coz right now decisions are made to suit the political party in power not the nation at large. :)>-
I am best suited to rule Zambia.I have a Degree in Leadeship,Management & Organisation from Teesside University,Middlesborough voted UK’s university of the year 2009.I can lead,manage and organise you useless people.But I still think a degree is a piece of paper,I work with degree holders but sometimes I wonder about their qualifications.
How many MPs in Parliament have degrees to star with?very few.Does RB have one?theis will backfire on the MMD in future coz the next clown they adopt for president after RB may not have a degree.these clowns should learn.Theft of motor vehicles was made a non bailable offence to fix Matribouy but times caught up with them and the same law applied even to FTJ’s man, Sakala.Not everyone with a degree is wise and wisdom is wat we need in a leader, educated or not.
Ok, lets put it simple guys, the world has never been fair to the uneducated and it will never be. They are either closed outside or they get left-overs. This is why we all work hard and get as much education as we can, to be in the inner circle.
I hope Sata will not complain about this because HH has a degree. And Sata had free education at his time, why did he go only upto primary school level?
**==
Mulila chani, Mulila nzi, Mulila sikamani? Finshi Mulelila? what’s wrong is right and what’s right is wrong !
Congrats NCC…Not eveyone is meant to rule…
Congrats NCC…Not eveyone is meant to rule…
Please people lets move on that was already adopted and rightly so.If those without degrees want to boycott fine then we will vote for ourselves:d/:d/:d/:d/
I am seeing a lot of shallow debate here. It seems people on this blog who are against this clause are against it simply because they believe it bars the undecucated Sata from being President. This is myiopic thinking to say the least. Sata is a spent force who decided to go to UK and shunt trains instead of going to school when at his time, education was free. Thank God he will never be President of Zed. To me the clause is wrong because it will disadvantage a lot of innocent young Zambians because unlike in Sata’s era education now is costly with very few universities.
The issue is are we creating an elitist society…In our current situation how many of the poor people have access to our 3 universities? are creating a ruling class? We are all Zambians and should have equal opportunities especially when it comes to politics because this country is for all. It is the rich that have access to education and in most cases they are not even as qualified as the poor that have been left out. This gross injustice! We should avoid politics of fixing individuals and look at the long term effects. We need the spirit of selflessness and foresight. SHAME ON US
If your father and mother are poor from shantis you have no part in Zambia. You are discriminated against and all your children children children will remain poor coz soon there will be close in the constitution that says that school is only for those with money. Given this fact, let Zambia split in two, one for the degree holders and the other for the illiterates. Let the illiterates rule themselves and the degree holders themselves as well. GREAT EMBARACEMENT BEING A ZAMBIAN.
The ability to reject nor accept anybody to be a President of Zambia should be left with the people of Zambia, not the MMD. 1st they wanted to enact a law to restrict certain age as inability to stand. That was targeting at Mr. Sata. After the demise of Levy, the MMD were caught in the same web. It could have disqualified NyamaSoya. They U-turned. Now they want to again de-franchise Sata by bringing a law to disqualify him. If the MMD think Sata is no threat why come up with these foolish rules? The MMD disqualified KK at one point with another foolish law. HAaa is Zambia on Earth?
#79 Mboo…… I supoort you, the soldiers have been insulted, let them show these d.ull MMD and NCC that they can also rule even if they have no degrees. Let captain solo take over for there is nothing to lose in Zambia. In fact it will be a blessing as countries from war do better , the example is Angola which is hosting CAF now. REALLY NOTHING GOOD COMES WITHOUT SHADING BLOOD.!!!!!!!!
I think this is a good idea of having a degree , this will encourage people to study hard.In my opinion for holders of ACCA,CIMA,ACA, CIPFA, ICAI & CPA can still qualify because these qualification are at the same level of a Masters degree in accounting & finance.I have also a full ACCA , BSc Hon ,AAT& CIA and now studying for an MBA ,you see now you kaponyas why were you running away from school ;no state house,ministerial job,MP ship may be a councellor bwana,
Sata is educated he just doesn’t boast about it like so many useless people with worthless degrees
thank you LT for bringing back the kadolis 😮
Guys,lets reject this insult……..
Constable…….batitukwana……
:-w:o:((:d:(:-w:-\”
One thing that these people are forgetting is that all of them were educated by a person without a degree! Kenneth Kaunda!!
Akashambatwa Mbikushita Lewanika has a degree too but I can never have that person as president based on that! Mike Mulongoti also claims to have a degree which got in evening class but he is as dim as a dimwit!! You govern with common sense and I thinik it is severely lacking in our leaders today!!
And Senior Citizen! Please stop talking through your back side!!
We have short memories- those who play with a knife will perish by the knife. Why should you make a national document around an individual? If Sata had a degree, you were going to use age, but since RB is also old you were going to use origin, but since RB is from Gwamba Southern Rhodesia, you were going to use you were going to use “marrying a young gir” but since—you were going to use mplexion that Sata is too black to be a President lest he disgraces us to the WHITES. I have no problem with the clause, but aiming at stopping an individual FROM ENJOYING HIS RIGHTS is the biggest sin a so called CHRISTIAN CAN COMMIT
#100,uliwamano……….:d/
“FODEP Information Officer McDonald Chipenzi says a degree holding president will help to critically analyze national issues at an intellectual level. He pointed out that having a degree would also help the president to contribute significantly to deliberations at international conferences unlike the current situation where they depend on their advisers.”-LT. Can some one remind Mr. Chipenzi that Mwanawasa was a Lawyer(LLB) and the current President is an Economist( BSC or B.Arts). I see nothing wrong in having a highly educated President too, but I don’t support the discriminatory clause. Of the major parties, only one leader has no degree and that is PF. Anyway, what goes around comes around! Such is politics! A very DIRTY game indeed! Please give us more universities for our…
Muiseveni is a university graduate. Look at how Uganda has performed well. Also look at Mandela and Mbeki.
Surely asking our president to have a degree is not too much. Sata behaves the way he does because he is not educated. Similarly FTJ’s behaviour.
A kaponya has every right to aspire to be Zambia’s president. But is that what Zambians want?
Gentlemen,
this degree holder requirement for a presidential candidate won’t break us. We have other credible candidates in reserve we can field in who are even better than Sata. We will field in credible guys and let Sata deputize him together with HH. So we will have two vice presidents. Actually our plan B is looking at adopting Prof Clive Chirwa as our presidential candidate and if he agrees, we will definitely win the election with michael and HH deputising him. We have plan C and even D also in case he declines the offer. Viva Pact!
NCC is a subsidiary of MMD, dont expect sense to come out of that gathering. their interest is to chew taxpayers money and leave the majority of zambians poor. serious people stayed away when they checked the composition and hopless clauses
Does the clause say degree or equivalent because there are some of us with no degrees but have ACCA, CIMA , MIMS or CIPS.
For the good of the nation the NCC has made a right decision. The problem with many of us is that we do not want to be objective – especially when we want to see issues only from one angle. Africa has been a total failure because of a lot of some illiterate presidents who have had no tools of analysis – many a time they have acted on impulse/emotions at the expense of reason. rationale etc.(they also consider themselves as chiefs who MUST never leave office…)
Those complaining of discrimination; surely there is always POSITIVE discrimination – in this case it is good!!
Yes a degree is not everything but it is a good starting point. Well done NCC
Number 10, true dat! I couldnt have put it any better myself. All those who are opposing this decision are only doing so because they are thinking of Sata. Well so is NCC, so fya balansa! I actually think the degree requirement should have been put an MP level and Diploma at President level but if this is what we need to save our beloved country from one lunatic with a huge fanatic following then so be it. We’ll change it again after our target gives up politic. Its called tough love..
This is very foolish. There are many wonderful men and women without degrees who can lead this country more ably than degree holders. Any objective person knows that this clause is targeting Sata. Who are the NCC delegates to tell us who should be our president. If the larger majority of Zambians want somebody without a degree, give them what they want. Nobody is stopping those with a million degrees from standing. If the NCC delegates don’t trust Zambians to vote for the right kind of person, we should do away with elections. Don’t force choices down people’s throats. What a bunch of dunderheads. Many of them have no degrees and they think a degree would make them better people. All ministers permanent secretaries and Directors in government departments without degrees should step…
Ati degree with silence imwe bamambala. We who are endowed with inteligence and smartness do not talk. We who aim higher in education see the clause as a very backward one. Silent degrees are useless, let us who pass with excellence talk not you d.ull degree holders. What is a degree, infact let us say that presidential candidate should have PHD- with excellence not just PHD. You d.ull creatures wo have obtained degrees with silences. TO HELL WITH YOU, SHAME ON YOU ALL.
One of Britain’s best prime minister was Sir John Major in Britain from (1990-1997) wikepedia ” from Major left school at age 16 in 1959, with three O-levels: History, English Language, and English Literature. He later gained three more O-levels by correspondence course, in the British Constitution, mathematics and economics…Before becoming the Prime Minister, Major was a Cabinet minister under Margaret Thatcher. He served for brief periods as the Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, making him one of the few people to have served in three of the four Great Offices of State of the UK. He has since retired from politics, leaving the House of Commons just before the 2001 general election, and continues to be a sought-after speaker.”
the trouble with zambian’s is they place too much emphasis on academics. we had lpm – “state counsel” and we have the biggest academics in cabinet but have lacked leadership since kk went out. this is VERY retrogressive and I have an mba and am a chartered accountant.
MMD is a bunch of dull and cowards full of inferiority complex. I have been to three universities but i can never, never, never claim to be more smarter than somebody who has no degree.
In fact a number of successful businesses are owned by non-degree holders and yet the same so called degree holders rely on corruption to earn a living.
This is what happens when you are being ruled by people are not smart, always relying on political advantage to fix people. In the USA a country with thousands of universities, you still find vice-presidents of multinational companies who only have go as far as high school. Our own Sata, has contributed so much to the country that cannot be compared to the so called degree holders. Can someone tell me what Lungwangwa has transformed as minister?
I had the grossly mistaken impression that the NCC was a composition of representative right thinking
members of the society. How wrong could I have been. Only a non-socialised, unenlightened and
selfish group of people would decide that a degree equals being properly educated and analytical in thinking. What about all the other different types of vocational training and professional qualifications? Not to mention massive real-life experiences and learning processes. In this time and age, this clause is as retrogressive and atrocious as the so-called big minds behind it. I see no prospects
for a stable political dispensation in Zambia in the near future. God help us. What a waste of time and
resources!
Having a university or college degree doesn’t make you smart. RB has a college degree but look at him he is such a disgrace , a very dull president. Look at Bill Gates a college drop, no degree, but without him we wouldn’t be blogging on LT today. NCC, FULL OF DANDER HEADS, now most of them have barred themselves from ever standing for presidency.
#109. ACCA,CIMA, i am sorry those are not ‘academic’ qualifications. Quickly get a degree, otherwise you will not be eligible to stand as a Z president. I know it feels awkward becuse the so called professional qualifications are relatively big on cash in Z, in countries where they originate from you will be shocked thats not the case. They are definetly NOT academic.
#118 YOU ARE A WISE PERSON. One need wissdom to rule over others not a degree. I have seem degree holders whoo can not even run their houses. Shame on NCC. These foolishness need to stop now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#120 and #118 you are right some of these peeps voting do not even realise they have limited their ability of ever becoming president. Short sighted as they say foolishly give away their rights.
#121 I should add giving up other people’s rights . I think health and old age should be more of a concern than a degree. ZOld people over 70 should just be consultants…Enjoy your old age and let a younger generation rule. Who needs 74 -90 year old president when they have grandchildren to do the job.
Fellow bloggers, there is more to it than a degree. Here are some of the disqualifications:
1. Degree
2. Born in Zambia(Remember RB was born in Zimbabwe)
3. Continous stay in Zambia for ten years
4. Should not have duo citizenship
It is yet an other process in futility.
The Wright brothers invented an airplane….education?…high school dropouts. Henry Ford is another guy who credited with great innovations,i.e car, assembly line etc…education?….basic and narrow education or simply 8 years schooling.. We have an endless list of great men with no education, but their impact on our lives is immense. Zambiabs, wake up. A leader should just be a visionary, the rest is taken care of by book worms.
Different gifts are given to different people by God Almighty Jehovah Jireh our provider. A degree does not wholly qualify an individual to be a good leader with wisdom. Education is just an added bonus or tool…Proverbs 4v7″ Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting , get understanding.”
Michael Dell the inventor of Dell computers has no degree. The list is long….I will conclude this is an ignorant clause disregarding the gift and skills God has given to human beings. I rest my case.
If I understood what came out of the NCC correctly (I stand to be corrected), there is also a requirement that a Presidential candidate must also be Zambian by birth. Where does that leave Rupiah Banda who was born in Zambia? Can he claim to be Zambian by birth?
Some more food for thought:
Mulongoti is a recent UNZA graduate and Given Lubinda only has a diploma in business studies from NRDC. This new clause means that Mulongoti is more qualified to be President than Lubinda. But put them on the same on the same forum to debate issues and observe how they articulate issues.
Michael Dell, Bill Gates, William Branson are not degree holders, but look at what they have achieved.
Sorry I meant to say: Where does that leave Rupiah Banda who was born in Zimbabwe?
If its a matter of being born in Zambi, then all of them do not qualify except HH who on tribal grounds also gets disqualified. I mean, both Sata and Banda were born in Northern and Southern Rhodesia respectively, not Zambia. With Sata, nobody knows for sure because he could as well have been born in Mbeya, Tanganyika. The only unfair insertion is the domicility Clause, otherwise I agree with everything else. Ignorance i more dangerous than AIDS, look at Sata, I swear its his little education that makes him think Hong Kong and Taiwan are independent sovereign states. Had he to become president, NCC forbid, how would he feel is suddenly China started supporting Barotse seccession?
I agree with one of the comments above, good health should also be one of the qualifications. Look at Banda and Sata, were one of them to win the next polls is this not another state funeral we are talking about? Sata already has suffered a massive heart attack in the past and at 70+, these things have a tendency to return and kill within 1 to 5 years. The same goes for Katele, Kunda and Mlongoti are infected with AIDS. Just about 90% of Zambian politicians are very unhealthy inflicted with all manner of incurable ailments. All they want is to die in office so that they are granted a state funeral.
its good to see people argue like this.problem is africa is poor,and poverty is a sin.and so the people are sinners and before of that most people are trying to be less sinful everyway possible,hence corrupt decision to help them put some money in there pocket.
My view is that this cluase should not have all the things they suggesting including health. I have seen healthy people dropping dead just like that leaving people wondering what really transpired. Time and again, history has shown that unjust laws tend to revisit the originators. The politics that our politicians are initiating have a long adverse consequences on our country’s development as they only favor dull people to perpetuate their stay in leadership.
It’s time for all the graduates from colleges and trades school to react to these NCC nonsese. Is this what the call pipo driven constitution when all they are doing is just to destroy one person’s political career. Why should inocent hard working college graduates and God gifted, wise grade twelves suffer just because of NCC’s greedy and selfshness????
We have limited number of universities and every year thousands of students with very good grade points apply but could not find places. I these pipo think they are too wise for all of teh zambian pipo they should have started by including a clause which allow for free education from grade one to university level and later talk about stupid degree nonsens!!!
Some of those pipo at teh so called NCC do not even have a grade twelve certificate and have no hope, dream, ambition or desire to work hard and become national leaders apart from gracefully receiving the NCC allowances coming from tax payers. Shame on you hypocrites!!!!
I am glad Sata will never rule Zambia, that man is arrogant, ignorant and is a dictator. He should go back to grade 6 and he will be president in 2026. He had free education at his time and never took advantage of it.
Through out the world, the uneducated are side-line, sorry to say this, but its the truth. If you want a good life and be on top, go to school.
Ba Mashimba, which world are you living in? Do not make generalizations. Please give us the name of the country where they have such a thing. It is not about Sata alone. Hatred for one individual should not pre-occupy legislatior’s minds.
#136. Laws in Zambia should never ever be made because of an individual. Zambia is a nation and such clauses should be wisely debated. Independence day 1964 did not stipulate only people with degrees will have a good life. MMD have not built universities or been a strong advocate for education. Ironically an uneducated president KK did more for education. If you debated on the issue of Sata being too old it would make more sense..oh , you can’t go there because it affects your old age President Rupiah.
Simplicity and the framework of mind do not go hand in hand… Is the degree clasue good?.. Yes and no.. It spurs elitism yet it is not placed within the context of equal oppurtunities. As a degree holder, my view is that, yes, i have worked harder than non degree holders and my knowledge skills are far superior to a door man, why cant i lead a nation? However, it pains me to admit, i have met many professors and doctorates with no social skills what so ever.. Take einstein for example, genius in mind, child like in behaviour..might this be the case of the cobra?. on the other hand, education and leadership are not one and the same, leadership phenomenology is not classed via a degree nor a set of characteristic taits. Vote for who you belive will do the right thing, with or without a…
Sata is educated. The ministry of health compairing Sata to the degree holders who have run the ministry, who can be a degreeholder? Obviuosly is Sata. This then sholud just remind you that even people with degree can be useless when it comes to having good leadership qualities. This country the only way out is a man of action. Mun’ganda katamuli Pushi bakoshwe balatamba na TV. When the cat is brought in just observe the way Bakoshwe panic. Similary they know the man of action is coming to overhall and cleanse the system. The man of action, King cobra! Remember this name didnot come about as just a mare nick name, there was a very strong reason. Results. I can tell you every one is panicing. All these pot holes you seeing will be a thing of the past. Man of action.
Democracy is rule of the people by the people. Why do you want to restrict rulers to university graduates only? Let the people choose who they want whether its a fool or a genius. Noone should impose “geniuses” on us
This whole degree issue shows that our so called law makers do not understand what a constitution is. Although a degree is an important step in an INDIVIDUALS development , it is not up to the constitution to specify that as a presidential qualification. That should be up to individual political parties to demand from their candidates. People will then be free to join such political parties or not. I would recommend the MMD to do so in their party. The constitution is a HUMAN RIGHTS document that outlines what they rights and limits of ALL Zambians are. To use it for political agendas is a betray of the Zambian people to say the least. For your information nowadays people do not recognize the UNZA degree globally since the institution has decayed from what it was many years ago.:)>-
Marvellous Marvin Hagler #130 Taiwan is an independent state. It was part of China but the guys who live there fled when the monarch was toppled and settled in Taiwan. Its Hong-Kong which has come back into Chinese hands after being under British rule.