UPND members of Parliament (MPs) have said they do not regret participating in the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) as the draft Constitution born out of the exercise is better than the current Constitution.
Responding to a question in Lusaka yesterday during a Press briefing on whether the UPND was not ashamed of having taken part in the NCC, the parliamentarians led by Monze MP Jack Mwiimbu said it was a worthwhile decision to take part in the exercise.
Mr Mwiimbu, who is UPND chairperson for legal affairs, said it was going to be shameful for the party if the Government failed to take the draft Constitution to Parliament, which was not the case.
“As UPND MPs, we are not ashamed of having participated in the NCC. We would be if the Government decided not to bring the draft Constitution to Parliament. The NCC was not formed to enact a Constitution but to make recommendations.
“The enactment of the Constitution is the domain and jurisdiction of Parliament, which is the body with powers to alter or repeal the Draft Constitution,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
Mr Mwiimbu said the draft Constitution Bill would be tabled in Parliament next year and the House shall decide on the matter.
“In fact, the draft Constitution is even better than the current Constitution. It has good clauses which are in the interest of the Zambian people although many other good ones were rejected,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
“There is no doubt that the UPND did its best in the NCC deliberations, that is why contentious issues like the 50 plus one as well as the bill of rights have been referred to the referendum.
“In any case, it is not too late. Zambians have to lobby MPs to ensure they debate the Draft Constitute in their interest for a good product. In fact, even the 50per cent plus-one clause can be reintroduced,” Mr Mwiimbu noted.
“We cannot have a pact without the backing of the Constitution but with this provision in the Draft Constitution, the pact will be consummated. It will, therefore, be wrong to say the Draft Constitution is not okay, it has good clauses that are progressive,” he said.
Mr Mwiimbu said the MMD did not even have the two-thirds majority to enable it pass the new Constitution but it would still need to lobby the opposition to do so and the UPND would render its support if the interest of the Zambian people came first.
Mapatizya MP Ackison Sejani said it was not shameful for his party to have taken part in the NCC because it contributed enormously to the deliberations of the body on contentious clauses which were now referred to the referendum.
His Mazabuka counterpart Garry Nkombo said it would have been folly for the UPND to go against its decision in Parliament by not participating in the NCC.
Mr Nkombo said when the law to enact the new document was passed in the House, all the UPND, PF and the MMD members supported it.
Kalomo MP Request Muntanga said the party participated in the NCC because it believed that it would help change things from within the body and not outside.
[ Times of Zambia ]
Where is everyone? Am I too early? I will comment all the same. Sata should have known better that boycotting government programs benefits no one. When a law was passed in 1996 to bar Kaunda from standing as president, UNIP boycotted and they have never recovered. The confusion in the PF started when their president refused MPs to take part in the NCC calling the rebel MPs. osasowela ndi boma. BOMA NI BOMA
it is sad to note that efforts to change the direction of our country are in a container. In a situation where voting power is shared almost equally by the ruling party and the opposition it makes sense to try to gain more power by increasing increasing the number of your participants in a decision making event… participating in NCC was logical.
in the same vain the best thing to do in order to limit the powers of the executive is to make sure the so called PACT and other opposition parties work on achievable goals such as capturing the following seats in next year’s elections:
Kafulafuta, Chongwe, Kapriri,
Mongu central, Solwezi west,Kalabo Central, Kasempa, Zambezi east, Kabompo east, Mwinilunga east, Serenje, Luanshya, Kabwe central, Kaoma central, Masaiti, Nalikwanda, Liuwa, Mulobezi, Mumbwa, Mukusi south & north, Mansa and the like… Remember capturing seats from a ruling party while maintaining your seats has the effect of quickly sealing the gap in numbers while offering a chance of building an unbeatable majority. Then it will matter less whether RB, HH OR SATA IS IN PLOT1…
UPND has always exhibited leadership. they are geniune to the cause of zambia’s governance. for sure had it not been for UPND all the good clauses in the draf constitution should not have seen the light of day. UPND among the opposition political parties have the best parliamentarians, and no one can dispute this. the biggest challenge that the party has had is becuse ofthe miss information by the post and micheal. he is the one who led the dirty campaighn of saying UPND was a tribal party. the benefit of the opposition in the democracy can be seen from upnd. how its members debate in parliament very focused and objective. look at the remaining pf mps full of inueodos and malice.
the strategic error that upnd made was to go in to an alliance with the party headed by micheal sata.
# 4, I appreciate your observations but I feel it is not in the interest of any well meaning zambian to fragment the opposition at this time. Let the opposition be encouraged to swing a lot of parliamentary seats in their favour so that zambians can be heard in the house. This is achievable through the formation of as many pacts as possible amongest the opposition. What wrong is there in getting the PF and UPND working with ULP to take all the seats in western province. Strategy and good implementation is key to success. The squabbles about plot 1 should not be as big as the people ‘s targeting control of parliament.. ask Obarma if you are in doubt. The opposition can easily take CB, LSK, southern, western, northwesten, central and luapula province. Let us urge them on…
#1 Umodzi_Kumawa- You may be right, but please note that the Rebel MPs were already in the MMD camp thus rendering the opposition impotent in as far as voting was concerned-MONEY TALKS
It was always right for them to participate as they represent their constituents. The problem with these opposition party’s is the fact that they are personal to holder and therefore democracy does not prevail. Take PF Sata dictates to the party simply because it’s his party. When MMD was formed it was never an individual wanting to rule but a collective unit trying to better Zambia. Today MMD still has that democratic foundation, we’ve so far had 3 MMD presidents in the 20 years of it’s Governance. Sata has always been PF leader since HIS party was formed. Boycotting the NCC was never a good idea it has done the PF no good. Respect to the UPND at least they have made some meaningful contributions some of which have been adopted. We need more people driven opposition not individual.
Q: What do some people hasve for eyes?
A: Marbles
Q: What do some people have for ears?
A: Blanking plates
The story of NCC is well known including the silly decision by PF leader Michael Chikufya Sata to bar his MPs from participating in the NCC when they were part of the decision in Parliament. We all remember the silly debates in PF then (including the equally silly decision to expel a Mayor carrying out her ceremonial and perfectly legal her duties), now some blogger would have us believe that the MPs were paid. When are you going to grow up and think like adults?
The question:What has the same NCC achieved?It has and will not achieve anything.Those who participated in its formulation and those who did not are all the same.The best constitution will be written by our great,great grandchildren after studying how stupid we were in making a simple document.George Kunda and his UPND friends will not put food on your table by writing a bogus document for you.All they want is to prolong their hold onto power.A better constitution will always be a mirth in our time.No one will write a better document for us owing to selfishness and poverty that is around.We should talk about other things and not useless documents which add no value to our wellbeing.NCC is a lost cause.It is one of the worst disasters of our generation after Tsunami.
…THE NCC archieved the aspirations of the party that sponsored most of the participants. All is not lost in that come election time parliament will go to the opposition. The so called rebel MPs will not be adopted by the parties that sponsored them. The logical thing for them to do will be to try standing on a ruling party ticket against fresh candidates from a galvanized opposition. To continue arguing about what happened and what should not have happened is cool BUT TIME CALLS FOR STRATEGIES that will move our beloved nation forward. LET THE PEOPLE CONTROL THE PRESIDENT THROUGH PARLIAMENT for a change. A better constitution is possible!!!
#7 Mwanambinyi- If you were a political sience student you were going to fail your exam. Having 3 Presidents so far is not a sign of democracy in that party. FTJ failed to continue being the Party President after LPM threatened him with withholding his terminal benefits. LPM was never elected President and RB was not voted by a cross section of the NEC. He used his Republican Presidential powers to scare off other contenders. He was elected by a handfull group of spineless cronies like Mulongoti..
#11 Do you firmly and wholeheartedly believe that PF as a party practices internal democracy more so than MMD?
#11 Also I think it was one Micheal Sata who has so far been the biggest hurdle to internal democratic practice within MMD as evidenced by his enthusiastic support for the failed third-term bid of his now sworn enemy FTJ, the fact that he engineered the flight of many within MMD who were against the third-term bid as well as the fact that he was involved in instigating violence in support of the third-term bid. You support such a man and you have the nerve to question democratic practice within MMD? If Sata had his way, we would probably still be ruled by the same Chiluba you now hate so much.
#13 Chibolya- Do you have to see fresh meat to know that the meat in your fridge is rotten? I did not say Sata was democratic. If Sata is undemocratic it doesnt give a licence to the MMD to be undemocratic. Besides Sata is immaterial since he is not in Government. I pay taxes amounting to over K6million every month so I am free to talk about the MMD’s failures since they are the ones eating my tax. You cannot say a man is impotent when he isnt even married. You will only say so when he gets married fails to deliver
#12 Which internal democracy are you talking about? Is MMD democratic? you are dreaming? Do you mingle with some MMD leaders to understand how MMD is being draged by the crones of RB for you to compare MMD to PF. Sata is an open minded person that is why most people think he is a dictator.With him a spade is a spade and never a folk!!! The party(not Sata alone) agreed that they will not appoint any member to seat on NCC. But some MPs went against that because of money.The best they should have done is to resign from the party and then go for NCC as independents or join MMD
#14 As usual your logic is skewed. So it does not matter now whether or not PF practice internal democracy as long as they never get to state house??? Actually as a member of the opposition, you as a tax payer are paying for Sata as he is allowed to be provided with security by the state. Members of PF in parliament get paid gratuities paid by you. I fail to see why democratic principles should be applied to someone who does not practice them in his own party. What will stop him from continuing his behaviour once in power? Also you seem to gloss over Sata’s behaviour regarding the third-term. If he behaved like he did as a mere minister how worse would he be if elected president? I for one and the majority of Zambians do not want to find out.
PF absconded coz they had nothing to offer.
Same characters ( MPs) sat as delegrates at NCC, the same characters will receive the same document in Parliament now as people’s representatives….what a circus! This has just been a waste of resources no matter how we try to sugar coat . Zambia has a nation is so wasteful…seminars,workshop,commissions,task forces,foreign trips and the list is endless.
I THINK THERE IS A BIG LESSON TO BE LEARNT FROM THE UNITY THAT EXIST IN UPND, FOR YEARS WE HAVE NEVER HEAD ANY OF THERE MPS BEING REBELS LETS FACE IT, THEY HAVE THE BEST BREED OF A CREAM OF INTELLIGENT MPS, THE UPND PARTY ARE SO UNITED AND MATURE CHECK OUT THE POST YOU SEE THE WAY THEY HANDLED THE RUMOUR OF ALLIANCE WITH MMD, THEY SHOWED UNITY OF PURPOSE AND MATURITY, DESPITE THE POST AND SATA BRANDING THEM TO BE TRIBAL AND UNDER 5 THE GUYS ARE A FORCE TO RECKON WITH, I THANK GOD SAKWIBA SIKOTA NEVER MADE IT TO BE PRESIDENT OF UPND HE WOULD HAVE SOLD THIS WONDERFUL PARTY TO MMD DUE TO HIS GREEDY. VIVA UPND!! VIVA PF!!