ELECTORAL stakeholders have called for the enactment of a new constitution within 90 days to improve the electoral process in the country.
A Senior citizen Donald Mutale said during a stakeholder’s meeting to review the September 20, 2011 general elections at Saint Andrew Kim retreat centre in Kitwe over the weekend that a new Constitution was important if the electoral process were to be improved in the country.
Mr Mutale said it was disappointing that huge sums of money where spent on the National Constitution Commission (NCC) which did not take the country anywhere.
He said it was important that a people driven constitution was enacted to address concerns in the electoral processes of the country.
Mr Mutale said the new constitution should also ensure that it does not entrust so much powers to those in leadership to appoint and disappoint chairpersons of institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) among others.
He suggested that elected commissions or parliament should have the powers of appointing or disappointing those found to be inefficient or those that could not be trusted in their duties in public institutions.
Mr Mutale said the current constitution was fraudulent as it gave so much powers of appointing and firing to those in Government.
“The new Government must within 90 days ensure that we have a new constitution which should not be seen to entrust so much powers to those in leadership,” he said.
And Beautiful Gate executive director Bill Kaping’a said it was important to come up with a strong constitution which would reduce some powers of a sitting President.
Mr Kaping’a said issues such as the announcement of the election date should not be a preserve of the sitting President but should be enshrined in the Constitution.
He said political parties should also disclose their source of funding to avoid abuses or soliciting for funding from investors.
Democratic Governance and Human Rights Advocates (DEGHA) national co-coordinator Gerald Mutelo said a new constitution was inevitable as it would strengthen the electoral processes in the country.
[Times of Zambia]
Methinks our new president is enjoying his powers of hiring and firing a little too much. Also we can say goodbye to whatever little separation of powers that existed. We will not see that new Constitution that limits the powers of the president. Not in the next 5 years. Watch and see.
I think so too I do not see a new constitution any time soon!especially one that limits his powers!
Its clear that Mrs SATA will over-step on most constitution issues as our constitution as not that definite on most issues.
SATA will surely ride on that to express some high levels of dictatorial tendencies.
The problem is that we have reverted to 1991, where everything the leader said was exciting because of the excitment of the change we underwent.
I hope that the hangover of change excitment will not last too long in most people so that we quickly begin to see right and wrong.
Sad to see most NGOs worshiping SATA as they still swim in the feeling of him having been in opposition. The inner part of the NGOs has not rubbed off the fact that SATA is no longer in opposition but govt and needs checks and balances.
This will cause SATA to go full throtal with wrong conduct.
And that is precisely why, now, while he is still very aware of his promises, we should push hard for all the things which disadvantage the opposition: freedom of assembly (Public Order Act being abused by police), equal access to public media, freedom from ruling party using government resources, protection of ECZ from govt interference, etc, etc. But please, no increase in members of parliament and constituencies! 50% +1 may come, but remember that if that clause was in place for these last elections, RB would still be in power for the next 90 days! We would have been going through hell! Let’s proceed with caution.
Donchi Kubeba!!!
Hit the rod into shape while its hot, as a blacksmith would say.
I get amused when I see people having chatter foras and talk about enacting a new constitution and they seem serious. But the question is where were they when George Kunda and his minnions where busy raping this country and cheating it out of having a good constitution that can stand the test of time?
The PF Govt is less than two weeks but already they are applying pressure. What is it they want to achieve?
Where were these people when red lip was wasting their money? Cowards!
The presidency is the stumbling block. Our presidents love power so they dont want a new constitution that curtails their power. Will Sata be different?
sometimes a power in the hands of someone who will use it well can be a good thing.It is difficult to make decisions in a divided govt.case in point is the political gridlock we have in the united states at the moment.GOOD hands has to be stressed however.
Let the President decide whether we need it now or two months before election. He is currently cleaning the Government of wrong vices. Donch Kubeba! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Fellow Zambians.
I have one comment that I intend to continue posting. The solution to our economic problems lies in our constitution. WE NEED A HEAD OF STATE AND A HEAD OF GOVERNMENT. The current arrangement puts the president above all citizens. HERE is the SOLUTION. A head of government who is a politician shall be elected by the people. He shall be responsible for the day to day functions of government. A head of state who shall be one of our paramount chiefs on a six year rotational basis shall be in charge of all state functions, the army and the police. This will ensure the protection of all citizens regardless of their political affiliation. Here lies the solution. Everything else will fall in place. LET US DEMAND FOR THIS IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS.
Sam Phiri,
I sense some wisdom in your suggestion. Help me understand.
How exactly (other than in name) is this different from the British system with a King / Queen and an operative elected prime minister ? I am not comfortable with some of our drunkard and career womanisers of paramount chiefs having the full force of the police and army at their beck and call. The paramount chiefs are fairly happy with the current arrangement and I would prefer it was them (bottoms up approach) advocating this, not you or anyone else.
We just need to work on curtailing the powers of the office of the president constitutionally. These powers are good if in the hands of a benevolent dictators (Sata), but bad when in the hands of thieves like Ala Bee and late Chiluba
The new constitution is what we need within 90 days.Sata is trying hard to set the mark very high in the way the country should be run.Being human he’s bound to make several mistakes.And we will try hard to correct and rebuke him.I hope he has fearless advisers.Can he prove some of us wrong who think he cannot be trusted,especially on reducing the powers of the President.At the moment he’s moving dangerously.Watch the pace!!!