A consortium of Civil Society Organisations has joined others in condemning the proposed amendments to the Constitution of Zambia as contained in the Constitution Amendment Bill of 2019 which is currently before parliament.
The CSOs which include Chapter One Foundation, Action Aide, Caritas Zambia, Alliance for Community Action, NGOCC, CiSCA and TIZ have noted that the proposed amendment to the constitution will be costly to the Zambian people given the high levels of debt and the austerity measures being implemented by government.
Speaking on behalf of other Organisations, Chapter One Foundation Executive Director Linda Kasonde said the money that government wants to use in the process would have gone towards providing services to the people of Zambia in the Health and Education Sectors among others.
Ms. Kasonde also noted that removing the limit of Constituencies will allow the party in government to increase the number of MPs at will to have the majority numbers in Parliament to pass any law in the house.
And Ms. Kasonde said the proposal to have a coalition government will undermine the power of the people to vote for the President of their choice as the party in power can partner with a political party that is not in favour of the people.
She noted that the Framework of the Zambian Constitution does not support the coalition government.
And on the proposed unlimited number of Judges that make up the High Court, Constitutional Court and Court of appeal will allow the party in power to pack the courts with the people that are sympathetic towards them and compromise the independence of the judiciary.
Ms. Kasonde said the removing of the constitutional powers in the hands of the people means that the country is descending into anarchy.
He has since supported the stance taken by Law Association of Zambia President who has condemned the proposed amendments to the Constitution describing it as a move in the right direction.
Ms. Kasonde has urged the LAZ Council to support the stance taken by Mr. Mweetwa as it is in the interest of the Zambian people.
I wish Ms Linda Kasonde’s tenure as LAZ President ran up to 2021.
The current LAZ leadership is docile and can’t do anything to stop the PF from manipulating the constitution.
Constitutional amendments should be driven by first agreeing wht kind of society we want and not whether the amendments should come before the nxt election. It’s hallucinating to think that we can simply pray for the new society we want. We hv always been prayerful in this country but why is the country not getting better? It’s not prayer that will improve our country but honest public officials.
You chaps and your +brief case organizations are really a let down.
When these proposals are raised, you never want to stand for Zambia or participate in the dialogues .
You have this silly ideas of boycotting such events, to please your, agendas, paymasters, or those who you want to come into power. This allows the sitting government or PF to get away with things.
Now that the car has gone too far, that’s when you are shouting for a lift to jump on. When the car was in front of you, you did not bother to raise an arm.
Where was Linda when all this was being formulated … is the $64 trillion dollar question here.
Linda has been on the front line all this time. For you two where behind your keyboards.
Keyboard warriors….lol
@INDEPENDENT OBSERVER, you’re very right these people are a huge problem to the country, l remember very well the government was calling law makers to attend and participate in the dialogues but they refused now that car is in gear 5 they start crying saying we’re not in agreement in the changes to the constitution. Iwe Linda Kasonde we know that you’re tonga married to Mr Kasonde. Your agenda to push UPND into power opposing very thing the government is doing. When you were at Laz you championed the agenda of upnd you never opposed the government like a professional but as a member of upnd. Please be proffessional in your work madam. Shame
I do agree with your comments that the best way to deal with these issues is to be proactive and participate from the beginning in the hope of stopping the dodgy issues at the source and not after the fact. However it is also a double whammy when you know the process itself was marred was flawed from the start and wasn’t set up properly with the right intentions. You don’t want to legitimize a sham process by being part of it. But we are in this situation where it is going ahead and so all you could do is condemn and expose the flaws in what they are doing in the hope that it will dawn on someone with a progressive mind to see the issues being highlighted. To their credit these NGOs opposed the process from the start and at every step of the way. The PF just don’t listen because their…
The majority of Zambians need to be sensitized to these issues, unfortunately for the innocently clueless majority, they do not understand the implications of these matters. Civil society organizations should consider active grassroots mass education. Otherwise no amount of talking will work
Linda is full of logic, but unfortunately, she is advising the incorrigible . Edgar Lungu tefintu!
Yr so called NDF was by invitation!
And minds like Linda s were not welcome!
This is a government of Scammers ! Period. Nothing is done in good faith
Zambia being a Presidential democracy like the USA,and NOT a parliamentary democracy,how is a coalition going to be implemented? The president will be directly elected by the people and will only be recalled once his term of office expires.I thought in a coalition government, its the MPs who elect or leader of the party with the two third majority becomes the head of state.Did the NDF recommend parliamentary system of government for a coalition to work? And if not why this recommendation?
Where are the politicians taking Zambia kansi?
PLEASE LET THE PARLIAMENT PASS THESE AMMENDMENTS NOW! THESE WERE LONG OVERDUE! Those condeming this process are not being sincere.
Lungu is a crook …….he was not banned from holding a law license by LAZ for nothing….
Every amendment in the constitution is meant to keep him in power longer and avoid jail for the looting and corruption Zambia is being subjected to…….
People of Zambia!
The question I have for Linda Kasonde is ” Are all the people who attended the NDF fools including their Chairman Professor “??
Let Linda not hold Zambia at ransom as she eats her sponsors money through destabilizing the nation.
I fell to understand why most ‘critical’ voices are absent when they are needed the most. Why do they nake their presence available when the train is gone already. When ideas are being floated, they decide to hide behind their desks. When the fruits,bad or good, are about to be harvested, they shout the loudest so that their presence is not missed. AWE SURE Mwandini