Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Ambassador Chalwe Lombe says his Ministry will consider engaging the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) on the possibilities of creating a platform for which Zambians living in the diaspora would participate in next year’s tripartite elections.
Ambassador Lombe, who is in charge of International Relations and Cooperation noted that the creation of a platform on which Zambians in the diaspora would cast their votes was important.
In a statement released to the media by Mrs Naomi Nyawali, First secretary Press and Public Relations and Zambia High Commission South Africa, Ambassador Lombe said this during the African Missions virtual meeting on the diaspora policy when he answered a question from Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Major General Jackson Miti who asked what considerations the government was making for people in the diaspora to take part in voter verification exercise and voting in Missions abroad to capture would-be voters who may not be able to travel to Zambia due to travel restrictions in their domicile countries.
Ambassador Lombe observed that lack of voting among Zambians abroad was a problem as they did not have access to exercise their franchise.
He encouraged Mission abroad to make submissions to the Ministry to enable them to engage relevant institutions with a view of putting up measures in place that would allow people in the diaspora to register and cast their votes.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Lombe said Zambian Missions abroad played a critical role in the successful implementation of the Diaspora policy.
He implored Missions staff to understand and appreciate the diaspora policy in order to effectively coordinate diaspora communities in various countries.
I have been engaging with the ministry and submitted my concerns and recommendations about this. One of the major issues I recommend is that if this is to happen then only those who have regained their citizenship should be allowed to vote. Those that took up their colonial master’s nationality and thus lost their zambian should apply before they are allowed to vote. We cannot risk any Jim and Jack participating in our elections. Especially so in diaspora where as we have seen on this forum we have a number of angry traitors.
I still favour only allowing voting from Zambia. If diaspora lady can travel from Australia to Zambia to come and vote then why can’t the rest if they care about this country?
Zambia hasn’t got enough embassies for people to vote; in Africa they only have missions in a few SADC counties. Unless they allow online or mail in voting , it will just be a fraction voting.
Awe, we shall do it properly under UPND.
Money must be tight in Zambia. All these politicians and political parties are now courting the diaspora.
Liboma I am struggling to find where in the article it says we are begging for funds from diasporans. This is not the 90s. Things have changed. People here are doing much better than those in diaspora in relative terms. No one gets overly excited about kuvyalo anymore. In fact people know that things there are tough and most of you are doing menial work. Why would anyone ask people based in countries where they are being mistreated due to the colour of their skin for help. In fact you need our help
Btw, has HH ever held a public office ? Or has ever walked into Parliament. UPND seems to have a strange situation where their leader has absolutely no experience with Public offices and has never been in Parliament. Can somebody give me an example of a similar situation elsewhere ion the world. Otherwise i dont want to experiment with somebody who has absolutely no experience in Public offices running and for that matter vying for the highest office in the land. That is scary !!!!!
Btw, has HH ever held a public office ? Or has ever walked into Parliament. UPND seems to have a strange situation where their leader has absolutely no experience with Public offices and has never been in Parliament. Can somebody give me an example of a similar situation elsewhere ion the world. Otherwise i dont want to experiment with somebody who has absolutely no experience in Public offices running and for that matter vying for the highest office in the land. That is scary !!!!!
Btw, has HH ever held a public office ? Or has ever walked into Parliament. UPND seems to have a strange situation where their leader has absolutely no experience with Public offices and has never been in Parliament. Can somebody give me an example of a similar situation elsewhere ion the world. Otherwise i dont want to experiment with somebody who has absolutely no experience in Public offices running and for that matter vying for the highest office in the land. That is scary !!!!!
Please fire Lombe Chalwe, he is opposition, te mwankole. Allowing diaspora to vote in 2021 is same as pushing HH from 62% to 72% majority win as the polls stands today.
What we really wanted is to have a Diaspora Presidential Candidates in 2021.
@KZ, most of them are Kapyangas who cannot raise a ticket to come to Zambia. Thats why they pour venom on the Government and peddle falsehood hopnig Chi-color akainde will win
What experience? In fact, people with trail of experience are the ones that have messed up things, big time. Look at the novice President Trump, he has exceeded the expectations of many pundits; he built the strongest economy in the USA, the best in 50 years – with lowest unemployment rate, lowest tax rates, strongest military, stable stock market and dollar, better infrastructure, health care, etc. As at now the economy is recovering at a rapid rate, again exceeding the experts’ predictions. Here we want to get the same corrupt individuals that have stolen public funds and would want to continue, they just change the party that they sense could win – and the masses accept them because they have the experience in stealing – NO!, this trend must be stopped. We need visionary leadership…
conti.
We need visionary leadership that can turn around our economy and give hope to our youths and make Zambia great again. God bless Zambia!
It is amazing how this impostor in the UK has continued acting like Kz, and some people are falling for it. Anyways, your luck of insight of what it means to be a diasporan is concerning. By definition, a diasporan is someone residing in a country which isn’t theirs. They don’t lose their citizenship, thats rather shallow reasoning from you.
@ James you’re very correct that Zambia needs visionary leadership but so long Zambians continue electing a party and not trying to know the individuals contesting as representatives of the adopting parties, the mediocrity and recycling will continue! There is also the phobia of trying out new faces as Zambians always identify risk taking with guaranteed failure or for worse! Hope is being rejuvenated in the youth!
This is all talk.The PF Govt will never allow Diaspora Voting becoz most Zambian Economic Refugees in the Diaspora will vote for the Opposition and for Change. The PF is unlikely to facilitate Diaspora voting for this reason. Time will tell.
@Concerned citizen , YOU ARE A LUNA-TEEE-K…. People like you are what has made Africa what it is TODAY… Surely if i get your reasoning you would rather vote for BOWMAN AGAINST HH just because BOWMAN HAS EXPERIENCE AS AN MP AND DEPUTY MINISTER (AND AS A DIE HARD HARD VIOLENT CADRE)…..Do you have children or nieces/ nephews… ?? SO you would rather tell your SON to look up to BOWMAN and NOT HH because HH has never been an MP or a Counselor.. YAAAAAK