Electoral expert Mcdonald Chipenzi has opposed recommendations by the European Union (EU) Observer Mission that Zambia phases out the grade 12 qualification requirement for one to stand as a member of parliament.
Mr. Chipenzi tells Phoenix News that the grade 12 requirement has resulted in the reduction of mediocre kind of leadership that was witnessed in the past.
He says the country should actually be looking at upgrading the qualification for a member of parliament to a degree level as a way of ensuring the relevance of parliament.
Mr. Chipenzi also argues that you cannot find parliamentarians in the UK Parliament adding that most of them are Degree and Masters Degree holders.
And Mr. Chipenzi says the revision of the public order act is currently dependent on how fast Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe takes the draft bill to parliament.
He says the removal of the President’s immunity during election campaigns and reduction of nomination fees can easily be done by parliament and has since challenged the UPND government to fulfill its promises of ensuring these matters are dealt with urgently.
Meanwhile, Politics and International Relations Expert Mwila Bwanga has urged -ECZ-to prioritize decentralizing its operations to district level across the country.
The latest report on the august 12, 2021 general election by the EU Observation Mission says that despite a constitutional provision foreseeing decentralized ECZ structures at the provincial and district level, these are not in place and the ECZ relies on the support of the local administration.
Mr Bwanga explains that in the previous election, although the electoral administration at local level was well organized, it frequently did not enjoy the trust among the local stakeholders and there were inconsistencies in the implementation of procedures at various stages of the process and varying competency levels.
Why do African presidents fight for immunity from prosecution, yet are some of the biggest theives and anti Democrats………
Lungu was the worst……..
Strengthen judiciary and civil liberty groups and ypu will be safe if ypu did not steal…………..
Now lungu could not strengthen civil liberty groups and the judiciary because of his banditry , so instead he fought for immunity from prosecution……
I agree with McDonald totally- i don’t know why a group of former colonial masters would want to achieve with education phased out as a qualification to a very important position as that of an mp…the so called whites can be very dull sometimes
Well done Chipenzi, i agree with you
EU- is right Mr Chipenzi. I am a Zambian who do not support this registration because i feel it is discriminatroy in that Zambia has never provided equal oppotunites to every one to go to school. Even now only maybe 10% can acces bassaries to unza and only those who are connected and children of the rich people. Immagin a scholl recording 100% falire . Are you telling me all the children are dull? The bing answer is NO…If given an opportunity to be at DK or UCRASET beliveve me those can get distinctions than even those who are there. They failed because maye only two teachersa teach them with all subjects even even in subject they are not trained.
With this background how can you create rules that only favour the elite minority? Imagin you are taken to school by your father who is a…
I noticed LT doesn’t allow me to air my views on such matters so I will just say I agree with Chipenzi. One day I will be your boss. A mambala.
MrChipenzi if you quote the UK as standard pf a calibre or qualification then quote it in full and as it stands. There’s no academic level requirement. the only requirement is:
To be eligible to stand as an MP a person must be at least 18 years old and be a citizen of the UK, a Commonwealth nation, or Ireland. A person is not required to be registered to vote, nor are there any restrictions regarding where a candidate is resident.”
That’s all and there’s a mixed breed in quality of the MP’s even here in the UK so don’t just despise your Zambia parliamentarians. Leadership is not about a degree or doctorate but leading and having a following constituence mostly at parliamentary level where its a continuance that chooses its own leader to send to parliament. And with all the…
EU- is right Mr Chipenzi. I am a Zambian who do not support this registration because i feel it is discriminatroy in that Zambia has never provided equal oppotunites to every one to go to school. Even now only maybe 10% can acces bassaries to unza and only those who are connected and children of the rich people. Immagin a scholl recording 100% failure . Are you telling me all the children are dull? The big answer is NO…If given an opportunity to be at DK or UCRASET beliveve me those can get distinctions than even those who are there. They failed because maye only two teachersa teach them with all subjects even even in subject they are not trained.
With this background how can you create rules that only favour the elite minority? Imagin you are taken to school by your father who is a…
The EU can’t educate us on anything. Our values and reasoning is already higher than theirs. They think LGBTQ is a human right and not a defect Decades after independence they don’t respect that we can chart our own path. They want our MPs to be illiterates that don’t understand high level issues so they can be easily manipulated for their benefit. In fact we should raise the requirement to a collage diploma. This will encourage people to strive higher in education and become informed voters. Not uneducated Cadre mentality and intellect
I agree with Chipenzi 100 %…. in fact we should work on raising it to college diploma level.
Sending illiterates to the legislature will be a waste of valuable resources.We have already seen others foolishly believing that Parliamentary Immunity is freedom to insult others or make wild allegations against others…….
I never agree with Chipenzi, but on this one I give him 100 percent. In any case why do we allow these people to tell us how to run our affairs.
Is this really happening…can Africans go to Europe and tell the Europeans how to run their affairs….if you can’t see anything wrong with what HH the demagogue President is doing then you need to have your mental condition checked….how does HH even give these morons EU audience…Zambia has been auctioned…where is John Sangwa when you need him
Next week I am going to the UK to tell Boris Johnson to step down because he broke the lockdown rules.
Europe thinks it is still our colonial master. Elsewhere Lt are reporting of some hapless Zambian football coaches receiving instructions from UEFA and beingvery happy about it. Now the EU wants us to bring uneducated MPs into parliament
If inferiority complex was a President..HH is a complete let down not only to Zambia but to the entire African continent
This is why they had a department of education and a department of native education in Northern Rhodesia which ensured Africans only went as far as standard 2 and then sent off to work whilst a white child went to amass educational accolades the result was that after the colonial years of 1924-1964 only 100 graduates were in Zambia no thanks to a segregation system that favored a Whiteman .I think is the most ridiculous observation from an election observer….
Because they know that when we have mediocre leaders especially in Parliament it will be easier to push their evil agenda. The issue is not about elections or the today, its them planning evil now to happen in future.
All these S1LLY segregative requirements are totally un-necessary. The only qualification should that someone is of marriageable age, pays tax and is a Zambian. Let the Zambian voter decide whether a mentally challenged person should represent them in parliament. Even paying a nomination fee is undemocratic.
Saulosi, Zambia does not fund EU elections. find your own money and you can do whatever you want.
Academic achievement isn’t a guarantee of wisdom. If you are inherently stupid, you will still be stupid after grade 12! Look how many grade 12 graduates have taken the country on a downward spiral. The EU is of course right in it’s suggestion. Open up eligibility to all Zambians who deem themselves capable of taking the country forward. Let citizens be the ones to sift the wheat from the chaff; not foolish elitism.
#plant a tree please!
They want a parliament of loggerheads, walkout types so that they can have ample time rip Zambia of its resources these Imperialists. With a stooge at red brick, can we say it’s a step being considered already?
This Thorn in the Flesh
LT what the fack is this moderation about? Can you improve on your monitoring of postings please.
The European attitude against Africans has not changed since the lost grip of colonization of the continent. They know that they can continue to manipulate the less educated and un informed. That is why they want to fight for the removal of Grade 12. They want our ignorant Africans to continue being an embarrassment to Africa by exposing them to their European politicians who have had their first degrees funded by their Govts. Our Grade zero will only embarrass the continent even more. Don’t accept this stupid recommendation.
Zambia is a sovereign state with its own laws to govern effectively some of which is the Electoral Commission of Zambia Act. So, we set parameters of governance as Zambians. the European Observer Mission (EOM) does not the mandate nor the authority to include their opinion in our electoral legal framework. Zambian government reserves the prerogative the level of qualification deems fit for its citizens to acquire as a parliamentarian to contribute effectively to the nation. EOM will be seen with a colonial mentality to recommend changes to ECZ Act as suggested. We recommend EOM suggestion to be dismissed as contemptuous act to the Zambian government.
“The phrase taxation without representation describes a populace that is required to pay taxes to a government authority without having any say in that government’s policies”.
GRZ we are all your children regardless.
Does Zambia recommend anything to the EU? And has the EU ever acted on a recommendation from Africa?
@Muna: what is sovereign having 17billion debt when your country is only worthy 5Billion? What is sovereign about all your shopping malls being built by foreigners & infact they own them too. What’s sovereign about every single road you boast to have built, was built on Kaloba money, Hospitals – Kaloba, Schools-Kaloba. Even elections – u can’t sponsor your own elections? And yet here you are you fool-ati “Sovereign state”, which sovereign?
You modern day slaves
Chimpenzi on this issue you are wrong, there still few schools in the country to access. In rural areas, those who are luck, they have schools up to basic level. So you have to put that into consideration. Every citizen wants to participate in political process. If discriminate them by introducing biased laws because you had a chance to go to university is wrong thinking. Actually who destroyed the country are you educated people.see how governments lawyers have become corrupt, Any body who is appointed in any position in government is there to serve him/herself. Remove grade 12 certificate please.
Lusambo, kampyongo and others are grade 12 but what did they do when they held those positions they brought the country down.
If you remember those who were in UNIP like MCC Fines Bulawayo…
First of all……..
To: The “Saint”
I question your “Saint hood “. You don’t sound like a saint at all. You sound like an imposter. But imposters tend to be worldly smart, because it takes a little bit of smarts to fool people.
But let me be clear…….just because a country gives money…..they are not to interfere with government and affairs of that country. There are also rules against that. They are not to intefere with sovereign nations. (And I do think you know very well your premise is wrong”
But again…… you’re from the UK so you seem to have colonialist and oppressive mindset.
Second….most countries have educational requirements. Stop it! Stop playing games…… colonialist boy. What the brother said above is right……the UK and other countries…
Also “sinner” “saint”……. whatever you really are (for God makes the determination). If they are giving that money with the contingency to be able to meddle with the sovereignty of that country……then let them make sure they say that openly both to the government……..and to the people themselves. (It is amazing……..it has been hundreds of years…..and wicked colonizing mindsets still don’t stop). Yes……you represent the UK mindset. #”The saint”._
You were right brother Saulosi… other countries would not allow this.
My dear Zambians please note the imposters on these threads that care very little about the country and the people and through discernment notice deceivers.
Quick question:
Do you know how much of a problem it is, for our Zambian children, elders, and families, and future,r to have leaders that cannot read and understand “foreign” contracts?
(Hmm, aren’t there a lot of natural resources in Zambia.)
I think we see…..why many deceitful foreigners do not want Zambian leaders educated.
But God sees Everything even deceitful hearts.
EU DELEGATION, GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRIES.
YOU FAILED TO MONITOR ELECTIONS IN USA AND OTHER COUNTRIES. SEE IF YOU CAN MONITOR THE COMING ELECTIONS IN RUSSIA.
I also agree with Chipenzi. Infact we should upgrade the qualification to a minimum of a Diploma holder for one to stand as MP. Anyway those are just recommendations from Europe. We adopt them or we don’t adopt them.
I give Chipenzi 100 percent. In any case why do we allow these people to tell us how to run our affairs.
Look at that small white woman standing in front of our President with her hands in her pockets!! Total disrespect. Where do these chaps come from? No diplomatic etiquette. I would kick her flat butt if I was near.
Understand the context, the delegation is actually giving proper advise. G12 certificate is a European standard, they are saying find your own Zambian way for someone to be an Mp. All the nation which are developing have their own indigenous way of doing things. We can’t speak our mother’s tongue in parliament, calling it vernacular, we are all Zambian whites.
Yes, I agree with you on this one Mr. Chipenzi. However we should appreciate that these Muzungus are just conforming to the adage “He who pays the piper calls the Tune”
I totally agree with Mr. Chipenzi. Its quite simple. Parliament enacts laws, so how can an illiterate MP participate in that process?
Secondly, these EU guys were invited to monitor our elections and not to suggest amendments to our laws. That’s total disrespect and lack of courtesy.
I don’t know why our president is even entertaining them.
Ninshi bakalibe bwelelamo namanje since August?
No, Egghead……you are very much missing the point.
Zambians are not stupid. Zambians can understand and think very much for themselves. They do not need…..as you would put it…”advice”….from people that have their own interest at heart. Russisa, the US, the UK, France, Germany…….will not, and would not…..respect…”advice”….from any African country. Period. “you” may call yourself….”Egghead”…but Zambians are not. They can think very intelligently without……advice from white nations that have tremendous problems in their own country. ….so in your mindset…….we need….”European countries”……to tell us…to find our own way. Goodness. So we even need them …for that. Brothers and sisters…..slavery can stop. Colonization can stop. But the minds…
ZENNIA!!!
You are absolutely right. Graduating from grade 12 is not a guarantee of wisdom. I would imagine you yourself have graduated from grade 12, and I would not cosign that you are wise. In an environment when outside countries and foreign financial forces have been robbing the resources of African countries for years…causing the people to be poor and without hope and resources…….we cannot afford to have people that do not have reading comprehension and educational understanding. We have standards on a football field….correct? Why? because….we have to play and deal with other countries. So how about this…….let us have leaders that both…have graduated from grade 12…AND …are wise. African countries have been getting robbed…and manipulated ….by the games of the…
No…..Spectre, we should not appreciate it. Zambians should feel disrespected by it. The tune that they are playing……is “out of tune”. They need new sheet music. But they are playing old songs…..of pride, manipulation, and enslavement. Trying to control other nations….for their own self interests. So no. We should not appreciate it. Not at all. But “you” can….if you like but I dont’ agree with your taste in music.
Speaking of music why has this art become so narrowed down? Its strange that the new generation of Zambians doesnt appreciate any other forms of music except the ones being exported by America. All the new musicians are trying to imitate US music. And the government thinks it has no role to play. The Zairean government played a very big role in popularising Congolese music.
Keep grade 12 requirement as a MP you must read and write and spell, maybe this EU do gooder thinks that educated Zambians will be smarter and able to rip off the govt and system as opposed to a poorly educated MP.
One thing that is for sure is you must well off to get into politics, show me a poor village person who is a MP today.