PRESIDENT Banda says the consortium of civil society organisations intending to petition Parliament over the draft Constitution is free to do so.
He said this at City Airport shortly before he left for Southern Province.
“They are free to go ahead and petition. Again, I have nothing to do with that. This is their country, it’s my country, all of us, so if they think they are right, let them go ahead and petition.
And on Former Minister of Defence George Mpombo and Chilanga MP Ng’andu Magande, Mr Banda, who is also MMD president said the ruling party’s national executive committee (NEC) will soon meet to decide their fate.
“We are meeting soon, otherwise, I would be pre-empting what NEC may want to discuss,” Mr Banda said.
And President Banda said his trip to Southern Province is of economic benefit.
[pullquote]“They are free to go ahead and petition. Again, I have nothing to do with that. This is their country, it’s my country, all of us, so if they think they are right, let them go ahead and petition.[/pullquote]
“You know we have a road there which has lasted nearly 20 years now, that was not completed, we have completed it and we have built new bridges there, including a new secondary school for girls, and there are a lot of things that we are doing there,” he said.
President Banda said the benefit is that the people around can now move with their products to Choma and the rest of the country much easier than they did before.
“It is not only there, all over the country, we are building roads so that people know that the Government is working very hard to open up these routes,” he said.
Vice-President George Kunda, Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives Peter Daka, Lusaka Province Minister Charles Shawa, Secretary to the Cabinet Joshua Kanganja and other senior Government and MMD officials saw the President off.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
The NGOs or Civil Society will be wasting their time to petition parliament over NCC. How many times objections have been raised in the past. The deal has been sealed. The best thing would be for the NGO’s to sensitize the rural majority on their rights to vote without being bribed. Power is in the hands of the rural voters. Those men and women in parliament are there mainly to line their pockets. Last time their voted to give themselves huge sums of money at he expense of development and provision of social services. This even extended to NCC delegates. Thses pipo will never learn or listen.
Plunderers of doner funds.
The legal process has been compromised already. No wonder: “they are free to petition…” The answer is already known. It is shameful to this country. Our children are the ones who will suffer in future. It will be tough to reverse these precedents. Vote wisely in 2011. Do not be intimidated by any one.
Don’t run away from current issue iwe Chi Kamwendo Munjila Banda. Allow an appeal in the case of Lazo Chiluba. You are talking about the constitution which will not bring food on the plates of my poor Zambian relatives. If you have outlived your usefulness, go back to your farm. RB you are not fit to be even a village headman. You are only fit to be a Kamucheka in prison together wil Lazo Chiluba. Soon you will go where you bring. At least you have a choice, either Chimbwakaila or Mukobeko prison.
CIVIL SOCIETY GO AHEAD AND PETITION WE KNOW YOU DOING IT FOR MEMBE CATHOLICS AND PF. YOU WERE GIVEN CHANCE TO BE PART OF NCC BUT FOOLISHLY YOU STAYED AWAY. YOU NOW LEAKING YOUR DIRTY WOUNDS
Mwenze kuni mweo? This is a sign of desperation you fellows, don’t you know that Parliament is a wrong forum to petition? All the MPs are part of the NCC, except for those few crumbs and remnants of PF. Tamwaishiba? Simuziba? Amuzibi?