Patriotic Front Secretary General Hon Davies Mwila has written to three Members of Parliament namely Hon Elalio Musonda, MP for Kamfinsa Constituency, Hon Frank Ngambi, MP for Chifubu Constituency and Hon Kabaso Kampampi, MP for Mwansabombwe Constituency respectively to exculpate themselves for the absent voting of Constitution Amendment Bill No.10 of 2020.

“It has come to my attention that during the voting for the Constitution Amendment Bill No.10 of 2020, on Thursday 29th October 2020, you decided to absent yourself from voting for the Bill”, Hon Mwila’s letter to all the three MPs read in part.

“Hon Member, you are aware that His Excellency, the President had directed that all our Members of Parliament vote for the Constitution Amendment Bill No.10 of 2020 as it had progressive clauses that would have seen us uplift the lives of the underprivileged in society”, Hon Mwila further wrote.

Hon Mwila has stated that the action exhibited by the Honorable MPs was not in line with the Party’s interest and in breach of *Article 74, regulation 29 (d) and (i) of the Party Constitution.*

The Members of Parliament have since been issued with exculpatory letters to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against each one of them.

Meanwhile, Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) President Edith Nawakwi has said that reports that some Members of Parliament were prevented from voting for the Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 10 of 2019 are unfortunate.

Ms. Nawakwi said that in a democracy Members of Parliament are supposed to exercise their free will without being intimidated.

She told ZNBC News that those opposed to Bill ten should have provided amendments if they meant well for women, the church and other interest groups.

United Party for National Development (UPND) Chairman for legal affairs and leader of the opposition in parliament Jack Mwiimbu says the levels of ignorance on constitutional making among senior PF officials is appalling and needs to be addressed for the sake of national development.

And Mr.Mwiimbu who is also Monze Central Member of Parliament has revealed that officials under the National Registration Department in most districts of southern, western and Central have been recalled from their satellite centres following the collapse of Bill 10 in Parliament.

Addressing the media this morning, Mr Mwiimbu said it was unfortunate that Justice Minister Given Lubinda and Chief Government Whip Brian Mundubile were attempting to share their ignorance on matters of the constitution with Zambians who have rejected the infamous Bill 10 by alleging that the fall of the Bill means Constituencies cannot be delimitated as the process was premised on the constitutional amendments.

“The levels of ignorance by Justice Minister Given Lubinda and Chief Whip Brian Mundubile who purports to be a lawyer is alarming. Article 58 of the constitution provides guidelines under which Constituencies can be delimitated unlike the hallucinations being peddled by the PF. In 2016, an additional 6 constituencies were created using the current constitution without Bill 10. ECZ only has to bring a bill to parliament requesting the amendment of article 58 and we are good to go. Let Lubinda and Mundubile not share their ignorance with Zambians”, he said.

He further added that the PF has no moral right to describe the UPND as acting irresponsibly on Bill 10 as the party while in the opposition did walk out on the 2010 constitutional amendment Bill and had the audacity to expel 22 of its MPs who remained in the house and voted for the Bill.

Mr.Mwiimbu said the 2010 walkout was led by Given Lubinda who today wants to cry the loudest, adding that the UPND’s move was supported by the people of Zambia who included the three church mother bodies, labor movement, Law Association, and other progressive Zambians who want to see the development of democracy in the country.

“The Ministry of Health has provided guidelines on the number of days one can mourn in view of the Covid pandemic and the maximum is 3 days. It has now been 5 days since the demise of Bill 10 but the PF is still mourning contrary to its own guidelines. What is the problem with them? As UPND, we would have had no problems had the PF spent all these many days mourning the ailing economy that has brought everything to a standstill. Maybe we would have joined them in mourning but not weeping with tears rolling the demise of a Bill which was brought in dead”, Mr. Mwiimbu added.

He also wondered whether the appointment of five youths and women into Parliament would have changed or improved the condition of living for the millions of youths on the streets without tangible means of survival and the over 200,000 graduates that have remained unemployed in the country.

On the mixed proportional representation in Parliament, the leader of the opposition in Parliament said the manner in which Bill 10 wanted to implement this law would not have helped matters but should have instead used the Ugandan and Rwandan methods which leaves certain constituencies to be competed by women only.

On the 14 days of the Presidential petition for 2021, Mr. Mwiimbu said the UPND will have no need to petition the election results as it would have won the elections and will remain up to the PF to petition using the 2016 amended constitution.

The constitutional amendment Bill number 10 of 2019 could not go through second reading on the floor of the house last Thursday as it failed to ganner the required two thirds of the majority in Parliament.

The Bill only managed 105 instead of the required 111 votes.

The 2021 Socialist Party Presidential candidate Fred M’membe has said that the third term debate is unnecessary and a waste of time.

Posti9ng online in a statement Dr M’membe said that there is no room for a third term under the current Constitution of the Republic of Zambia and anyone who has been elected to the office of President twice cannot be elected for a third time.

“This is the way things stand and it needs no further disquisitions,” Dr M’membe said before adding that those who thought they could change the Constitution through Bill 10 and give themselves a third term of office should simply accept defeat and that their game is over.

“There’s need for them to realize there’s no political leader who has had a career that is without its defeats. If we are serious when we talk about influencing the masses, about winning their good will, we must strive with all our might not to let these defeats be hushed up in the musty atmosphere of circles and grouplets, but to have them submitted to the judgement of all,” he said.

“That may appear embarrassing at first sight, it may seem offensive sometimes to individual leaders – but we must overcome this false feeling of embarrassment, it is our duty to the masses of our people and our country, ” he added.

Dr M’membe advised political leaders to avoid being, stiff-necked and totally refuse to yield, saying that yielding is legitimate and essential when the yielder is convinced that those who are striving to make him yield are in the right.