By Henry Kyambalesa:

I wish to comment on statements made in recent months by Ronnie Shikapwasha, George Kunda and Rupiah Banda in support of the Declaration of Zambia as a Christian Nation by Dr. Frederick Chiluba at State House on 29th December 1991, which was later incorporated into the Preamble of the 1996 Republican constitution.

It is important for national leaders to guard against the imposition of any particular religion on the entire society. The Republican constitution particularly should be a neutral document that does not discriminate against atheists or pagans, or those who believe in Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Jainism.

In the long run, the Declaration is likely to make non-Christian citizens to feel that they are second-class citizens. And, as Venkatesh Seshamani has argued, a feeling of religious superiority is likely to develop among Christians by virtue of their religion having been accorded constitutional status, which may lead to bigotry that would prompt them to view non-Christians as lost souls.

Clearly, the Declaration was made without consideration of the dangers of dragging religion into politics. Religion is deadly if it is not handled with utmost caution. The precarious problem currently facing Algeria, Nigeria, the Sudan, Afghanistan, and a host of other countries around the world which are beleaguered by religious conflicts should serve as a clear warning to each and every peace-loving Zambian to refrain from creating a similar situation that will dog our beloved country in perpetuity.

We should not be blinded by our having experienced no serious religious conflicts so far, but as our country’s population and the membership of each religious denomination swells, we would be short­sighted not to anticipate and make an effort to forestall the incidence such conflicts. We need to act proactively. To wait until the consequences of our failure to reason are upon us is to leave serious problems for future generations to grapple with. And such failure will eventually prove to us that experience, in relation to this issue, teaches fools, since we have thus far not been able to see beyond our noses.

What Zambia needs is a secular state that genuinely recognizes and safeguards each and every individual’s freedom of worship and the freedom to choose one’s religion. At the same time, we should actively DISCOURAGE the following in a deliberate effort to forestall the potential for disruption of public order and socio-economic activities by cliques of fanatics from any of our country’s religious denominations:

(a) The use of public funds by a local or national government to set up a church or mosque, and/or to provide any form of support to any given religious group, institution or activity;

(b) Official participation by government leaders in the affairs of any given religious group or institution, or official participation by any given religious leader or group in political or governmental affairs;

(c) The use of a religious platform by any individual or group of individuals to form a political party;

(d) The use of a religious platform by any individual to seek a leadership position in any of the three branches of government—that is, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive;

(e) Inclusion of denominational religious subjects in the curricula of schools funded by the government; and

(f) Religious sermons which are contemptuous to, or are designed to slight, other religious groupings or denominations.

In countries where government leaders have not provided for these kinds of safeguards mainly due to lack of foresight, violent clashes among religious groups in their quest to dominate the political sphere, and to impose their religious laws on the citizenry, have become exceedingly difficult to contain. As it is often said, prevention is better than cure! Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohammad summed up the perilous nat­ure of religi­ous conf­licts in his address to the World Evangeli­cal Fellow­ship in May 2001 thus: “Once started, reli­gious … [conflicts have] a tenden­cy to go on and on, [and] to become permanent feuds.”

In a country that is already inundated by violence and threats of violence mainly by cadres from the MMD on a regular basis, to add the potential for religious conflicts would be akin to spraying gasoline over burning charcoal.

In all, I am confident that religious institutions in Zambia will conti­nue to provide the moral and spiritual direction to our nation in an era that has been high-jacked by unprece­dent­ed violence and moral decay, and to articulate the people’s demands on the government for a more democratic, more peaceful, more prosperous, and more egalitarian socie­ty.

Zambia will next year go to a constitutional making referendum following the failure by the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) delegates to attain two thirds of the vote required to meets make the 50 percent plus one vote threshold be enshrined in the new constitution.

The NCC delegates yesterday voted to determine a final position on the proposed 50 per cent plus one vote threshold clause in the next constitution for a presidential candidate to win an election.

A total of 260 NCC delegates voted in favour of the 50 per cent plus one vote threshold while 184 delegates voted against. This was out of the total 446 voted cast. Four votes were rejected.

For the 50 percent plus one vote threshold to go through and be adopted for enshrining in the constitution, the NCC should have attained at least 297 votes out of the 446, which would have translated into a two third majority.[quote]

Electoral Commission of Zambia Commissioner, Joceline Mubita, who was the Returning Officer in the voting process, announced the results this evening at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC).

And NCC Chairperson, Chifumu Banda, said the outcome of the vote means that Zambia would go for a referendum to determine what would put in the next constitution in relation to what type of presidential election system.

“The two thirds threshold has not been attained. Therefore Zambia goes to a referendum next year,” he said. Mr. Banda thanked the delegates for voting.

Meanwhile, Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said in an interview that it would be ideal for Zambia to maintain the current voting pattern of the simple majority rule.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said the 50 per cent plus one vote was not progressive for Zambia. He said this was instead a recipe for anarchy in Zambia, adding that this was the reason why Zimbabwe and Kenya rejected it.

He noted that the referendum was a costly process for Zambia and wondered where the government would source the funds from to conduct this exercise. However, the Patriotic Front (PF)-United Party for National Development (UPND) pact co-leader, Hakainde Hichilema said that the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) should not use lack of money as an excuse.

Mr. Hichilema said Zambians had been advocating for the 50 percent plus one vote threshold for the past 20 years. He has since accused the MMD of blocking the efforts to have the 50 percent plus one vote threshold in the constitution to their advantage.

After the vote, NCC delegates and none delegates mainly from the opposition political parties went into jubilation saying the way of the referendum would be the best for Zambian to have the 50 percent plus one vote threshold in the new constitution. They said the next constitution will stand the test of time if the 50 percent plus one vote threshold is enshrined in it.

Prior to voting, Sinazongwe UPND MP and NCC commissioner, Raphael Muyanda, raised a point of order on General Shikapwasha for allegedly influenced the direction of voting by distributing a document that contained messages concerning the 50 percent plus one vote threshold issue.

Mr. Muyanda laid the said document on the table in order for NCC Chairperson, Chifumu Banda to rule over and provide guidance to the august house. But dismissed Mr. Banda dismissed the point of order and ruled that all NCC delegate were accorded ample time to campaign.

He further advised that the document would not necessarily influence the vote because it was done under secret ballot. The MICC, where the NCC conducts its business from, was today heavily guarded by armed police.

Currently, Zambia is undergoing a fourth constitutional making process which is discussing for possible adoption the recommendations from the Willa Mung’omba Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) which was constituted about six year ago.

Other constitutional making processes were the Chona Commission in 1973, the Mwanakatwe Commission in 1991 and the Mvunga Commission of 1996. From independence in 1964 to 1991, Zambia had been using a First Past the Post system of electing a president. In 1991, the system was changed to 50 percent plus one vote threshold, which was however changed again in 1996 to revert to old system.

ZANIS

Government has described today’s editorial comment in the Post Newspaper suggesting that Zambia had a 50 percent plus one vote clause in the constitution from independence to 1996 as a constitutional lie intended to mislead Zambians.

Chief Government spokesperson, Ronnie Shikapwasha said the comment was aimed at misleading the people of Zambia about the type of constitutional provisions that existed before the 1996 constitution relating to the election of the president.

Lieutenant General Shikapwasha told ZANIS in a statement this evening that the system of electing the president in the constitution from 1964 to 1991 was based on the First-Past the Post where a president could win an election by a simple majority.

He said in 1991, the government under the United National Independence Party (UNIP) introduced the 50 per cent plus one vote in an attempt to prevent the MMD from winning the presidential election.
“This lamentably failed as the MMD presidential candidate obtained just over 75 per cent of the votes cast in October 1991,” he said.

General Shikapwasha, who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, explained that the constitution was again amended in 1996 to remove the clause and restored what existed from 1964 to 1991.
“It is a fallacy for the Post Newspaper to claim that the provision for 50 per cent plus one in the election of the president existed from 1964 to 1996,” he said.

He regretted that the newspaper could distort constitutional facts in a ‘shameless manner’ to mislead members of the public and the world at large.

“It is incumbent on The Post Newspaper to admit and correct this constitutional lie contained in their editorial comment today, in the interest of fair and objective journalism,” he said.

General Shikapwasha added, “Even when we disagree, it is extremely important for the Zambian people to be told the truth so that they can come to an informed judgment”.

ZANIS

The National Constitution Conference (NCC), has urged media organization to desist from reporting on articles or clauses that have not yet been adopted or concluded by the NCC.

NCC Spokesperson Mwangala Zaloumis says reporting on such matters has a telling effect on the public as this compels them to start debating on issues that have not yet been adopted.

Ms. Zaloumis was reacting to an editorial report, carried by Yatsani Radio last week suggesting that the NCC secretariat had written to the station advising them to get clearance from NCC before broadcasting any stories from the Conference.

Ms Zaloumis said in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka today that accurate and correct information when reporting about the proceedings of NCC is cardinal because it gives a fair and balanced discussion to the public.

She said reporters must develop a system of getting in touch with her office for correct information and any other clarification where they do not understand rather than write from their own imaginations to avoid misrepresentation of facts.

Ms Zaloumis advised journalists not to report about things they do not understand to avoid misinforming the public.

She said despite her office having briefings with the press every day only selected media organizations from both the print and electronic attend these meetings.

Meanwhile Ms Zaloumis says NCC has no specific preference of any media organization to cover the NCC deliberations but is just concerned with certain media institutions that are in a habit of publishing false information.

ZANIS

A concerned citizen on the Copperbelt has called on the womenfolk to practice decent dressing as one of the measures to curb the escalating HIV and AIDS pandemic.

Isaac Chileshe observed that the moral dress code for the womenfolk should be enforced from their homes so that the indecency which was prevalent in dressing could be stopped.

Mr Chileshe told ZANIS in an interview that the men and women were made differently as their emotions were aroused differently and should appreciate their biological differences and live in harmony.

He stated that men were moved by what they see while women were moved by what they hear and the two play effectively on their emotions.

Mr Chileshe added that majority of women were marrying wrong men and even entered polygamous marriages because of men’s “sweet talk” and later discover that the talk and the practice were not in tandem.

He charged that women also knew the secret of wooing unsuspecting men into the unnecessary sexual traps through indecent exposure of some delicate parts of their bodies.

He said the decent dress code among the womenfolk would mitigate the escalating trend of the HIV and AIDS pandemic which was a menace to every sector of development.

Mr Chileshe added that parents had a pivotal role in changing the thinking of women in society because good values and morals started from home to influence society.

He challenged Church leaders as agents of change to help society because their voices were influential and authoritative.

Mr Chileshe also observed that culture has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, saying in the olden days, children were more receptive to the advice of elders even if they were not biological parents than now where modern communication systems, including television, were more parenting than the parents.

ZANIS