Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Republican President Edgar Lungu and LAZ President George Chisanga
Republican President Edgar Lungu says he has nothing to hide or fear in delivering the new constitution to the Zambian people in the shortest and most practical time possible.
And President Lungu has reassured the nation that government will not tolerate unwarranted attacks on the judiciary that seek to undermine the desired legitimacy this important arm of government must enjoy.
President Lungu says government is committed to continue to move forward with the constitutional review process as outlined in the roadmap government released.
Speaking during the Gala Dinner in Livingstone last evening organized by the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ), President Lungu says his personal record on this matter is a subject of public knowledge.
President Lungu says within weeks in his job as Justice Minister, he released the draft constitution from the shelves where others kept it.
He says he has worked rapidly with the Minister of Justice Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula and his colleagues in relevant government departments to provide a foundation upon which a durable constitution will be delivered.
The Head of State insists that the cost of delivering the document must be measured against the pressing need to address the inexcusable poverty and squalor in some parts of the country.
President Lungu says whatever the country does; the people should act responsibly and ensure that they do not recommend methods that are not conscious of this reality.
And President Lungu notes that the judiciary has suffered attacks at the hands of some members of the public vis-à-vis its independence and its ability to deliver on its primary mandate as an arbiter, and as a defender and protector of individual rights and freedoms.
He says it is the hope of his government that the changes they have started to institute within the judiciary and the recommendations that will come out of the ongoing legal and judicial reforms will galvanize positive action and change in relation to the functioning of the judiciary.