YALI urges govt to call for a constitutional indaba

YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza

Government has been called upon to take keen interest in the calls for an Indaba that will build consensus on both the content and the process of coming up with a new constitution.

YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza feels that both Government and Civil Society have not done enough to promote debate on the entire content of the Draft Constitution to enable the people understand the various clauses that have been proposed for Zambia’s new Constitution.

Mr. Mwanza says he is worried that the discussion on the Constitution has largely been limited to focusing on Article 296 that deals with land administration.

Mr. Mwanza notes that from time late President Fredrick Chiluba passed the Land Amendment Act in 1995, the issue of land has been a central area of concern among the people since land is central to social and economic development of any nation.

He says it is very important that this matter receives fair attention by all stakeholders and the final Draft Constitution does not adopt the same controversy that was seen when the Land Act was revised in 1995.

Mr. Mwanza tells QFM News in a statement that as the country heads towards the reopening of Parliament on June 16, the media should also join the sensitization of the public on both the content and process of the coming up with a good Constitution.

He has however reminded the public that the so-called Final Draft Constitution has never been subjected to the validation process of its content which was the initial plan by the Technical Committee that drafted it and the absence of the validation process on the entire content poses a great danger that once enacted in its current form, Zambians may enshrine some bad laws that may reopen the constitutional reform process once again if Government changes in future elections.

The YALI Governance Advisor has since called on the Minister of Justice Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula to make public what amendments he intends to take to Parliament for amendment this June when Parliament reopens.