Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) says the failure by the Patriotic Front to appear before the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs considering the Constitution Amendment Bill is not inspiring and continues to still raise doubts in whether the PF will support the Constitution Bill in its current form.
The organization feels that the PF has missed yet another opportunity to come out as a political party and show Zambians that they support the enactment of the progressive clauses in the Bill which includes the 50 percent plus one for the election of the Presidential candidate and the presidential running mate.
YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza says the failure by the PF to appear and have a say on the content of the Constitution and render its support is sending wrong signals that the Party, through its MPs and allies in Parliament, will get the nation by surprise by rejecting progressive provisions of the Bill.
Mr. Mwanza says President Lungu as a party leader should have directed his Secretary General to appear before the Parliamentary Committee to urge the Members of Parliament to enact the Constitution Amendment Bill and show support to progressive provisions.
He says the PF can not claim to be a party in government as a reason not to appear before the Committee as it needs to separate the Party from the government.
He states that those leaders who still subscribe to the archaic and misguided understanding of the party and its Government must be reminded that such kind of politics ended when UNIP was ousted from power in 1991.