Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The Non Governmental Organizations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has urged Members of Parliament to reject the Constitution amendment Bill which comes up for debate in Parliament tomorrow.
NGOCC Executive Director Engwase Mwale in a statement issued to QFM News says her organisation joins the Grand Coalition in opposing the treacherous and risky route taken by the Patriotic Front (PF) to use Parliament to enact the new constitution, against the wishes of the Zambian people.
Ms. Mwale says NGOCC appeals to Members of Parliament from both the ruling party and th
e opposition to reject the Government’s Constitution Amendment Bill so as to allow the Zambian people give unto themselves a constitution that they have so desired for many years which can only be achieved through a National Referendum.
She says as confirmed by President Edgar Lungu’s public statement recently, the parliamentary direction is too risky as the country has been through this road before and did not yield any meaningful results.
She states that while the country has been at this constitution making process for far too long and spent huge amounts of resources, there is need to ensure that the contents of the constitution, as submitted by the people, are protected from manipulation especially by the ruling party.
Ms. Mwale notes that from the various statements made by the PF over the last four (4) years, it is clear that the PF lacks the necessary political will to enact a truly people-driven constitution through Parliament.
She adds that given that they seem to have the numbers in the Parliament, it is clear that the outcome of the new constitution will not reflect the aspirations of the Zambian people, but their partisan PF interests.
Ms. Mwale says NGOCC therefore appeals to the conscious of Members of Parliament to oppose the Constitution Amendment Bill and allow the Zambian people to give unto themselves a truly people-driven constitution.
She states that for the women of Zambia a new constitution will be meaningless without the expanded Bill of Rights, a process that is not a possibility without holding a national referendum.