Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Justice Minister Dr. Ngosa Simbyakula, YALI president Andrew Nthewewe & YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) says Members of Parliament and Civil Society Organizations will be blamed if the Constitution Amendment Bill which is coming up tomorrow in parliament fails.
YALI Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza is of the view that shooting down or abstaining from voting on the current Constitution Amendment Bill will only contribute to retention of the 1996 Constitution which does not promote competitive democracy and favors the party in power.
Mr. Mwanza hopes that MPs have a choice on whether to retain the Constitution that favors or gives vast powers to the ruling party or to give Zambians a better one by enacting the current Constitution Bill into law.
He says his organization knows of certain political parties that celebrate failure by its political opponents, regardless of the unfortunate consequences to the Zambian community at large or gradual development of law.
He adds that for instance some civil society activists are on record of having said “since the government has refused to bow to the Grand Coalition’s demands for the Constitution ‘to be adopted by referendum’, the only thing left for the Grand Coalition is to help ensure that the Constitution Bill fails”.
Mr. Mwanza has appealed to MPs who truly have the interests of Zambia and its people at heart to take up their duty of making good laws for the country, to take up the challenge and pass a good and progressive constitution.
He has also reminded MMD MPs of the events of March 2011, when all their hard their work to give Zambia a progressive constitution, were sabotaged by a supposed ally and a decent constitution was sacrificed on the altar of personal glory and power.
The YALI Governance Advisor has since called on the MMD MPs to use their experience in guiding the rest of the House to objectively debate and support the Bill, without allowing themselves to be held hostage by their aspirations in the way of adoption to stand, ahead of the 2016 elections.