Maravi

Nzamane urges Zambians to fight for their own good

Nzamane urges Zambians to fight for their own good
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Monday March 19, 2007 [02:00]

SENIOR chief Nzamane of the Ngoni of Eastern Province has pledged to lobby the House of Chiefs to pressure for the adoption of the new constitution. And Chipata residents have vowed to keep on fighting for the adoption of a new people-driven constitution. During the Newsmakers Forum organised by the Press Freedom Committee of The Post at Luangwa Lodge on Saturday, chief Nzamane, who is also the vice chairman of the House of Chiefs, urged Zambians to fight for their own good.

"The spirit of fighting for own good has always been there, don’t sit idle, let's get united and fight for a common good," chief Nzamane said. "I shall present the issue of the constitution as motion during the next sitting." He advised people of Eastern Province to highlight issues that affect them. "We should criticise when things are not good and we should commend when it is due," chief Nzamane said.

Former Chipata Central member of parliament Mathews Mwale said a constitution should always be taken as a need and not a luxury. "A constitution is a need so we cannot do away with it because we can only do away with luxuries," Mwale said. He said the current Constitution only suited a one-party state because it gives too much power to one group. "The current constitution is bad because it gives too much power to one individual who is the President, but this is dangerous because power corrupts. I think we have a unilateral President who can say let's do away with the Constitution because of the floods. To me the move to suspend the constitution business because of the floods is a clear testimony of how much power this one person has," Mwale said. He said government had wasted a lot of money through the previous constitution review commissions. Mwale also said parliament was a rubberstamp because of the bad constitution.

Kazembe Daka of Patriotic Front appealed to chiefs to help lobby for a new constitution because they were also disadvantaged by the current one. Daka said PF would continue fighting for a new constitution that would help in the economic development of the country.

Caroline Thole from National Women’s Lobby Group expressed concern over the low attendance by women at the forum. "I am challenging all the men who are here today to tell their wives about what has been discussed today. It's very unfortunate that you have left them, it's time we started acting not only talking," Thole said.

One resident, Alice Zulu said the people of Eastern Province were very docile.
"Easterners are very docile. Now my question is, are we going to be idle like that? Those who are eating with President Mwanawasa should tell him that it was not true that he didn't choose Cabinet ministers from Eastern Province in his first term because we didn't vote for him," Zulu said.

Another resident, Never Pakapaka said the current constitution was manipulative. "It baffles me to see what is happening on the constitution-making programme for the past five years. Let's change the Constitution because the current one is autocratic and manipulative," Pakapaka said.

Labels: CHIEF NZAMANE, CONSTITUTION

posted by MrK @ 4:58 AM