Maravi

Sata, HH oppose referendum

Sata, HH oppose referendum
By Chibaula Silwamba
Tuesday June 12, 2007 [23:00]

OPPOSITION Patriotic Front (PF) and UPND presidents Michael Sata and Hakainde Hichilema have opposed the idea of a referendum but instead demanded the enactment of a constituent assembly Act to facilitate the adoption of the new constitution. And Sata charged that President Mwanawasa was hoodwinking Zambians on the referendum, claiming that there is no law which states that there should be a referendum before a constituent assembly.

Hichilema disclosed that UPND parliamentarians have been instructed to support the introduction of a constituent assembly Bill during the next sitting of Parliament. Commenting on Oasis Forum's launch of the red campaign for a constituent assembly, Sata yesterday said all stakeholders must meet and propose what form the constituent assembly would take.

"The Oasis Forum and other civic organisations are missing a very vital point that they are being hoodwinking by Mwanawasa and his minions on the referendum of the constituent assembly," Sata said.

"The current constitution has no article talking about the constituent assembly and article 79 of the constitution has nothing to do with the mode of adopting the constitution. There is no law that provides for a referendum. We don't need a referendum, we need a constituent assembly Act. A referendum is just a waste of resources and time by Mwanawasa."

And Hichilema said there was no need for a referendum. "We don't need a referendum, what we need is the next sitting of Parliament, in July, we should get our parliamentarians, and I can be specific UPND members of parliament have been instructed to support bringing about the constituent assembly Bill in the next sitting of Parliament and do what is necessary on their part with other progressive parliamentarians to enact the constituent assembly Act. Then we can bring the Act into being," said Hichilema during a Radio Phoenix programme.

He recalled that first Republican president Dr Kenneth Kaunda had political will to cut short his tenure of office and change the law to allow reintroduction of multiparty democracy. Hichilema said the MMD government had no political will on the constitution-making process.

"We don't need acrimony on the constitution-making process. Let's give people what they want," said Hichilema.

And Oasis Forum spokesperson Musa Mwenye said the Willa Mung'omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC) recommended that a constituent assembly should adopt the new constitution but President Mwanawasa rejected the recommendation by putting up a referendum.

He said that this meant that the country would have two referenda, before and after the constituent assembly.

"I agree with Mr. Sata that the referendum is unnecessary at this stage but President Mwanawasa wants the referendum. We will mobilise for the constituent assembly because we don't want to be caught napping," he said.
Mwenye said the constituent assembly Act could be passed to create the organ that would adopt the constitution.

And Sata wondered how the referendum would be successful when the government had abandoned the electoral Act reform process.

"If we cannot adequately deal with this simple law, the referendum is a waste of time because President Mwanawasa already knows which direction he is going to go and more especially if they say they want the referendum should be on eligible voters," he said.

"If they are talking of eligible voters, that is imaginary. How are we going to ascertain that the people who have voted in the referendum are correct?"

Sata therefore said the government should produce a white paper before the referendum.

"The white paper will spell out what they have accepted and what they haven't because knowing President Mwanawasa as I do, from day one in government he has been cheating, misleading, lying. He is very dishonest and very insincere, so you can't trust him on anything."

Sata urged Zambians to unite and fight President Mwanawasa the same way the freedom fighters fought for Zambia's independence.

Sata said the PF proposed that there should be provincial assemblies in all the provinces that would decide what the national constituent assembly should act on.
"If we are not careful, the constituent assembly is going to be hijacked by people in Lusaka. Therefore there should be nine conventions in all the nine provinces of Zambia that should sit simultaneously to avoid the bandwagon nonsense. These provincial assemblies will choose the national constituent assembly which is going to examine the proposals which will come from the provincial assemblies, otherwise we are wasting our time," said Sata.

"We are supporting and going to work with the Oasis Forum but us the leading opposition party we have to map out the strategy and give commitment to Zambians."

Labels: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PF, SATA, UPND

posted by MrK @ 5:50 AM