Maravi

Politicians must embrace others over constitution-making process - Mpu

Politicians must embrace others over constitution-making process - Mpu
By Mwala Kalaluka and Patson Chilemba
Sunday July 15, 2007 [04:00]

POLITICIANS must not solely drive the constitution-making process, Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) president Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu said yesterday. And ZEC has said the Zambia Centre for Inter-party Dialogue (ZCID) must be recognised as any other stakeholder in the constitution-making process. Meanwhile, Patriotic Front president Michael Sata has said President Mwanawasa would slim down over the constitution if he is not careful.

Archbishop Mpundu said in an interview that everybody must be brought on board in the constitution-making process and that politicians must not be seen to be the ones solely driving it.

“Whatever platform and whatever group of people are going to look at the constitution, it should not be for political parties only,” Archbishop Mpundu said. “It should be inclusive and that is what we said in that meeting (with President Mwanawasa last Thursday) and it is there.”

He said whatever form to be used in coming up with a new constitution, whether it was a constitution conference or constituent assembly, it should take all people on board.
“We are not there for the terms, we are there for the bigger picture, meaning that all players must be brought on board.”

Asked to clarify the Bishops’ statement during the meeting with President Mwanawasa, that they were independent from any non-governmental organisation, Archbishop Mpundu said ZEC was a church board, which did not need anyone to speak on its behalf.

“They (government) are the ones who said we (ZEC) should not be siding with NGOs and we said we do not need NGOs to speak on our behalf. We have a powerful voice,” he said. “They specifically mentioned the Oasis Forum and we said we are a church and we do not need the Oasis Forum to speak for us. The Oasis Forum has its own right to participate in certain discussions but when we want to speak, we do not need the Oasis Forum.”

Briefing the press on Friday following President Mwanawasa’s meeting with the Catholic bishops at State House, chief government spokesperson Mike Mulongoti said ZEC asserted its independence during the meeting.

He said the Bishops told President Mwanawasa that they were not subject to the control of any non-governmental organisation.

But Archbishop Mpundu clarified that while ZEC had asserted its independence, the Catholic Secretariat, which he described as the ecclesiastical civil service of ZEC, would continue collaborating with the Oasis Forum on the constitution review process.
“The Catholic Secretariat will continue talking with the Oasis Forum,” he said.
Archbishop Mpundu further expressed concern at the slow pace it has taken to come up with a new constitution.

“We have said this time and again that this should have been concluded a long time ago,” he said. “The pace has been slow and should have been done many years ago.”
Meanwhile, Archbishop Mpundu delivering a homily during the inaugural mass for next year’s AMECEA (Association of Member Episcopal Conferences of Eastern Africa) conference to be hosted by Zambia bemoaned the political instability, turmoil and economic mismanagement in Africa.

He said there was need for the church to be a vanguard of reconciliation and peace amidst this situation and to make sure that it preached a message that offerred solidarity to the downtrodden on the continent.

And Sata in an interview said President Mwanawasa was yet to experience public pressure on the constitution.

He said President Mwanawasa would slim as a result of public pressure that would be exerted on him if he continued to be stubborn over the constitution.

“If Levy is not careful, he’s going to slim. He is going to slim. He should ask Dr Kenneth Kaunda on what the constitution did to him. He will run out of all his lies and people will catch up with him. KK had the strongest party but the will of the people brought him down and he brought about multiparty politics. They brought the mighty of Dr Kaunda down,” Sata said. “What about Levy who survives on rigged elections?”
Sata said every political party that had the interest of the people at heart should support and work with the Oasis Forum.

“Therefore, any normal and meaningful party should support this organisation. We are not trying to hijack the Oasis Forum. Did Levy object to be baptised in the shallow swimming pool? It’s because he wanted support but today he’s calling the church different names because people who baptised him are part of the Oasis Forum. Now today they have become useless because he has used them,” he said.

And briefing the press yesterday PF spokesperson Given Lubinda said the MMD government had refused to publicise the constitution conference bill before submiting it to Parliament.

“It is now abundantly clear that MMD have refused to publicise the bill before it is presented to Parliament. This is where the mischief of MMD lies. Doesn’t this vindicate president Sata for stating that MMD has never been sincere on the constitution-making process and that you cannot trust them?”

Lubinda said unless views of all stakeholders were captured in the bill before being presented to Parliament, the MMD would ensure Parliament legislates a constitution that suits it.

He also said experience had shown that the committee of Parliament could not be relied upon on a bill concerning establishment of an institution as important as the constitutional conference.

“It is an undeniable fact that Parliament may have the best of intentions and may capture all the views submitted to the committee, none-the-less amendments arsing from such submissions will be rejected by the MMD benches,” Lubinda said. “The MMD exerts arrogance of numbers when voting on national issues in parliament.”
Lubinda urged Zambians to demand for the bill to be published immediately.

Labels: CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY, CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE, TELESPHORE MPUNDU

posted by MrK @ 4:59 PM