Maravi

HH asks govt not to be arrogant over constitution

HH asks govt not to be arrogant over constitution
By Chibaula Silwamba
Saturday September 29, 2007 [04:00]

Opposition UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has asked government not to be arrogant on the constitution-making process. And Hichilema said tribalism talk was meant to derail the country from economic and social development. Addressing 24 trainee journalists participating in the fourth training programme at The Post Newspapers head office in Lusaka yesterday, Hichilema said the constitution making process was a delicate subject hence no single stakeholder should bulldoze the process.

“We respect the decision of our colleagues that have decided to boycott and there are justifications they have given. Our position as the UPND is that no one should bulldoze the process.

The numbers should represent the Zambian people,” Hichilema said.
He therefore suggested that the government and other stakeholders that had withdrawn should negotiate and find the way forward.

“What other option do we have other than to negotiate? If we fail to negotiate and government bulldozes this process you will see more people pulling out. Then where is the legitimacy of the constitution-making process which is driven by one side?”

Hichilema asked. “Our approach is that let us give it another shot to ask our colleagues in government not to be arrogant.”

Hichilema said a lot of money and time had been spent on the constitution-making process.

“We have been struggling to get a good constitution for so long; we have spent so much money and time. Time is a resource but in our country sometimes we say we will do it tomorrow.

No, because there is an opportunity cost by not doing things today,” Hichilema said. “My own estimation is that we have spent over a trillion kwacha on the constitution making process since the 90s.”

Hichilema said the constitution was a part of democratization and development agenda.
“Many people in Zambia don’t make a connection between a good constitution and development. Therefore, the journalists need to be very helpful to make members of the public understand that without a good constitution you really will be struggling to develop,” he said.

Hichilema said the constitution should provide separation of powers.
“A good constitution is a basis and bedrock for separation of powers and for us in the UPND we are saying we would like to see a new constitution to have a total separation of powers among other things,” Hichilema said.

“If you don’t have separation of powers in the constitution, you have judges being appointed by the president and the president continues to be involved, directly or indirectly in their contracts, tenure and remunerations you can’t have a fair justice system in the country.

So we have to make Zambians understand that a fair justice system is driven by a good constitution.”
And Hichilema said ethnicity and tribalism would not help develop the country.


”Journalists should understand that this era of tribal talk is meant to derail us from the agenda of the time which is economic and social development,” he said. “It is also important for journalists to distinguish between petty and real issues.”

He urged journalists to focus on reporting on topical issues such as the climate, environment, poverty, hunger and the poor education standards.

“I think many of you have gone to Misisi compound (in Lusaka) before, there is a toilet here and there is shallow well there, maybe separated by five metres, there is no way you can expect the water in the well not to be free from diseases,” he said. “These are development issues and that is what we expect you to write about.”

He said journalists should be factual in their reporting. On the decision taken by President Levy Mwanawasa and other SADC leaders to boycott the European Union and Africa summit in Portugal in December if Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe will not be allowed to attend, Hichilema said the boycott was the consequence of how other people in Europe and elsewhere were viewing the problems in Zimbabwe.

Hichilema said Zimbabwe was in problems and there was need for Africans to help resolve the problems in that country.

“There is a problem in Zimbabwe and we, as Africans, must take responsibility to deal with the problems in Zimbabwe. We must assist internal stakeholders in Zimbabwe to solve the problems there,” said Hichilema.

Labels: CONSTITUTION, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA

posted by MrK @ 3:51 AM