Maravi

LAZ goes for NCC

LAZ goes for NCC
By Brighton Phiri
Saturday September 29, 2007 [04:00]

VETERAN lawyer John Mwanakatwe yesterday urged lawyers not to participate in the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) under the current NCC Act. However, Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) members yesterday voted in favour of participating in the NCC during their extra-ordinary general meeting held at Lusaka's Mulungushi Conference Centre.

According to sources, Mwanakatwe, who chaired the 1996 Mwanakatwe Constitution Review Commission, advised the lawyers to go back to President Levy Mwanawasa and ask him to change the NCC Act instead of participating in the NCC.

Mwanakatwe, according to sources, told the lawyers that according to him the question of whether LAZ should boycott or attend did not arise, but that the issue was that the NCC Act was defective and it needed to be changed if a good constitution was to be achieved.

Mwanakatwe is said to have told the lawyers that it was not possible to attain a good constitution under the current NCC Act.

According to the sources, Mwanakatwe told the lawyers that he had been praying for President Mwanawasa so that he could help the country to have a very good constitution.

Mwanakatwe is said to have reminded the lawyers that there was the issue of trust over the constitution making process and that he felt uncomfortable with the current NCC Act.

Mwanakatwe told the lawyers that even though they were supposed to obey the law, there was nothing wrong with them to opposing the NCC Act.

The sources disclosed that another senior lawyer, Professor Patrick Mvunga, told the meeting that it would not be a good idea for the lawyers to boycott the NCC because throughout the country's constitution review commissions, some people had boycotted and that very little was achieved by those that boycotted.

According to sources, Prof Mvunga, however, urged the lawyers not to betray the people but to act professionally when they took part in the NCC.

Prof Mvunga is said to have told the lawyers that it was better for them to take part in the NCC and only walk out if they felt that the process was being manipulated.

According to sources, among other lawyers that addressed the meeting were former LAZ chairman William Mweemba and Lillian Mushota, who spoke against the NCC while Sakwiba Sikota and Christopher Mundia spoke in favour of the NCC.

Another lawyer Mwangala Zaloumis is said to have cautioned the lawyers against boycotting because they could end like UNIP after the opposition party boycotted the 1996 elections.

In a statement after the meeting, LAZ president Elijah Banda announced that his association had voted in favour of participating in the NCC.

However, Banda stated that LAZ would remain a constituent member of the Oasis Forum and that LAZ would soon meet Oasis Forum members to explain its position on the NCC.

According to sources, 75 lawyers voted for the NCC, 37 lawyers voted against the NCC while 52 votes were declared spoiled.

Labels: LAZ, NCC

posted by MrK @ 3:53 AM