Maravi

Oasis explains Chiluba invitation

Oasis explains Chiluba invitation
By Brighton Phiri
Tuesday September 25, 2007 [04:00]

IT is not possible for the Oasis Forum to form an alliance with former president Frederick Chiluba, Oasis Forum spokesperson Bishop Paul Mususu said yesterday. And Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC) general secretary Father Joe Komakoma said the government-driven constitution review process had failed to unite the nation. Speaking during the Oasis Forum press briefing held at Lusaka's Kapingila House, Bishop Mususu explained that it was not the Oasis Forum's intention to engage Chiluba as an individual but as former president's office over issues of national interest.

"When we were planning for the consultative conference, we thought of inviting all the stakeholders, including offices of the former presidents, hence our extending the invitation to Dr Kaunda and Chiluba," Bishop Mususu said. "The fact that Dr Chiluba did not attend the conference, it is good riddance...we cannot see ourselves working in an alliance with Dr. Chiluba. After all, we stopped him from going for a third term."

He said Oasis Forum was at a loss as to how Chiluba had become a factor in their work. Bishop Mususu said the whole issue of inviting Chiluba had been taken out of context.

"Of the two former presidents, none of them turned up. For us, the matter ended there. How then does that translate into an alliance?" he asked.

However, Bishop Mususu said as the Church, they could not avoid meeting Chiluba because in their prophetic duties they were obliged to meet and pray for their enemies.

"We may have some differences with Dr. Chiluba but as the Church, we are duty-bound to meet him as the Bible commands us to pray for our enemies," Bishop Mususu said.

And addressing the press on behalf of the Oasis Forum, Fr Komakoma said the National Constitution Conference (NCC) Act had short-changed the constitution-making process.

"We deplore the supersonic speed with which the NCC Bill was handled from its tabling in Parliament and the subsequent assent by the President to sign into law," Fr Komakoma said.

"There was no time for the nation to publicly debate the Bill in detail. We feel the speed was deliberate by government in order to circumvent the people's role in the process."

Fr Komakoma said the Oasis Forum was concerned with Article 3 of the NCC Act, because it showed that there was a clear fundamental departure from the people's demand for a new constitution.

He said the NCC was established not to adopt a new constitution as demanded by the people through the Mung'omba Constitution Review Commission (CRC), but to alter the current constitution.

"The Mung'omba CRC had listened to the people and recommended repealing and replacing the current Constitution which everyone including President Mwanawasa considered as deeply flawed, oppressive and suffocating. Mere amendments have not helped us before," he said.

Fr Komakoma said the NCC composition left much to be desired because out of a possible 502 members, 279 (or 56 per cent) were politicians while the civil society were allocated 79 seats (or 15.7 per cent).

He said it was clear from the NCC Act that representation was not equitable.

"Given the dominance of numbers we have pointed out, we feel it opens doors for the political establishment to tamper with those provisions in the draft constitution that they do not favour even though the nation has already reached a consensus on them," he said.

"This is possible since in Article 13, subsection (3) the NCC has been given powers to vary, confirm, add or remove any provision of the draft constitution and strengthened by Article 17, subsection (7), which says decisions in the NCC not unanimously agreed will be settled by voting. Definitely the group with the numbers will carry the day."

Fr Komakoma said the Oasis Forum did not see why President Mwanawasa had been given power to dissolve the conference if he deemed that the conference was conducting itself in a manner that adversely affected the adoption process and extend the duration of the conference for as long as he deemed fit.

"After looking at these factors, and given that our sustained lobbying for a people driven constitution fell on the deaf ears, it becomes untenable for us to participate in the NCC. Agreeing to take up seats in this conference would mean endorsing and legitimising a process that has clearly departed from the people's wishes to repeal and replace the current constitution," he said.

"For the sake of posterity, we have decided to continue being engaged with the constitution review process by, on one hand, putting pressure on the NCC from outside to make the participants know that we shall hold them account for the outcome of the conference.

On the other hand, we shall continue our advocacy to raise awareness among the people on how the NCC will or will not take into account their demands."

Women for Change executive director Emily Sikazwe said it was unfortunate that President Mwanawasa declared that he would not change his position even if the civil society walked naked.

"Statements such as 'even if you walk naked, I will not change my position' should not come from the President," she said.

Sikazwe urged President Mwanawasa to embrace dialogue over the constitution-making process.

"For President Mwanawasa to close doors to dialogue, one wonders what type of the constitution he wants to give the people," she said.

Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) general secretary Reverend Suzanne Matale said it was important for Zambians to remember that the people were supreme over government.

"The government does not own the people...this big notion that the government has powers to do what they want must be changed," she said.

Rev Matale said the Church would not be part to any process that did not give relief to the ordinary poor people.

"We want to be part to a process that will take into account the plight of the voiceless, poor, marginalised and other interest groups. This time around we do not want to take chances," she said.

Non-Governmental Organisations Co-ordinating Council (NGOCC) executive director Ngwase Mwale said it was sad that President Mwanawasa's pronouncements did not bring to the fore the people's aspirations.

"Our position still stands that we shall not attend the NCC...we want a constitution that embraces everyone," she said. "We demand a constitution that will include social and economic rights."

In his solidarity message to the Oasis Forum, Rescue International for Human Rights and Freedoms executive director Victor Chilekwa said his organisation was totally against rushing the constitution-making process amidst contentious issues.

"It would be unfair to our beloved nation for the process to go on without key stakeholders like the ever-green Oasis Forum," read Chilekwa's message in part.

Chilekwa urged President Mwanawasa to listen to the Church and other civil society organisations so that the process was scrutinised further in the interest of national consensus.

"We expect an unquestionable virtue of magnanimity in the whole process," Chilekwa stated.

"If there shall be a repeat of the 1996 constitution saga, then, God forbid, it would be deliberate wastage of funds and other resources and we should consider it as a careless plunder of the country's resources."

Labels: OASIS FORUM, ZEC

posted by MrK @ 3:39 AM