Maravi

‘NCC has become a means of rewarding political sympathisers’

‘NCC has become a means of rewarding political sympathisers’
Written by Ernest Chanda
Thursday, September 03, 2009 12:09:27 AM

CARITAS Zambia executive director Samuel Mulafulafu has charged that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has become a means of rewarding political sympathisers.

Commenting on President Rupiah Banda’s extension of the NCC mandate by 10 months, Mulafulafu said the government did not seem to care about the resources being wasted.

“We have always said that this government does not seem to be serious about the constitution making process. The extension we are being told about contradicts what the Vice-President [George Kunda] told the nation recently that we shall conduct the 2011 election under a new constitution. This is a very undemocratic behaviour from the government,” Mulafulafu said.

“The NCC is now being used as a conduit to siphon the limited resources that we have. It has also become a means of rewarding political sympathisers. We will not agree to this as a nation because we do not have many resources to waste on endless exercises.”

He said government did not see the value of having a new and good constitution at the next elections.

“They [government] don’t seem to be in a hurry. This is a clear indication that we shall not have a new constitution before 2011. When you look at the 10 months that have been added, it takes us to almost mid next year. And when you consider other processes that should be done to come up with a final document we don’t have much time. This means that we shall go back to the same undemocratic constitution for our 2011 election. We urge government to show seriousness and consider the limited resources we are wasting on the NCC,” said Mulafulafu.

At the opening of the NCC sitting in Lusaka on Tuesday, chairperson Chifumu Banda announced that President Banda had approved the extension of the NCC mandate by 10 months.

Banda said he was happy that President Banda had approved the NCC’s proposal to have its mandate extended.

Labels: CARITAS, NCC, SAMUEL MULAFULAFU

posted by MrK @ 11:11 PM