Maravi

NCC increases number of parliamentary seats

NCC increases number of parliamentary seats
Written by Ernest Chanda
Saturday, September 12, 2009 2:02:55 AM

THE National Constitutional Conference (NCC) has unanimously increased the number of parliamentary seats from 158 to 280.

Of the 280, 240 people will be elected, 30 will be appointed by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) from political parties that have participated in an election based on a proportional representation system while the President will have to nominate 10 parliamentarians as opposed to the current eight.

This is against the 200 elected seats proposed in the Mung'omba draft constitution.

Initially, the legislative committee of the NCC had maintained the proposal in the draft constitution, but the delegates resolved that they adopt the 240 seats proposed in the democratic governance committee report.

Article 159 Clause 1 (a) of the Mung'omba draft constitution states that "The National Assembly shall consist of two hundred members directly elected on the basis of a simple majority under the first-past-the-post segment of the mixed member representation system provided for in this Constitution and as may be provided by or under an Act of Parliament.

Clause 1 (b) also provides for additional parliamentarians who should make "forty per cent of the total number of constituency-based seats on the basis of the proportional representation segment of the mixed member representation system from a list of candidates submitted to the Electoral Commission by each political party contesting the elections, as provided by this Constitution and by or under an Act of Parliament."

Supporting the 240 increment, all the delegates contended that most rural constituencies were too big to be serviced by one parliamentarian.

Some went further to suggest that the seats be increased to 300.

Among those who supported the view were health minister Kapembwa Simbao and UPND vice-president Richard Kapita.

Others are Reverend Obed Mubanga and justice deputy minister Todd Chilembo.

On the 40 per cent proportional representation system as described in clause 1 (b), gender deputy minister Lucy Changwe said it would give an opportunity to more women to participate in politics.

"The contribution of women to the political proficiency and efficiency of this country cannot be underscored. Nations have devised mechanisms to address issues of gender equality. I must state categorically that this constitution must be transformatory and visionary. The time to give women an equal opportunity in national development is now. We must go for 50-50, meaning there must be a mechanism that will compel political parties to adopt 50 per cent women and 50 per cent men," Changwe said. "Most of the countries in the world have gone proportional. Even in the sub-region we have Tanzania, South Africa, Lesotho and Mozambique where some of them have gone to the extent of giving specific constituencies to women. This sectarian system of patriarch must be broken in this country. The arrangement in Parliament today is just a window dressing to show that women are there. This clause then will give more women an opportunity to participate in the politics of this country."

Copperbelt UPND youth chairman Joe Kalusa said the clause would give more opportunities to the youths to participate in national politics.

"We the youths are tired of being used and rewarded with chibuku. We want to be rewarded through the PR [Proportional Representation] system. When people want to fight they look to the youths, when looking for financial help they look to the disabled who they line up as tools for begging. I therefore propose that this PR system be supported to give chance to the disabled and the youths," Kalusa said.

But Reverend Gibson Nyirenda described the proportional representation system as a cancer.

"The Article doesn't say anything in particular about women, youths and the disabled. Why don't we work out some percentages from the 240 seats so that they can be shared among the different groups of people in society? We are creating a cancer in our politics which will start eating us and our economy. We shall have people who will have lost an election, they will have been rejected by the people and then we push them to the National Assembly through the back door. Why are we being compared to countries like South Africa? For them the system could be good because they had serious social problems like racial discrimination, but for us this PR system is just a cancer," Rev Nyirenda said.

And Southern Province deputy minister Daniel Munkombwe described the proportional representation system as a catalyst for political confusion.

"Historically, we have moved from a low number of seats to where we are now, and that is good. In 1973 we moved from 155 to 150 and now we have moved to 240. And if we make an additional number I think that will not be workable," Munkombwe argued.

"We have a team of people out there who want to get into Parliament without submitting to the wishes of the people. They are the ones causing confusion in the political stratum. They want to get in through some arrangement; and so they will start scheming and make sure they are in Parliament. Those of us that are genuine let us fight it."

Labels: CONSTITUTION, NCC, PARLIAMENT

posted by MrK @ 1:05 AM