People who shot Chongwe should be known, demands SACCORD

People who shot Chongwe should be known, demands SACCORD
By Moses Kuwema and Margaret Mtonga
Thu 24 Dec. 2009, 04:00 CAT

SOUTHERN Africa Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) executive director Lee Habasonda has demanded that people who are suspected to have shot Dr Roger Chongwe should be known to the public before the government compensates him.

Habasonda said as human rights activists, SACCORD was interested in knowing the people who committed the crime against Chongwe.

“If the suspects are alive, the government must see to it that they are brought to book and if they are dead then people like second Republican president Frederick Chiluba who served as president at that time must pay the compensation,” he said.

He said it would be wrong for the state to continue with the payment of Dr Chongwe's compensation before making public which individual committed the offence.

“We as taxpayers will not allow a situation where taxpayers money goes to waste as a result of one careless individual, it’s better to use this money for development instead,” he said.

Habasonda also said the whole case had exposed weaknesses in the legal conflict of management in the country.

“While it is legal and legitimate for Dr Chongwe to claim his compensation, our concern is that his case has exposed weaknesses in the legal conflict management in this country,” he said.

And Habasonda has challenged the government to tell the public if the constitution would be subjected to a referendum or it would be passed on to Parliament for amendment.

Addressing the press yesterday, Habasonda said the public deserved to know if the constitution would be subjected to a referendum after the 2010 population census.

“We are concerned that the referendum will require as much resources as the elections in 2011 and it is better to prepare the public on the direction that the constitution-making process will take in order to avoid conflicts surrounding elections,” he said.

Habasonda said the civil society still maintain that the national constitution making process should adopt the draft constitution.

“As civil society, we maintain our posture that the NCC is to adopt the draft constitution while the people of Zambia must endorse it and the National Assembly must enact it into law. Failure to follow this process will definitely extinguish the little hope that many Zambians had placed in the NCC process,” he said.

He said it was important for the government to clearly and definitely give timeliness from both the NCC and the government on this process.

“The performance of the NCC will be judged on the basis of the credibility and durability of its end-out put. The people of Zambia habour the high expectations that the 211 presidential, parliamentary and local government elections will be held under a new basis law,” said Habasonda.