Maravi

Constitution coalition asks government to publicise budget

Constitution coalition asks government to publicise budget
By Masuzyo Chakwe and Kondwani Munyeka
Mon 18 June 2012, 13:21 CAT

THE Civil Society Constitution Coalition (CSCC) has appealed to the PF government to demonstrate genuine commitment to the constitution-making process and not fail the Zambian people.

CSCC spokesperson Father Leonard Chiti stated that the coalition was pleased with the technical committee's extension of the consultative period on the 2012 draft constitution.

The coalition called on the technical committee to clearly state what would be achieved during this extension period, such as completion of the much-waited simplified version of the 2012 draft constitution; translation of the simplified version and the expeditious distribution of both the English and local language versions across the country.

"The Technical Committee should adjust its roadmap to reflect the changed timelines which should give a clear picture of when the current process is likely to end and when the provincial, sectoral and national conventions will be held," according to the civil society.

They further requested the technical committee to share with the public the much anticipated guidelines to be used during the holding of the planned conventions and how delegates would be selected.

"It's a known fact that there are many players in this process and the interest of the many Zambian citizens need to be protected and this can only be done once processes are well defined and are transparency for public scrutiny," the coalition stated.

"The technical committee should also state both budget and process implications in relation to the time extension."

The coalition noted with concern the lack of immediate appointment of a referendum commission.

They stated that if Zambians were to be assured of a constitution whose Bill of Rights and entire content was one that was acceptable under international human rights standards, there would be need for a referendum.

The coalition recommended that in line with the provisions of amendment to the Bill of Rights under the current constitution, President Michael Sata should appoint a referendum commission which would prepare for holding of a referendum.

"As things stand today, we are of the strong view that the current process does not define an end in itself thereby rendering it vulnerable to both manipulation and being abandoned on the way," the coalition stated.

They urged the government to ensure that a comprehensive budget that supports the process was quickly drawn and made public to instil confidence in the constitution-making process.

The coalition stated that lack of transparency in the use of state's finances leads to mistrust by members of the public when expenditures were not explained.

"The Ministry of Justice in March this year indicated that a budget would be made public but to date, there has been no information to that effect," they stated.

"In the past, the coalition has raised concern on the lack of a publicly announced budget for the process. In an earlier meeting we held with the technical committee, we reminded them that the National Constitution Conference expenses were of grave concern to the public."

They recommended that the PF government makes public the entire working budget, clearly stating how much government had committed to the process and also what had been solicited from the cooperating partners.

The coalition observed that unlike the last attempt at putting together a people-driven constitution, the current process lacked sound legal backing and protection.

The coalition also observed that there was no legal protection for the roadmap to ensure that issues of drafting, validation, adoption and enactment were all legally protected.

"Without protection, the technical committee's work risks being politicised and watered down in the end. We urge the PF government to take to Parliament a Bill that would address the issues highlighted," they stated.

The coalition comprises ActionAid International Zambia; African Women Millennium Initiative in Zambia (AWOMIZ), Anti-Voter Apathy (AVAP), Church of God, Citizens Forum; Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR), Hope for Human Rights, Infotainment Movement, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), Save the Children, Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), Transparency International Zambia (TIZ), Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC).

Others are, The People's Indaba, Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), Zambia AIDSLaw Research and Advocacy Network (ZARAN), Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA), Zambia Community based Natural Resources Management Forum; Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA), Zambian Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (ZUFIAW/FFTUZ) and Zambia Women Media Association (ZAMWA).

Meanwhile, Technical Committee spokesperson Simon Kabanda urged civil society organisations and political parties to use their structures in ensuring that all Zambians access the draft constitution.

In an interview on Saturday, Kabanda said stakeholders play a very important role in ensuring that even the remotest areas of the country were reached.

His comments come after some chiefs expressed disappointment over failure by the committee to ensure that copies of the draft constitution reached their areas.

Chief Macha of Choma remarked: "I can't say anything about the constitution because to date we have not yet seen these copies in my chiefdom; maybe it's because we are in the bush."

And technical committee spokesperson Simon Kabanda said the committee had distributed copies in all parts of the country, covering all the 150 constituencies and also offices of district commissioners.

He said through this extension period, the committee had received a very good response.
Kabanda said no further extension would be made.

"After the July 31, we shall then hold consultative meetings in all provincial centres and thereafter we have to go for the national convention. Therefore, people should take advantage of this period and make all their submissions," said Kabanda.

Labels: BUDGET, CONSTITUTION

posted by MrK @ 3:18 PM