NCC is only interested in winning polls for MMD, charges Scott
By Ernest Chanda
Sat 17 Apr. 2010, 04:40 CAT
PATRIOTIC Front vice-president Guy Scott has charged that the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) is only interested in winning elections for the MMD next year. And NCC commissioner Dante Saunders on Thursday asked the conference
what they would finally take to the people if they kept deleting everything that the people wanted.
Commenting on
the NCC’s rejection of food water and shelter as basic human rights that should be enshrined in the constitution, Scott who is also Lusaka Central member of parliament
described the NCC as a circus, which was being used to
fulfill the ruling party’s agenda. He said there was no way a normal society could fail to recognise water, food and shelter as basic human rights.
“This whole thing just confirms everyone’s fear that the NCC is just there to behave as a circus. It is enough proof that they are just interested in MMD winning elections next year. We have always called for the respect of human rights in this country and that includes water, food, and shelter. And now these NCC delegates treat those basic things as a laughing matter.
Why is it that I’m not surprised by this behaviour?” Scott asked.
“Are we saying that it’s not a constitutional right for people to eat, drink and have decent shelter? If these people can even reject people’s basic rights, what will they take to the people at the end of the whole process? They have rejected the fifty per cent plus one voting system, they also don’t want an elected Vice-President and now they don’t want people to eat. What they are saying is that anything else can be a constitutional right but not food, water and shelter. This is unacceptable!”
And Saunders asked NCC chairperson Chifumu Banda what the conference would take to the people in the final document now that almost everything the people wanted had been rejected.
“Chairperson I need clarification on some of the clauses we have rejected. I mean we have rejected just too many clauses that people wanted, and after reflecting on that I wonder what we are going to take back to the people at the end of this process. If we keep deleting everything what will we take to them anyway?” asked Saunders.
In response, Banda said the conference fell into a trap of international conventions.
“We rejected these clauses because a number of them are international instruments. These were mostly adopted from the South African constitution, and our colleagues there also borrowed them from the international conventions. And you cannot import international instruments and put them in the constitution. Check the American constitution and see how many international instruments are there. We fell into a trap where international instruments were brought into the Zambian constitution. According to our mandate we were told to tighten up the constitution and remove cobwebs. We have always said that the constitution should not be bulky,” said Banda.
On Wednesday, NCC delegates laughed at and rejected the Mung’omba clauses that sought to give every person a right to have access to food, water and shelter.
The opponents of these clauses include deputy justice minister Todd Chilembo who described the desire to have people access shelter as utopian.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, DANTE SAUNDERS, GUY SCOTT, NCC, NEOLIBERALISM
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Chifumu reminds NCC delegates of deadline
By Mwala Kalaluka
Fri 09 Apr. 2010, 04:01 CAT
NATIONAL Constitutional Conference (NCC) chairperson Chifumu Banda on Wednesday reminded delegates that on August 31, 2010 the NCC would be no more.
During consideration, confirmation and adoption of various NCC committee reports, Banda said the failure by some delegates to take the conference’s work seriously had led the NCC to being showered with unfair criticism.
After handing down a warning to one of the delegates, Dante Saunders, following what was described as a negative and discomforting statement he made on Radio Phoenix on the work of the NCC, Banda presided over the presentation of various motions to adopt some committee reports.
The reports that came for consideration were those from the democratic governance committee chaired by Stanley Mhango, the executive committee chaired by Michael Mabenga, the legislative committee chaired by Mutale Nalumango, the local government committee chaired by Solomon Muzyamba and the human rights committee chaired by Enoch Mulembi.
Moving a motion to confirm and consider the articles that the House adopted from the democratic governance committee, Mhango said the committee operated on 29 terms of reference.
Mhango said 20 articles were adopted as they were in the Mung’omba draft constitution while eight articles were adopted with amendments.
Mhango said the article on the election of a Republican president through the 50 per cent plus one threshold was referred to a referendum after the NCC failed to reach consensus.
“I now request the NCC to adopt the report of democratic governance committee as amended,” Mhango said.
Banda said the report of the committee had been circulated before the NCC adjourned in February and there was no need to go clause by clause during the consideration.
Alfred Mudenda proposed the adoption of the report and Bishop Joshua Banda seconded it and there was no counterproposal.
Following the adoption of the report, Mhango said the decisions was a clear indication of the commitment of the members of the NCC in ensuring that the views of the Zambian people were reflected in the new constitution.
Mhango said he could safely say that out of everything that the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) had been advocating for in terms of electoral law reform, 99 per cent had seen the light of day through the adoption.
However, the report and the presentation of a motion on the confirmed adoption of the report of the executive committee was deferred after some delegates complained that they had not had an opportunity to read through the document.
Mabenga said the executive committee had 36 terms of reference falling under Part nine of the constitution.
“19 articles were adopted without amendment as recommended by Mung’omba,” he said. “10 were adopted with amendments.”
Mabenga said five articles were deleted and replaced by others while one new article was introduced by the general conference.
He said another article that was recommended under the Mung’omba draft was referred to a referendum after the committee referred it to the general conference.
But the adoption confirmation could not proceed after all the delegates said they had not read the report as it had just been distributed.
“Those documents were distributed as you were reporting yesterday,” Banda said as the delegates disagreed. “In the name of democracy and to allow those that are keen to read the report tonight, we will defer recommendation of this report.”
On the report of the local government committee, Muzyamba said the committee worked on 37 terms of reference and that from that number five articles were adopted as presented while 12 articles were adopted with amendments.
He said 14 articles were deleted and six articles were harmonised with similar provisions in the current constitution.
When it came to the adoption of the report, one delegate suggested that Banda should read the report clause by clause during consideration because some of them had left their copies.
“Let us not postpone decision making. That is why we get unfair criticism,” Banda said.
He said the delegates had been given enough time to read and that all of them were expected to come with their copies of the report.
“This is not a kindergarten. You are expected to bring the report as responsible members of the NCC. This is why we are showered with unfair criticism. We know what we are here for,” said Banda. “On 31st August 2010 there is no NCC, let’s move.”
Labels: CHIFUMU BANDA, DANTE SAUNDERS, NCC, STANLEY MHANGO
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