Delimitation very contentious, says Mwenye
By Mast Reporter
FORMER Attorney General Musa Mwenye says delimitation of constituencies is a very contentious issue which must be handled with a lot of care contrary to claims by the United Party for National Development (UPND) and its allies that it is non-contentious.
Mwenye said there was distrust among Zambians on the plans by the UPND government because the issue of delimitation was being championed by ruling party voices.
“You mentioned delimitation. And I heard my brother, the learned Minister of Justice [Princess Kasune Zulu] implying that delimitation is not a contentious matter. It is one of the most contentious issues in many jurisdictions,” he said.
“To determine where the majority constituencies will be, to determine which constituencies should be split into more than one and where they should increase is always a contentious issue because we are quite a polarised nation politically and regionally.”
Mwenye said it would be wise for the UPND to leave the debate to citizens instead of dominating it to build trust.
Featuring on Diamond TV’s Costa, Mwenye said determining which constituencies to be split was always a contentious issue.
He advised government to allow citizens to do the talking because when people in the ruling party were leading the conversation on delimitation and other issues that dealt with setting the rules of the game of elections, it always built distrust even when they meant well.
Mwenye said one of the most important considerations in debilitation was the population.
“And you don’t want to create an impression that certain regions are getting more constituencies than others. You know, one of the most important considerations in debilitation is the population, the demographics, the geography, the culture of the people, the district boundaries. Those things are the ones that determine delimitation,” he said.
“The Electoral Commission of Zambia [ECZ] is the body to conduct this delimitation. We already did this delimitation exercise in 2019, if I remember between October and December. And the Constitution says the maximum should be 10 years period,” Mwenya said.
“The question I have is are we going to go by borders that have been recommended in 2019? Are there new Constituencies that are being created in addition to what is being recommended? It is a very contentious process.”
And Mwenye says there is no urgency to amend the Constitution now.
“It would be interesting to ask those who are proposing an amendment so close to the election. It would be interesting to hear them explain why. I haven’t heard any convincing reason for it,” he said.
“We have had four political parties leading in this country, if I am not mistaken. We have had UNIP, we have had MMD, the PF and now we have the UPND. Of those four, three are former ruling parties. And of those three, two lost office because they had proposed amendments immediately before election.”
By Mast Reporter
FORMER Attorney General Musa Mwenye says delimitation of constituencies is a very contentious issue which must be handled with a lot of care contrary to claims by the United Party for National Development (UPND) and its allies that it is non-contentious.
Mwenye said there was distrust among Zambians on the plans by the UPND government because the issue of delimitation was being championed by ruling party voices.
“You mentioned delimitation. And I heard my brother, the learned Minister of Justice [Princess Kasune Zulu] implying that delimitation is not a contentious matter. It is one of the most contentious issues in many jurisdictions,” he said.
“To determine where the majority constituencies will be, to determine which constituencies should be split into more than one and where they should increase is always a contentious issue because we are quite a polarised nation politically and regionally.”
Mwenye said it would be wise for the UPND to leave the debate to citizens instead of dominating it to build trust.
Featuring on Diamond TV’s Costa, Mwenye said determining which constituencies to be split was always a contentious issue.
He advised government to allow citizens to do the talking because when people in the ruling party were leading the conversation on delimitation and other issues that dealt with setting the rules of the game of elections, it always built distrust even when they meant well.
Mwenye said one of the most important considerations in debilitation was the population.
“And you don’t want to create an impression that certain regions are getting more constituencies than others. You know, one of the most important considerations in debilitation is the population, the demographics, the geography, the culture of the people, the district boundaries. Those things are the ones that determine delimitation,” he said.
“The Electoral Commission of Zambia [ECZ] is the body to conduct this delimitation. We already did this delimitation exercise in 2019, if I remember between October and December. And the Constitution says the maximum should be 10 years period,” Mwenya said.
“The question I have is are we going to go by borders that have been recommended in 2019? Are there new Constituencies that are being created in addition to what is being recommended? It is a very contentious process.”
And Mwenye says there is no urgency to amend the Constitution now.
“It would be interesting to ask those who are proposing an amendment so close to the election. It would be interesting to hear them explain why. I haven’t heard any convincing reason for it,” he said.
“We have had four political parties leading in this country, if I am not mistaken. We have had UNIP, we have had MMD, the PF and now we have the UPND. Of those four, three are former ruling parties. And of those three, two lost office because they had proposed amendments immediately before election.”
