CATHOLIC CHURCH HH’S NIGHTMARE – Sinkamba

CATHOLIC CHURCH HH’S NIGHTMARE

…It’s the main obstacle to Constitution amendment – Sinkamba

 By Mast Reporter

ONE of President Hakainde Hichilema’s main obstacles to predetermining the outcome of the constitution amendment process is the Catholic Church, Green Party (GP) president Peter Sinkamba has said.

Sinkamba said apart from the strong opposition party voices and other Civil Society Organisations and individuals, Hichilema’s main fear is the Catholic Church.

Sinkamba said Hichilema regarded the Roman Catholic Church as the biggest hurdle he must surmount to achieve his ambition to manipulate the Constitution in order to cling to power.

“He [Hakainde Hichilema] has not predetermined the outcome [yet]. The challenges he is facing from the opposition and the Church, especially the Catholics, have derailed his strategy to predetermine the outcome,” he said.

Sinkamba said Hichilema knew the moral resistance he was facing in his desire to predetermine the constitution amendment process’ outcome.

He told The Mast in an interview Hichilema was “very desperate” to remain in power and arising from the position of the Church, particularly the Catholics, his strategy had been temporarily derailed.

Sinkamba said Hichilema had taken the matter of amending the Constitution like a personal-to-holder matter.

He said the Constitution of Zambia is a sacred national document which should not be taken like an individual document.

“Of course, President Hakainde Hichilema has taken the issue of Constitution amendment as a personal issue. He wants to manipulate the election in his favour through constitutional mingalato [mischief] hence the desperation,” Sinkamba said.

It was unlikely that Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) would succeed with the undemocratic constitutional amendments.

“The pressure from the Catholics is too heavy for him,” he said.

When asked for a comment, State House chief communication specialist Clayson Hamasaka simply said, “You scrutinise the list again” in response to a request for a comment.

Hamasaka was referring to the 25-member technical committee on constitutional amendments appointed by Hichilema, which includes a Catholic bishop included in his individual capacity.