NO 2ND TERM FOR HH
He wants to extend his rule through Bill 7 – M’membe
By Mast Reporter
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema is desperately pushing for the return of the illegl Constitution (Amendment) Bill No.7 of 2025 to Parliament to secure his second term of office against the will of the people of Zambia, Socialist Party presidential candidate Dr Fred M’membe has said.
On Wednesday, the Zambia Council of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) warned the government against re-introducing Bill 7 in Parliament because it lacked genuine public participation as the law demanded.
Featuring on the Socialist Hour on Hot FM yesterday, Dr M’membe said Hichilema wanted to amend the Constitution to cling to power by force, a move the people of Zambia and the church had rejected.
He said all the changes Hichilema proposed were around next year’s general elections, and Zambians should not allow it at all costs.
“Bill 7 is about the political preservation of Hichilema, securing his second term in a manner that is not highly contested. If you look at the changes that are being made, the majority of them, or being proposed, majority of them are to do with elections,” he said.
Dr M’membe said the failed, corrupt and illegal Bill 7 was framed, crafted and drafted to secure Hichilema’s second term.
He said despite public pressure, Hichilema was determined to procure the second term using an illegal process, warning that those supporting such illegalities would one day pay.
“Each one of them has been demolished thoroughly by many people. You don’t need to have legal training to understand or to be critical of what he is trying to do. Basically, it’s about Mr Hichilema; it is conceived by him, it is implemented by him. It’s being imposed on the Zambian people by Mr Hichilema,” Dr M’membe said.
He said Hichilema was using an illegal means to amend the Constitution, going against the will of the people he claimed to represent.
“These are not issues coming from the Zambian people. There is no legal framework for discussion. It’s who he wants to meet. He sends his minister of justice on a mission that they claim is a consultation. It’s not a consultation. It’s a propagation. They went there to force the Zambian people to accept what they were trying to change. Mr Hichilema is adamant about the 13 changes he wants to make,” Dr M’membe said.
He warned Zambians against trusting Hichilema and his administration.
“They denied it completely. Eventually, they started to do what they had denied they wouldn’t do. That shows you that there was no honesty in their approach to this whole thing. Even in his own government, there were denials. Even the minister of justice denied what she’s now propagating. She denied it. So, the consultations they are making, they are not consultations. They are simply attempts to force their way on the Zambian people. This is not a people’s constitution amendment,” he said.
And All People’s Congress (APC) president Nason Msoni has warned individuals plotting to amend the Constitution that one day they will be made to pay.
Msoni, a member of the opposition Tonse Alliance, said Zambians were watching, warning that any action that went against the will of the people would be tantamount to assuming power by force.
“This Bill 7 is an illegality, and anyone who attempts to reintroduce it in Parliament will be committing a crime against Zambians. They must know that they will soon be made to account for such criminal acts. This is a friendly warning to anyone behind such criminal schemes,” he said.
He said Zambians have spoken through many forums against any constitutional amendments before next year’s general elections.
“The Church has spoken against it, civil society organisations have, too, political parties have, even the UPND itself is not in support of Bill 7, the business community has expressed concerns, too, the court has ruled against it, making it illegal. So, why is Hichilema forcing it through? Our advice is stop it and stop it now!” Msoni said.
And opposing the intention by the government to revive the rejected bill, the Catholic bishops reaffirmed their disapproval of Bill 7 because in its current form, it it does not uphold the foundational values of participatory democracy, transparency and constitutional integrity.
“There is need to initiate a genuinely inclusive, consultative process that respects the voices of all stakeholders…,” their statement said.
