YOU CAN’T CLEANSE IT
…Stop sugarcoating illegal Technical Committee – Lubinda
By Mast Reporter
NO AMOUNT of sugarcoating of the controversial establishment of the Constitution Technical Committee will cleanse it and make it acceptable by the people of Zambia, Tonse Alliance acting chairperson Given Lubinda has said.
Speaking in an interview with The Mast, Lubinda said Zambians had rejected a non-inclusive and non-consultative approach to the constitutional amendments.
He said forcing President Hakainde Hichilema’s proposals on the people of Zambia was criminal and a breach of the country’s Constitution.
“Those arguing or trying to cleanse those proposals are on a pay cheque; they are paid to do that. Those proposals did not come from the people of Zambia but from the Executive. It is an agenda of the UPND. Any amendments to the Constitution that threaten democracy should be rejected, and those proposals are a threat to governance,” Lubinda said.
He said the proposals in the terms of reference (ToR) were a true reflection of what Hichilema wanted to do in the illegal Bill 7, which he hd cleverly deferred in Parliament.
Lubinda said the legitimate way of doing things should have been consulting the people of Zambia, the owners of the Constitution, and not in the manner those wielding power were doing.
Lubinda, the Patriotic Front (PF) acting president, wondered what the United Party for National Development (UPND) wanted to cure which could not wait beyond the 2026 general elections.
“We have taken note of the proposals Hichilema and his friends are forcing the people of Zambia to look at in the Technical Committee’s terms of reference. All those proposals are election-bound. Why the desperation to amend the Constitution and all the proposals speak to the election?” he wondered.
Lubinda urged Hichilema to introspect and reflect on the consequences of desperately rushing the amendments when it was clear that the people of Zambia had rejected the process.
“This is not a matter of life and death as the UPND wants to put it. The first decent thing they should have done was to make the delimitation report public for people to appreciate it first. But as you know, this regime is brutal and secretive in its conduct. It is a regime people cannot trust at all. The worst thing is that even its members have lost trust, so why should we allow UPND and Hichilema to hold Zambians in captivity in such a manner?” he said.
Lubinda said the push for amendments as a matter of urgency was driving an anti-Zambian agenda.
“This is the first time we have a president who is willing to do wrong things willingly. This is the first time a president is ready to sacrifice constitutionalism for power. This is the first time in the history of the country we have a president refusing to listen to anyone. I want to warn Zambians to be worried, extremely worried for having a president who doesn’t respect the Constitution,” Lubinda said.
, however, urged Zambians not to despair, for their will shall be done in conformity with the constitution.
“I wish to urge the people of Zambia not to be worried about Hichilema. We shall ensure that their [Zambians] will is protected. We shall use all constitutional avenues to defend and protect the supreme law of the nation,” he said.
The committee, whose appointment has been fiercely opposed as illegal by all the major stakeholders including the main opposition, the Church, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) and the civil society.
