YOU’LL PAY BACK, RISK ARREST
…Illegal technical committee warned
By George Zulu
ANYONE participating in the work of the illegal constitutional reform technical committee will refund all the illegal allowances they will pocket from the national treasury, opposition Tonse Alliance acting chairperson Given Lubinda has warned.
And All People’s Congress (ACP) leader Nason Msoni says accountability should start with the committee advising Hichilema to do the right thing instead of allowing an illegal arrangement to mutilate the country’s Constitution.
Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema appointed a 25- member technical committee to consult citizens on amendments to the Constitution and come up with a draft allegedly without following the law.
“It is only right for people to do things in the right way. On that committee we have former judges, individual lawyers, members of the Church and civil society, and what we hope should have happened was to advise the President to do the right thing,” Lubinda said.
He said lawyers had spoken about Hichilema’s committee as illegal, stakeholders had said it was illegal.
“So, why should you spend public funds on an illegality? I have to remind those individuals sitting on the committee that an illegality is an illegality, and what comes out of it is illegal, and all the money spent on it will have to be paid back one day. And those participating in an illegality will be made to account for their actions. This is a timely warning,” Lubinda warned.
He was commenting on remarks by former Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Linda Kasonde, the Church, civil society orgnaisations that Hichilema’s technical committee on the amendment of the Constitution is illegal because he has not done it under the Inquiries Act as the law demands.
Lubinda said individuals appointed by Hichilema to sit on the illegal committee should bear in their minds that they would be held accountable soon for receiving illegal allowances and using State facilities illegally.
He said the treasury would be doing a disservice to the nation if it funded an illegality, warning that anyone authorising or making such payments would pay back all the allowances and would be prosecuted for abuse of office and other related crimes.
Lubinda, the acting Patriotic Front (PF) president, wondered why the United Party for National Development (UPND) was in a hurry to amend the Constitution using shortcuts when the law was clear on the procedure.
He said it was strange that Hichilema, in a bid to advantage himself ahead of the 2026 general elections, was ready to abrogate the Constitution.
“This is very strange, and it is a wake-up call to our people to be vigilant. These guys in government today don’t mean well for our people. They will push for this agenda to amend the Constitution, but we have warned those individuals that they will one day be answerable. They have no immunity at all,” Lubinda said.
He said senior lawyers had already guided what the President needed to do if he wanted to continue with the amendments.
“We don’t support the amendments at all, and nobody is supporting the amendments. However, if he wants to, then let him do the right thing. Let him follow the procedure. Let him withdraw Bill 7 from Parliament,” Lubinda said.
Meanwhile, All People’s Congress (ACP) leader Nason Msoni says accountability should start with the committee advising Hichilema to do the right thing instead of allowing an illegal arrangement to mutilate the country’s Constitution.
“We urge those men and women on that technical committee to seriously reflect on the law and procedures. Let them listen and reflect. Zambians have spoken and the best they can do is to urge Hichilema to respect the will of the people,” Msoni said.
Last week, former LAZ president Linda Kasonde said the creation of the Constitutional Technical Committee under Article 92 instead of the Inquiries Act was illegal.
Kasonde said the technical committee appointed by Hichilema to collect views for the amendment of the constitution was shrouded in secrecy.
