It’ll be HH’s Constitution, not people’s – Miti
By Tony Nkhoma
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema is trying to change the Constitution for himself and those in his government, not for the people, human rights activist Laura Miti has said.
Miti said she did not choose to elect Hichilema to put political or other personal interest over Zambians.
“I write this after, once again, turning over in my mind this Bill 7 matter, that is now a list of terms of reference (ToRs) and an expensive committee pretending to consult the country. Sir, I honestly cannot see how this is for us. I am convinced that you are trying to change our Constitution for you, and the people in power,” Miti said in a post on her Facebook page.
“This post is for President Hichilema,” Miti said.
She said she wanted a president who would run a government and make decisions in the best interest of the country.
“All I hoped for was that after years that felt like wondering in a booby trapped maze, I could trust that the person privileged to run the country would never, at monumental moments, choose his political or other personal interest over Zambia,” Miti said.
She said there was just no nationally reasonable or beneficial explanation why Hichilema and the United Party for National Development (UPND) were doing things in the way they were doing.
“What I wanted was a president who would run a government that, on applying my mind, I would always believe made every decision in the best interest of the country,” Miti said.
She said there were smelly things being suggested that Hichilema and the UPND were most desperate for.
“By the way, I wonder, do you know that there are smelly things being done to bolster submissions to the Technical Committee on the sections of Bill 7 that, it would seem, the UPND is most desperate for?,” Miti said.
She was referring to allegations that the UPND has been paying its cadres and other people to go and make submissions to the committee in support of Bill 7 to influence the final report.
Miti advised Hichilema to do a check of the happenings during sessions of the Technical Committee because he was not being informed by his own party.
“Do a check and hear what happened to poor people in the five towns the committee sat in this week. You know the majority of citizens whose poverty means K100 is life changing. Yes, those heart-breaking ones. Then, of course, check what party functionaries did. That’s if they are not keeping you informed,” she said.
Miti said it was not a rumour that “smelly” and “disgusting” things were happenings during the submissions.
“No, it’s not a rumour but, no, I sadly can’t prove it. All I can tell you is that I was disgusted when it began to unfold, mostly on the second day of public submissions. Quite clearly, the UPND has decided it makes no sense to be different,” she said.
