THERE IS NO LAW THAT PROHIBITS THE HEAD OF STATE FROM BEING IN THE SAME SPACE WITH THE CHIEF JUSTICE OR SPEAKER OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

THERE IS NO LAW THAT PROHIBITS THE HEAD OF STATE FROM BEING IN THE SAME SPACE WITH THE CHIEF JUSTICE OR SPEAKER OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

JUST listened to a video clip by lawyer John Sangwa saying he has never seen the President and the Chief Justice or indeed the Speaker of National Assembly in the same space such as at traditional ceremonies. According to him, it’s the first time he is seeing this arrangement now.

It is unclear on what basis John Sangwa asserts that the President and the Chief Justice cannot attend the same public event. One searches the Constitution in vain for a provision prohibiting senior officials from occupying the same physical space.

Public office holders are, first and foremost, citizens of Zambia. Their elevation to high office does not render them incapable of attending a cultural ceremony, nor does it require them to exit a venue upon discovering that a colleague from another arm of government has also chosen to attend.

The Nc’wala and other traditional ceremonies are inclusive occasions that brings together Zambians from all walks of life. The presence of senior officials reflects their citizenship, and in many cases their longstanding personal connection to such traditions, not a constitutional (kanstitutional) crisis.

It should also be noted that greeting a fellow citizen at a public event is, in most societies, considered basic courtesy. What matters is not whether public officials attend the same ceremony, but whether they continue to discharge their constitutional responsibilities with integrity and impartiality. For the avoidance of doubt, President Hichilema has demonstrated his commitment to the true separation of the three arms of government.

CLAYSON HAMASAKA
CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
STATE HOUSE